President’s Message Garry McDonald CSA President Iwas pleased to be able to meet many of you during our most recent round of fall Snowbird Lifestyle Presentations. This year, we held our meetings in Ontario and began our tour with stops in Parry Sound and Owen Sound. From there, we headed to Port Hope, Nepean, Belleville and Markham. We concluded this year’s round of shows with stops in Chatham-Kent and St. Catharines. I am happy to report that we signed up many new members and I would like to thank all of the volunteers who came out to help us bring you these productions. If you did not have an opportunity to visit with us in the fall, we have a full round of Snowbird Extravaganzas and Winter Information Meetings planned for you over the next few months. This travel season, we will begin our winter shows with the Arizona Snowbird Extravaganza at the Mesa Convention Center in Mesa, Arizona on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. Our Florida Snowbird Extravaganza will be held at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, Florida on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 28 and 29, 2025. Finally, our Winter Texans’ Snowbird Extravaganza will take place on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 at the McAllen Convention Center in McAllen, Texas. These Extravaganzas are always excellent opportunities to visit with old friends while making new ones. World-class entertainment for your enjoyment and access to all of the latest snowbird information and products to help you make the most of your time in the sun will be available. As always, admission to these shows is free of charge. If you are unable to attend one of our Extravaganzas, please consider joining us for one of our Winter Information Meetings. Although somewhat smaller in scale, these meetings still include wonderful entertainment. They also present members and prospective members with a great opportunity to hear first-hand what initiatives the Canadian Snowbird Association is currently undertaking on your behalf. They provide ample opportunity to question members of the board of directors about any ongoing snowbird-related concerns that you may have. They also make it a little easier to interact with the entertainers. This winter travel season, our Winter Information Meeting tour will begin in Florida with our first show on Tuesday, February 11, 2025 in Largo. We will be in Bradenton on Wednesday, February 12 and Fort Myers on Thursday, February 13. We will conclude our round of Florida shows in Punta Gorda on Friday, February 14. We will then head to California with shows in Indio on Monday, February 17 and Winterhaven on Wednesday, February 19. Once again, admission is free. Please look elsewhere in this issue of the magazine for specific venue locations and times. CSA members may also book a member of your board of directors to make an information presentation directly to their local winter community or club. These presentations provide updates regarding all of the latest initiatives on which the association has been working on your behalf, and we attempt to answer any questions that you may have about a wide variety of snowbird-related topics. To book a presentation, please contact the CSA office in Toronto. Since the fall issue of CSANews, we have concluded three provincial election campaigns in Canada. In British Columbia, the NDP won a third term by the slimmest of margins. David Eby will remain premier after being sworn into office in 2022 after the retirement of Premier John Horgan. The Conservatives will serve as the official opposition as a result of their best electoral performance in 72 years. On October 21, 2024, the residents of New Brunswick elected a Liberal majority government. The Liberals captured 31 seats, the Progressive Conservatives 16 and the Green party were elected in two ridings. With the win, Premier Susan Holt becomes the first woman to serve as New Brunswick’s premier. Finally, on October 28, Saskatchewan voters re-elected the incumbent Saskatchewan Party government to it’s fifth consecutive majority with Premier Scott Moe earning his second mandate as premier. The Saskatchewan NDP will form the official opposition. Congratulations to Premiers Eby, Holt and Moe and to all members of the provincial legislatures. We look forward to working with all of you on issues of importance to travelling Canadians. It has been a difficult summer and fall for many of our Florida members following the impact of hurricanes Milton and Helene. If members have any ongoing concerns with respect to the impact which these hurricanes may have had on their properties, please do not hesitate to contact our office in Toronto. They are always there with the latest available information to assist you. Have a safe and enjoyable winter with your family and friends. 10 | www.snowbirds.org
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