President Cathy Skene opened the meeting with the club's land acknowledgement and the playing of O'Canada on the electric organ by a very special guest.

Chair Announcements

Cathy began with the sad news. As we waited for the meeting to begin you probably noticed a slideshow with pictures from Urban Stables playing. Beautiful children and beautiful horses. Hayley Edwards phoned last week to share the heartbreaking news that the board of directors of Urban Stable has decided to shut down the organization. She followed up with an email that reads, in part:

“This decision was a difficult one. Urban Stable has had tremendous impact over its nearly 25 years of operation and we know how important Urban Stable is to so many youths. However, the realities of securing funding and grants in an ever increasingly competitive environment, combined with lower enrollment due to shrinking school budgets and increased facility and horse costs have been the key factors in this difficult decision.

We are so grateful for your support, passion, energy dedication and care in supporting Urban Stable’s mission. You have made a significant impact in the lives of our students and that is something that will live forever. We will miss you and cherish all the memories we have together through Urban Stable and hope to be able to connect with you in the future.”

Cathy has invited Hayley to come to our anniversary celebration and hopes that happens.

And we have a few people here who didn’t attend the last couple of meetings so Cathy reminded us of the date for our 40th anniversary dinner: April 28. This is a Monday night so it will be at our usual time, but bigger and better. Guests are very welcome, especially if you know people that could be encouraged to donate to the Forest, or become Rotary members. Or both.

We are planning a digital photo display as well as a short film about the history of the club. If you have any pictures and/or video that you can share please let Rod know. Please don’t send Rod a whole bunch of mystery photos: include names of people in the photo, the date, and what’s happening. Jack, Rod and Nick will be handling the technical side. Glenn, LeeAnn, David and Cathy are the rest of the committee. If you have ideas, raffle or door prizes to offer or, whatever…please speak to one of them.

A reminder that the district conference will be May 9 and 10 this year. It will be quite short, and very affordable at $50. It is virtual but Warren Thompson is working on putting together a ‘viewing party’ at the Holiday Inn on Portage Avenue. That would involve them having a room and inviting all the Winnipeg Rotary clubs to come and view the event together. There would also be coffee and maybe some snacks. There is also a ‘club’ price of $200 for viewing parties, so it may cost you even less. And, of course, for $50 you can just watch from home.

May 9th is also Winnipeg Assiniboine’s annual fundraising dinner so if you need a bigger party, plan on attending that. Cathy expects Warren will be showing up with tickets in the near future, just as we will crash his meeting with tickets for our anniversary dinner.

District Leadership Training will be March 21-23. The in-person event will be in Russell MB, and the training will also be over zoom. This is required training for club president-elects, but all club members are encouraged to attend. You should have received an email invitation from Fred Wright. Also $50. Of course, if you go to Russell, food and room will be extra. Everyone stays at the Russell Inn.

And of course, don’t forget the RI conference in Calgary. It is coming up fast.

It is nearly spring, so if you’re getting a head start on your spring cleaning and decluttering, which you should because we have a busy few months coming up, you’ll be pleased to know that the Friends of the Winnipeg Public Library group is accepting books, DVDs, Video games (all formats), CDs and LPs in saleable condition. They love the words gently used but still lots of life. Donations can be dropped off at any Winnipeg Public Library Branch. They ask that they be packed in ‘lift-able’ boxes (no bags), and no more than 3 boxes per visit. Label the boxes FRIENDS. If you have larger donations contact fwplbookroom@gmail.com and they may be able to assist you. They may even be able to pick up.

The club board of directors will meet tomorrow (Tuesday the 11th) at 4:30 via zoom.

Jack Wilson- A Forest update

The Forest Grant committee is preparing applications to apply for two grants. One from the Winnipeg Foundation & second one from Red River Co-op. The Committee met with the City of Wpg. parks and naturalist department staff to gain support for the Natural Education area and restroom facility. The meeting came to a consensus, we would look at an education area near the Green Team Container. This area would consist of large tree stumps laid on the ground. The city advised they have larger tree trunks cut and have used them in other locations.

In regards to the washroom facility, the consensus was we would look at a composting toilet. The structure would have to be large enough for most forest visitors to access it. The facility would be located near the Chalfont gate entrance.

A suggestion was raised at the meeting to forward a suggestion to the consultant on the feasibility of constructing a bus lane on the south side of the Chalfont parking lot, between the parking lot and an existing fence. This area is approx. 50 ft. wide and runs the length of the parking lot.

We have forwarded this info to Public City consulting to obtain preliminary pricing and design for use with the Winnipeg Foundation grant application.

In regards to the Red River Co-op grant, we are going to apply for funding to upgrade the Oak Ridge trail between the Sagimay Trail & the Preston trail. If successful this would conclude the trail upgrades.

Mandy Kwasnica - Ukrainian Furniture Drive Update.

Successful Furniture Drive

We had a very successful furniture drive last Saturday, helping 11 families. This brings our total to 388 families supported so far. With one more furniture drive on Saturday, February 22nd, we will reach 400 families — a huge accomplishment made possible by so many dedicated volunteers.

Final Furniture Drive – February 22nd

• This will be our last furniture drive.
• Volunteers should be prepared for a longer day than usual.
• We will collect furniture in advance due to low inventory.
• Families will be invited to pick up essential items.
• Our goal is to hit 400 families and make this final drive a success.

Impactful Story from Last Saturday

Eric and Sandra from Springsteen Mennonite Church helped a family who had been in Canada for just one week. The family had fled two wars — first from Ukraine, then from Israel. When volunteers delivered furniture, they found them eating while sitting on a mattress because they had nothing. A heartbreaking moment occurred when their three-year-old daughter burst into tears while watching cartoons. The father explained that the sound of sirens triggered her, as war and danger were all she had ever known. Sandra, deeply moved, broke down in tears afterward, reinforcing why our work matters so much.

Upcoming Events

• Final furniture drive: February 22nd.
• Store cleanup after the final drive.
• Ukrainian Social Event (tentative date: March 29th)
• A gathering for families we’ve supported to connect with each other.
• Facility booking is in progress.
• Volunteers are encouraged to attend.
• Volunteer Dinner
• A final wrap-up event to celebrate our efforts.

Reflection

It feels like forever ago that we hosted the Ukrainian dinner that kick-started this initiative. In just a few weeks, we pulled together an event with 200 attendees, a choir, cake pops, and Ukraine-themed t-shirts made by Red Rebel Armor. That fundraiser laid the foundation for everything we’ve accomplished. Thank You!

To everyone who has supported this project — you believed in this idea from the start and made a real difference in people's lives. Thank you!

President Cathy introduced our speaker: "This evening’s speaker is someone that many of you already know. He is going to talk to us about AI: opportunities and threats. And that is all that I will say, because this would be too much of an opportunity for me to sound… well, not intelligent."

Iain first spoke to us in February 2023 on this topic. ChatGPT was first released as a research preview on November 30, 2022. https://openai.com/chatgpt/overview/

As of September 2024, the ChatGPT app had been downloaded over 110 million times across iOS and Android platforms. In the United States, it held a 45% market share of generative AI app downloads during the third quarter of 2024.

As of February 2025, specific download figures for the ChatGPT app are not available. However, it's noteworthy that new AI applications, such as DeepSeek, have emerged and gained significant popularity, even surpassing ChatGPT in download rankings on platforms like the Apple App Store.

At 3:30pm today there was a news release about Open Ai, maker of ChatGPT. Elon Musk leads bid to buy OpenAI for $97.4 billion. The move escalates a yearslong tussle between Musk and OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, and complicates the start-up’s plan to change its nonprofit status.

Now… In order to present a subject, Iain researched the other AI apps and looked into where it was making a difference. He looked at the timeline of apps coming on the market, the concerns, where it can help and where we use it daily, etc.

On Tuesday of last week, Jack and Iain received an email from Ezekiel that created a larger discussion regarding AI. You have all listened to a podcast during dinner which was created by Google AI Notebook. Ezekiel used it to create a podcast discussion about the forest. This led Iain to create one about our club. We all listened to a podcast over dinner created by AI about this presentation.

Iain doesn't expect us all to stop our lives and try using ChatGPT or Gemini from Google etc. What he hopes to do is make us think about how it can be useful, creative, disruptive and most certainly how it will affect how we interact in future.

Iain expects in the future, learning will adapt and change dramatically. For one to spend four years learning something that is accessible as a thought or a command will change how we advance our knowledge. Like it or not, the accessibility to information is going to change education.

Introduction

• AI has been developing for decades, but recent advancements have made it part of daily life. Think of Alexa.
• You’ve likely interacted with AI through search engines, smartphones, and social media.

Apple has integrated it into its operating system which allows us to search by subject. Eg, someone might search in thousands of photos for a photo of Brighton and it will recognize the word Brighton within an image.

Google search — Fills in answer as typing. Ask a question and you will see the STAR appear. Gives a more comprehensive answer.

• AI is not just for tech experts, it’s here to help all of us.
• Today, we’ll explore how AI has changed, where it’s going, and how it can benefit us.

How AI Has Changed Since Its Inception

• Early AI was limited to research labs and simple rule-based systems.
• AI can now generate text, images, videos, and even make predictions.
• Major developments:
• ChatGPT (OpenAI) - November 2023
• Microsoft CoPilot (built into Bing and Microsoft apps)
• Google Gemini (integrated into Google Search and Google apps)
• Meta’s Llama (used in Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) Mark Zuckerberg talks about AI https://fb.watch/xF_h4CwbWl/
• Claude (Anthropic) - first stable release in October 2024
• DeepSeek R1 (China) - January 2025
• DeepSeek R1 made AI more affordable and efficient, disrupting the market.
• AI is no longer just an American technology, China is now a major player.

Concerns with DeepSeek have led to Government departments banning it from devices. Suggest if you decide to use it, do not use your own email. Create one for the purpose and use on browser rather downloading the app.

Where AI Is Going

AI will become more accurate, personalized, and accessible.

The Large Language model (LLM) that AI uses is a type of artificial intelligence that uses deep learning to understand and generate human language by being trained on massive amounts of text data, allowing it to perform tasks like text generation, translation, question answering, and summarization with a high degree of fluency and coherence, often mimicking human conversation style. Essentially, it's a powerful machine learning model designed to process and analyze language at a very sophisticated level.

AI assistants will be built into all devices, not just computers. Iain personally writes the bulletin to use his time effectively. He purchased a year’s subscription to an App called AI Note taker. You will find many varieties of the same type of utility by searching. Iain records the speaker and uses an AI app to convert into text — A large body of text without breaks or paragraphs. Some words will be misheard or misspelt. That takes time to correct, however he doesn't miss the essence or details behind the presentation. He then uses just the necessary body of text to make a summary of the speaker’s notes. Previously, when someone transcribed from shorthand or longhand the speaker’s notes, time constraints led him to find a way to allow him to do the bulletin and other work.

Businesses will use AI for customer service, research, and automation. We all have experienced this when trying to contact customer service and are directed to a Chat Window which is a Chatbot or AI model which simulates human responses.

• Healthcare will see better diagnostics, treatment recommendations, and drug discovery. Radiologists can use AI to examine X Rays. Many hospitals use AI as a "second reader" to double-check radiologists' work.
• Education will benefit from AI tutors and personalized learning tools.
• Governments will use AI for policy analysis, security, and data management.

AI models will continue to improve with less cost and power usage.

How AI Can Benefit You

Everyday Tasks:

AI can write emails, summarize articles, and manage schedules.

Example:

PROMPT: Write an email to the City of Winnipeg (311@winnipeg.ca) over concerns of potholes. Be specific to street names and damage to vehicles. Mention repair costs of $2300. Request response by email

RESPONSE: Subject: Urgent Concern: Potholes Causing Vehicle Damage – Request for Repair and Response

Dear 311 Winnipeg,

I am writing to formally express my concern regarding the severe potholes on [Street Name(s)], particularly near the intersection of [Intersection or Specific Location] in Winnipeg. These potholes have become increasingly hazardous, posing a significant risk to drivers and pedestrians alike. On [Date], while driving on this section of the road, my vehicle sustained considerable damage due to the potholes. The repair costs amounted to $2,300, which included [briefly list damages, e.g., wheel alignment, tire replacement, suspension repairs, etc.]. This issue not only affects me but also other residents who have reported similar concerns. I kindly request that the City of Winnipeg take urgent action to repair these potholes to prevent further incidents and financial burdens on motorists. Additionally, I would appreciate information on whether the City provides any reimbursement options for damages caused by poor road conditions. Please provide a response via email at your earliest convenience. I look forward to hearing back from you regarding the steps being taken to address this matter. Thank you for your attention to this urgent issue.
Best regards,
[Your Full Name]
[Your Contact Information]
[Your Address (optional)]

AI assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant help with reminders and questions. AI-powered search engines provide quicker, more direct answers.

• Health & Wellness: AI apps can analyze symptoms and recommend medical advice. Wearable devices use AI to track heart rate, sleep, and activity. AI chatbots provide mental health support and therapy options.
• Finance & Investments: AI can analyze stock trends and provide financial advice. For example: What does ChatGPT say about a stock? Would we like to suggest one? Or does the stock market favour a republican president? Banking apps detect fraud and track spending habits. We may receive a notification from our bank when making a withdrawal. Retirement planning tools use AI to optimize savings.
• Entertainment & Leisure: AI suggests books, movies, and music based on preferences. AI creates personalized workout plans and diet recommendations. AI-generated content, like news summaries and podcasts, saves time.
• Travel & Shopping: AI finds the best flight and hotel deals.

Here is a table comparing the results of two flights to Toronto and back via Air Canada and WestJet. Include prices for departure on the Feb 26th returning 2 weeks later.

AI chatbots provide customer service and answer questions instantly. AI-powered translation tools help while traveling.

Try inputting this Prompt to ChartGPT or Gemini: "I am considering a cruise and following that with a safari in June of 2026. Can you create a schedule including what vaccines and what I should pack? How much currency should I have on hand? How much time should I set aside for the trip? Any benefit over an outside room over a room within the ship?"

Questions to Consider

• How comfortable are you with AI making decisions for you?
• What tasks in your daily life could AI help simplify?
• How do we balance AI’s benefits with concerns about privacy and misinformation?
• What skills should we learn to stay relevant in an AI-driven world?

In artificial intelligence, Measuring Massive Multitask Language Understanding (MMLU) is a benchmark for evaluating the capabilities of large language models. The MMLU consists of about 16,000 multiple-choice questions spanning 57 academic subjects including mathematics, philosophy, law, and medicine. It is one of the most commonly used benchmarks for comparing the capabilities of large language models, with over 100 million downloads as of July 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MMLU

Final Thoughts

Thank you! Let’s discuss your thoughts and questions.

• AI is here to stay and will continue to evolve.
• You don’t need to be a tech expert to benefit from AI.
• Start by exploring AI tools already available on your phone and computer.
• Stay informed and adapt to new opportunities AI provides.

Sarge Lyle introduced our guests including Toba Olamigoke.

Happy Bucks, birthdays, anniversaries

• Lee Ann had cataract surgery last week, and for the first time, she can see (at least in one eye) without lenses! She never realized trees had so many branches. The surgery went great, and she's absolutely thrilled. It’s the same amazing experience for everyone who has it!
• Iain On Thursday drove to Russell with his daughters, stayed at the Russell Inn, skied at Asessippi on Friday, and returned Saturday. The slopes were nearly empty — they did every run, even the remote ones. It was cold, so they had to stop and charge a few times, but everything went smoothly. Fantastic trip — he highly recommends Asessippi!
• Cathy is happy because she was at McNally Robinson, her second home, and found "111 Places in Winnipeg You Must Not Miss". Number four is Assiniboine Forest. The casual observer might think it is #4 due to alphabetical order, but she thinks it's highly ranked. If you haven’t been, you must visit!
• Caroline put in a little bit more to the kettle than usual just because she thinks she owes, but apart from that, she's very happy to have spent ten days with her grandson, Silas, who's adorable. Her tail's wagging.
• Chuck's daughter Erin (a teacher at Bruce Middle School in St James) sent him the following text: 
  “Our school almost burned down today. A kids locker caught fire. Fortunately it was quickly contained. One of the firefighters that showed up was one of the boys who your Rotary Club bought runners for in my first years of teaching. Both he and his brother are now first responders! The two brothers would trade shoes in the locker before gym as the family could not afford shoes for both. It's funny. I immediately knew his name and what came to mind was that I thought he would be the kid burning the school down. Instead he's the one saving it!!”
  This happened around the time we started supplying runners to Westgrove. Chuck would like to think our Rotary Club had a small part in this kid becoming a huge success in life after a tough start. Pretty cool full-circle moment! He really appreciates that story.
• Jack ate a lot on his cruise, gained some weight, and had to diet. Meanwhile, he had plenty of candy at home, but Anya said she didn’t have enough. So, Joyce brought her a whole shopping bag of candy — meaning Jack won’t have to eat it and can stick to his diet. He's happy Anya helped him out, she was a great trooper!
• Gord became a great-grandfather on January 30th.
• Ed Thompson celebrated his birthday and said he will be donating to RCCCF by his age in dollars.

Charleswood Rotary would like to thank Toba Olamigoke for his playing of Oh Canada drawing tonight’s opening of the meeting. We extend an invitation to Toba to join us once more as a guest.

Next Monday, February 17th is Louis Riel Day, so we won’t be meeting as a club. Louis Riel Day honours the Metis people, and Louis Riel, the First Premier of Manitoba. Think about what you can do to acknowledge the day. I will be reading stories to children at Fort Whyte Alive. If you are still looking for something to do, WAG-Qaumajuq is holding an Honouring our Metis Mothers event on Saturday, February 15th at 1 pm. It’s free, and they serve tea and bannock.

The following week we will have an opportunity to meet our outgoing long term exchange student for this year.