President David Soper opened the meeting with our Land Acknowledgement, and the singing of O Canada.
Chair Announcements
Jude Chigbo, current president of the Rotary Global Online Club has been elected DGN-Designate for the 2028-29 Rotary year.
The February 2026 club board meeting will be delayed until Tuesday, February 10th, due to President David having a conflicting commitment.
There was an open discussion about Membership and Fundraising, both pressing needs in our club. Let President David know if you are interested in joining either of these two committees.
LeeAnn expressed the need for more advertising and her willingness to work with the fundraising committee.
The speaker this evening was Past President Cathy, who shared stories about her trip to the Great Bear Rainforest in October 2025.
She enjoyed a 9-day/8-night cruise on the sailing vessel Maple Leaf that took them up the coast of BC. There were sightings of grizzly bears, black bears, and a spirit bear, as well as humpback whales, sea lions, harbour seals, sea otters, eagles and more. They also saw (and held) sea urchins, a decorator crab and a star fish. A stop was made to enjoy a mineral hot spring. They also visited Wolf Track Beach, a salmon spawning stream, and intertidal areas.
Great food and inspiring story telling happened each and every day. Onboard were four crew and four guests, which created a very caring and supportive temporary family.
Cathy's motivation for taking the journey: “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.” George Bernard Shaw.
Photos - Whales, Grizzlies, the ‘elusive’ Spirit Bear (FYI: it’s a black bear), a new little friend.
President David was happy that it was no longer minus 49 degrees outside.
Cathy braved the cold to attend the Oak Table Fundraiser, Music to Warm our Hearts. She was happy to see LeeAnn there, along with Joyce and Jack.
Peter was happy to be here, and hoping to make it to more club meetings.
Alan managed to get his bank to do what they said they would, by refusing to pay what he owed them until they did it.
Bernard had a harrowing weather-related experience. Bernard explained that on Jan 16th during the blizzard he was stopped at a gate on the highway. He ended up waiting at a gas station for 24 hours. Fortunately he had gas to run his car. He noticed an elderly couple without gas who were getting cold. He invited them into his car to warm up. He ended up driving them to Portage la Prairie where the couple checked into a hotel. The second buck was that a friend is flying back to Nigeria to offer charitable dental treatment. That person has been invited to our club on her return. Editor’s note: These stories demonstrate that both Bernard and his friend are ‘our kind of people.’ Bernard reminded us to be prepared for emergencies.
Iain enjoyed going to Murder on the Orient Express with Caroline.
There were two birthdays:
Lloyd, for whom we sang
Alan, who declined a song. But he did have a great time celebrating with family members.
50/50 draw
Iain had the lucky ticket, but no blue marble.
Next week’s speaker
Dee Monti - Healthy Start - A Pregnancy and Parent & Baby Program
The speaker this evening was Past President Cathy, who shared stories about her trip to the Great Bear Rainforest in October 2025.
