President's Message
June 2026

President’s Message June 2026 It’s about time, finally, summer is here !

June is always my favorite month with flowers blooming, trees in full foliage and daylight hours stretching until nearly 10 PM.

With all that extra sunlight everyone is spending much more time outside getting the full benefits of “Nature Based Wellness” as profiled by Larry Hall and Martin Rydlo at our last meeting. The club’s summer schedule of activities has really kicked in this month with weekly biking trips, backyard BBQ parties, paddling on local rivers and hiking on Blue Mountain trails. In addition our annual golf tournament is June 11th and the quarterly summer cocktail event June 19th at John Kutcy’s home are not to be missed.

In terms of community events this month some of my favourites are concerts sponsored by the Collingwood Theater Porchside Festival. The festival presents great music on backyard lawns of impressive homes all over Collingwood. Also don’t miss Jazz and Blues at The Station Park every Wednesday, 6 PM to 8 PM, starting June 27th. along with concerts at Simcoe Street Theater and the Marsh Street Centre in Clarksburg.

Canadian sovereignty is again being challenged this month by Danielle Smith and the Alberta UPC party. Her disastrous handling of the Alberta separation issue by proposing a trial vote on whether or not Albertans want a binding referendum later in the year is sure to add fuel to the separatist movement and create great animosity. Comparisons are being made with the start of the Brexit movement in Britain which ultimately led to the withdrawal of the UK from the European Union at great cost to Britain. Critics of Smith point out that she failed in her duty by not consulting First Nations before proposing a trial referendum.

Regarding our economic strength, threats of a Canadian recession, following two quarters of GDP contraction, were wiped away by the May 2026 jobs report which saw our unemployment rate drop to 6.6% as 88,000 new full time jobs were created. That economic resilience comes as Canada looks ahead to the renewal of CUSMA and is extremely important given ongoing global trade pressures.

We have an interesting and informative monthly meeting planned as our speaker this month is Norman Douglas speaking about issues with our justice system which promises to be a fascinating exploration of Canadian justice. In addition “Tales of Interest “will feature member Dan Crabb telling us about his work with the new Georgian Bay Cancer Support Centre in Collingwood.

Sign up sheets will be available at the break for the ever popular Fall Color Car Tour on October 7th which will include a set menu lunch at a price of $38 per person.
Looking forward to seeing you at the June monthly meeting.

Respectfully ,
Michael Coward michael.coward@gmail.com