Take care not to invite the coronavirus in
By Kathy Rowe
The holiday season is upon us and although it is usually a time when we want to invite friends and loved ones into our homes, we must take good care not to invite the coronavirus in. This is going to be a very different December, but it just can’t be helped. Ways to keep the joy of the holidays close to us can range from enjoying the decorated homes during a neighbourhood stroll to participating in a drive-thru holiday presentation. On page 4 you will find an array of ideas in my article, “Holidays from a distance.”
AGM in a virtual way
Conducting our annual general meeting via Zoom was quite the experience! To be honest, I’m still getting comfortable with virtual meetings and a meeting of this scale was somewhat nerve wracking. Fortunately, with sound support, a good sized audience and excellent guest speakers, things went quite smoothly. I’d like to thank MP Gary Anandasangaree, MPP Vijay Thanigasalam and Councillor Jennifer McKelvie for their contributions to the meeting.
A fond farewell was made to our advertising chair Kelsey Dorval. Kelsey has been on the executive for more than 10 years. During her tenure, Kelsey liaised with advertisers and built solid relationships with over 25 clients who continue to support our newspaper.
Kelsey’s excellent communication skills were valuable to our advertisers and to the CCRA. We thank Kelsey for her dedication to the CCRA and we wish her all the best!
I’d like to introduce four new members to our executive.The CCRA welcomes Julie Kish, Kaz Anwar and Pam Collins. Returning to our board for 2021 is Gerry Divaris. Gerry left our board a year ago due to work commitments and we are pleased to have him back in the role of vice-president.
Online Pumpkin Parade success
I want to thank the Centennial residents who submitted photos of their jack o’lanterns and decorated homes for the pumpkin video that was posted on area association websites throughout the first week of November. Submissions came from the residents of Centennial, Highland Creek and West Rouge. The five-minute plus video was fun to watch and the music that accompanied it was terrific! Many thanks to West Rouge Community Association president Kathi Loughran for creating the video. I’m sure it brought many smiles to many families.
Update on Port Union Community Centre
As expected, on November 23 the Port Union Community Centre shut down the few drop-in programs and registered programs that it was running over the past few weeks. The fitness centre and the library both remain closed. As I write this, there is hope that access to the building for washroom facilities will remain. Directions of this kind change daily.
Enjoy the holidays and stay healthy, everyone!