We ensured that a lot of fun was had by all as you can tell from the pictures of the event. 

Thank you to the Planning Committee who helped make the event a great experience for everyone!

Thank you to Willis Langford from St. Mary’s Conference, Brampton, Ontario for composing a song dedicated to St. Vincent de Paul and his life.

I had the pleasure of visiting Winnipeg, Edmonton, Vancouver and Vancouver Island in June. Thank you to the many Vincentians I met who welcomed and opened their homes to me and shared with me the wonderful Vincentian works happening in their communities.

Winnipeg has 2 Conferences which serve people in need through home visits. I met about 30 Vincentians, notably Carolyn Smith and Pierre Sebakwiye, the Conference Presidents, and Régis Gosselin. They are hoping to start up more Conferences to help those in need in Winnipeg. I also met with Archbishop LeGatt from the Archdiocese of St. Boniface who is supportive of SSVP. Members of the 2 Winnipeg Conferences do a great job doing home visits to people in need throughout Winnipeg with the resources they have.

Randy Yatscoff, Edmonton Central Council President, and Peter Ouellette, Western Regional Council North of 60 Project Chair, along with a team of Vincentians organized their first Fundraising Gala with 400 attendees. Sister Faye Tremblay was the guest speaker; she shared information about life in Tuktoyaktuk. They had a number of event sponsors, sold raffle tickets for prizes and had a live auction. This great event raised $183,000 with proceeds being split between their North of 60 project, supporting our Indigenous brothers and sisters in the North and Edmonton Central Council serving people in need in Edmonton.

I also met with several Vincentians who filled a sea container that was being shipped to Paulatuk that week. These Vincentians also have a garage filled with clothing, household items and furniture to provide to people in need of these items.

I then attended a retreat in Vancouver, BC at St. Mark’s College organized by Belinda Boyd, BC / Yukon Regional Council President, where I met Vincentians and heard about their work carrying out our mission. I heard about the home visits they do and a Vincentian shared how attending the “Home Visit” workshop at last year’s ANF guided her when doing home visits.

Upon visiting Vancouver Island, Mike Marasco, Vancouver Island Board President, and Derek Pace, Executive Director, arranged a tour of their special works. This included Rosalie’s Village, a residence for single women with children, Mary’s Place, a daycare, the Social Concern Office where people in need can shop for food and receive assistance, and the SSVP Thrift Store in Cloverdale. I met Bishop Gary Gordon who is supportive of the work of the SSVP.

Stephanie Peters, Vancouver Island PC President, arranged meetings with North and South Vancouver Island Vincentians where I heard about the good work taking place. Our Lady of Guadalupe Conference in Campbell River provides support to Indigenous brothers and sisters in a remote northern community, Tahsis, by delivering food including frozen meat, canned fish and peanut butter. A new Conference, Saint Kateri Conference, was formed in Duncan, and I had the pleasure to recognize their aggregation while visiting.

Visits such as these are a reaffirmation of how important it is to build relationships across the country and hear about the great work of the SSVP in local communities. Please feel free to reach out and invite me to your community.

Linda Dollard, President

For any entity to sustain its operations, it needs to work through the winds of change. The smart choices it makes and leverages opportunities determine how it thrives or survives an ever-changing landscape.

In the business world, changes give reasons for a host of reality checks - restructure the organization, pursue larger market share, drop product lines, reinvent business models or change its mission. Changes all entities navigate can either be externally and/or internally driven. These entities either react to and harness them or take on the role of change agents.

This year’s Annual National Formation (ANF) headlined the theme, “Evolving in Today’s World”. Held on June 19-21 at McMaster University, Hamilton campus, the national gathering drew 156 members across Canada.

Here are a few takeaways, piecing together plenary and workshop sessions attended. Sessions described here do not follow the sequence these sessions were presented but observe the following structure: Historical Context and Pursuit to Renew, Core Values and Poverty Barriers, Being Catalyst through Advocacy, and A Forward-Looking View.

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The third international Vincentian Meeting for Youth took place from July 28th to 30th 2025 in Rome, Italy. The motto of the week was “Fede Che Ispira, Amore Che Trasforma” translating to “faith that inspires, love that transforms”. This theme brought focus and intentionality to the Vincentian youth from across the world who gathered for this occasion. Throughout these days, delegates shared their goals and experiences with the Society of Saint Vincent De Paul, gained meaningful training and resources to bring back to their respective councils, and continued to grow in their mission to inspire youth involvement in the Society. Vincentians from across the world assembled in shared experiences of comradery, networking, and friendship.

This particular International Vincentian Meeting for Youth coincided with the 2025 Jubilee of youth (July 28th to August 3rd). Jubilees, typically occurring every 25 years, are a time of spiritual focus and renewal. The Jubilee of Youth brought forth a variety of enriching opportunities across the city of Rome, including walking through the Holy Doors, praise and worship music concerts, and visiting the sites of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and Blessed Carlo Acutis. With over 1 million other young pilgrims taking part, the streets of Rome were filled with song, laughter, and an inspiring devotion of faith. This gathering closed with a beautiful mass celebrated by the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. 

As a participant of both the International Vincentian Meeting of Youth and the Jubilee of Youth, I am leaving with renewed enthusiasm and inspiration for the faith and works of young Vincentians both locally and globally. 

As the late Pope Francis said: “We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us, and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision”.

Victoria Goldsack, SSVP Canada Youth Rep 

We have two means of participating in this important advocacy work, namely:

1. Send the attached letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney and copy your MP; and  
2. Participate in the upcoming federal budget input exercise by August 28 by responding to the federal Budget Survey. It is a short questionnaire where you have the option of clicking “other” to most responses to emphasize how a Basic Income Guarantee should be considered.

Thank You – Advocacy Circle, Danny Bourne

The key current focus is on the new Canada Disability Benefit, whose payments started in July.  No neighbour living with disabilities should miss out on these important funds.   These neighbours are our most vulnerable and are the most likely to miss out on benefits and resources. 

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Michael’s unwavering commitment has been especially vital to the success of the North of 60 project, where his coordination efforts and logistical support have helped deliver essential goods and services to remote northern communities. His leadership continues to inspire those around him and has made a lasting impact on both our local conference and the broader SSVP network.

We invite you to submit your nominations to recognize a Vincentian in our community whose work and dedication deserve to be celebrated. 

Moving forward, Microsoft will offer licences for Microsoft 365 Business Basic free of charge, along with discounted rates on other Microsoft 365 plans.

We strongly encourage all Conferences and Councils using Microsoft grants to begin planning for this transition. Reviewing your current licenses and exploring alternative options early will help ensure continued access to essential Microsoft tools without disruption.

Additional details, including transition support and discount offers, are shared directly via email from Microsoft. Please review these communications carefully.

Susan Spiteri from St. Mary's Conference in Barrie, Ontario was randomly selected and as a result, St. Mary's Conference will receive a $250 donation from the National Council of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Canada. This gift will help support neighbours in need in their local community — a wonderful way to extend the reach of our mission.

Thank you to everyone who subscribed and encouraged fellow Vincentians to join in. Together, we’re building a stronger, more connected network that proudly serves those in need across the country.