Deborah McGrath
I am again honoured to be addressing you as President and extend a warm welcome to guests and prospective new members.
For those unfamiliar with our organization, the IDA has been a part of the Innisfil community for over 50 years. We are vocal community leaders; a valued source of information for other citizens groups and most importantly, we are VOLUNTEERS.
Like many organizations, this past year, we have not escaped the prevailing winds of apathy and decline. The apathy is amongst us all. If our recent municipal and provincial election turnouts are any indication, many people are just plain tired of showing up and fighting. In an attempt to address this, I turned to a famous quote attributed to first-Century Jewish scholar, Hillel:
If not you, then who? If not now, when?
These are questions we need to ask ourselves and those around us. We need to continue showing up. Lake Simcoe needs us to show up; the wetlands need us to show up and this community need us to show up. When Environmental Defence sends out a red-alert emails, you know the answer to “when”- is RIGHT NOW!!!
The decline is more alarming. We’re on fire everywhere and the continued pressure on all things we hold dear are under immense pressure and imminent threat. I do know – and for those keeping track, this is the good news – there is renewed interest in organizations fighting to protect the land, lake and the legacy of this Town.
When I sat down to write these remarks, I couldn’t help but look back at the previous two years’ worth of words and I noted a recurring theme: Challenges, Changes and Opportunities.
I’ve addressed the Challenges; the Changes include to our Board.
We want to take a moment to recognize Mary Borthwick for her years of service to the IDA. She has stepped away to concentrate on health and happiness for herself and her husband, Don. Thank you, Mary!
That leaves Opportunities. As announced in our October e-blast, I’ve finished a five-year term as President. As long-serving Board members retire, it opens opportunities for others to serve this community. We know there are greater challenges and changes ahead that require fresh thinking and fresh faces.
When the Town declared a Climate Emergency early in 2022, we renewed our commitment to sustainable development through involvement with the Integrated Sustainability Master Plan. The ISMP committee was formed with engaged residents and we are moving forward with the Town and Council to create awareness within the community.
We’re also tracking a number of other projects such as the Master Plan for the Orbit. Frankly, there’s too much work and not enough of us! That led us to take a closer look at our structure and we think we’ve found a way to move forward, unencumbered by some of our more restrictive bylaws. At the same time, we’ll be looking at meeting a compliancy deadline for not-for-profit legislation, which came into effect in 2021. We will be sure to keep our members apprised of any structural changes, as we need your full knowledge and approval.
But that’s not where Opportunity ends. We need you to help us shape the next years of this organization, we need your voices, your words and your continued presence. Please give us your time and feedback on our monthly e-blasts; send us your questions and concerns. We’ll do our best to get some answers. Thank you for your support of this organization.
Finally, to our strategic alliances, we appreciate your continued interest in and commitment to the IDA.
We are here because of all of you, and we are here to stay.