Ted Barris is a frequent speaker at Canadian Club of Halton dinner events. His enthusiastic manner and subject mater expertise makes him a welcome guest. The recent announcement of Ted being appointed to the Order of Canada was very exciting. He was appointed as a member with this description “For advancing our understanding of Canadian military history as an acclaimed historical author, journalist and broadcaster.”

On December 29, 2022, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, announced 99 new appointments to the Order of Canada, including two Companions, 32 Officers and 65 Members. Three appointments were promotions within the Order.

Since its creation in 1967, the Order of Canada has honoured more than 7,600 people whose service has shaped our society, whose innovations have ignited our imaginations, and whose compassion has united our communities.

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada commented “What a beautiful way to end the year, honouring Order of Canada appointees and learning about the depth and range of their accomplishments. Celebrated trailblazers in their respective fields, they are inspiring, educating and mentoring future generations, creating a foundation of excellence in our country that is respected throughout the world. Their commitment to the betterment of Canada fills me with pride and hope for the future. Alianaigusuqatigiivassi. Congratulations.”

Ted was very appreciative when our President, Clayton Shold reached out to congratulate him, writing “I hope this doesn’t bump up your speaking fees too much.” (our speakers are not paid) Ted replied:

Hi Clayton…

How appropriate to receive such kind applause for this appointment from the loyal Canadian Club branch in Halton.

It’s both invigorating and humbling to learn this has happened to me. I think of all those writers who’ve worked in the trenches much longer than I, who’ve not been recognized, and wonder about the criteria for these appointments. On the other hand, I feel absolutely fired up to continue to dig and discover. I guess I’m kind of driven that way and would do it whether I receive recognition or not…

And don’t worry. My head and heart may be swollen with pride, but my fees will NOT swell accordingly (at least not for the moment).

Please invite me back. I have lots of great stories to tell anytime you want (whether I have the Order of Canada award pinned to my lapel or not)… Ted.

Ted, you will always be a welcome speaker at our events. On behalf of all our members, a hearty congratulations!

The Billionaire Murders – The Mysterious Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman author Kevin Donovan was the engaging speaker at the November Canadian Club of Halton dinner/speaker event.

An investigative reporter for the Toronto Star, he continues to report on this case along with many other local and global tragedies. However, Donovan spent hundreds of hours researching these mysterious deaths for this book. Sharing what he discovered about the Shermans, the crime scene and walking the audience through the investigation had everyone entranced at the Oakville Conference Centre.

Donovan outlined in detail the last few hours of the victims, when and where they were discovered and how the police and family were intricately involved in trying to solve this horrendous crime.

The Shermans were a wealthy Toronto family and philanthropic in their generosity to those in need. Their murder was and still is a mystery! This is an ongoing police investigation, and all were entranced.

The audience was given enough information to be engaged and informed, but also to encourage many questions and to want more from the author. To that end, a question-and-answer session followed dinner, with his book The Billionaire Murders available for sale at the event by Different Drummers Books, which allowed Donovan, who arrived early and stayed late, to answer queries and autograph his books.

Canadian Club speakers volunteer their time and expertise at no charge. To acknowledge their generosity, each is given a selection of quality wines from a Niagara winery and a $500 donation to an organization chosen by each speaker. Donovan chose Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW), a registered charity that supplies bed kits to needy children. Since its founding in 1970, SCAW’s global community of volunteers has helped over 1.7 million children.

The Canadian Club of Halton creates a dynamic forum to explore issues that matter most to Canadians by providing a welcoming social environment for inquisitive, influential, and engaged members. The club promotes Canadian identity by hosting notable, knowledgeable, and celebrated speakers on various subjects. It is a volunteer-driven not-for-profit organization.

On October 5th, 1970 four young men riding in a stolen taxi pulled up to the property of British Trade Commissioner James Cross. Three men jumped out, one dressed as a delivery man carrying a package. He knocked on the door and the Cross’ nanny opened the door holding an infant.

“Birthday present for Mr. Cross” said the delivery man “but you’ll have to sign for it.”

 “I don’t have a pen” the nanny replied.

 “Here’s one” the delivery man said as he tore off the gift wrapping to reveal a machine gun. The two other men then revealed their revolvers.

The three men entered the Cross home and found James Cross upstairs in the master bedroom getting dressed and discussing the week ahead with his wife. The three men marched James Cross out of his house at gunpoint and put him in the back seat of the taxi. And so began the October Crisis of 1970.

This is how Journalist and Author D’Arcy began his talk at the Canadian Club of Halton on January 23rd at the Oakville Conference Centre. Jenish discussed his latest book The Making of the October Crisis: Canada’s Long Nightmare of Terrorism at the Hands of the FLQ in which he explores the origins of the FLQ, what kept it going for nearly eight years, and why the passage of time has not deepened and clarified our understanding of this traumatic period in the history of our country. The October Crisis led to over 500 arrests – although most were never charged or sentenced.

D’Arcy Jenish explained how the October Crisis was the culmination of a long campaign of urban terrorism that began in Montreal in the Spring of 1963 with a wave of bombings. It continued year after year with bombings, bank robberies, kidnappings and murder.

Jenish’s interest in these events began in 2010 as he was researching information for an article on the October Crisis for the 40th Anniversary. Jenish called a reporter from the Montréal Gazette who introduced him to Robert Coté, who was the Head of the Montréal Bomb Squad during the 1960’s. Coté oversaw the investigation of many bombings throughout Montréal including the 1968 bombing at City Hall, the 1968 bombing of the Montréal Stock Exchange, and the 1969 bombing of the Mayor’s Office. Jenish shared some of Coté’s stories including the time he dismantled 24 FLQ bombs with his bare hands and without any protection.

Robert Coté also shared the story of the arrest of Pierre-Paul Geoffroy. Police received a tip which led them to Geoffroy’s apartment – where they found three bombs and 160 sticks of dynamite. Geoffroy admitted to his role in 31 bombing incidents including the City Hall and Stock Exchange, but refused to identify any other FLQ members. To the shock of the court, Mr. Geoffroy pleaded guilty to 129 charges receiving 124 concurrent life sentences – this was the harshest sentence delivered in the British Commonwealth.

Jenish explained that he is the first writer, in English or French, to interview retired police offers charged with investigating terrorist acts and organizations. D’Arcy Jenish also relied on Québec government documents and the memoirs of former terrorists to reveal the meticulous planning that went into the kidnapping of James Cross and the recklessness behind the kidnapping of Pierre Laporte.

Jenish also discussed how the kidnappers evaded police for weeks and he provided an eyewitness account of the arrest of the Laporte kidnappers in December 1970. He continued to discuss the Cross kidnappers who spent nearly a decade in exile (in Cuba and France) and what became of the prominent terrorists.

D’Arcy Jenish ended the evening taking questions from the audience which included the reception of the book in Québec, the sentencing of the terrorists, and the outcome of the Cross and Laporte families.

October 2020 will mark the 50th anniversary of the October Crisis – one of the most serious terrorist acts carried out on Canadian soil, which led to the only invocation of the War Measures Act in Canadian history.

About D’Arcy Jenish

D’Arcy Jenish graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in English. He began his journalism career at small town newspapers in southwestern Ontario, then returned to the West in 1979 and became a Senior Editor at Alberta Report in Edmonton. He stayed seven years, covering business, politics and sports amid a period of political upheaval and economic discord.

In the fall of 1985 Jenish became Alberta Report’s first Ottawa Bureau Chief. His mandate was to cover national affairs from a regional perspective and his work in the capital quickly came to the attention of a larger rival. In November, 1986, he joined Maclean’s, Canada’s National Newsmagazine, as a Senior Writer. Jenish interviewed and wrote about leading personalities in the worlds of sports, business, the arts and the sciences. He covered royal tours, federal elections and major trials, but always kept an eye open for the local or regional story that would touch readers across the country.

Jenish left Maclean’s in June, 2001 and developed a thriving freelance writing business. He writes magazine features, newspaper commentary, speeches, corporate histories and corporate reports. He has written for the Globe and Mail, National Post, Toronto Star, The Walrus, Toronto Life and Legion Magazine.

Jenish is the author of seven works of historical non-fiction. His histories of the Stanley Cup, the Montreal Canadiens and the NHL were national bestsellers. His two books about the opening and settlement of the Canadian West both won major national awards.

Article written by Kristen Curry

Barry & Angie Wylie were featured in Neighbours of Glen Abbey in the November 2019 edition under the “Resident Feature.”

The article is appropriately titled “Establishing Connections and Helping Others.”

To read the full article, click on this link.

Over the summer, members of the Canadian Club of Halton Board explored ways to; 1) reduce the work effort in managing events, 2) provide greater convenience to register for events, and 3) reduce our banking and related credit card processing fees. We are pleased to say we made good progress in all three areas.

Now you can pay online (or use e-transfers) to register in advance of an event! E-transfers will go directly in to the CCH account rather than to Barry which was our past practice.

Out website has been upgraded to a “secure” site. You’ll note a little lock icon next to our URL name. This means there is an SSL certificate in place that ensures all transactions are encrypted, meaning we can now accept credit card payments via the website. You should always look for the lock on any website if you are entering personal or credit card information.

You will find a link on the speaker’s information page, a blue button “Purchase Tickets”. You can also click on “Tickets” on the main menu. Once you have completed your information, you can indicate if you wish your information to be securely stored, so you don’t need to enter it each time. You will set a password to log in to the secured area for next time.

Treasurer Spence Williams commented “by utilizing technology we are able to provide more convenience to our members and guests. When you purchase your tickets online, you will receive an email confirmation, and we receive a registration confirmation.” You will still be able to pay at the event as in the past, but our goal is to reduce the number of transactions at the event. “The more we can automate our registration process helps reduce the administrative work involved with each event” commented Barry Wylie, President of the Canadian Club of Halton. Making online payments by credit card or e transfers will eliminate standing in line to have your transaction processed the night of the event.

In addition to online purchase of event tickets for members and guests, we have also included the ability to purchase memberships. You will still receive an email from Barry advising your membership is due for renewal, then visit the site to make your payment. You can do a membership renewal and purchase event tickets on the same transaction.

These changes will allow us to be more efficient while reducing banking fees. Keeping expenses to a minimum helps keep membership fees as low as possible.

The 2019/2020 season of the Canadian Club of Halton (our 34th) starts on Thursday, September 26 with guest speaker Darrell Bricker, Global CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs.

Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson (Globe and Mail Writer at Large), co-authoured Empty Planet: The Shock of Global Population Decline, published this past February.

Attached are 3 recent Globe and Mail articles from Darrell and John drawing attention to the impacts of declining birth rates and aging populations around the world that you may find interesting.

A multi-page feature article by Darrell & John titled “The Vanishing” was published in the Globe and Mail on January 24 prior to the release of their book. It can be viewed at:

When the world’s population shrinks, Canada is poised to grow and prosper

The book itself is very readable with the authors clearly stating what they see happening with global populations through to 2050 and beyond, and the consequences to countries that restrict immigration now or in the future.

The book is a real eye-opener!

Enjoy the summer and we hope to see you in September.

Barry