Monthly Meetings
Meetings are normally on the 2nd Thursday eve of the month at Fairfield Senior’s Centre from September through to May.
Our Speakers
A popular part of our Monthly meetings, our speakers are both thought provoking and interesting.
Come to our monthly meetings Second Thursday each month (Sept-May) (details below).
You can email: info@cfuwetobicoke.ca or join our Mailing List on our Home page.
Find out what we are about then we hope you will JOIN and sign up for one or more of our Interest Groups.
General Meetings
February 12 – General Meeting – On Zoom
7 pm – Zoom meeting, beginning with time to get online.
7.25 pm – Welcome
7.30 pm – Speaker: Dr. Marcius Extavour
Followed by the business meeting.
Note: The Zoom link for the meeting will be provided in the reminder emails on February 8 and 12.
If you want to make an announcement at a meeting, please contact one of our Leadership team.
For in-person meetings:
There will be name tags for new members to pick up.
Please bring a mug for tea or coffee.
7.00 pm – Snacks and social time, then welcome and introductions.
7.30 pm – Our Speaker followed by business meeting. Bring your own mug.
2025-2026 Land Acknowledgement
We meet on land in Etobicoke and acknowledge that this land is the ancestral home of the Wendat, Anishinaabe, Houdenosaunee, most recently the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and which is still the home for many indigenous people from across Turtle Island. We support the Truth and Reconciliation process, and hope that diverse peoples may better share the land, its wealth, and incredible resources. We are grateful to learn, understand and grow alongside Indigenous peoples.
Our 2025-26 Inspiring Speakers
October 2025:
Larisa Galadza
Topic: Women in War: Their role in Canada and Ukraine
Larisa is a senior executive at Global Affairs Canada. 20 years of experience in defence and security prepared her well for the job of Canada’s Ambassador to Ukraine, a post she held from 2019 to 2023. After returning to Ottawa, she was assigned to establishing a task force to enhance Canada – US relations beyond Ottawa and Washington. She then took on responsibility for leading matters related to cyber and critical technologies, as well as an elite team that monitors for and detects foreign information manipulation and interference against Canadian interests. Today, she holds the position of Associate Assistant Deputy Minister for International Security and Political Affairs.
November 2025:
Darlene Madott
Topic: Winning and Losing, and the Art of Surrender.
A Canadian lawyer who practised in Toronto for over three decades, Darlene Madott has authored ten books, including Dying Times, Stations of the Heart, Joy, Joy, Why Do I Sing? and Making Olives and Other Family Secrets. She has twice won the Bressani Literary Award and has been shortlisted for the Gloria Vanderbilt sponsored Carter V. Cooper Short Fiction Award three times, and in 2023, was shortlisted for the inaugural Nona MacDonald Heaslip Best Canadian Short Stories award. Winners and Losers, her ninth book, explored the journey of life and law, and was included in The Miramichi Reader’s Best of 2023. Closing Ceremonies (Tales of Abandonment, Betrayal, and Consequence), her tenth book, is forthcoming by Guernica Editions in 2026. Darlene was recently invited to speak on the plenary panel of the International Conference of the Short Story in Ireland on the subject of Alice Munro.
For more about Darlene visit www.DarleneMadott.com
January 2026:
Michelle Leigh
Michelle Leigh is a recently retired Level 5 NCCP certified coach whose international figure skating coaching career spans 42 years, including coaching at 5 Olympic Games and 16 World Championships. After a career ending injury, Michelle began coaching at 17, dedicating over 35 years to the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie and later serving as Competitive Director at Skate Oakville. Michelle has coached athletes from over 20
countries, including champions like Elvis Stojko, Jennifer Robinson, and Yuna Kim.
Her awards include Ontario Female Coach of the Year and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal.
February 2026:
Dr Marcius Extavour
Topic: The Future of Climate Innovation : Better Than You Think
Dr Marcius Extavour is a scientist, creative technologist, and communicator who builds, develops, and invests in cleaner, cheaper energy systems, and in reducing the dangerous risks of climate change through carbon management. As a Senior Partner at Ode, he combines creative design with machine learning and new artificial intelligence tools to build digital products for the private and nonprofit sectors. While serving as Chief Scientist and Executive VP at XPRIZE Foundation in Los Angeles, he built the energy, climate, and carbon removal practice. More recently he established the inaugural TIME Climate 100 at TIME Inc. He has held roles in the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources, Ontario Power Generation, Nortel Networks, and University of Toronto, where he earned a PhD in quantum physics. He serves as Board Member at 1% for the Planet, MaRS Energy Innovation, Carbon180, and Carbon Removal Canada. His work has been featured on CNBC, CNN, CBC, TVO, PBS, and the Atlantic. Marcius is a native of downtown Toronto, Canada, and lives in Northern California with his family.
MARCH: CFUW-Etobicoke Charitable Trust
Speakers: Members of The Charitable Trust and Guests
Topic: Our Charitable Trust – how it works, what it does, recipients
More information to follow.
April 2026:
Rahul Singh
GlobalMedic
Topic: The state of the world and how GlobalMedic innovates to help
Rahul Singh is the Executive Director of GlobalMedic, a registered Canadian charity which has provided life-saving aid in the aftermath of disasters since 2002. Since its establishment, GlobalMedic has carried out 264 responses in 89 countries around the world. GlobalMedic’s goal has always been to get the right aid to the right people at the right time. The organization strives to be innovative and cost-effective in every aspect of its
operations. Singh’s tireless efforts have ultimately created a globally recognized, innovative and efficient organization – earning him a spot on Time Magazine’s List of the 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2010.’