MINUTES OF MEETING: Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Editor: Tess Pierce
Meeting Called to Order at 6:20 PM: by President David Mankiewicz
Grace: Emmy I.
Toast to the KING: Dave A.
Land Acknowledgement: President David Mankiewicz
We respectfully acknowledge that the Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood is meeting on the traditional territory of the Mississauga’s of Scugog Island First Nations, within the jurisdiction of the Williams Treaties. We are committed to our responsibility of stewardship, in these relationships and for this land on which we learn, share and live.
Toast to CANADA: Ted M.
Visiting Rotarians and Guests:
- Dr Barb Perry, Our Speaker
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Happy Birthday to Britannia Knight-Suecharan on Feb 1, Peter Dueck on Feb 8, & Kris Sachdeva on Feb 9.
Announcements:
Dave A: Reverse Draw tickets are now available. Make sure that Dave gets the stub for the draw! Start collecting Silent Auction items. Ted reminded us that May will be here faster than you think.
Dave & Tess: Reminder that District Assembly is May 23 at Centennial College. All incoming Board members are encouraged to attend. The Club pays your registration fee of $60.00. Also, that day is the Rotary Leadership Institute training. This is especially geared towards new Rotarians, but everyone is welcome. The club will pay your registration fee. Watch the District 7070 website and Newsletters for registration links.
Tess: Feb 10 meeting is a special social here at the Golf Club for Valentine’s Day. Plenty of fun and games planned. Let Dave Andrews know your meal choices and your guest’s name by Sunday. A reminder that St Pat’s Day Social will be on WEDNESDAY, March 18, at Whiskey John’s.
SGT AT ARMS: Tess Pierce
The pot is over $400 — 31 cards left.
Dave M had the winning ticket and drew the Ace of Hearts.
Happy Bucks:
It may be cold, but our friendships are warm
- Ted M: So many social events! Night of 1000 Dinners last week and Whitby’s Savour the Flavour this week. Port Hope Club has their Flavours of Port Hope on Feb 28 in Coburg. Support our neighbouring clubs and have fun doing so.
- Robbie: Reached out to members recently to check in. Pat Dyck is recuperating at home, and Leon Efraim is swamped at work. Both hope to be back soon. He also reported on the very successful Ladies’ lunch on Monday. There were 18 for lunch at Kelsey’s, and Terri-Lynn was late for work – she was having so much fun. FYI: the rumour that Whiskey Johns (our St Pat’s location) is a biker bar are false. Tess assured him that the biker clubhouse is much farther south.
- Bev F: will miss the Valentine’s Day party because ‘sadly’ she will be in Puerto Vallarta enjoying the sun w/o March Break kids.
- Don I: Happy to see everyone tonight, especially now that his eyes are healed, and he no longer needs the shades.
- Shashi: Happy to be here and to reconnect with her friend, Barb Perry.
- Bill C: His house sold in 3 days and over asking! We can have one more Maple Syrup labelling party before he moves.
- Larry H: Told a funny story of an episode of Corner Gas where grumpy Oscar learned how to be a real Canadian.
SPEAKER: Dr Barb Perry, Director, Centre on Hate, Bias & Extremism at Ontario Tech.
Tess invited Barb as part of Rotary’s Peacebuilding & Conflict Prevention month. Dr Perry’s impressive resume includes 100’s of articles and books on hate crime and right-wing extremism. Her scholarship informs government and community leaders. She is the UNESCO Chair in Hate Studies and, in 2024, Perry received the prestigious Order of Canada for her advocacy work.
How can we confront hate and extremism in our community?
Some Background
Hate crime is a human rights issue that has been politicized. We are not immune to the extremism we see in the USA. In fact, reports of hate crimes have tripled in Canada, and only 25% of these crimes get reported. Even with enhancements in law enforcement (like training in how to recognize it and address it), hate speech is normalized because of social media. Since 2016, online examples have influenced offline actions. The groups most likely targeted are 1) Blacks, 2) Jews, 3) Muslims, and 4) LGBTQIA2S communities. The trends in Extremism are also on the rise. Since 2013, extremist groups in Canada have grown from 120 to over 400 groups. And these are just the ones we know of! There have been what experts call an ‘atomization’ of movements. This is where an individual may not be part of a formal group but is heavily influenced by extremist group ideas. An individual, lurking in the ether, can act on these ideas.
How can we as individuals confront this?
Dr Perry provided three ways in which we can help: education, speaking up, and supporting others.
Education: Education is the foundation. Use anti-hate websites like the Ontario Tech portal or the UNESCO Website to find valuable information and tools to use.
Speak up: Do not remain silent. Speak up and speak back. For example, if you encounter something incorrect about a specific group on social media, balance a negative comment with a positive one. And, if you feel comfortable doing so, tell the person making the hateful remarks why this is inappropriate.
Support: Become an ally. Working together makes a stronger community. Build coalitions, attend meetings. And learn about what you can do to contribute.
Big picture efforts
In 2025, the government of Canada published their ACTION PLAN ON COMBATTING HATE. The plan is supported by three pillars: empowering communities to identify and prevent hate, support victims and survivors and protect communities, and building community trust, partnerships and institutional readiness. Go to the website for details.
Dr Perry concluded by urging us to hold political leaders accountable and to amplify the voices of leaders who support these initiatives. Watch the Ontario Tech website for opportunities like symposiums and research announcements.
There were many excellent questions, especially around what exactly a hate crime is and what Rotarians can do to be part of the solution. Robbie L. thanked Dr Perry and invited her to come back again.
President David Mankiewicz closed the meeting at 7:57 pm
IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT, YOU CAN MAKE UP: Go online at www.rotary.org go to the club locator and find a club or clubs near your destination. Or you can add the free App Rotary Club Locator to your phone for instant look up of any club in the world. Please mail or fax your make-ups to Executive Secretary Dave Andrews or give your make-up card to the attendance/registration officer at the next club meeting.