to this week's meeting of
The Rotary E-Club of Canada One
For the week beginning January 19, 2026
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to this week's meeting of
The Rotary E-Club of Canada One
For the week beginning
January 19, 2026
Scroll down to enjoy the content!
Complete the form for a make-up!
The Rotary theme for 2025-26 -
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Greeter this week
Rotarian David
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January 26
- Over
75% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from burning fossil fuels for
energy.
- Polluting
fuels for cooking cause 3.2 million premature deaths annually; clean
cooking can prevent many of these.
- Every $1 invested in renewables creates 3X more jobs than in the fossil fuel industry.
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Inspirational moment
Tandem Highway Dance
by M. H. Niemann, Texas, USA
It was too early and still dark at 5:30 a.m. as I drove through Houston, Texas, on the way to my parents' house for our 2008 Thanksgiving dinner.
As I got closer, I saw two 18-wheeler tractor-trailer rigs, one in each lane, slowing down until they were next to each other and blocking any traffic from getting around them. I thought maybe there was an accident, or perhaps one of the trucks was getting in position to pass the other one.
When the situation continued and the rigs slowed down even further, I got annoyed and started grumbling at the delay, cursing the rudeness of drivers with no consideration for others sharing the road with them. By this time, the rigs had slowed to almost 20 miles per hour, and there was a long line of impatient cars behind them.
My whole mindset changed dramatically, however, when I was able to peek into the gap between the rigs at the road ahead. I saw a car weaving all over the road, slowing down and speeding up, swerving from one shoulder to the other.
The two rigs never faltered in their tandem blockade, ignoring the impatient honks of the cars behind them and moving as necessary to keep cars from going around them on the highway shoulders. This situation continued for another 15 minutes until three police cars, lights flashing, came racing up the access road and around the two 18-wheeler rigs.
I watched while the police cars herded the weaving car to the side of the highway and forced it to stop. The 18-wheeler rigs then sped up and moved over to let all the cars pass by.
I have no doubt those two 18-wheeler rigs saved many lives, not to mention the impaired driver of the weaving car, on that Thanksgiving morning. I only wish I had had the presence of mind to note which trucking companies those drivers worked for so I could have sent their companies a note.
I've always considered 18-wheeler truckers the unofficial "angels" of the highway. They are often in the right place at the right time and always, in my experience, help when they can with no expectations of reward or even thanks. What I observed that November morning only reinforced my opinion of these unsung Good Samaritans.
I gave those two truckers what thanks I could by honking and waving as I drove by... on my way to a truly thankful day with my family.
Originally published as HeroicStories #805. HeroicStories
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Canadiana (...and Environment)
When Canadians Re-Greened an Entire City - Sudbury, Ontario
Canadians have a long tradition of solving problems without much fuss.
By the 1970s, Sudbury’s landscape was nearly barren — over 80,000 hectares damaged by industrial pollution.
Rather than wait for blame or bailouts, the community simply got to work.
Over decades, volunteers, students, and local workers:
• spread limestone by hand
• planted more than 10 million trees
• restored lakes thought to be permanently dead
The problem: acidic, lifeless soil
Decades of nickel smelting released sulphur dioxide, which:
• created acid rain
• leached nutrients out of the soil
• left the ground too acidic for plants to survive
• exposed bare rock in many areas
Seeds alone simply would not grow. Trees planted without fixing the soil died.
What limestone does (the quiet chemistry)
Limestone is primarily calcium carbonate, which:
neutralizes acidity (raises soil pH) • binds harmful metals
• makes nutrients available again
• creates conditions where grass and trees can survive
In plain language:
Limestone doesn’t make plants grow — it makes growth possible.
Today, Sudbury is considered one of the world’s great environmental recovery stories — often studied internationally.
Rather than wait for blame or bailouts, the community simply got to work.
Over decades, volunteers, students, and local workers:
• spread limestone by hand
• planted more than 10 million trees
• restored lakes thought to be permanently dead
The problem: acidic, lifeless soil
Decades of nickel smelting released sulphur dioxide, which:
• created acid rain
• leached nutrients out of the soil
• left the ground too acidic for plants to survive
• exposed bare rock in many areas
Seeds alone simply would not grow. Trees planted without fixing the soil died.
What limestone does (the quiet chemistry)
Limestone is primarily calcium carbonate, which:
neutralizes acidity (raises soil pH) • binds harmful metals
• makes nutrients available again
• creates conditions where grass and trees can survive
In plain language:
Limestone doesn’t make plants grow — it makes growth possible.
Today, Sudbury is considered one of the world’s great environmental recovery stories — often studied internationally.
As Canada looks toward future mineral development in northern Ontario's Ring of Fire, Sudbury stands as proof that environmental damage, while serious, need not be permanent when science, responsibility, and persistence are applied.
Note: Photos source
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Comments from our guests and members
Members and guests attending our weekly meetings are very important to us. Based on your comments we are able to produce many more educational, inspiring, and entertaining weekly meetings.
Would you please send us your comments?
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Archived Meetings
- All meetings are archived. Click here to see a list and choose what you wish to view.
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Announcements
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BREAKING NEWS!
Rotary President-elect Olayinka Babalola's
2026-27 Presidential Message
Material Suggestions and Greeter Messages Always Needed!
Please feel free to forward an approx. 150 - 200 word message or any material suggestions in an e-mail, or in a Word document, along with a JPeg picture or two, to E-Club Administration Chair, Kitty Bucsko.
We'd love to hear from you!
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Just so you're aware -
Our Club's Ongoing Projects -
We provide ongoing support for the following projects:
Click the links below to find out more about each project!
And we're doing great!
Ask for more information if you'd like to be involved!
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Real-time meetings
Each 3rd Thursday of the month is our Fellowship Assembly, and we often invite interesting speakers or Rotary Leaders for this entertaining, educational fun event. Plan to join us.
The time is 9:00 a.m. (Mountain Time) in lieu of the weekly Coffee Chat except for July and August when there are no FA’s. Here is the zoom link:
Everyone is welcome to attend and we encourage your participation.
Please click our Event Calendar for details and access Link.
For further inquiries or suggestions please contact: info@rotaryeclubcanada.ca
All our videos can be viewed on our YouTube channel.
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How do you support our club?
- The Paypal button on our ClubRunner Home Page
- The donation button on the attendance form, or
- Make an Interac transfer to rotaryeclubcanada1@gmail.com
- Send a cheque to:
The Rotary E-Club of Canada One
14008 101 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB
Canada T5N 0K3
(780) 267 4547
Environment
A very interesting website and reading on the topic of Climate Change.
https://www.earthday.org/humor-thats-hotter-than-the-planet/
November 26, 2025
Laughter might not solve climate change, but it can certainly help us talk about it. Environmental issues can feel overwhelming, instilling paralysis rather than motivation to act. These environmental jokes can be shared to evoke laughter and spark conversations about today’s biggest environmental issues.
One of the “jokes” –
We haven’t found a solution for climate change yet, but
we’re definitely getting warmer.
The world is warming at an unprecedented rate, resulting in changes to weather patterns and disruptions to natural processes. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events — record-breaking heat waves on land and in the ocean, prolonged droughts, and severe flooding — are increasing.
Additionally, climate change causes changes in natural processes such as patterns of precipitation (rain and snow), the length of the frost-free and corresponding growing season, and the timing of peak river and stream flows.
Thus, the cascading effects of global warming extend far beyond hotter days, altering the basic environmental conditions that determine where and how life can thrive.
Further readings sites (referenced above)
Causes and Effects of Climate Change - https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/causes-effects-climate-change
Extreme Weather and Climate Change - https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/extreme-weather/
The Effects of Climate Change -
Further readings sites (referenced above)
Causes and Effects of Climate Change - https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/causes-effects-climate-change
Extreme Weather and Climate Change - https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/extreme-weather/
The Effects of Climate Change -
Humour
Three brothers, aged 92, 94, and 96, lived in the same house together.
One night, the 96-year-old fills up the bath, puts his foot in, and pauses. Then he yells down the stairs, “Was I getting in or out of the bath?”
The 94-year-old yells back, “I don’t know. I’ll come up and see.”
So he starts up the stairs, then halfway up he pauses and yells, “Was I going up the stairs or was I coming down?”
The 92-year-old is sitting at the kitchen table having a coffee, listening to his brothers.
He shakes his head and says, “I sure hope I never get that forgetful.”
He knocks twice on the table for good luck.
Then he yells, “I’ll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who’s at the door.”
As I left the Canadian Tire store the other day, I was fumbling for my car keys and could not find them.
They weren't in any of my pockets. Suddenly I realized I must have left them in the car. .
Frantically, I headed for the parking lot. My wife has scolded me many times for leaving my keys in the car.
She's afraid that the car could be stolen. As I looked around the parking lot, I realized she was right. My car was not there. I immediately called the police. I gave them my location, confessed that I had left my keys in the car and that it had been stolen.
Then I made the most difficult call of all - to my wife:
"I left my keys in the car and it's been stolen."
There was a moment of silence.
I thought the call had been disconnected, but then I heard her voice. "Are you kidding me?" she barked, "I dropped you off!"
Now it was my turn to be silent. Embarrassed, I said, "Well, come and get me then."
She retorted, "I will, as soon as I convince this cop that I didn't steal your f@#n car!"
"Welcome to the Golden Years!”
My doctor asked if anyone in my family was suffering from mental illness.
I said, "No, we all seem to enjoy it!"
One night, the 96-year-old fills up the bath, puts his foot in, and pauses. Then he yells down the stairs, “Was I getting in or out of the bath?”
The 94-year-old yells back, “I don’t know. I’ll come up and see.”
So he starts up the stairs, then halfway up he pauses and yells, “Was I going up the stairs or was I coming down?”
The 92-year-old is sitting at the kitchen table having a coffee, listening to his brothers.
He shakes his head and says, “I sure hope I never get that forgetful.”
He knocks twice on the table for good luck.
Then he yells, “I’ll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who’s at the door.”
And along the same line…
As I left the Canadian Tire store the other day, I was fumbling for my car keys and could not find them.
They weren't in any of my pockets. Suddenly I realized I must have left them in the car. .
Frantically, I headed for the parking lot. My wife has scolded me many times for leaving my keys in the car.
She's afraid that the car could be stolen. As I looked around the parking lot, I realized she was right. My car was not there. I immediately called the police. I gave them my location, confessed that I had left my keys in the car and that it had been stolen.
Then I made the most difficult call of all - to my wife:
"I left my keys in the car and it's been stolen."
There was a moment of silence.
I thought the call had been disconnected, but then I heard her voice. "Are you kidding me?" she barked, "I dropped you off!"
Now it was my turn to be silent. Embarrassed, I said, "Well, come and get me then."
She retorted, "I will, as soon as I convince this cop that I didn't steal your f@#n car!"
"Welcome to the Golden Years!”
***
I said, "No, we all seem to enjoy it!"
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Rotary members' corner
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Rotary minute
Rotary Minute – PolioPlus
In 1985, Rotary International made an extraordinary promise: to protect every child from polio. That commitment became PolioPlus, the first private-sector initiative dedicated to global polio eradication.
At the time, polio paralysed more than 350,000 children every year. Today, thanks to Rotary’s leadership, partnerships with governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the Gates Foundation, cases have been reduced by over 99.9%.
Rotarians have contributed billions of dollars, millions of volunteer hours, and unwavering advocacy. Polio remains endemic in just two countries—but we are closer than ever. PolioPlus shows what Rotary can do when we commit, persist, and refuse to give up. Until the last child is safe, our work is not finished.
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Food for thought
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Rotary Jukebox
For a small donation, your favorite musician will be featured on one of our next e-meetings for everyone to enjoy.
Every week we'll have a draw and the lucky person will see their song featured!
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The Four-way Test
To close the meeting, watch a full-club recitation - a Rotaract Club - of the Four-Way Test of the things that Rotarians think, say, or do.
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Invite friends to Like our page and enjoy our posts. Also, please take the time to Share our posts on your Facebook Page.
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We thank you very much!
Program Donations
Our E-Club is a dynamic club comprised of ordinary working and retired people who acknowledge that Rotarians are people who are generous with their time and their resources.
Our club and the program you have just enjoyed, either as a member or a visitor, is funded only by donations.
We are developing ideas for fundraising with our members who are scattered across Canada, USA, Central America, and Europe, but we do need your help.
As you have not had to buy lunch or travel to attend this program, please make a donation of a minimum of $10.00, considering you're saving in time and cost in appreciation for the experience you have enjoyed.
Interested in providing Rotary Service? Unable to attend terra club meetings?
Contact our membership chair for information or
or HERE to learn about Associate Membership
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