Advance - Toronto

Message from Advance Toronto Chair and Australian Canadian Association (YACA) President, Tom Vandepeer

Welcome to Advance Toronto (Trading as YACA, The Australian Canadian Association). Toronto is Canada’s financial centre and largest city with a profoundly multicultural feel. The city is 1.5 hours by air to cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Hartford, Boston, and Chicago, and used as a ‘soft landing’ for many companies breaking into North American trade along the Eastern seaboard – while still providing excellent windows of communication to European centres. With over 100 ethnic groups and a thriving Australian Canadian business and social community, Toronto is an excellent place to live and work. Advance Toronto/YACA has a thriving membership of around 300, working across multiple industries, including Financial Services, Consulting, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Information Technology, Arts and many more.

Our executive is focused on building upon the organization’s status as a hub of Australian Canadian activity in Canada, and we enjoy solid support from the Australian Trade Commission and local chambers of commerce. Please feel free to email us with any questions or for information about Advance/YACA in Toronto and our regular schedule of events. We welcome new members and visitors!

Advance Toronto Committee

Tom Vandepeer, Chair
Tom Vandepeer is New Business Manager for Bay Area Health Trust, a healthcare holding company in Ontario. He has been in Canada since 2003, after a successful management consulting career back in Australia.

Tom has been President of the Australian Canadian Association since late 2003, supported and driven by an intelligent, active team. YACA became the Toronto office of the Advance network in early 2006.

Committee Members
Tom Vandepeer
Jon Eckfeld, City Editor

Michael Shipley

Elizabeth Burrough

Matthew Snare

Johanna Bell

Olivia Susai

Justin Robinson

Adam Gordon

The Advance Australian community is continually expanding. If you are interested in joining the Advance Toronto committee, please email us with your expression of interest an any questions you may have.

EVENTS - TORONTO

Australian produced film @ Toronto Singapore Film Fest

Sunday April 6, 2008 @ 1pm

Innis Town Hall, 2 Sussex Ave, Toronto

The film, Feet Unbound (produced by Long March Films) is a critically acclaimed documentary in which Elly, a 28 year old journalist from Beijing, embarks on a 5,000 kilometers odyssey in the footsteps of Mao’s female soldiers of The Long March - a massive military retreat of over 200,000 troops on foot over 12,500km that lasted from 1934 to 1937. www.feetunbound.com

ANZAC Day Dawn Service
Friday April 25, 2008 @ 7am
Canadian Forces College, 215 Yonge Blvd, Toronto

A dawn service and breakfast will be held at the Canadian Forces College. Registration is mandatory and photo ID must be shown by 6:45am, at the gate, for entry. To register, call 416-323-9435 or email Chiara.Blair@austrade.gov.au. Please note that parking will not be available within College grounds - visitors will need to find street parking. [More...]

ANZAC Day Bash
Friday April 25, 2008 @ 7pm
Scallywags, (3rd floor roof patio) -11 St. Claire Ave. West
Come join us for a major party to kick off YACA 2008! Multiple prizes will be on offer including a fabulous meat raffle! We will also be providing more details on a variety of new member services including an International Money Transfer service through CanadianForex. Click here for invite.

No Fee International Money Transfer through CanadianForex

If you’re looking to send money abroad then you’re no doubt after the best deal possible. By using the CanadianForex service you can save significant money and avoid hassles. Dealing with CanadianForex is simple and it is easy to get your account set up complete. Register at CanadianForex. [More...]

PAST EVENTS

Australian “Regional Heroes” Wine Fair

One Last, SummerWorks Festival

EVENTS - CALGARY

Australian “Regional Heroes” Wine Fair

September 20 @ 6.30pm

Artists of the World

Wine Australia, Canada fall tasting series this autumn focuses on regionally distinct wines. Regional Heroes, as defined by Wine Australia, are wines from somewhere, rather than just anywhere. [More...]

2007 AFL Grand Final Party
September 28 @ 8pm
Dicken's Pub

For more information click here.

2007 AFL Grand Final Party
September 28 @ 8.30pm
Bottle Screw Bills Pub
This is the 10th year we have held this party in Calgary. Aussie meat pies and beer specials all night....big screen TV and many smaller screens. [More...]

EVENTS - MONTREAL

Australian “Regional Heroes” Wine Fair

September 25 @ 6.30pm

The Montreal Science Cenre

EVENTS - OTTAWA

OABN Lunch
October 5
12.30 to 2.00pm
Great Wall Restaurant
The Ottawa Australian Business Network lunch happens on the first Friday of the month. This is an informal ‘dimsum’ lunch meeting - topics of discussion vary widely but typically include business, sport, travel and life in

Canada

. [More...]

EVENTS - VANCOUVER

G'Day Vancouver
April 3 - 6, 2008

Visit www.australiaweek.ca for a full listing of events.