Friday, October 09, 2026

Interview Series - Part1 - Mona!

What a better way to share information about the membership experience in our amazing Toastmasters club, Igniters, than to hear directly from members? Therefore, the idea to do an interview series was born. My first interview is with Mona who joined Toastmasters in 1997 and is a founding member of Igniters. Mona is also our Mentor Coordinator. She brings experience and energy to our club. 



 
This link will take you to our interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=671rwkSnpEI&list=PLOf9a42nhe6A 

 Which member will we hear from next? If you’re interested in checking us out, our next meeting occurs on zoom on Tuesday October 13. 7-8:30pm. Nandini will be leading this meeting with a theme of Around the world in 90 minutes! Email info@igniterstm.ca to get the zoom link. 

Emma VP PR

Wednesday, October 07, 2026

Speak, Laugh & Connect — What a Night!

Marvin the Toastmaster chose our theme Speak, Laugh, Connect for the October 6 Igniters Open House and we certainly did all three!

We welcomed special guests Area E18 Director Alireza and Division D Director Stanley. We were ready for an evening of fun, learning, and connection.

What Makes You Laugh?

Members shared their answers, and the list included cats, funny friends and those wonderfully ridiculous situations that happen in everyday life. Plenty of laughter followed!


Three Speakers. Three Great Stories.

One of our newer members Yousef, stepped up to give his Presentation Mastery Ice Breaker, sharing two hilarious versions of himself as he learns English. Creative, funny and a wonderful introduction to who he is!

Darlene, an experienced member also began the Vintage Path with an Ice Breaker called “Why?” Her message about lifelong learning and continually growing and developing her skills was both inspiring and energizing.

Our Mentoring Coordinator Mona, on the Visionary Communication Path, Level 2 shared her Toastmasters journey, her first mentoring experience and how the skills she developed have helped her in her business. A great reminder that what we learn at Toastmasters goes well beyond the meeting.

One of the Igniters Advantages is the top-tier evaluations from our seasoned members Glen, Nandini, and Diane.  They offer specific, practical suggestions to help elevate each speech and everyone gets to learn from the feedback and use those ideas in future speeches.

Bonus: you get expert coaching without having to book an appointment!

We also celebrated and sang Happy Birthday to Ali and enjoyed delicious desserts and a special card. 


Awards 

Stanley - Past D42 Club Growth Director 
honors Nandini, Diane, and Ali for their 
dedication to Toastmasters.
Last years, D42 Club Growth Director Stanley, on behalf of the Trio, presented three Division E Of the Year Awards recognizing Ali for Toastmaster of the Year, Nandini for Public Relations, and Diane for Area Director with the cheering members. Congratulations to all the deserving recipients!

Elaine led Table Topics with  thought - provoking questions on the theme. We had unusual results a three-way tie for Best Table Topics Participant between Tyler, Lenore, and Tamil! 

To finish the evening, one clever member Tracey challenged us with a math question based on information shared throughout the meeting. So yes… listening really does pay off!

It was a night full of laughter, learning, celebration and connection and a great reminder of what makes Igniters such a fun, friendly and supportive club.

As our VP of Education Trevor shared in an email - "that was a wonderful meeting last night! I just wanted to echo what Division and Area director said - we are one of the best clubs. That's because of all of us!" 

Come for the speaking. Stay for the laughter. Leave with connections!

Nandini
VP PR Committee

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Open House!

We're holding an Open House meeting on Tuesday October 6, 7-8:30pm with doors opening at 6:30pm. It will be at our in-person meeting location, which is located at 3512 5 Ave NW. This is the Nifty Fifties in the Parkdale Community Centre. Come one! Come all!

 See what the excitement and benefits of Toastmasters is all about. You will get to see the main elements of Toastmasters, which includes prepared speeches, speech evaluations, and impromptu speaking, which we call table topics. We have 3 speeches lined up by Trevor, Darlene, and Mona. There will be prizes and food. It will be an evening of fun, food, learning, and growth! Come see why we all love Toasmasters and our wonderful club, Igniters!! 

Emma VP PR

Thursday, September 24, 2026

How Do We Make a Great Club Even Better?

What do you get when you put Toastmasters together, divide everyone into groups, ask some important questions and add cinnamon buns?

Moments of Truth at Igniters!

Once a year, we pause our regular meeting routine and ask

What are we doing well? What could we do better? And what makes Igniters such an amazing club?

This year, our members had plenty to say!

Welcome to our new Igniters Yousef, Em, Nathan and terrific Tyler is back! A huge appreciation to all our members who have renewed.

Six Areas. Lots of Ideas.

President Yvonne led our Moments of Truth, with our VP Education Trevor  helping organize a clear agenda.

Members split into groups and tackled six key areas:

1. First Impressions
2. Membership Orientation
3. Fellowship and Variety
4. Program Planning and Meeting Organization
5. Membership Strength
6. Achievement Recognition

Each group discussed what we're doing well, where we could improve, and how we can make Igniters even stronger.

Then everyone came together to share their ideas. There were plenty of suggestions and more than a few we should definitely do that!

Yvonne followed up the next day with a summary. The executive team will add action items to our Club Success Program and review feedback at executive meetings. A great discussion is even better when it leads to action!

Stepping Up and Stepping Forward 

We also celebrated Elaine  with the Most Improved Member Ribbon. VP Education Trevor celebrating with her.

After a bit of a speaking break, she stepped back up and delivered a strong Keynote about immunity and helping others, earning credit for Level 5 in Pathways: Prepare to Speak Professionally.

She's now preparing for a Keynote in front of 100 people in October, with helpful feedback from Nandini who offered her suggestions on how to connect with a bigger audience. Feedback from the members will build her confidence.

Igniters - a safe place to Try it. Get feedback. Improve. Then take the next leap.

Looking Ahead

Our Division G Director Ali also shared exciting news! The Spring Conference will be in Calgary, featuring the International Speech and Evaluation Contests.

And, of course, great ideas are even better with snacks. 

A productive evening? Absolutely. A thoughtful evening? Definitely. A cinnamon-bun evening from Elaine? Even better!

At Igniters: we learn, we support, we celebrate and we keep making a great club even better.

Nandini 

VP PR Committee

Monday, September 21, 2026

More Recognition!

 

You might recall a blog post on August 19, 2026 announcing that 2 members of Igniters were announced as Area Of The Year award winners. To refresh your memory Ali was Toastmaster of the year and Nandini was Public Relations of the Year. I didn’t know at that time that Diane was also selected as Area Director Of The Year. Igniters therefore had 3 members that advanced to the next stage, Division E. And low and behold, all three of our amazing members were selected as Division E Of The Year award winners!

Division E Toastmaster Of The Year:  Ali


Division E Public Relations Of The Year:  Nandini


Division E Area Director Of The Year:  Diane


Igniters is so lucky to have these 3 as dedicated members. They are all active in the club in many ways, in addition to the roles that earned them these awards. They take on meeting roles, deliver speeches, serve on the club executive. Last year Ali was VP Education and Nandini was VP PR. They are also active outside our club. Both Ali and Nandini have lead sessions in Leadership Training. Nandini is the Division E Circle of Gold Coordinator and a member of the Membership and PR Committees. Ali is the Division G Director in our newly aligned District 208. Diane is leading a Youth Leadership Program. I learn from these three often. They are shining stars in Igniters as well as within Division E. Congratulations Ali, Nandini, and Diane!!!

We look forward to cheering them on at the District 42 Of The Year Awards on October 3.

Emma VP PR

Saturday, September 12, 2026

 



We’ve all been to an event or work meeting that involved Icebreakers. These are usually silly games to get you interacting with  people so you can network or develop a working relationship. I even went to a dating event once that started with an Icebreaker game. It was interesting to see who was more interested in completing the game versus connecting with other attendees.

Your speaking journey in Toastmasters begins with the Icebreaker speech, which is the first Pathways project where you deliver a 4-6 minute speech in front of your club members. The best part is knowing the subject of the speech – YOU! You do need to narrow it down to fit within the timeframe, but you get to choose what you share, whether it’s about your childhood, family, hobbies, education, career, why you joined Toastmasters, or some mix of what you would like others to know about you. Your Pathways module will help you to organize an effective speech with an intriguing introduction, engaging body, and compelling conclusion.

During our most recent in-person meeting, Tamil delivered his Icebreaker speech titled “One more step.”. He sprinkled humor throughout his personal stories about family, education, and his best year yet. Congratulations Tamil! I am looking forward to more of your speeches!




If you’re interested in improving your communication skills, come visit us at Igniters as a guest to see if you would like to join us as a member to develop your skills. Our next meeting is on zoom on Tuesday Sep 15, 2026, 7-8:30pm. Please email us at info@igniterstm.ca to get the zoom look. We look forward to meeting and eventually helping you deliver your Icebreaker speech!

Emma VP PR

Saturday, September 05, 2026

Games Night!

Who says you can't have fun while developing your communication and leadership skills? Certainly not Igniters. During our last zoom meeting, we held a games night and fun was definitely had! Hosted by our Toastmaster (Game Show Host) Nandini, we learned and laughed!


 

We still stuck to the tenets of Toastmasters with a prepared speech by Ali, fun table topics by Marvin, evaluations and twists on supporting roles such as Grammarian and Ah/Um Counter.

 


We certainly had fun practicing facial expressions, as we know that face and visual cues have power. Here's a few moments caught on camera:

Jey - reaction after stepping in something unexpected



 and Marvin - big smile after winning the lottery.


Elaine did an excellent rendition of a pirate while answering the table topics question "What makes for a great weekend, as a pirate?"


Our Grammarian Chamila had us saluting rather than waving our hands when the Word of the Day, Spontaneous or Challenge Word, Tranquility, were used. Our Ah/Um Counter, Emma, incentivized us with a pretend $100 jackpot where every filler word used reduced the jackpot by $5. Our remarkable members finished the meeting with the $100 in tact by mastering the art of the pause rather than using wasteful filler words (ah, um, so, like, ya know).

Overall, we had fun as can be seen by our group pic. 


If you would like to have some fun while improving your communication and leadership skills, Igniters is the place for you! Join us at our next in-person meeting on Tuesday Sep 8, 7-8:30pm. The location is the Parkdale Community Centre located at 3512 5 Ave NW.

VP PR Emma








Sunday, August 30, 2026

Celebrate Good Times

 Celebrate good times, come on!

(Let's celebrate)
Celebrate good times, come on!
(Let's celebrate)

I know you know this song by Kool & the gang so hum along with me. At Igniters, we view celebrating members as an important and fun part of Toastmasters. Recently we’ve had a lot of reasons to celebrate. During our August 25th in-person meeting, we celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and icebreaker speeches.

Yvonne’s birthday was August 25

Marvin’s birthday was August 20

Mona’s birthday was August 18.


Nandini delivered an Icebreaker speech in her new path, Presentation Mastery, where we learned we all have a little lion within us – ROAR!

 

2 of our members celebrated 10 years with Toastmasters – Ksenija and Yvonne. Both have been active members within our club, taking on meeting roles, delivering speeches, and being Club Officers. Yvonne is our current President and Ksenija is Treasurer. Both have also been active outside the club through roles such as Area Director.

 

The celebrations actually began a few days earlier when 4 Igniters (Nandini, Marvin, Emma, and Ali) attended the in-person Division E Leadership Training on August 22 hosted by our Division E Director, Lina.  


There we celebrated the birthdays of 6 Toastmasters.



The training was my first event as part of our new District. District 208 came into existence on July 1, 2026, and encompasses all of Alberta and Montana. Unfortunately, we said good by to our Saskatchewan Toastmasters but hopefully our paths will continue to cross occasionally.


The training kicked off with speaker Val, sharing how great clubs don’t happen by accident.  Instead, they participate in key activities such as the living club success plan, holding moments of truth, and using the Distinguished Club Program, DCP to measure your club’s health. By all accounts Igniters is a healthy club. We are about to submit our Club Success Plan ahead of schedule, have held a Moments of Truth session and earned 3 DCP points already with 24 members and multiple guests recently.



Then we broke into our individual club officer sessions. I learned and made connections in the VPPR session lead by Vesna, while Nandini lead the VP Membership training with Marvin’s assistance and Ali lead the VP Education session. Things were learned, connections were made, and fun was had.



 

Toastmasters is not only a place to learn communication and leadership skills. It’s also a place where friends celebrate the good times.

Celebrate good times, come on!
(Let's celebrate)
Celebrate good times, come on!
(Let's celebrate)

Come celebrate with us at our next meeting, which is on zoom on Tuesday September 1, 7-8:30pm. Nandini is our Toastmaster and she is hosting a fun games night. Email our club at info@igniterstm.ca to get the zoom link. I hope to see you there!

Emma VP PR

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Recognition time

 Recognition is an important part of Toastmasters. Recently our Past E6 Area Director, Diane, shared some exciting recognition news with our club.

The OF THE YEAR awards, referred to as our “OTY’s”, include Rookie, Public Relations, and Toastmaster. District 42 OF THE YEAR awards recognize our hard-working leaders’ dedication, commitment, enthusiasm and service from July 1st – June 30th each year.
Past Presidents lead the nomination committee in each club. 

In June this year, 3 of our outstanding Igniters members were awarded the club OTY awards for 2025/26:

·         Nora: Rookie OTY

·         Nandini: Public Relations OTY

·         Ali: Toastmaster OTY

These 3 nominations were then forwarded to the Area E6 Director, Diane, for nomination at the Area Level. Four TM clubs comprise Area E6, and all the nominations received from the 4 clubs were rigorously reviewed by Diane and her Committee.

At our meeting on August 11, Diane was thrilled to announce that 2 exceptional Igniters members are winners of these Area E6 OTY awards:

·         Nandini: PR OTY

·         Ali: Toastmaster OTY

These winning nominations have been forwarded to Division E for nomination at the Division Level.

On Saturday, September 12 at 10 am, Division D and E will be hosting an online OTY award presentation. Mark your calendars now and plan to attend to support Nandini and Ali in moving forward to the Division Level!

We have such a great club full of members that actively participate in their and other members' development. These OTY winners definitely brought their development and contributions to our club. Congratulations all around!!


Our next in-person meeting is on Tuesday August 25, 7-8:30pm at Parkdale Community Association located at 3512 5 Ave NW. All guests are welcome!

Emma VP PR




Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Confidence!

 


Are you confident? Can you speak up in meetings at work? Are you able to chat with strangers? Do you keep your eyes up, or at least level, when you enter a room? Toastmasters is all about improving our communication and leadership skills. Something that surprised me through my participation in Toastmasters though is how my confidence has grown. I joined Toastmasters at a low point in my life when I was incredibly vulnerable. When I reflect, I see a totally different Emma today, a confident Emma. Toastmasters offers a safe space for us to grow and develop our skills. One of the key premises in Toastmasters is peer feedback. Everything we do gets feedback. From delivering speeches to taking on meeting roles to participating in speech contests. Feedback is always delivered kindly. That’s not to say that you don’t get told how you could improve. Feedback is both positive and constructive. The constructive feedback is delivered in a way to elevate your skills, not to knock you down.

Confidence is a feeling of trust in your own abilities, or a strong belief that someone or something is reliable. It means having little doubt, accepting your flaws, and feeling secure enough to face challenges and take action.

One aspect of confidence is Self-confidence, which is trust in your own skills and future actions. I know that I am not the best at delivering speeches. This isn’t me knocking myself; it’s me being realistic. Memorization is next to impossible for me; therefore, I do have to rely on notes. Normally I take my entire speech up with me. Last night I just used cue cards. I still had most of my speech written on the cue cards because I wasn’t confident I would remember it in front of people. I delivered the speech; the sky didn’t fall. I got some laughs. I realized part way through that I wasn’t using my cue cards and had to shuffle a few forward to find my place. Now that I look back on it, I think I knew my speech pretty well and I am considering delivering it again without even cue cards, just to see if I can do it. Before Toastmasters, I would never have considered standing in front of a room full of people without notes. Now I want to try again just to see if I can do it solely because I am feeling confident that I can. That’s the power of Toastmasters! I’m not saying I wasn’t nervous. I was to the point that I felt nauseous, but the fact that I want to try it again to test my growth tells me that my confidence is improving and I give Toastmasters full credit for that. In the words of one of our founding members, Nandini, she was pushed into Toastmasters by a friend because she knew she needed help with impromptu speaking. “Back then, I used to look at the floor and avoid eye contact. At best, I only had confidence with a little c.  Through practice, feedback, and participating in contests over time, I developed my skills and grew my confidence with a Capital C. Toastmasters gave me the skills to truly transform!”  The confidence gained in Toastmasters translates directly into confidence in our lives.

Listening skills is another surprise skill that comes out of participating in Toastmasters. Our VP Education, Trevor, gives us an example of just how that worked for him recently. “Toastmasters has made me a more skillful listener. Everyone appreciates a good listener that asks engaging questions. The skill of knowing I can focus and listen, makes me feel more comfortable and confident. Yesterday I had a wonderful conversation with a biker and a hiker because I was able to ask small details that just moved the conversation forward.”

There are a few ways to build confidence, all which happen in Toastmasters.

 

·  Set small goals: Reach easy targets to prove your competence over time. We must learn to celebrate ourselves on the way to achieving something big. It is all the small steps that accumulate to reaching a large target. It literally is the idea of stopping to smell the roses and acknowledging all the small steps you take to achieve that big goal.

·  Stop comparing: Focus on your own growth instead of looking at other people. Comparison is the death of confidence. We have no idea what mountains others are climbing so judging ourselves against others is a sure path to destroying your confidence.

·  Practice self-kindness: Speak to yourself like you would talk to a good friend. I’ve heard this concept before and it’s a good one. We would never speak to others the way we berate ourselves so let’s stop berating ourselves and be kind!

·  Face small fears: Do things that make you slightly uncomfortable to build mental strength. Without stretching ourselves we’ll never grow. Think of a flower reaching for the sun. It needs the sunlight to grow. We also need to stretch to grow.

 

One of our members, Ali, attributes Toastmasters with his personal growth. Ali is the Division G Director in our newly aligned District 208. “Toastmasters has helped me become much more comfortable speaking in front of others, expressing my ideas, and taking on leadership responsibilities. When I first started, I was more hesitant about speaking up and putting myself forward. Over time, through giving speeches, taking on meeting roles, and eventually stepping into leadership positions, I’ve become much more confident in using my voice and trusting myself.
One of the biggest changes for me has been realizing that confidence doesn’t mean you never feel nervous—it means being willing to step forward and speak anyway.”

 

Our new President, Yvonne, also delivered a speech last night, demonstrating her confidence growth. She delivered her “Reflect on your path speech titled “Just do it” where her philosophy is deliver speeches, take on meeting roles and opportunities beyond the club. She is walking the talk as our President this year!

 

Our members are continuously growing and becoming confident, regardless of where they started from. Come join us at Igniters to grow your confidence too. Our next in-person meeting is on Tuesday August 25, 7-8:30pm) at Parkdale Community Association located at 3512 5 Ave NW.

 

Emma VP PR

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Learning and laughing

 

It was a sweltering 28C day on Tuesday July 28th when Igniters held our in-person meeting at Parkdale Community Association. We were honoured to have our Division E Director Lina Liu visit our club and her feedback was that she’s always learning and laughing when she visits Igniters. Tonight was no exception. We learned ways to beat the heat, how to be a blogger and we laughed through table topics. I know I left the meeting feeling energized. Did you?


Emma
was our toastmaster. A perk of being Toastmaster is that you select the meeting theme and Emma used it to find ideas how to beat the heat. The Question of the day was What is your best suggestion for how to beat the heat at home. The word of the day was sweltering. The challenge-word of the day introduced by our Grammarian Ksenija was stuffy. We were blessed on this sweltering and stuffy day that the air was running cool in our meeting room, so it was cooler in the room than outside, which made for a pleasant evening especially for those of us not coping well with the heat. I for one valued not sweltering for an hour and a half in a stuffy room. In fact, some of us toyed with the idea of bringing sleeping bags and pillows to sleep there that night.  Spoiler alert:   None of us slept there that night but we did enjoy the hour and a half that we were in our meeting, not sweltering in a stuffy room.



Our members did not disappoint and I learned a few things beyond the typical methods of run the AC despite the electricity cost, close blinds and windows during the day and open at night, plant trees outside windows, choose clothing wisely, go to the basement if you have one, use lots of fans, and drink cold libations. The creative minds suggested putting your head in the freezer, putting an ice pack on your head, opening apartment door to hallway when board members aren’t paying attention, and heading out of your back door onto the deck.

Here I am putting the back deck suggestion into play. This is my set-up on my 3rd floor condo deck where I conveniently have trees on the other side of the deck. It is cooler outside than it is inside my condo. My husband set me up on his laptop and here I sit with the wind blowing while typing this blog outside instead of inside in my stuffy, sweltering den.


Our speaker tonight was Diane, DTM who is a long-standing toastmaster who likes to challenge herself to keep growing. Her speech on Tuesday was her level 4 project Write a compelling blog from the Effective Coaching Pathway. By completing her speech, she completed her Level 4 in Effective Coaching.! Congratulations Diane!!! The speech was titled “I Am a Blogger” We learned a lot from Diane especially myself who is now blogging as the VP PR of Igniters. She reviewed 3 strategies to manage her doubts and increase her skills. First, she took a 6-week class at the library called Blogging and Podcasting for Beginners. Second, she decided to engage an editor. Lucky Glen gets to review and edit her posts.  Third, she got feedback and uses it to shape the future. I personally learned a lot from Diane’s speech. She is an excellent speaker fully using the range of vocal variety, gestures and facial expressions to knock home her message. I was so pleased to hear her speech “I am a Blogger.”  We are inspired!


After a short break for socializing and snacks we were graced with humorous Table Topics, led by our amazing VP Education, Trevor. As Table Topics Master, Trevor encouraged the use of fibs in the participants’ 1–2-minute impromptu responses. His question was the same for all 4 participants with simply a location difference. “You just returned from an amazing vacation and can’t wait to tell us all about it.” The twist was that the locations were all made up so all the participants had to go on was a name of a made-up place. Marvin spoke about Kaelenor. Trish sold us on the virtues of Marazal with alliteration while wearing her Chanel suit with fabulous shoes. Derrick walked out the back door, was hit on the head in Valeska. As I write this, I am still unsure if he spent 5 days in hospital or was this his epic fib. Lina had just returned from Zandaria. All 4 regaled us with stories of food, weather, and stairs that replaced a gym. There was laughter all around!

Our members stood in for members unable to attend the meeting, which is very appreciated by all Toastmasters trying to hold an effective meeting. Thank you, Ali, for stepping into the GE role, Derrick for taking on um-ah Counter, and Trevor for being such a fun Table Topics Master. Well done, Team! The flexibility of our members is a strength of our club.

Our Table Topic Evaluator, Glen followed Trevor’s leed to show us how to fib by structuring his feedback with the acronym FIB for his feedback structure. Each participant brought humour to their responses and we all enjoyed a few good chuckles.

Fabulous – what he found fabulous

Improvement -opportunity for improvement

Best – what he liked best

Our table topics winner this week was Trish! Congratulations Trish!!! 



 

Besides enjoying her visits to Igniters, Lina presented our club with 2 awards.

We earned awards for both the Blueprint for Success, and the True North Awards.

The Blueprint for Success  recognizes clubs that demonstrate strong leadership planning and growth foundations. The requirements include

1.       submitting the Club Offer Officer List by June 30th, which we did with plenty of time to spare to ensure leadership is established for the new program year

2.        having at least four club officers complete Official training by August 31st. We had all 7 club officers trained and are up and running under the leadership of our President Yvonne and

3.       developing and submitting the Official Club Success Plan by September 30th, which is in progress.  

 

The True North Award recognizes clubs that show continuous commitment to members and the community through strong engagement, leadership, and year-round activities including maintaining momentum during the summer months This achievement reflects Igniter's dedication to providing consistent opportunities for members to learn grow and connect. Our club continues to meet throughout the summer. We are taking a little bit of vacation in August by focussing on our in person meeting every second week and skipping the zoom meetings. The In-person meeting dates during August are August 11 and 25. To be clear, August 4 and 18 are vacation days, meaning no meetings.


 

Speaking of meetings, our next in-person meeting is on Tuesday August11 at Parkdale Community Association located at 3512 5 Ave NW. We begin at 7pm. All are welcome! We will be treated to 3 speeches by Diane, Emma, and Yvonne.

It looks like this heatwave is forecasted to end on Sunday when the high is a more manageable 24C. First, we will have to survive Saturday’s high of 35C. To avoid over heating and sweltering, come join us at our next Igniters’ meeting on August 11 where I am sure you will laugh and learn! Until then, stay cool.



 

Emma VP PR

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

We traveled all over during our Igniters meeting on Tuesday July 21st. Our toastmaster Elaine started the expedition right at 7:00 PM with the theme worldly travel. The word of the day was travel and our Grammarian Emma introduced the challenge word  - expedition.  


We buckled our seatbelts immediately for our smooth travels over our 1.5 hour expedition. And what an expedition it was! We started with a mentor moment by Jey who spoke about our strong mentoring program in Igniters where he emphasized mentoring fosters growth for both the mentors and the mentees as both parties share and learn while standing shoulder to shoulder.

We then switched gears to listen to Derrick’s icebreaker speech where he regaled us with stories of his childhood in Nova Scotia and how his desire to ski compelled him to move to Calgary where he met his future wife who turned out to also be from Nova Scotia. We also got to hear about how he proposed to his soon to be wife while cycling across Canada in 80 days. 

We were then treated to a speech by our Mentoring Coordinator Mona who spoke about her expeditions with leadership where we learned that having a challenge stirred leadership in her. She was a District Director of District 42, which developed her listening skills, and in turn helped her establish her own counselling business. Skills developed in Toastmasters transfer to our personal and professional lives. A key message she shared is:

Are you showing that you’re listening to the words they express?

Are you hearing their words?

People want to be heard, understood, and validated.

Then we set off on a journey with Table Topics! Our Table Topics Master, Trish, challenged speakers with three adventurous travel questions Jey defended his choice of a window seat as though his life depended on it. His reason? He's hoping to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights someday.


Chamila shared how a quick trip for gas turned into an unexpected expedition after a traffic jam, hailstorm, and a check engine light transformed a simple errand into a repair adventure. Derek recalled a travel mishap in France that ended on a heartwarming note. After leaving his bike outside while searching for a campsite, a kind Frenchman invited him to pitch his tent in his yard instead.

As always, members voted for the Table Topics winner, and this time the honors went to Jey. Congratulations, Jey and may your next window seat come with a dazzling display of the Northern Lights!

Our club is blessed with excellent speech evaluators. First, we had Ali evaluating Derek’s Icebreaker speech , then Jey evaluated Mona’s speech and Marvin was our Table Topics Evaluator. Our General Evaluator was Ksenija. Everyone gave positive and constructive feedback to help participants learn and grow.

We enjoyed traveling via the stories shared and some members even shared photos of their world travels via their zoom backgrounds. We enjoyed Emma’s backgrounds of Amsterdam, Bratislava, Zurich, and London.

Our next meeting is Tuesday July 28 and is in-person at Parkdale Community Association located at  3512 5 Ave NW. All are welcome! We start at 7pm. Emma will be Toastmaster with a theme on beating the heat. We will have a speech from Diane and our Division E Director, Lina, has a special announcement. Come and join in the fun!

VP PR Emma

Thursday, July 16, 2026

Catch Some Rays... Catch Some Confidence!

Mona - passionate Mentoring 
Coordinator. Congrats on 
winning Table Topics!
Summer is the season to grow, stretch, and shine and that's exactly what happened at Igniters! 

On July 14, our new President Yvonne kicked off her first meeting as Toastmaster with warmth, enthusiasm, and plenty of positive energy. A new guest was welcomed.

The Word of the Day was Nature, while our newest member Tamil introduced the Challenge Word: effulgent. It means radiant, brilliant, shining brightly and members wasted no time weaving both words into the introduction round.

Every role matters. Our Ah-Counter Ksenija helped us replace "ums" with confidence, while our Timer Marvin reminded us that great speeches respect the clock.

The Thought for the Day by Nandini posed a simple challenge: How will you stretch this summer? Learn a new skill? Deliver your Ice Breaker? Compete in a contest? Members were invited to email our Vice President Education Trevor with their goals because at Igniters, no one grows alone. We help each other succeed.

That theme continued as our Meeting Mentor Ali encouraged everyone to step outside their comfort zone and keep growing this summer.

First speaker Elaine "Shake It, Baby!" gave a hilarious and informative speech exploring the history of handshakes. From the bone crusher to the wet noodle to the genuine, every handshake told a story while giving the speaker a chance to shine through expressive gestures.

Our second speaker Trevor took us to Portugal, where one memorable encounter became a lesson in leadership. Understanding different leadership styles helps us connect, communicate, and lead more effectively.

Table Topics Master Lenore kept the summer spirit alive as members tackled impromptu questions about the season. Three speakers Derek, Ksenija, and Mona accepted the challenge, with our third speaker earning top honours.

Three evaluators Nandini, Diane, and Darlene offered supportive, constructive feedback, highlighting each speaker's strengths while suggesting ways to grow. At Igniters, every evaluation is a gift, helping members build confidence one speech at a time.

Another Igniters meeting. More laughter. More learning. More stretching. 

See you online next week with dynamo Elaine leading the meeting.

Nandini - VP PR Committee


Monday, July 06, 2026

Step Up, Speak Up, Shine On!

If you could hop into a time machine and land in June 2027, what would make you smile and say, "Now that was a great Toastmasters year!"

That was the inspiring question our Vice President Education Trevor recently asked each member in a personalized email. Maybe your answer is earning another educational award, stepping into a leadership role, competing in a contest, mentoring a new member, delivering a speech everyone remembers—or simply staying connected to a club that makes Tuesday nights something to look forward to.

The email also included two simple reminders that can make a big difference: keep a pocket speech ready for those unexpected opportunities, and sign up for meeting roles in advance. Success loves a little preparation!

Looking for another way to grow? Join one of our enthusiastic executive members on a committee. It's a fun way to build leadership skills, share fresh ideas, and make a real difference.

  • President Yvonne 
  • VP Education Trevor
  • VP Membership Trish
  • VP Public Relations Emma
  • Treasurer Ksenija
  • Secretary Marvin
  • Sergeant at Arms Elaine
  • Past President Marvin

Our members are the heart of Igniters. When everyone brings their talents, ideas, and enthusiasm, amazing things happen!

Nandini - PR Committee

Wednesday, July 01, 2026

Excellence Recognized by District Leaders

 Two More Awards From the District Trio! $25 Gift Bundles each award. Way to go Igniters!! VPPR Nandini

Hello Igniters! 
Congratulations! The Pathways Powerhouse Club Award honors District 42 Clubs that demonstrate exceptional commitment to the Pathways Education program by ensuring every member is actively enrolled.  

This award celebrates a club's collective dedication to personal development and continuous learning, highlighting their role in fostering growth and achievement through Toastmasters' innovative pathways curriculum.  

In order to receive this award, your club has 100% of their members enrolled in Pathways by June 30th of the 2025-2026 program year.  

Wishing you all the best in the next Toastmasters year! 

Debbie Stearns, Stacey Kaminski, and Stanley Vong
District 42 Trio
2025-2026

Hello Again Igniters Club! 
Congratulations!  You have earned the Calendar Champ: Early Renewal Award which recognizes clubs for staying ahead of the calendar and keeping your club's momentum strong.  Your club has renewed a minimum of 8 members before September 15th AND March 15th of the 2025-2026 program year.  
Wishing you the best in the year ahead.  
Sincerely, 
Debbie Stearns, Stacey Kaminski, and Stanley Vong
District 42 Trio
2025-2026