Recovery Serenity Prosperity

NEW DAY, TIME, LOCATION and ZOOM Link:

Ottawa Debtors Anonymous Hope for Prosperity (#777) Hybrid meeting will now meet on Thursdays from 6:30-7:30pm.

The Ottawa Wednesday hybrid  and Saturday online meetings will no longer meet on these days.

In-person Location:

Kitchissippi United Church, 630 Island Park Drive
Ottawa Ontario K1Y 0B9 Canada

ZOOM info: please refer to our Meeting List.

Don’t miss your change to grow in recovery! There are still spots available at the in-person DA retreat, 06 to 08 September 2024 at Mount Mary Retreat Centre in Ancaster, Ontario. The retreat theme is The Steps We Work: An In-Depth Journey Through the 12 Steps. Activities will include readings on the steps (DA 12x12x12 book), sharing on the readings, and free time for meditation and reflection in nature on the retreat centre grounds.

Some accommodations are available on-site, and participants can also join for the day without the use of accommodations. Participation costs vary according to accommodations and meal options requested. There are limited funds available to support scholarships for those who are unable to afford the entire cost of attending the retreat.

For more details on schedules, activities and costs, see the flyer (PDF). You can also register at this link.

Dear Central & Eastern Canada DA members: please note that, on Saturday Aug 10th 2024 only, the regular meeting of the Ottawa Hope for Prosperity group (#777) will be canceled due to Otawa hosting the DA World Service Conference 2024 meeting that weekend. Regular meetings will resume on Aug 17th.

For regular meeting info, please consult our Find a Meeting page.

In Service,

Central and Eastern Canada DA Intergroup

The Central and Eastern Canada Intergroup of Debtors Anonymous is hosting an in-person retreat 06 to 08 September 2024 at Mount Mary Retreat Centre in Ancaster, Ontario. The retreat theme is The Steps We Work: An In-Depth Journey Through the 12 Steps. Activities will include readings on the steps (DA 12x12x12 book), sharing on the readings, and free time for meditation and reflection in nature on the retreat centre grounds.

Some accommodations are available on-site, and participants can also join for the day without the use of accommodations. Participation costs vary according to accommodations and meal options requested. There are limited funds available to support scholarships for those who are unable to afford the entire cost of attending the retreat.

For more details on schedules, activities and costs, see the flyer (PDF). You can also register at this link.

Part of the World Service Conference’s ongoing momentum towards becoming more participatory is to send out Early Motions for your group to discuss, should you wish to. 

These motions will come before the WSC in Ottawa for your GSR or ISR to vote on. There are four in all: three from WSC Fellowship Communications and one from WSC Literature.

If your group has a Group Service Representative (GSR) you might wish to hold a group conscience and give them an indication of how the group would like to vote. If you do not have a GSR going to Conference this year, your local or regional Intergroup would be a good place to make your views known so that the Intergroup Service Representative (ISR) can take views into account when they vote.

Each delegate, however, is entitled to vote according to their own conscience, in the spirit of the Right of Decision described in Concept 3 of the Twelve Concepts for D.A. World Service. 

The motions are:

from WSC FELLOWSHIP COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE (FCC) — three motions 

GSB Note: The exact name of the Day (Founder’s or Unity) will be a matter for discussion at WSC.

1. Founder’s (or Unity) Day 

FCC moves to create a Founder’s (or Unity) Day Founder’s (or Unity) Day would be an annual event, taking place in the month of April starting in 2026, (50 years!) where all members are encouraged to recognize and celebrate the Founding of our wonderful Debtors Anonymous organization. Founder’s (or Unity) Day could be a part of the legacy our founder John H. has left for us. 

Note: the two motions found below are applicable if Founder’s (or Unity) Day is accepted. 

2. Change date of Promise 6 Day to the month of June. 

FCC moves to change the celebration of Promise 6 Day from the month of April to the month of June, (June being the 6th month). 

“Isolation will give way to fellowship-faith will replace fear”. 

This is an annual event that will take place in the month of June. On this day members are encouraged to participate in fellowship and to break out of isolation which can be a big part of the disease of debting. 

3. Mission statement 

 FCC moves to change its mission statement to: 

The Fellowship Communications Committee (FCC) facilitates communication and promotes collaboration among the debtor who still suffers, the Debtors Anonymous membership, the World Service Conference Committees and Caucuses, the General Service Office, and the General Service Board. It oversees Founder’s (or Unity) Day, Promise 6 Day, as well as the curation and editing of the Ways and Means magazine.

From WSC Literature Committee (1 motion)

4. Gender Identity and Debt: Voices of Gender-expansive Debtors.

The WSC Literature Committee, together with the Underserved and Underrepresented Outreach Committee, moves that the Conference approve the development of a pamphlet outline on Gender Identity and Debt: Voices of Gender-expansive Debtors.

Background 

The pamphlet would specifically address issues that directly affect the gender-expansive community, including, but not limited to, gender-affirming care expenses and debt.

We look forward to seeing your GSR/ISR at the WSC in Ottawa. 

The WSC’s Fellowship Day will take placed on Saturday, 10 August 2024 in Ottawa!  All D.A. and Debt-Anon members are welcome! (NOTE: This is an in-person event only).

WE WILL VALUE OURSELVES AND OUR CONTRIBUTIONS! LET’S GET TOGETHER FOR A FELLOWSHIP-FILLED DAY UNDER THE THEME OF PROMISE 5.

Suggested donation for Fellowship Day is $20.00 CAD or $15.00 USD.  No one turned away from the workshops due to lack of funds.

Optional opportunity to buy a lunch and/or dinner ticket. (Advance booking required).

If you require a hotel room at the Brookstreet Hotel, our Conference Rate is available until July 4th at a rate of CAD 199.00 plus 18.65% taxes (single or twin occupancy).

Links to register for Fellowship Day and for hotel booking information found on the flyers (colour and black & white) or via these links:

If you would like to pay for Fellowship Day in Canadian dollars, please click here:

en français – https://forms.gle/XxRGzuMJQCUg4RZq9

in English – https://forms.gle/njHseb5ooy14DRsk6

To pay in US dollars, please click here:

Fundraising for the John H. Scholarship Fund for 2025

Below are the links for the fundraiser to the online store for branded products. Proceeds will be directed to the John H. Scholarship Fund for the 2025 WSC. International shipping is available.

English: https://www.zazzle.ca/store/wsc38_ottawa/products

en français: https://www.zazzle.ca/store/wsc38_ottawa/products?lang=fr

In recovery,

WSC38 Ottawa Host Committee

Dear Central and Eastern Canada DA members: please note that, as was decided at our last Intergroup meeting, we will be resetting the Zoom links for all the meetings using our Intergroup’s Zoom account. We are aiming to have these changes completed by mid-July 2024. Please refer to the meeting list on our website as we will be updating it as the changes occur. Your meetings may also reach out to you directly to let you know of the change.

If your group has not yet reached out to the Meeting schedule coordinator to schedule a switch to a new Zoom link, please contact us at meetings@debtorsanonymous.ca.

In recovery,

Central and Eastern Canada DA Intergroup.

The Host Committee for the 38th Debtors Anonymous World Service Conference in Ottawa this summer is raising funds to help get future GSRs and ISRs to the World Service Conference. The Host Committee has made WSC38 t-shirts, notebooks, coffee mugs and more available. See below for an example.

All proceeds will go to the John H Scholarship fund which helps Group Service Representatives (GSRs) and Intergroup Service Representatives (ISRs) get to the Conference each year. This is a great way to support the Fellowship.

As the deadline for this year’s John H scholarship has already passed, these proceeds will go toward the John H scholarship for 2025.

All prices are shown in Canadian dollars, but PayPal will automatically convert to your local currency.

ENGLISH: https://www.zazzle.ca/store/wsc38_ottawa/products

FRENCH: https://www.zazzle.ca/store/wsc38_ottawa/products?lang=fr

As many of you know, there is a fellowship wide vote in progress, ending in 48 hours – May 10, midnight EST.

If 75% of all registered groups vote for these changes, they will pass. If not, there will be no change. Concept Two (p.121 of D.A’s 12, 12 and 12) outlines this requirement of the Charter.

Would you check with members or groups that you know of, so that the fellowship can complete this vote?

Information on how to vote can be found here on DebtorsAnonyous.org

The question which are being voted on are as follows:

1. With permission from A.A., the Conference proposes to revise the D.A. Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions by replacing the words ‘he’ and ‘him’ with the word ‘God’ and to rephrase Tradition Two as follows: ‘For our group purpose, there is but one ultimate authority – a loving God as God may be expressed in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.’
2. The WSC Literature Committee moves that the Conference update Tradition 11 to strike out the word ‘and’ between ‘radio and films’ and to add at the end ‘television and all other public media’. 
   
   The Tradition would therefore read:
   
   ‘Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion: we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, television and all other public media.’

Thank you for your participation in helping to determine the future of D.A. The results will be available later this year – after the voting closes on May 10th, 2024 at midnight.

‘Everything About D.A. Treasurers’ Workshop, an online event, arrives in the Greater New York Area and across the world on Monday, April 30, 2024, between 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Eastern Time. The link below forwards to the ‘Everything About D.A. Treasurers’ Workshop registration page. A Workshop flyer is attached.

Suggested Donation is $12 payable to gsrsnyc@gmail.com [via Zelle / PayPal / Venmo @GSRSNYC] and if you can donate more, we’d be delighted, and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Information about the Special Event > https://sites.google.com/view/ny-gsr/

Event Zoom Link > https://bit.ly/GSRWorkshop passcode > gsr777

Donate to the GSR Fund > GSR Donation *optional

Event time by time zones – UTC [GMT] at Tuesday April 30, 23:00

[Los Angeles] 4:00pm-5:30pm PDT – Tuesday 30 April
[Buckeye] 4:00pm-5:30pm MST – Tuesday 30 April

[New York] 7:00pm-8:30pm EDT – Tuesday 30 April

[London] 12:00am-1:30am BST – Wednesday *1 May* Midnight 

[New Delhi] 4:30am-6:00am IST – Wednesday *1 May*
[Perth] 7:00am-8:30am AWST – Wednesday *1 May*

[Sydney] 9:00am-10:30am AEST – Wednesday *1 May*

[Auckland] 11:00am-12:30pm NZST – Wednesday *1 May*

Click here to download flyer