Some of the country’s most influential thinkers and decision makers were noticeably absent from the shore of Lake Couchiching this summer.
The Couchiching Conference, held every August at YMCA Geneva Park in Ramara, was called off as the Couchiching Institute on Public Affairs (CIPA) is undergoing a makeover of sorts.
Since the early 1930s, the conference has seen policy makers and politicians, including former prime ministers John Diefenbaker, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Kim Campbell, Paul Martin and Joe Clark, gather for a weekend of discussion on public policy and affairs.
The CIPA took a break from the conference this year as it tried to find additional support.
“Like any small, not-for-profit organization, we have limited resources and capacity,” Adam Redish, president of the volunteer-run CIPA, told OrilliaMatters. “Trying to maintain a sustainable organization and producing a conference was more than the organization could manage.”
Redish feels the CIPA has found the help it needs. The foreign-affairs think tank Canadian International Council (CIC) has stepped up. It brings additional resources and funding.
“We’ll become part of the CIC and they will produce Couchiching (Conference)-type events,” Redish said.
He hopes one of those events is the return of the conference, which served a valuable purpose to guests as well as members of the public, he said.
“We created an environment where Canadians from all walks of life were able to engage with thought leaders … on important events of the day. Doing it in that relaxed setting builds a space for that dialogue,” Redish said of YMCA Geneva Park.
If the conference is re-established, the Ramara location would be ideal, he said.
“We hope to see you again.”
