Past Speakers

September 11, 2025 - Paul Taylor

Talk Title: Canadian Criminal Law

Paul Taylor was born in Montreal Quebec and grew up on the West Island of Montreal. After graduation from high school, he attended Bishop’s University obtaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree in
History and Political Science.

Finding the demand for freelance historians to be somewhat limited he applied to law school and attended the University of New Brunswick. Following graduation in 1972 he and his young family decamped for the promised land, where he articled for and later practiced as Counsel for the Department of Justice.

In 1976 he became a member of the Peel Crown Attorney’s office,ultimately becoming the 10th Crown Attorney for Peel Region in 1989, a position he held until his appointment to the Ontario Court of Justice. In 2002. during his tenure as Crown Attorney, he was recognized by the Law Society as a Certified Specialist in Criminal Law. Paul retired from the Court in 2020.

Paul has taught Advocacy at the Ontario Crown Attorney’s Summer School, the Criminal Law Intensive Advocacy Program, and the Advocates Society. Paul has lectured on criminal law at the Canadian Police College, the Ontario Police College, the Crown Attorney’s Association, the Ontario Bar Association, The Bar Admission Course, and the Law Society.

June 12, 2025 - David Miller

Talk Title: Assisting Cities with Climate Action

The speaker at our June meeting was David Miller, who spoke to our Club by Zoom from Victoria. David is a former Mayor of Toronto and current head of the C40, a group of nearly 100 mayors from big cities around the world who collaborate and share best practices to address the challenge of climate change.

While climate issues may have occupied less space in the media over the last couple of years – in the face of cost-of-living issues, the Russia-Ukraine war, the turmoil in the Middle East, and President Trump’s erratic behaviour – we all recognize the existential threat that global warming poses to our way of life. David brought us back to that reality and told us that cities are responsible for some 80% of climate emissions. The C40 mayors recognize the important role of municipalities in addressing climate issues, and it was encouraging to learn of the practical and creative steps that some big cities have been taking.

David was introduced by new member Gary Norris. The thanker acknowledged the speaker’s generosity in forgoing the virtual bottle of wine that was offered to express our appreciation.

Bob Weese

May 8, 2025 Scott Perkin

Talk Title: Trekking Across England

For two weeks last fall, Scott Perkin and his wife Joanne Wilson, hiked across northern England, from the Irish Sea to the North Sea, along the Coast to Coast trail, passing through three national parks, a distance of 310 km (190 miles). They walked through the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. Through slides and narration, Scott took us on this amazing journey. Three days of rain, and soaked clothing, did not dampen their spirit. Slippery, cow patty and sheep dip laden paths up and down steep inclines, and over two “M” motorways didn’t slow them down, often walking over 20 km each day. Walking through farmers’ fields with unfriendly animals present probably sped up their progress. When Scott competed his presentation, I felt that I had walked side-by-side with them. I concluded that this kind of activity is definitely for the young(er) folks. My ship has sailed on this kind of activity. Grateful thanks to Scott, (and Joanne), for an amazing presentation.

Bob Martin

Click here to see Tom's slides

April 10, 2025 Tom Axworthy
Talk Title: Canadian American Relations in the Age of Trump

Our guest speaker for our April 10 meeting was our own member, Tom Axworthy.

(Tom has continued as an active member of our club since he moved back to Winnipeg two years ago. He actively participates in our Book Club and our SCR, both of which meet on zoom. He also attends our club meetings in person when he is in the GTA. He was here to hear Ian Binnie at our March 13 meeting.)

Tom, as a favour to us, moved a prior engagement of his to free up his time to address our April meeting on Zoom.

Tom took us through the first 300 years of our Canadian history before Roosevelt.
He addressed many American initiatives to obtain domination over the north American continent, with references to the American belief in its “manifest destiny”, the U.S. civil war, the Finnian raids, the purchase of the Hudson Bay Company lands by the newly created Dominion of Canada to thwart American attempts to “buy” more of the north-west, the free-trade (reciprocity) elections in 1911, the Manitoba caper by Americans who wanted to grab control of Louis Riel’s Manitoba, and MacDonald’s National Policy to build Canada from east to west.

He also addressed the last 80 years of good relations with a kinder, protective, and wonderful partner in the U.S. (since Roosevelt until Biden); and the stark choices we now face with the chaos inducing, megalomaniac President now in control.

His talk was well received by our largest turn-out crowd since Covid (86 members in attendance.)
As a token of our appreciation for Tom’s address, instead of the usual bottle of red wine (California reds now being off the shelves in a defiant Canada), an anonymous member of our club is making a generous donation to one of Tom’s favourite charities: Village of Love.

Mention of this token was greeted by the members with loud and long applause (which suggested that other members would also anonymously donate to Village of Love).

Overall, it was a wonderful meeting.

Paul Moore

March 13, 2025 Hon Ian Binnie C.C., K.C. - Counsel At Lenczner Slaght, Toronto

Talk Title: Trumpocracy

Ian Binnie, a former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and a Companion of the Order of Canada was our guest speaker on March 13, 2025.

He addressed legal, constitutional and governmental concerns in the face of Trumpism and Trumpocracy.

He discussed a recent supreme court ruling on Presidential immunity from prosecution for acts as long as they were within “the outer limits of Presidential authority” . He explored what that could mean for the future.

He addressed separation of powers and the importance of a strong independent judiciary and touched on the possibility of challenges facing implementation of judicial decisions by an unwilling executive branch .

He explained the various approaches judges have to interpreting the US constitution such as “originalism”, which interprets concepts and terms the way the original drafters of the constitution would have done, and the “living tree” approach where the interpreters look to modern evolving concerns to decide the appropriate meaning of various provisions.

He compared and contrasted the typical Canadian approach and the mixed American approaches, and pointed out the differing tendencies of the American, Canadian, and British courts towards political issues and individual rights issues.

His address was comprehensive, insightful, hopeful and yet somewhat scary.

He mentioned the view of one pundit that in the long run how a society governs itself matters more on whether the “good guys” or the “bad guys” are in power rather than the various issues they believe in.

He speculated that the next US mid-term elections could be crucial to what happens in the future.

Overall, Ian gave a boffo performance to a larger than usual turnout of our members.

It was well worth while to be at the meeting.

Paul Moore

February 13, 2025 - Grant Vingoe - Member Board of Directors - Ontario Securities Commission (OSC)

Talk Title: The Ontario Securities Commission’s Strategic Direction and Priorities for improving Investor Experience.

Over 20 Applewood Probians braved the heavy snow storm in the morning to attend our February Members’ Meeting, including our speaker who made it on time.

After being introduced by Paul Moore, who presented lots of background information, Grant Vingoe filled us all in on the workings and purpose of the Ontario Securities Commission and it’s roll and purpose in the financial wellbeing in the Ontario Financial marketplace. His wealth of knowledge in the workings of the regulatory agencies in Canada and abroad were of interest to the entire group.

After numerous questions following Grant’s speech he was thanked by John Mark

January 9, 2025 - Ted Barris

Talk Title: The Battle of Britain: Canadian Airmen in Their Finest Hour

Canadian military historian Ted Barris made an excellent presentation on the important contribution of Canadians that helped ensure victory in the WW2 Battle of Britain.

In the summer of 1940, Hitler’s armies had conquered most of northwestern Europe. Their final obstacle was Britain. All that the German air force had to do was defeat the Royal Air Force, so that many thousands of German troops could then invade the British Isles.

In the summer of 1940 as the Luftwaffe sought to crush the RAF, the Commonwealth pilots scrambled from British air fields, flying Spitfires and Hurricane fighter planes, hoping to defend Britain and thwart Hitler’s plan.

Ted gave us background information as a preamble to the events of that summer and wove into his presentation the courage, determination, resilience of the more than 100 Canadian pilots who flew with a Canada patch on their shoulder. Plus there were over 200 engineers, mechanics, medics and civilians who served behind the scenes to ensure victory.

As Churchill said of the achievement in that summer of 1940, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few”.

Ted is an author and has written and presented at our meetings on numerous occasions. He certainly brings in the members in spades. A well done and high energy presentation from a gentleman who was recently given the Order of Canada.

Many thanks Ted from Applewood Probus members.

Peter Crawford

Tim Sayle - Associate Professor of History UofT and Author

Talk Title: Is NATO Outdated or More Essential Than Ever?

November 14, 2024

Timothy Andrews Sayle is an Associate Professor of History and a Senior Fellow of the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History at the University of Toronto. He is the author of Enduring Alliance: A History of NATO and the Postwar Global Order (Cornell University Press, 2019), along with three edited books and over a dozen scholarly articles.
He is the founder of Canada Declassified, an online repository of recently released archival documents.
In the aftermath of the Second World War, leaders from Western Europe, Canada, and the United States established a system of international security with NATO as its cornerstone. NATO’s fundamental goal was to prevent the world from falling back into general war.
Now, over 75 years after its creation, NATO is at the centre of the debate about the future of international security. Is NATO outdated, perhaps the cause of tension today? Or is it more essential than ever?

Tim will examine the historical connections between NATO’s Cold War and todays' crises, and consider both why NATO has lasted so long and what threatens its longevity today.