IODE Canada 122nd National Annual Meeting

25 / 26 / 27 May 2022

The IODE Canada Board of Directors in partnership with members from IODE Jon Sigurdsson Chapter had many plans to welcome members and guests from across Canada to Winnipeg, Manitoba for the 2022 annual meeting - after long discussions, it was decided the need to cancel the in-person meetings due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
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​The 2022 National Annual Meeting from 25 to 27 May 2022 will be held as Zoom meetings and will be open to all members.  Everyone can attend without travelling anywhere!  We will be able to bring you speakers to share their ideas with you in the comfort of your own home.  Even though this year’s annual meeting will not be in person, Zoom will provide a visual experience where you will be able to see and hear our speakers and our national award winners and each other  A varied and informative agenda is planned.  The benefit of attending annual meetings is sharing with fellow members who truly believe in volunteer community service and learning from their experiences.  

Link to view meeting videos and pictures 

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Winnipeg is the capital of the Canadian province of Manitoba.  Its heart is The Forks, a historic site at the intersection of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, with warehouses converted to shops and restaurants, plus ample green space dedicated to festivals, concerts and exhibits.  Nearby, the Exchange District is known for its well-preserved, early 20th-century architecture and numerous art galleries.

​As we cannot travel to the location of our 122nd National Annual Meeting in Winnipeg, Manitoba, we thought we would bring a bit of of the “Peg” to you.

​There so many interesting places and entertaining activities in Winnipeg – the following is a short list of Manitoba fun fast facts

• Manitobans have a love hate relationship with the extreme winter weather.  Winter's cold “Yeah, it’s a dry cold” as not to be confused with a damp cold.
• ​The World’s Largest Snow Maze is located at St Adolphe Manitoba Canada, Canada is the Home of the Guinness Book of World Record’s Largest Snow Maze! You can enjoy the challenge of the snowy maze, the snow maze is full of fun which all ages can do. It's a family activity that can be fun, admire the amazing snow carvings and buildings, the newest among the buildings is the chapel with benches and a chapel pulpit, slide down Snow Mountain, warm up by a bonfire which are everywhere, if you are brave try the Giant Luge run, try a variety of snow games, and of course a cup of hot chocolate and hot coffee or an adult drink at The Snow Bar. They also have the snack shack and the pumpkin bar, which serves snacks and beverages.
• Friendly Manitoba is what it says on our license plates.  
• Toban refers to a Manitoban.
• Manitoba was the first province to gain the vote for women.
• Manitoba is known as the keystone province because of its close proximity to the geographic centre of North America.
• Manitoba is located on the homeland of the Red River Metis. The Métis people are descendants of French and Scottish fur traders who married Indigenous women. They formed a distinct culture, collective consciousness and nationhood in the Northwest.
• WW ll spy Sir William Stephenson was of Icelandic decent. Many people consider him to be one of the real-life inspirations for James Bond.  He was known as the Man Called Intrepid.
• Nickname for Winnipeg is “Winterpeg”
• Winnipeg has been voted the Slurpee Capital of the World for more than 20 years in a row.  For those who have never had a Slurpee, a frozen, sugary slushie drink can be ordered in “Big Gulp” size for an extra cool treat. Manitobans enjoy Slurpees during summer and winter alike – it has truly become a yearlong favourite.
• Winnipeg pioneered the 911 emergency telephone number system.
• Over 100 different languages are spoken in Winnipeg.
• The Harlequin Romance publishing empire was founded in Winnipeg in 1949.
• The international poling company Angus Reid Group was established in Winnipeg in 1979.

​According to Statistics Canada, Manitoba is home to the largest Icelandic population outside of Iceland.  Iceland formally became an independent republic on June 17, 1944. 

Annually the IODE Jon Sigurdsson Chapter in conjunction with the Icelandic Canadian Frón and the Icelandic Consul General host a wreath laying ceremony to recognize Iceland’s independence at the statue of Jón Sigurdsson located on the North Side of the Manitoba Legislative Building.

On June 17th, 2010, The Jón Sigurðsson Day Act was passed by the Manitoba Legislature and given Royal Assent, proclaiming June 17th as Jón Sigurðsson Day in honour of the Icelandic settlers in Manitoba. 

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Thanks to Jo Wilson, a member of IODE Jon Sigurdsson Chapter​, for sharing her Vínarterta family recipe.

For the local Icelandic community, there is perhaps no food more strongly associated with its cultural heritage than the towering torte called vínarterta.
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Vínarterta, is a multi-layered cake made from alternating layers of almond and/or cardamom-flavoured biscuit and prunes or sometimes plum jam, the filling usually including spices such as cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, and cardamom.

Manitobans of Icelandic descent agree on vínarterta, which is sometimes misspelled "vinatarta" and "vinaterta."  (The correct spelling, "vínarterta," is in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary.)  It would probably be more accurate to say that they agree up to a point. vínarterta is both an enduring symbol of Icelandic-Canadian identity and a source of endless debate.

The standard vínarterta filling is straight-up prune, for example, but a few bakers advocate a mix of prunes and dates.  Cardamom is non-negotiable for most, but some reach for cinnamon or ginger instead.
And then there's the fraught question of layers - six or seven?

There is a fierce loyalty to family recipes and to secret tips and techniques for rolling and cutting. 
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Helle Wilson sent in a funny account from good friends who visited Iceland and took along a vínarterta baked by her amma (Grandmother), Johanna Wilson, as a gift for their hosts.  Johanna Wilson is a long-time member of the IODE Jon Sigurdsson Chapter.  At their hosts' house, they met a pastor from Winnipeg who was in Iceland on church business and had been asked by his wife to bring back an authentic Icelandic vínarterta.  He hadn't been able to find one, and, in fact, his Icelandic host family had no idea what one was.  Helle's friends' hosts generously gave him half of theirs, so that part of this Winnipeg vínarterta ended up going right back to Winnipeg.

Johanna Wilson is over 100 years old and still makes Vinarterta.  She is the daughter of the chapter founder, Gudrun Skaptason.  Jo has been a member of the chapter since 1943.  Amma means Grandmother in Icelandic.
 
Attached is Jo's vinartera recipe.  She still bakes on a regular basis and lives on her own. Her vinarterta are absolutely delicious and a sought after delicacy that the chapter has been known to sell raffle tickets for.  

​Also included is chapter member Gunnur Isfeld, Icelandic Half Moon Cookies recipe.

Jo with her cake, that was taken for her 100th birthday. She still makes her own cakes.

Johanna Wilson's Vinarterta recipe
File Size:	22 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Gunnur Isfeld, Icelandic Half Moon Cookies recipe
File Size:	191 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

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Winnipeg's awe-inspiring attractions include

• the architecturally iconic Canadian Museum for Human Rights 
• Journey to Churchill at Assiniboine Park - the world's most comprehensive Arctic species exhibit
• Qaumajuq, the Inuit Art Centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, which is home to the largest contemporary Inuit art collection in the world
• Canada's Diversity Gardens at Assiniboine Park (opening in 2022) - a $75 million indoor/outdoor horticultural attraction that replicates biomes from across the globe
• The Forks, a vibrant centre for gathering where you can feel the pulse of the city 
• For the knitters in the group a visit to Long Way Homestead, a family owned and operated fibre farm and wool mill in Eastern Manitoba maybe of interest.

​Click on the red highlighted links to get a taste of the experiences, these attractions have curated virtual experiences to inspire you from home.

Link to the Provisional Agenda