President’s Message Bob Slack CSA President As I sit down to write this column for CSANews on this beautiful Florida spring day, I can’t help but notice how cold it is back home. The snowbird lifestyle definitely has its privileges! Hopefully, the temperatures will have improved by the time you read this column. Yet again, Lois and I kicked off our winter tour with the annual Snowbird Extravaganza in Lakeland, Florida at the end of January. From there, we headed to McAllen, Texas for the Winter Texans’ Snowbird Extravaganza followed by the Canadian Snowbird Celebration in Mesa, Arizona. We then embarked upon our Winter Information Tour. This year, we kicked things off with a stop in Lake Havasu City, Arizona before visiting our friends in both Indio and Winterhaven, California. After a stop at a new location in Green Valley, Arizona, we were headed back to Florida for shows in Punta Gorda, Clearwater and Immokalee. Another great winter of informational meetings, top-notch entertainment and new members joining the Canadian Snowbird Association. Thanks again to everyone who came out to one of the shows and thank you somuch to all who volunteered. Without our volunteers, none of this would be possible. Finally, thanks to our partners at Medipac for all that they do in bringing these great events to our members year after year. On April 4, Saskatchewan residents went to the polls to elect their new provincial government. Premier Brad Wall was returned with his third consecutive majority government, in which he almost equalled the record-setting 64% of the popular vote he captured in 2011. As you can see from the date of the election, many of our Saskatchewan snowbirds were still enjoying their winter in the sun during the campaign. That’s where our popular election handbooks come into play. Not only do these publications outline the limitations of the respective province’s reimbursement rates for out-ofprovince emergency medical care, time permitted out of province and prescription drug allotments, they also tell you how to vote, particularly if you are absent from your home province. Voting bymail can be confusing, particularly if you’ve never done it before. The good news is that our handbooks have you covered in every province and territory in Canada. As amatter of fact, Elections Saskatchewan reached out to us and asked if we would help get the word out to Saskatchewan snowbirds regarding how to vote.They were pleased to hear that we were already on top of that. There’s also a provincial election in Manitoba on April 19 . No word on the winner there yet, but rest assured that our Manitoba members will have access to all the tools which they need to cast a timely and informed vote. In Toronto, CSA staffmembers are hard at work getting prepared for the 2016membership renewal campaign. Included in our first mailing will be the most recent version of IRS Form 8840, the Closer Connection Exception Statement for Aliens. As most of you are aware, any Canadian snowbird who typically spends four months or longer in the United States every calendar year needs to file this form with the IRS, in order to be treated as a non-resident for tax purposes. One form needs to be filed per person and forms must be submitted by the June 15 deadline. If you have any questions related to the 8840 Form, please do not hesitate to contact our office toll-free at 1-800-265-3200 or by e-mail at csastaff@snowbirds.org. Those who renew their membershipwith the CSAwill receive a hard copy of the newly revised fifth edition of the CSA Travel Information Guide. The fifth edition of this booklet will feature a range of timely updates relating toU.S. taxation, import/export restrictions, the vehicle exportation process and cross-border currency regulations, as well as up-to-date embassy and consulate contact information.The invaluable information found throughout the pages of our travel guide is alone worth the price of CSA membership. The JOLTAct, which contains our provision for the creation of a Canadian Retiree Visa, now has 110 congressional co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. Of those 110 co-sponsors, 56 are Democrats and 54 are Republicans. It’s tough to get much of anything done in Washington these days, folks; clearly, we have more work ahead of us. Thank you all again for your continued support. With a current total membership in excess of 100,000, we continue to grow…thanks to all of you. Welcome home. 10 | www.snowbirds.org
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