From your ONRC North of 60 Team
2025 ONTARIO North of 60 Annual Report

We had a fruitful year in 2025. Our goal of providing food items and household needs across Nunavut was attained. We have indeed lessened the anxiety of Nunavut families by supporting them when funds can no longer stretch to provide for their daily essentials.

Support to Nunavut

We again reached out to 9 communities across Nunavut. Their words of appreciation are vivacious as well as humbling. They are exceedingly thankful to be remembered and helped.
A huge thank you is being extended to all of you who readily shared food, household goodies, prepared the pallets for delivery, and ultimately packed the sea container. To all of you who financially gave most generously to the project in support of food purchases, and most importantly, the crucial transportation costs, a huge thank you. None of this could have happened without you. Again, THANK YOU!
Trust me as I relay thanks from our communities.
Kilograms of food received:
Whale Cove, 3,265 kgs; Rankin Inlet 3260 kgs; Chesterfield Inlet, 12,150 kgs; Baker Lake 2,750 kgs; Naujaat 10,005 kg; Gjoa Haven 13,530 kgs Taloyoak 13,239 kgs, and Kugaaruk 10,170 kgs of food.
Vincentians, thank you so much for your generosity and hard work in 2025!

Our service partners

Pivotal to the success of the project are our service partners: The Kivalliq Inuit Association, ATS Containers, Abrams Towing, RyXpress Logistics, Arctic Consultants and Desgagnes Transarctik Shipping who jointly work to transport the containers to the north. Our continued loyalty and their understanding of our goal to help the Inuit has given us support with price reductions.

Our Dedicated Vincentians

In conclusion, our supporting conference/councils each encounter a different journey to gather food items. They work relentlessly to sustain their ability to fill their sea container on behalf of their chosen community. A few of our supporting conferences have seen a dip in the flow of goods and/or finances. This is fully understood and yet, heart wrenching when your hope is to help provide.
Inflation has caused caution for many of us in Ontario. We have become mindful with our ability to donate. Yet, we pull together and continue to give all that we can supporting our Nunavut families, who are always ever so grateful. We always do our best.
Ottawa Vincentiians… This is a call out to all Vincentians in the greater Ottawa area. Claire Heal, the N of 60 site leader for the past 6 years, has needed to step away. There is an urgent need to find a replacement for her in order to sustain the assistance given to Rankin Inlet. Rankin Inlet is one of the original communities supported by the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. It is the second largest community with 2,600 residents. I am hoping an energetic and adventurous person will shadow with Claire and myself to continue this journey.
St. Catharines Vincentians, your Central Council is looking to build a subcommittee to help with their gathering of supplies for their chosen community, Naujaat. They too have experienced difficulty in amassing the volume of goods they always hope to send northward. Please if you can help or you think you have suggestions, reach out – we will be very grateful. Please consider joining their exciting new team too.

Sisters and brothers, if you are thinking you would like to become part of North of 60, I extend my sincerest wish for you to reach out to me. I will help you find your niche with one of our teams working in service to the families in Nunavut.

Our current team:
Michael Wasney of St Patrick’s Conference, Markham
George Quesnelle of Elizabeth Seton Conference, Newmarket Margaret LaFontaine of St Raphael’s Conference, Burlington
Pegg Leroux of Kitchener Waterloo PC
Maria Scattolon of Hamilton-Hamilton -West PC
Claire Heal of St Paul’s PC, Ottawa
Josie Rocca of St Catherines CC

Blessings in this New Year to each of you,

Please support our mission of sharing,
Below is my email address, ONRC’s postal address and a link to the form for pass ups as well as the Canada Helps link for a direct donation.

Pegg Leroux, North of 60 chair north.of.60@ssvp.on.ca
On-line: Click here www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/48540 OR
mail: Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Ontario Regional Council
PO Box 23016 Brantford PO Main, Brantford ON N3T 6K4 including this form to clearly designate the destination of your monies.