Some information passed on from the NAC Executive Director, David Soule

Folks, I am forwarding  information passed to me from several members in regard the Veterans Emergency Fund, emergency funding available from Veterans Affairs Canada for those who may be experiencing financial difficulty during this crisis. My thanks to Commodore Chris Robinson RCN and Paul Baiden for this information. Please share this information with those who do not have internet or you may know are in need. There are also a couple of other news items after this item. 

VAC is reaching out to pass on the word that during this pandemic there are emergency funds – Veterans Emergency Fund (VEF) – available to veterans who find that they just can’t make ends meet.  A grant of up to $10,000 can be made available within 48 hours of application.. The current exceptional circumstances are the rationale for providing the authority at the Veterans Service Agents (VSA) and Case Managers (CM) level to approve up to $10K based on the applicant’s financial need/financial gap during COVID-19 and up to July 2020.

The criteria for VEF still apply and there must be a rationale for requesting the funds, it is not an automatic grant and the VSA/CM will review each application using needs-based problem solving. If there are any other external government funds available that would provide the solution, the applicant will be directed to the appropriate government department.

The VSA/CM can approve funding up to three months at a time, not to exceed 10K to fill a financial gap. The new process has not been released yet but direction to VAC staff has been completed and they can accept applications with documentation via MyVAC Account or contact VAC at 1-866-522-2122 for further direction.

April 30th to May 3rd
The 2020 Battle of the Atlantic weekend

COVID-19 Update - 18 March 2020

In view of the state of emergency declared by the Province of Ontario on 17 March,  and the apparently worsening situation across the country, the Directors  of the Naval Association of Canada have assessed that it is unlikely that we will be able to hold the BOA Gala, Conference and AGM at this time.   We recognize that the current state of emergency in Ontario is announced to exist until 31 March, but other indicators suggest that the situation may endure for several months.

We have therefore decided to postpone this year’s gala and conference at this time. While this decision is personally disappointing to many of us, we believe that it is the correct thing to do to reduce the risk to both NAC and CF members who planned to attend the event.

In the next few days, we will be working with our sponsors and venue partners to determine an alternate date for the events. As previsoulsy stated, we will aim to reschedule for the month of October, subect to the availability of our venues.

The organizing committee will also begin refunding existing ticket purchases, a process which may take several days to complete.

COVID-19 Update - 13 March 2020

To all our members, supporters and guests for the Battle of the Atlantic Gala Dinner and Conference

The COVID-19 pandemic has led many organizations to cancel major events and public gatherings until Easter.  The NAC has been working hard to assess the impact of this pandemic on our planned Battle of the Atlantic Events from 30 April to 3 May.

The NAC National Executive has set 30 March 2020 (or earlier if the situation continues to deteriorate) as the decision date whether or not the Gala dinner and NAC conference will be either cancelled outright or postponed until later in 2020. 

Cancellation or postponement of the Gala Dinner and Conference will result in the automatic cancellation of ticket purchases for these events.  Purchasers of tickets will receive a full refund. We will be working with our sponsors over the next days to confirm or cancel their sponsorship agreements.

Cancellation and postponement will also lead to our Annual General Meeting being held in June 2020 using electronic means.  A Special Members meeting will be convened to occur in in conjunction with a re-scheduled Gala dinner and conference, likely around the date of Niobe Day in October. 

NAC remains committed to providing a safe environment for our members and guests of the Battle of the Atlantic Gala Dinner and Conference.

Click here for detailed information and registration for these events.