There’s been quite an interesting discussion on Facebook led by CCA national president Brian Benwell.
Brian started the conversation with a poll on CCA membership fees.
To date there have been over 50 constructive comments on membership fees. Here is a sampling:
Seaneen Sharples Wasch The Calgary Chapter does a new member orientation I found well worth the $50 fee. I got great hand outs and a “bible” of foods listed alphabetically (which to buy is about $20) *and* I got great tips and leads from the people at thetable about new bakeries that had opened, or products that were good to try.
I find I get the best info from other people who are GF, and sometimes the best place to find those people is through the CCA.
And
Betty Varto Membership in the CCA is for — advocacy for GF issues in government food policy especially around labelling, support for research, and dissemination of accurate information to those with celiac disease. Membership meetings are not availible to all due to the vastness of our country – but newsletters generated by the CCA and their various chapters are available and are a valuable and trusted source of information for those with celiac disease. They are wise to stay away from supporting the numberous websites boasting help for celiacs — postings can be hearsay and inaccurate. However I do enjoy finding out where I can find celiac friendly establishments — but don’t we always take a chance when buying food or eating out??
And
Ivy Warren So agree with all the comments on the benefits of membership. If evereyone had this knowledge and how it makes their lives better from an ongoing perspective (labelling for example) more may join and continue to renew membership. I think the challenge is promoting the benefits. As with the post above referring to fees, a $50 initial membership fee is acceptable as it includes the membership welcome kit and have a reduced renewal fee… $ 35 – $40 as a suggestion. Also… it was years before I realized the membership was for our household and only thought of myself as a member (daughter was 9 when diagonised shortly after me), although Terri-Lynn has now “flown the nest” to a large degree (university) and holds her own membership.
Even if you aren’t on Facebook, check out the National CCA Facebook page to read the full conversation.
For local issues, see our Southern BC CCA Facebook page.
We have received a few emails from our restaurant guests regarding some information that was shared on your website regarding our gluten free pizza offerings. We take these matters very seriously and are committed to providing our guests with the best possible gluten free products, so the misinformation in the marketplace is concerning to us. Unfortunately, the information that was shared with you via one of our restaurant employees is incorrect. I can confirm that the mozzarella, cheddar and feta cheeses used on our gluten free pizzas is also gluten free. We are in the process of providing our stores with updated communication to ensure they are aware of this and hope that you will share this information with your users as well and perhaps consider removing the incorrect posting as it is creating significant confusion. 
OTTAWA, February 7, 2012 - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is warning people with allergies to egg, milk and wheat not to consume the Bin Bin brand Spicy Snow Rice Crackers described below. The affected product contains egg, milk and wheat which is not declared on the label.
It’s hard to believe that in less than four months, Kelowna 2012 will kick off at the Delta Grand Hotel.
