Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all members of the Ontario Landowners Association, to your families, and to our friends across Ontario and beyond. As your President, it is both an honour and a joy to bring you greetings during this special season. Christmas is a time of reflection, gratitude, and renewal — a moment to pause from our daily challenges and celebrate the strength of our community. Each year, I am reminded that our greatest gift is not found under a tree, but in the fellowship, we share and the determination we carry together.
As we look back on 2025, our Association has faced many challenges — and risen to meet them. From judicial pretrials that tested our resolve, to municipal overreach that demanded our vigilance, we have stood together as landowners committed to defending our rights. Our chapters have grown stronger, our voices have carried further, and our presence in the courts and communities has shown that the Ontario Landowners Association is not only enduring but advancing. Each challenge has reminded us that perseverance is our greatest strength, and unity is the foundation of our success.
We cannot ignore the challenges that continue to confront property owners across Ontario and Canada. From poorly constructed municipal bylaws that burden citizens instead of protecting them, to the uncertainty created by ongoing land claims such as those in Cowichan, British Columbia, we see how governments often fail to safeguard the very rights they are sworn to uphold. Closer to home, in Haliburton County, the Township of Algonquin Highlands has sought to claim shoreline road allowances at Maple Lake — allowances, that in reality, lie beneath the water. This kind of overreach, dressed up as municipal authority, reminds us why vigilance is essential. In Ontario’s forests, aerial spraying programs have raised deep concerns about health, heritage, and stewardship of the land. These are not abstract issues — they affect families, communities, and the future of our province. Yet in each of these challenges, we find strength: strength in speaking truth to power, strength in standing together, and strength in knowing that justice is worth the fight.
Christmas reminds us that even in the face of challenges, we are never without hope. It is a season that calls us to stay strong, stay the course, and never give up. The spirit of Christmas is not only about joy and celebration, but about perseverance, compassion, and goodwill to all. Just as families gather to share fellowship, so too do we as landowners gather in unity, determined to protect our rights and preserve our communities. In this season, we are reminded that justice is not won in a single day, but through the steady courage of people who refuse to yield. The light of Christmas shines brightest when we carry it into the year ahead, guiding us through uncertainty with faith and resolve.
At Christmas, gratitude is at the heart of our message. I want to thank each member of the Ontario Landowners Association for your dedication, your courage, and your unwavering commitment to property rights. To our volunteers, who give their time and energy freely, you are the backbone of our movement. To our supporters and friends across Ontario, your encouragement strengthens us in every challenge we face. Together, we have built not only an association, but a community — one that stands firm in its values and generous in its spirit. It is through your efforts that the OLA continues to grow, to inspire, and to defend the rights of landowners everywhere.
As we celebrate this Christmas season, let us carry forward the spirit of goodwill, courage, and unity. May the joy of Christmas strengthen our resolve, may the peace of the season guide our hearts, and may the hope of a new year inspire us to continue the work we have begun. To every member, supporter, and friend of the Ontario Landowners Association, I extend my heartfelt wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May 2026 bring renewed strength, enduring fellowship, and the assurance that together, we will meet every challenge with faith and determination.
Your President
Jeff D. Bogaerts