Hello Tech Club Friends!
Welcome to February — and one of the biggest global sporting celebrations: the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina! 🇮🇹🎿 Whether you're a techie, a sports fan, or both, this month offers plenty of opportunities to get involved!
Here are a few ways you can stay connected to the Olympics online using easy to access tech tools:
Olympics App – Download the official Olympic Games App (for both App and Play Stores) for live schedules, medal trackers, personalized event alerts, news updates, and behind-the-scenes content. Be sure to explore the app fully (touch all the buttons!!) - it’s like carrying the Games in your pocket!
Team Canada Olympic App - this is another free app that you may wish to download, which will keep you updated about everything Canadian!
📺 The CBC Gem App often carries full coverage of Olympic events online - and it’s all free!
🌐 Google & YouTube Tools – Search trends, real-time medal counts, highlights, and official YouTube videos are great for quick updates and watching clips if you can’t catch events live.
Happy February and GO Canada 🇨🇦 🍁 🇨🇦!
~ Susan
Winter Meetings: Note (January 1 to March 31, 2026):
All below meetings showing as "IN PERSON" are subject to change to "VIRTUAL" if poor winter driving conditions are forecast for that day.
The Zoom link, Meeting ID, and Passcode will be sent in an email reminder to club members at least 24 hours prior to the event.
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11
9:30 - 11:30 AM
DROP-IN (IN PERSON)
Downtown Community Centre:
Multi-Purpose Room (upstairs)
Click here for more information!
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PLEASE NOTE: Usually, our Speaker Meeting is on the 3rd Wednesday of the month and our Share and Learn on the 4th Wednesday. This is being switched this month. Another change - our Speaker Meeting will instead be an Information Session on a topic that has been requested. See below for more info.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18
9:30 - 11:30 AM
SHARE AND LEARN (IN PERSON)
- Coffee and Cookies served ($2 donation suggested)
Downtown Community Centre:
Multi-Purpose Room (upstairs)
Topic:
Apps, APPS, APPS!
This will be a continuation of the Apps learning that we did in January which was focused on using the App and Play Stores.
We will take a deeper look at some of our favourite apps - how they work, do you need an account, how to get started, etc.
This may include Weather, Calendar, Maps, All Trails, Picture This, Merlin Bird ID, Libby, Gas Buddy, What3Words, Wallet, Facebook, Smart Home Apps, Banking and Credit Union Apps, and any others that members would like to share!
We hope you'll join us!
Click here for more information!
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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23
1:30 - 3:30 PM
VIRTUAL DROP-IN
Online (on ZOOM):
The Zoom link, Meeting ID, and Passcode will be sent in an email reminder to club members at least 24 hours prior to the event.
Click here for more information!
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25
9:30 - 11:30 AM
SPEAKER MEETING INFORMATION SESSION (IN PERSON)
- Coffee and Cookies served ($2 donation suggested)
Downtown Community Centre:
Multi-Purpose Room (upstairs)
Topic:
Learning about Linux and Chrome Operating Systems
This is a new format for our club. We have had several members who have requested information on Linux and Chrome Operating Systems - what are they?, what are their main uses?, is it for me?, can I convert an old laptop using one of these and if so, how?
This session will be an information sharing and demo and as well a time to ask questions on this topic. Members who have experience both using and converting to these operating systems will be there to share and answer your questions.
Whether this is something you are very keen on trying yourself (or not!), or whether you are just keen to do some learning - ALL are welcome!
Click here for more information!
For February, we investigate a relatively new Canadian email provider, called NorthMail. Besides coming from a Canadian provider, it includes many features that are attractive beyond email. Best of all, you can get a Free Tier account that comes with a limited amount of (Canadian) storage, or you can get a Paid Tier account for only $10 (Canadian dollars) for a lot of storage.
Have a look and see if you agree that you don't have to sacrifice to buy Canadian!
Remember, you can directly navigate to the Tech-splorations columns anytime on our website. In our website's top navigation menu, click on Tech-splorations. The drop-down menu lists each article in chronological order of publication.
Curiosity: Our Not-So-Secret Superpower
One of the things that defines our club is curiosity. We ask questions. We poke around. We occasionally say, “Huh… that’s interesting.” And then we learn something new.
That curiosity is what brings us together at Drop-Ins, Speaker Meetings, and Share & Learn sessions. More often than not, someone else in the room has been wondering about the very same thing - and is happy to share what they’ve discovered or tried. That shared learning is what makes our community special.
Have you stumbled across a piece of technology, a tool, or an idea that made you think, “Why haven’t we talked about this yet?” If so, we want to hear about it.
Chat with one of our executive members - Susan, Ron, Lew, Inge, Jim, Guenter, Ian, Rob, or Jean - and pitch your idea. It might be just right for a future Share & Learn session.
Bonus points if your discovery involves someone from Waterloo Region or elsewhere in southern Ontario. Tell us who they are and how to reach them - they could be an excellent speaker at an upcoming Speaker Meeting.
So keep asking questions. Keep exploring. And keep that curiosity doing what it does best: helping us all learn a little more than we did yesterday.
The Winter 2026 term is now in session! That means you need to register with the City of Kitchener for the Kitchener Tech Club activities you want to attend during this recreation season (January 1 - March 31, 2026).
Registration is easy:
Visit the front desk of any City of Kitchener Community Centre,
Call the City of Kitchener’s Program Registration Support line at 519-741-2907, or
Use the City of Kitchener’s ActiveNet online registration portal. We’ve created an ActiveNet Registration Instructions guide for this.
The City of Kitchener has its own online information about program registration and using ActiveNet.
The Kitchener Tech Club typically offers four types of activities that you can participate in each month:
Kitchener Tech Club Drop In (2nd Wed of each month)
Kitchener Tech Club Speakers Meeting (3rd Wed of each month)
Virtual Kitchener Tech Club Drop In (4th Monday of each month)
Kitchener Tech Club Share and Learn Gathering (4th Wed of each month)
New for Winter 2026 Registration:
Sign up for a package of activities through one registration! Click the ActiveNet Registration Instructions link (above) for a complete explanation of how to benefit from this feature that you - the members - requested!
You may not be on our mailing list.
For full details on becoming a member, visit https://www.kitchenertechclub.ca/about/membership-contact.
Senior of the Year - nominations now open!
Do you know a Kitchener resident aged 65+ who is helping to make our community a better place for others? Maybe they’re a helpful neighbour or dedicated volunteer who supports you or your organization?
If so, nominate them to be Kitchener’s Senior of the Year by March 31st!
What if the person you have in mind lives in Waterloo, even though they do their volunteering in Kitchener?
Then, nominate them to be Waterloo's Senior of the Year by March 31st! All other criteria for being nominated are the same.
There are many ways you can stay up-to-date with what’s happening. Click one of the links below to visit our…
Kitchener Tech Club website for lots of information about the club, past events, and upcoming dates.
Facebook page.
Instagram page.
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