Travel

These monthly socials are a chance to network with other students and professionals in the geomatics field to chat GIS, data, remote sensing, surveying and more in a casual atmosphere. Feel free to bring friends and colleagues along - we're eager to welcome everyone back for a fantastic evening! This is a free event. Please RSVP to let us know you're attending.

Join Sandon Jacobs on Monday, May 25th from 6:00pm hosted by Improving! 📍**Venue:** **Improving Office** 171 East Liberty St Unit 235 Toronto, Ontario M6K 3P6 **Directions (171 E Liberty St - Suite 235)** **By transit** Streetcars 504 and 509 both travel close to the office (less than 10 minute walk to the office from either), the lakeshore GO train is also a 5 minute walk from the office. **By car/parking** On street parking is available - there are a handful of paid parking spots directly in front of the entrance - with a large city parking lot across the street. **Entrance** The entrance to the office is beside the Bulk Barn entrance facing Hannah Street. There is an Improving logo on the door. 🗓 **Agenda:** * 6:00pm – 6:30pm: Welcome, Food/Drinks & Networking * 6:30pm - 7:30 pm: **From Chaos to Contract: Governing Data Streams** by Sandon Jacobs **💡 Speaker Details:** Sandon Jacobs, Senior Developer Advocate, Confluent **From Chaos to Contract: Governing Data Streams** So you’re committed to this path of data streaming with Apache Kafka. But, here’s a question: would you build a REST API and make users guess the request and response formats? Doing so opens a Pandora’s Box… * What’s the domain model? * Name the operation… POST? GET? PUT? PATCH? * What does this error code even mean? * Is the documentation - if it even exists - accurate and relevant? * Imagine the complex, repetitive logic every consuming system would need to implement to make sense of it all. In a distributed, asynchronous system, these problems are magnified. Apache Kafka's flexibility—messages as simple bytes—is a huge strength, but it's also a major risk. While your event streams likely consist of some structured data (maybe JSON strings), enforcing structure, managing evolution, and basic validations aren’t a hard requirement. This leaves consumer applications to perform this preprocessing of every event - even if that event has no business value. In this session, we'll define data contracts and how to enforce them at the source - the applications that produce events. We’ll cover the practice of using a schema registry - supporting popular serialization formats like Apache Avro and Google Protobuf - to design events in the terminology of our business domain. Because data structures change over time, let’s discuss safe schema evolution practices. Then we’ll utilize these contracts with schema registry-aware producer and consumer code. We’ll end our time by looking at how smart CI/CD pipelines and build-time checks can add an extra layer of defense against the costly problem of poison data. It’s time to stop guessing and start governing. Join us to learn how to move validation upstream and transform your event streams into high-quality, discoverable data products. You’ll walk away with a practical blueprint for enforcing schema integrity and automating evolution—ensuring your data streams are a trusted asset. \*\*\* DISCLAIMER We don't cater to attendees under the age of 18. If you want to host or speak at a meetup, please email [community@confluent.io](http://community@confluent.io/)

Join us for ESL Cafe on Mondays nights at St Paul's Bloor Street. We have groups for all levels of English: Basic English, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. At ESL Cafe, you can practice English conversation, drink coffee (or tea) and have lots of fun meeting other interesting people!!

🎟 **This is a paid event. Tickets must be purchased on Luma.** **Get yours: [https://luma.com/tiequest-2026](https://luma.com/tiequest-2026)** **\#\#\#\# TiEQuest Summit 2026 \- Building in Canada for the World** A morning built for founders who are done thinking small - and ready to hear how the best in Canada actually went global. **🧠 What to Expect** Sharp talks and practical insights from founders, operators, and investors who are actually doing the work. No fluff, just the real story of what it takes to scale ambitious companies from Toronto to the world. **🤝 Who's in the Room** Founders at every stage. Operators building something meaningful. Investors looking for what's next. If you're shaping the future of Canadian tech, you belong here. **📍 Where** U of T Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus, one of Canada's most exciting hubs for tech and entrepreneurship. **📅 Monday, May 25, 2026** **⏰ 8:30AM – 12:30PM** **📍 108 College St, Toronto, ON**

A well-trodden trail with food gems at the end. Guildwood was a former artists' colony and has an idyllic setting close to the Scarborough bluffs. It's a weird mish-mash of attractions and we'll check out every one of them. Then it's down to the lake shore, a popular hiking trail. The eastern approach to the cliffs goes past an iconic sculpture before swinging up an invigorating hill. Guildwood does not have good food. The handful of good restaurants in this hike are at the end, in Scarborough Village. There's an excellent Egyptian restaurant with an ambitious menu, a Haitian supermarket, and a unique dining experience in a retirement residence. A trio of South Asian restaurants await at the end, where you can choose between Sri Lankan, Kerala, and Tamil food. Or try them all. **Highlights** 1. Clark Centre for the Arts (depart 4pm) 2. Guild Inn 3. Greek theatre and scattered statuary 4. South Marine Park 5. Scarborough Bluffs 6. Passage sculpture (depart 5:15pm) 7. Doris McCarthy Trail / Gates Gully 8. Haitians Food Market 9. Aragoz 10. Momiji / Maru Sun Japanese Restaurant 11. Scarborough Village Theatre (depart 6:10pm) 12. Cornell Campbell House 13. Premium Sweets 14. King of Taste / Tharavadu Home Of Kerala Cuisine / Namma Madurai (arrive 6:40pm) **Neighbourhoods** Guildwood > Scarborough Village **Map** [https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=14edeBtVwC8vnT40YPt8BG7XVXxPd3kU&usp=sharing](https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=14edeBtVwC8vnT40YPt8BG7XVXxPd3kU&usp=sharing) Long, steep uphill at Doris McCarthy Trail. **How it works** Hike starts punctually. Late or can't do the whole route? Meet us at scheduled checkpoints. We'll browse many food places but won't linger long. See the route in advance, organize takeout, then pickup along the way. See our [About section](https://www.meetup.com/hike-to-eat/) for more info.

**Vancouver • North Vancouver • Whistler • Squamish • Vancouver Island (Victoria)** **Date:** May 31 – June 6, 2026 (7 days/ 6 nights) **Group Size:** Approx 30 people **Tour page:** https://funtours.ca/tour/best-of-british-columbia **Places We Will Visit:** * Vancouver City & Downtown * Stanley Park, Vancouver * Panoramic views from Downtown Vancouver * Gastown Steam Clock * Vancouver Lookout * Granville Island * Grouse Mountain * Capilano Suspension Bridge * Whistler Village * Whistler Peak-to-Peak Gondola * Squamish (Shannon Falls Provincial Park) * Victoria Island * Victoria Downtown * Butchart Gardens, Victoria **PRICING** Per person, Double occupancy: CA$ 2600 + Tax = CA$ 2938 (Flights, Hotels, Tours are included) Per person, Single occupancy: CA$ 3600 + Tax = CA$ 4068 (Flights, Hotels, Tours are included) Only a $500 deposit per person is required to secure your spot. **What’s Included** * 6 nights accommodation in a 3–4-star hotel (Excellent 8.6 rating) * 6 Continental breakfast * Round-trip flight to Vancouver (on Flair) * Airport Transfers * Accompanying Tour Guide * All transportation and sightseeing tours are by a comfortable coach bus **Your tour includes all of the following Ammission fees:** * Ferry to Victoria Island ($20 + tax) * Grouse Mountain admission ($80 + tax) * Capilano Suspension Bridge ($75 + tax) * Butchart Gardens ($42 + tax) * Whistler Peak-to-Peak ($160 + tax) * Vancouver Lookout ticket ($20 + tax) * Total Cost Included: $397 + BC taxes \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- If you have any particular questions about the tour details, you may text/call the "tour leader, Shamseddin" @ 647-671-6711, or leave a comment under this post. \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* **IMPORTANT NOTE:** \>\> RSVP in Meetup means you are "interested"\. You are NOT confirmed until you pay the deposit\. \>\> This event has been published on other meetups/platforms\. Some people book directly through the website without RSVPing for the meetup\. So\, the participant count displayed here may not be updated\. \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* Hope to see you on board :) Noushin **This tour is operated by: Toronto Fun Tours** 📧 Email: info@funtours.ca 📞 Phone: 416-477-2087 (Mon–Fri, 10 AM – 5 PM) 📱 WhatsApp: 416-477-2087 🌐**Web:** [https://funtours.ca/](https://funtours.ca/)

Dreaming about Africa someday? Join us for a relaxed and inspiring Africa Travel Information Session with Goway Travel on **Thursday, May 28 from 2–4 PM.** Hear some good stories and learn about safaris, where to stay, different styles of travel, and what it’s really like to experience Africa from someone who lived in South Africa for 8 years and has been exploring the continent for nearly 20. Plus, there are a couple of great prizes! **[CLICK HERE TO REGISTER](https://africa-travel.eventbrite.ca)**

Let's grab some coffee/food and share a morning chat! The East Market has an ample parking lot and outdoor and indoor seating. Grab a cup of coffee from Winston's Coffee & Waffles or on your way to East Market and meet us on the second floor - table behind or east of the elevator. Per what this group is about: "Everyone is welcome! International transplants to Columbus who want to improve language skills, Columbus residents who enjoy talking to people from other countries, and those who would like to discuss international travel and culture, and who enjoy getting together for good conversations."

Join Bold Spirit Travel for an all-women’s journey through the [heart of Provence. ](https://www.boldspirittravel.com/journeys-1/south-of-france-provence-2026) From charming villages and bustling markets, to lavender fields and coastal cliffs, this adventure blends history, art, food, and stunning landscapes. Your base is a boutique hotel in Aix-en-Provence, the perfect hub for exploring southern France. *\*We can only take 10 women on this trip.* **Highlights** * **Aix-en-Provence** – stroll cobbled streets, browse colorful markets, and enjoy lively cafés. * **Marseilles** – tour its historic basilica and meet traditional soap makers. * **Arles & Wine Tasting** – explore Roman ruins and sip wines at Mas Valériole estate. * **Lavender Fields** – capture the beauty of Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque. * **Cassis & the Calanques** – enjoy seaside scenery and an optional boat ride. * **St. Rémy** – wander the vibrant market and visit Van Gogh’s former monastery. * **Les Baux-de-Provence** – experience the dazzling immersive light show. * **Cabrières-d’Avignon** – discover lavender’s artistry at the Lavender Museum. **What's Included:** * 6 nights in a boutique hotel (shared occupancy; private upgrades available). * Expert Bold Spirit tour leader plus bilingual local guides. * Meals as listed in the itinerary. * Private ground transportation. * Pre-trip support: Zoom call, WhatsApp group, and packing guidance. **Why Travel With Us?** This Provence adventure is designed for women who love travel, culture, and connection. You’ll share meals, explore iconic sites, and enjoy the slower pleasures of the French countryside—with expert guidance and community every step of the way. **Pricing:** * **Trip Cost:** USD 5,885 * **Deposit:** USD 700 non-refundable (secures hotels and guides) Get in touch with us to set up a call and learn [more](https://www.boldspirittravel.com/journeys-1/south-of-france-provence-2026). Contact:[ https://www.boldspirittravel.com/contact](https://www.boldspirittravel.com/contact)

Let’s meet and wander the galleries! General admission on Sundays is free.

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 You will need to scan your ID at the door to get a visitor badge. **Abstract** Like it or not, AI agents are now capable of turning a quickly written paragraph of requirements into a pull request that is ready to be integrated into real-world production applications and it's now our responsibility to make sure AI doesn't go rogue and take down prod - or corrupt our data by misunderstanding the requirements or our existing schemas. In this session we'll explore strategies to protect our codebases through unit and integration testing, documentation, and code review along with additional ways of providing context and guard rails to our AI agents as they carry out the work we've assigned them to do. By the time we're done, you'll have a firm grasp of the problem and understand some helpful options for protecting your codebase from vibe coding mishaps getting YOLOed into prod. **YouTube Link** TBD

Who else is ready to sit outside? Join us for a casual chat over coffee & tea at Grandview Grind! Come out and meet some new people, enjoy your favorite drink, and make some new friends!