The size of our large country and our small numbers mean that chances to get together in larger groups are highly valued. We invite old and new Friends, and those who seek, to contact us and experience the events described below.

For registration information for upcoming gatherings and events, see our site’s News section.

Balancing at Yearly Meeting - outdoors saturday multigenerational activities balancingCanadian Yearly Meeting

Canadian Yearly Meeting (CYM, also known as Yearly Meeting in Session) is a gathering once a year for all Canadian Quakers. Its Business Meetings are the main decision-making body of Quakers in Canada.

There’s also lots of time for fun and games, socializing, and sessions focusing on spiritual development, social justice, and Quaker history.

CYM Gathering 2024 will be at Camp NeekauNis July 24 – 31, 2024. Details about the upcoming Yearly Meeting are posted to Yearly Meeting in Session as they become available, especially on the new blog section on the homepage! Some information from past meetings remains on that site.

Pelham Half-Yearly Meeting

Pelham Half-Yearly Meeting is based in the Niagara area, and also meets twice a year, spring and fall. It is intermediate between its constituent Monthly Meetings and Canadian Yearly Meeting. Its primary purpose is to foster the spiritual growth of its four constituent Meetings: Pelham Executive Meeting (St. Catherines), Yarmouth (Sparta), Coldstream, and Kitchener Area Monthly Meetings. It provides Friends separated by several hours of driving time the ability to come together for worship and fellowship.

As an intermediate Meeting, PHYM receives annual State of Society Reports for consideration before they are sent on to CYM, receives Memorial Minutes of Friends under its care and takes on other business as guided, such as supporting concerns of individuals or Meetings. The daylong gatherings include worship and business in the morning, a leisurely potluck lunch allowing plenty of time to renew friendships, and an afternoon program, which is designed and led by each Monthly Meeting in turn.

PHYM’s roots go back to the beginning of Quakerism in Canada. Three of its four constituent Monthly Meetings have the deepest roots of any in Canada. Pelham Executive Meeting, the oldest, was founded in 1799; Yarmouth, located in Sparta, was formed in 1823; and Coldstream in 1837. Although most Canadian Quakers are Convinced Friends who have found their way to Quakerism after much seeking, these meetings have members whose connection to the Society of Friends goes back many generations — a great asset in the spiritual life of the Half-Yearly Meeting, and indeed the Yearly Meeting. The fourth Monthly Meeting, Kitchener Area — including worship groups in Guelph and Lucknow — was formed in 1967.

For information, contact the Pelham Clerk.

Atlantic Half-Yearly Meeting – Atlantic Friends Gathering

Quakers in the Atlantic Half-Yearly Meeting (AHYM) gather annually on the Victoria Day long weekend in May for Atlantic Friends Gathering (AFG). The gathering provides spiritual nurture and fellowship through a planned program, a beautiful, spacious camp location with beach, lots of free time, spiritual discussions and reflections, a meeting for business, and fun activities. Children from 0 to 100 are welcome!

The fall meeting for business for Atlantic Half-Yearly Meeting is held in person at another location, or by Zoom. Atlantic Friends coordinate their activities as a region, hear committee reports, share common concerns, and exchange information about meetings, worship groups, and individual Friends under their care.

For more information about AFG, visit atlantic.quaker.ca or email

Western Half-Yearly Meeting

western3Western Half-Yearly Meeting (WHYM) meets twice a year: May in Sorrento, B.C. and October on the Prairies.

  • For information and to join the next online version of WHYM, please visit viquakers.ca/whym.

The Fall meeting on the Thanksgiving weekend alternates between sites in Saskatchewan and Alberta but on the Spring long weekend it is always at the Sorrento Centre. Friends from Ontario to Vancouver Island to the North and everywhere between travel to WHYM to gather for fellowship and worship.

WHYM is an intergenerational community with programs for everyone; folks attend from every age group, including young children, teens, and elders. All the treasured WHYM traditions of balancing, singing, campfires by the lake, rides on the “Flying Fox” zip line, Worship Fellowship, Special Interests, and Meetings for Worship and Business provide the context for us to learn, make new friends, and renew our bonds with one another.

St. Lawrence Regional Gathering

St. Lawrence Regional Gathering has five participating Meetings: Ottawa, Montreal, Peterborough, Wooler, Thousand Islands, and their nearby Worship Groups. Its gatherings are held in the spring, and fall (usually the weekend after Thanksgiving), at a location central for the five Meetings.

For more information on St. Lawrence Regional Gathering, visit stlawrence.quaker.ca or contact the St. Laurence Regional Gathering Clerk at .

Yonge Street Half-Yearly Meeting

Playing at Yonge Street MeetingQuakers from the Hamilton,  Toronto, and Yonge Street Monthly Meetings meet twice a year at Yonge Street Half-Yearly Meeting (YSHYM). These gatherings combine worship, a short program, and a business meeting with the fellowship and enjoyment of one another’s company that bind us joyfully together.

The YSHYM Liaison Committee offers consultation and input to help the host Meeting develop the program for the upcoming gathering. The committee consists of representatives from the three constituent Monthly Meetings.

If you live in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, here is a wider Quaker fellowship that you and your family will enjoy. For more information, please visit the YSHYM webpage or email .