News

Activities and Correspondence

The board and the executive are continuing working on the bylaws and policies that have the legal sections from The Corporations Act. We were instructed by our lawyers not to change the bylaws too much. If you are interested in The Corporations Act and why it’s important that RTAM stays within its guidelines, visit this page. 

The office and executive are also working on the new website privacy policy, which is important to avoid potential liability issues.

We have also developed a grid showing payouts and amounts taken directly from our claim form, and, as suggested, we've included this in the new policy manual for clarity and transparency.

Meeting and Working with MTS Executive

The RTAM executive is looking forward to meeting and working with MTS executive on a professional partnership agreement.

The purpose of the agreement is to formalize the relationship between RTAM and the MTS in areas such as:

• formal meeting of the executives
• observer status at their respective annual general meeting
• annual presentation to its Group Benefits committee, etc.

Emeritus-Emerita Committee

We had a very open and worthwhile relationship with the RTAM Emeritus-Emerita Committee. The board will continue to work with the Emeriti Committee.

This year we had a three-hour, in-person meeting that allowed the office, board of directors, and the committee to share their thoughts, ideas, and suggestions about the direction of RTAM. The primary goal would be giving those in the Emeritus-Emerita Committee:

• a) Status time to share their thoughts on the past year and goals for the upcoming year
• b) Allow the board to interact with the committee members and review a pre-approved set of topics and questions (such as getting historical context, reviewing proposals and plans if needed or seeking feedback on upcoming changes to the organization)
• c) Tasked to this committee such as Emeriti events (speaker series, museum tours) or projects like the annual report

Networking

As everyone knows by now, the Manitoba Teachers' Society (MTS) and the Manitoba School Boards Association (MSBA) have reached a provincial teacher bargaining agreement.

While many of our RTAM members are retired, and this information may be of little concern, RTAM’s interest would be the substitute teachers' part of the agreement. Many of our retired members sub in public schools, and wages and working conditions are important to us.

We also have a very effective Substitute Teacher Concerns Committee, which is very concerned about the insurance coverage of retired teachers while on the school worksite. If you're interested in joining the committee, please email the chair, Audrey.

ACER-CART news: On April 20, 2024, Bill Berryman, president of ACER-CART, wrote a letter on behalf of the Association canadienne des enseignantes et enseignants retraités-Canadian Association of Retired Teachers (ACER-CART) to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on concerns related to access rules and complications for low-income retirees unable to participate in the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP).

This letter was also sent to the Honourable Pierre Polievre, leader of the Official Opposition and leader of the Conservative Party of Canada; Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party; and Yves-Francois Blanchet, leader of the Bloc Quebecois.

ACER-CART represents 88,234 retired teachers in all provinces and our concern is that while most retired educators have access to dental plans, some retired teachers with very small pensions have declined coverage because their low retirement income makes the dental plan unaffordable.

Board Information

• Committee reports due: September 6, 2024, at 12 p.m. (CDT)
• Executive meeting: September 16, 2024, 9 a.m. by Zoom
• Directors meeting: September 23, 2024, 9 a.m. (CDT) by Zoom
• Chapters will be internal; KIT will be updating the members on who has stayed and who has left. Chapters will meet after the summer break.
• Committees will need to start in September. Chair will work with the office to build their committees to send reminders to members and prepare to begin work for the board.
• We have the board meeting online in September.

I am looking forward to an RTAM fall AGM.

Please check the Events page regularly for a list of upcoming events. Keep having a restful and enjoyable summer!

Sincerely,

The Executive Committee

Gabe Mercier, President
Linda Blair, Past President
Jayesh Maniar, Secretary
Jocelyne Fraser, Treasurer
Sean Seywright, Executive Director