News

President’s Report

As we embrace the long, sunny days of summer, it’s the perfect time to pause, reflect, and celebrate everything that makes this season so special—both in our personal lives and within our wonderful community of retired educators. Summer represents not only a time of rest but also a chance to reconnect, enjoy the warmth of friendship, and recharge our spirits for the months ahead.

I’m pleased to present this July report to keep you informed and engaged as we continue to work together in the spirit of fellowship, service, and advocacy for retired educators.

Executive Director

The Board of Directors would like to introduce our new Executive Director, Melissa Sitter. Melissa comes to us with a wealth of  knowledge and previous experience working with older adults. A personal introduction from Melissa will be shared in the July e-newsletter.

Advocacy and Representation

A part of our mission is ensuring that the voices of retired teachers are heard and represented. The Executive Committee along with Melissa met with Tracy Schmidt, Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning and MLA for Rossmere, as well as Cindy Lamoureux, the interim leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party and an Independent Liberal MLA for Tyndall Park to advocate for RTAM and COLA.

We participated in a Western ACER-CART Regional Conference dedicated to collaborative work around threats from the Ontario retired teacher association, improving COLA on our pensions, and advocating with both the federal and provincial governments to make changes to the Canada Pharmacare Plan as well as the Canadian Dental Plan so more retired teachers qualify for these benefits.

Health and Wellness

As retired educators, we know the importance of taking care of ourselves. That’s why, we continue to print links to a relevant article each month in our E-Newsletters. We hope you take time to read them regularly.

Members who are subscribers to the health, dental, and or travel insurance through Johnson were told of the name change to belairdirect starting on July 1. Unrelated to the name change, in April or May, subscribers learned that TRAF would no longer deduct their premiums for Johnson insurance and they had to provide banking information such as cancelled cheques for Johnson/belairdirect to withdraw premiums directly from their bank accounts. As much as the two issues are not connected, the information about them was released at about the same time and we hope it didn’t cause too much confusion with our members.

Annual Golf Tournament - Friday, September 5, 2025

RTAM is hosting our annual Summer Swing Golf Tournament on September 5 at Quarry Oaks Gold Course in Steinbach.

Please register through your portal on the RTAM website.

RTAM Members and Substitute Teaching

RTAM’s Substitute Teacher Sub-Committee worked very hard to gather information about members who substitute after retirement. This committee gathered the viewpoints of these retired teachers and developed a pamphlet, Pamphlet for Retirees Who Sub, that is available on the RTAM website.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude for you, our members’, continued engagement and support. As we navigate the complexities of retirement and aging, it’s vital that we remain informed and engaged. Together, we are not only advocating for our rights but also creating a vibrant community where our shared experiences and wisdom continue to make an impact.

Thank you for everything you do.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

Jayesh Maniar
President