Notice of RTAM Policy Change

Joan Dawson, Chairperson, Bylaws and Policy Committee

The following interim policy changes have the approval of the Board of Directors of RTAM and will be brought to the May, 2014, AGM in Winnipeg, for disposition:

Interim Policy Changes for AGM 2014

POLICY MOTION #1 (Dawson/Bornn)

That Section 2 - Principles of RTAM be amended to read: Section 2 - Principles of RTAM 2.05 Health Policy RTAM advocates: ADD c) Support of the ACER-CART endorsement of the Principles to Guide Health Care Transformation in Canada.

(RATIONALE: This statement acknowledges the ACER-CART endorsement of the Principles to Guide Health Care in Canada document.)

POLICY MOTION #2 (Dawson/Bornn)

That Section 7 - DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS 7.01 President be amended to read: Section 7- DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS 7.01 President: The President shall: w) Be a Director at ACER-CART AGM be amended to read: w) Be an Observer at ACER-CART AGM.

(RATIONALE: This reflects RTAM Board attempt to reduce the onerous workload of the President.)

POLICY MOTION #3 (Dawson/Sitter)

That Section 7- DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS 7.02 Vice-President be amended to read: 7.02 Vice-President The Vice-President shall: d) Be an Observer at ACER-CART AGM be amended to read: Be a Director at ACER-CART AGM

(RATIONALE: In keeping with reducing the workload of the President, this statement gives the Vice-President primary responsibility for matters pertaining to ACER-CART.)

POLICY MOTION # 4 (Dawson/Bornn)

That Section 7.07 Representatives to the ACER-CART AGM be amended to read: DELETE the statement: The President shall be a Director at ACER-CART AGM and the Vice-President shall be an Observer. If the Vice President is unable to attend, the Board may appoint a replacement. REPLACE WITH: The President shall be an Observer at AGM and the Vice-President shall be a Director. If either representative is unable to attend, then the Board may appoint a replacement.

(RATIONALE: This statement provides consistency with the preceding POLICY MOTIONS #1 and #2.) ADD n) Oversee the administration of the annual RTAM Student Award Program.

(RATIONALE: This statement allocates committee responsibility for the administration of the recently established annual RTAM Student Award program.)

Policy Motion # 6 (Dawson/Bornn)

Section 14-STAFF 14.03 Duties of the Administrative Assistant be amended to read: The Administrative Assistant shall: ADD n) Serve as one of the signing officers of the corporation.

(RATIONALE: The Administrative Assistant has increased duties with regards to financial matters and this facilitates that assigned task.)

Policy Motion #7 (Dawson/Bornn)

That SECTION 15 – DONATIONS AND AWARDS be amended to read: ADD (new) 15.04 RTAM Student Award Program RTAM shall offer an annual RTAM Student Award Program. The main source of funds for the Student Award Program shall be the revenue generated by the endowment fund established with the Winnipeg Foundation.

(RATIONALE: This statement gives policy acknowledgment to the 2013 establishment of the annual RTAM Student Award Program.)

Approval of Bylaw Amendments for AGM 2014

The following bylaw amendments will require a 2/3 majority at the AGM in order to pass:

BYLAW AMENDMENT MOTION #1 (Dawson/Bornn)

That ARTICLE 2 – OBJECTS be amended to read: ADD 2.02 Mission Statement The mission of the Retired Teachers’ Association of Manitoba (RTAM) is to serve and advocate for all retired teachers.

(RATIONALE: This mission statement defines our reason for existing, gives us a unified sense of purpose and improves decision making with clarity about our goals.)

2.03 Vision Statement The vision of The Retired Teachers’ Association of Manitoba (RTAM) is the economic well-being of retired teachers through appropriate member services and strong partner relationships.

(RATIONALE: The vision statement defines our optimal desired future state: what we want to achieve over time.)

2.04 Values and Principles The Retired Teachers’ Association of Manitoba (RTAM) values belief in mutual respect, diversity of opinion, tolerance of different viewpoints, integrity and transparency while working collaboratively towards a common goal.

POLICY MOTION #5 (Dawson/Bornn)

That 8.06 (5) Educational Advocacy Committee be amended to read:

Turn to page 20

Retired Teachers’ Association of Manitoba Volunteerism Survey

Telling the stories of retired teachers’ volunteer activities

Dear RTAM Member, We are conducting this survey on our members’ volunteerism in order to collect evidence of our individual and collective contributions to Manitoba society. We hope that the results of the survey will be of benefit to all our members in the following ways:  for use in working on behalf of member interests and benefits;  to recognize and celebrate our contribution to our communities; and  to inspire the volunteer work of others.

To conduct the survey, RTAM has hired PRA Inc., a research firm based in Winnipeg. When compiled and tabulated, the results will be reported in the media, in local community papers, in KIT, and on the RTAM website. Our plan is to share this survey instrument and to compare results with those of kindred organizations. Even if you do not volunteer, it is

important to get feedback from as many of our members as possible.

We anticipate that it will take you about 10 minutes to complete this survey. All responses will be anonymous. There are two ways to complete the survey:  you can access the survey online by visiting www.rtam.mb.ca  you can complete this survey and return it by mail, fax, or email (scanned)

We are asking you to complete the survey by June 30, 2014. All those who complete and return the survey will be entered into a draw for one of four $100 VISA gift cards. If you have any questions regarding this survey, please contact the RTAM office at 1-888-393-8082 (toll-free) or 204-889-3660 (Winnipeg).

For the purposes of this survey, we have suggested the following definition of volunteering.

Volunteering: providing a service without pay to anyone (not living in the same household) or to the community or environment. This service is provided either directly, on one’s own, or indirectly, through a group or organization.

Section 1: Demographics

1a. Please indicate your RTAM Chapter (listed in alphabetical order); choose one:

01 Boyne 08 Northeastman 15 Southwest Assiniboine 02 Dauphin Area 09 Okanagan 16 Swan Valley

03 EMR 10 Portage La Prairie 17 The Pas

04 Hanover 05 Interlake 11 Retired Teachers of Winnipeg 12 RWTA 18 Thompson 19 VanIsles

06 Intermountain 07 Neepawa 13 Riel 14 St. James Assiniboia 20 Westman (WREA) 00 Not a Chapter member

1b. If you are a member of a second RTAM Chapter, please indicate

01 Yes ► Name of second Chapter: _____________________________________________________ 00 Not a member of a second RTAM Chapter 2. What are the first three characters of your postal code? _____ _____ _____

3. How long have you lived in your current community?

1 Less than 1 year 2 1 to 5 years 3 6 to 9 years 4 10 years or more 4. Gender: 1 Female 1 Male

5. Age: 1 55-59 2 60-64 3 65-69

6. How long have you been retired?

1 Less than 5 years 2 6 to 9 years 4 70-74 5 75-79 6 80-84

3 10 to 19 years 4 20 years or more 7 85 or older

Your views on volunteering

7. Have you volunteered in the past 12 months?

1 Yes ► PROCEED TO QUESTION 8 (Section 2) 0 No ► PROCEED TO QUESTION 12 (Section 3)

Remember by volunteering we mean providing a service, without pay, to anyone not living in the same household, or to the community or environment; and providing this service either directly, on one’s own, or indirectly, through a group or organization.

Section 2: Your volunteering focus and volunteer hours during the last 12 months

8. With whom have you volunteered in the past 12 months? (choose all that apply) 01 Young children 02 Adolescents 03 Adults (pre-retirement) 04 Retirees 05 When I am volunteering I’m not working with other people 66 Other (please specify) _________________________________________________________________

9. Following is a list of types of activity. In what types of volunteer activities have you been engaged in the

past 12 months? (choose all that apply) 01 Organizing or supervising events 02 Sitting as a board or committee member 03 Canvassing, campaigning, fundraising 04 Reading/literacy support 05 Consulting 06 Office, administrative work 07 Research and cataloguing 08 Collecting, serving, delivering food 09 Influencing public opinion, lobbying 10 Educating 11 Advocating for others 12 Coaching 13 Advising 14 Personal support/companionship to other individuals or families 15 Driving people or goods 16 Caring for animals 17 Gardening 18 Building maintenance/repair 19 Housework 20 Physical work other than gardening, building maintenance/repair, or housework 66 Other (please specify) __________________________________________________________________

10. Following is a table with a list of areas of volunteering focus. Please indicate whether you have volunteered in each of the areas of focus in the last 12 months. For each of the areas for which you select “Yes,” please estimate the average number of hours per month that you have volunteered over the past 12 months, and enter that number in the right-hand column. If you volunteer in other areas which are not listed in the table, there is space in 10q and 10r to describe the other area(s) and the average number of hours you volunteer per month. If you (also) volunteer in activities that happen once a year rather than on an ongoing/continuous basis, you can tell us about that in question 11a-c.

Area of volunteering focus I volunteer/have volunteered in this area in last 12 months Average volunteer hours per month in last 12 months

a. Arts and culture .................................................................. b. Museums and archives ...................................................... c. Sports and recreation......................................................... d. Education............................................................................ e. Health and hospitals........................................................... f. Caregiving .......................................................................... g. Parks, public gardens, and nurseries................................. h. Environment ....................................................................... i. Animal care (e.g., Humane Society)................................... j. Community organizations and events................................ k. Provincial and federal organizations and associations ...... l. International organizations ................................................. m. Social services (e.g., Meals on Wheels) ............................ n. Law, advocacy, and politics................................................ o. Religion............................................................................... p. Emergency services (e.g., victims' services, first aid)........ 1 Yes 1 Yes 1 Yes 1 Yes 1 Yes 1 Yes 1 Yes 1 Yes 1 Yes 1 Yes 1 Yes 1 Yes 1 Yes 1 Yes 1 Yes 1 Yes

If your volunteering is related to areas not listed in the table above, please provide the details:

10q. Other area of focus ► (i): Description: ______________________________________________________ Average volunteer hours per month in the last 12 months: ____________________

10r. Other area of focus ► (ii): Description: ______________________________________________________ Average volunteer hours per month in the last 12 months: ____________________

If you volunteer with activities that occur on a “one-off” basis (e.g., a sports event, fund-raising, election-related work, etc.), please describe the activity, and indicate the number of hours that you have volunteered doing that activity in the past 12 months. If this does not apply to you, please continue at question 15.

11a. First “one-off” volunteer activity ► Describe activity: _______________________________________ Hours volunteered in the past 12 months: ____________________

11b. Second “one-off” volunteer activity ► Describe activity: _______________________________________ Hours volunteered in the past 12 months: ____________________

11c. Third “one-off” volunteer activity ► Describe activity: _______________________________________ Hours volunteered in the past 12 months: ____________________

Section 3: If you do not volunteer now, or have not volunteered in the last 12 months

12. Have you volunteered for any activities since you retired?

1 Yes

2 No

13. Which of the following statements apply to you?

1 I do not plan on volunteering in the future 2 I plan on volunteering in the future

14. What is the main reason you are not currently volunteering? Please select only one response. 01 No one has asked me to volunteer. 02 There are few opportunities where I live. 03 I’m unwilling to make the time commitment. 04 Health or mobility problems prevent me from doing so. 05 The costs involved are prohibitive. 06 I am pursuing other interests. 07 I give money instead of time. 08 I’m not interested. 09 I do not know what volunteer opportunities are available in my community. 66 Other (please specify) __________________________________________________________________

Section 4: Additional comments about volunteering

15. What have we missed? What would you like to say more about? Please use this space to make any additional comments about your views and/or experiences in terms of volunteering. If any of your comments relate to a specific survey question, please include the question number with your comments.

Draw for a prize

If you would like to be entered in a draw for 1 of 4 $100 VISA gift cards, please include your name and phone number below. Please note, that your name will not be associated with your responses in any way. Only the research company hired to conduct this survey will have this information.

Name: _______________________________________ Phone: __________________________________________

Thank you for your time. Please return your completed questionnaire by June 30, 2014 to PRA Inc. by mailing to:

PRA Inc. 500 – 363 Broadway Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 3N9

If you prefer you can also scan the survey and email to PRA at admin@pra.ca or via toll-free fax at 1-800-717-5456.