Committee Highlights

RETIRED TEACHERS’

ASSOCIATION OF MANITOBA

Benefits Committee

Pat Bowslaugh, Chair Travel Insurance participants had a four-month premium holiday from September 1 to December 31, 2020, due to COVID’s travel restrictions. In January, premiums that were normally deducted from your TRAF pension will return to the amount prior to last September.

The Benefits Committee continues to work hard on behalf of RTAM members. A continued goal is to increase membership as a larger enrolment helps to stabilize premiums. The committee has confirmed the following premiums with Johnson Inc. that become effective April 1, 2021: • 0% increase on Dental benefits • 0% increase on Extended Health Care • A 3.9% increase on Travel benefits

The committee created a “Benefits at a Glance” chart which conveniently compares the coverages provided by: Johnson Inc. (through RTAM), Blue Cross (MTS) and Manulife (Winnipeg Teachers’ Association).

RTAM provides personal and competitively priced service through Trip Merchant. Individuals planning to travel are advised to check with Johnson as several government prescribed restrictions are still in place.

Insurance Plans

Here are some crucial hints as you deal with the upcoming renewals of your insurance plans: • Renewal date is April 1, 2021. • There is no increase in premiums for Extended

Health or Dental. • Due to the huge travel costs caused by COVID-19,

the premium increase for Prestige Travel is 3.9% • You will receive a renewal letter from Johnson

Inc. that starts with “READ ME FIRST”. Please do that! • If you have cancelled your Prestige Travel insurance you may rejoin WITHOUT health stability proof.

Additional information

• Visit our updated web page! • Look for a new chart the depicts and compares the coverages of the three providers of insurance plans: à Blue Cross (former MTS) à ManuLife (Winnipeg retirees) à RTAM (a choice for all teacher retirees) • Two members from the Johnson Team joined our zoom meeting, Jessica Simpson presented the crucial renewal information (above) and

Bob Dowden presented a highly detailed and enlightening outline of Johnson activities which provide new vantage points. We will keep you posted.

Bylaws and Policy Committee

Jack Fraser, Chair The Policies and By-laws Committee has completed the work to create the policy changes required to split two of the standing committees into four: Wellness Advocacy, Student Awards, Elections and AGM. These changes will be going to the 2021 AGM for consideration. The committee is continuing to work on succession planning to facilitate the implementation of Board Term Limits in 2023, and begun work on developing policy regarding receipt of gifts or perks by directors or staff.

For those of you interested in following RTAM’s bylaws and policies for the next AGM, we will be posting on our website a draft “live” version of our 2020-21 policy handbook. It will show all the changes and how the policies would read were the changes to pass.

Communications Committee

Joan Dawson, Chair The Communications Committee continues to meet monthly via Zoom and has discussed pursuing a social media presence, starting with Facebook.

Letters to the Editor are welcomed. The policy for Letters to the Editor will be published in KIT at a later date. Doreen Sage, KIT editor, has begun the process of transferring much of the work involved in producing KIT, to the office staff.

Some stories that were sent into the PR for inclusion in the anthology, that they are assembling, will be published in KIT. The PR Committee is looking for more submissions; please consider writing down some of your great stories from your teaching career and sending them in.

The RTAM website is becoming more user-friendly and informative. Visit it to find out what RTAM is doing and to keep current on COVID-19 issues.

Communications – KIT (Editorial) Committee

Doreen Sage, Chair The Winter 2020 edition KIT was distributed digitally on November 27, 2020, and by mail through Canada Post beginning on December 3, 2020. For information on becoming a digital subscriber, see this edition of KIT, page 31.

The KIT deadline for the Spring edition was February 17, 2021. A motion will be brought to the February Board meeting regarding transitioning the publication of KIT and the emailing of digital copies to the RTAM office staff.

Communications – PR Committee

Guy Hansen, Chair In December, 2020, the PR Committee placed an appreciation notice in the Winnipeg Free Press and the MB Teacher, Thanking Current Teachers. The committee would like to acknowledge the co-operation of Lindsey Enns from MTS during this venture.

The RTAM Christmas Party, which included the Board, Committee members and Chapter Presidents was held via Zoom on December 18, 2020, was a huge success.

The committee continues to promote its anthology “Book of Memories” in KIT and on the RTAM website. All retired teachers are encouraged to share their stories from years in the classroom with RTAM, so they can be published and shared with future generations. Tell us about your one-room school house or any stories you would like to share with fellow educators. Who knows, someone may have had similar experiences. Please submit your stories to info@rtam.mb.ca

After years of PR committee work, input from the whole board, and particularly Linda Scott, the electronic version of the “JOIN US” pamphlet is ready for Board approval.

Communications (Website Committee)

Joan Dawson, Chair The Website committee continues to meet monthly on Zoom to discuss how to make the RTAM website

RETIRED TEACHERS’

ASSOCIATION OF MANITOBA

Committee Highlights

more user-friendly. Information on upcoming webinars and the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 has been made available to our members. Current updates to the website have been: • Current Photo Contest entries will remain under the Photo contest heading. Previous contest entries will be available through a new link. • An In Memoriam site is now current and easy to access. • Better use of the website calendar helps to keep the membership aware of upcoming events and scheduled meetings.

Membership and Chapters Committee

Beth Smith, Chair The RTAM Pre-Retirement Seminars are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on March 6 and 20, 2021, via Zoom. The program will include: RTAM Benefit Plans by Jessica Simpson, Group Benefits Consultant with Johnson Inc., a panel discussion “Life after Teaching” and a PowerPoint presentation on RTAM – Who We Are! Advertisements have been placed in KIT, on the RTAM website, and in the January/ February edition of the MB Teacher (page 17). To register for either of the seminars, email your name, address, and phone number to info@rtam.mb.ca or call 204-889-3660 or 1-888-393-8082 (toll free).

Chapter Presidents have been offered Zoom meeting workshops in order to host their own member meetings.

A “Why Join RTAM?” ad has been placed on the RTAM website and is in the January/February edition of the MB Teacher (page 10).

Pension Committee

Alison Logan, Chair In December, 2020, the committee received information from ACER-CART indicating that Federal Bill C27 is no longer on the parliamentary docket and therefore, effectively dead. The committee also discussed and reviewed - feedback on the use of Zoom meetings which appeared to be very positive and the Restricted Surplus disbursement process, which has been uploaded to the RTAM website and is included in this edition of KIT.

Also in December, TRAF made a presentation to the RTAM Board which included: COVID-19 trends on pensions and an initiative to centralize the investment management of TRAF with four other pension plans. The TRAF Annual Briefing Document was presented at the same meeting. Monitoring and updates from other relevant groups are ongoing.

In January, the chair of the committee participated in a liaison meeting between RTAM and MTS on the topic of Pensions. The Pension Committee continues to meet monthly via Zoom.

The Restricted Surplus of TRAF Pensions will be presented on March 6 and March 20, 2021, at the Pre-retirement Seminars.

Political Advocacy Committee

John Sushelnitsky, Chair The Political Advocacy Committee discussed the impact of COVID-19 in Manitoba, in particular, on long-term care facilities and passed a motion that was presented at the December Board meeting, addressing the need for Long-Term Care facilities to be regulated by the federal Canada Health Act and that for profit companies, such as Revera, should be more closely examined. The committee also discussed Remote Learning Initiatives, the significance of Orange Shirt Day, school division amalgamations and Ageism, as a new issue highlighted by the pandemic.

The Hon. Murray Sinclair has accepted an

invitation to speak virtually to the RTAM Board on March 18, 2021, regarding, the areas of progress in implementing the 94 “calls to action” from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report, specifically how could RTAM help to move the process forward?

Student Awards Committee

Peggy Prendergast, Chair The Student Awards committee met with Michelle Porter, Director - Centre on Aging, University of Manitoba, who shared information, possible direction and support with the evaluation of the Success Portfolio Project. In the fall of 2020, Joan Zaretsky, Student Awards Committee member, submitted an application for a federally funded New Horizons Seniors Grant in support of RTAM’s Success Portfolio Project. RTAM believes this project will provide long-term supportive strength in the relationship between the sponsoring RTAM member and their high school relative.

Wellness Advocacy Committee

Linda Blair, Chair The Wellness Advocacy Committee has hosted the following webinars via Zoom: • Frauds and Scams with Cst. Garnie McIntyre and

Cst. Maria Buduhan from the Winnipeg Police

Service on December 9, 2020. There were a total of 63 participants, both RTAM and non-RTAM members. • Wills, Power of Attorney and Health Care Directive to prevent Elder Abuse with Sharon Tod from

St. Mary’s Law LLP on January 26, 2021, with 78 participants.

Upcoming on February 24, 2021, “Creating Certainty for your future: the importance of a well-structured Estate Plan” by Candace Landry and Madison Kinzel from IG Private Wealth Management. All participants will receive an “Estate Planning Personal Records Organizer.”

Photography Workshops with Gayl Punzalan, Creative Director of Blue Ink Media, will be held online on Thursday, June 17 and Friday, June 18, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. Cost is $50.00 per day for each participant with a limit of 20 participants per day.

The committee is working on a joint event with Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. As this event will occur in March, please check the RTAM website for further details once they become available.

External Organizations represented by RTAM Manitoba Seniors Coalition

Peggy Prendergast and Linda Scott, Representatives After a meeting in June with Len Isleifson, Legislative Assistant to the Minister of Health, Seniors, and Active Living, and other government representatives, the Manitoba Seniors Coalition sent a letter to Premier Brian Pallister offering collective expertise and knowledge to support Team Manitoba in getting information to older adults living in communities in Manitoba to meet the needs of older Manitobans using the “continuum of care” as a guide.

Following the cabinet shuffle on January 5, 2021, Josh Guenter (MLA - Altona) was appointed as the new Assistant to the Minister of Health, and is in charge of Seniors Issues. His telephone number is 204-324-8957 and email is info@joshguenter.ca §