Reports of the RTAM Standing and Ad Hoc Committees

AGM and Elections

Respectfully submitted on behalf of Wally Stoyko, Winnipeg, Co-Chair AGM Members: Guy Lacroix, Lac du Bonnet, Co-Chair, Elections

Planning and preparation for the 2018 Annual General Meeting (AGM) began shortly after the 2017 AGM. The RTAM Board approved Winnipeg as the location for the 2018 AGM at its first meeting. The Holiday Inn Winnipeg Airport West was selected as the AGM venue following a selection process that included pricing, facility, service and suitability of accommodation to meet member needs. Much of the work for the AGM is done by RTAM staff, working closely with the AGM Co-Chair and President.

Guy Lacroix, Director, will be handling the election duties at the AGM.

Benefits

Respectfully submitted by Guy Lacroix, Chair (Lac du Bonnet) Members: Wayne Hughes (Winnipeg), Judy Olmstead (Brandon), Doreen Sage (Neepawa), Dianne Snider (Winnipeg)

As in past years, the main task of this year’s Benefits Committee was to meet and consult with our broker, Johnson Inc., to renew the Extended Health Care plan, the Dental plan and the Premier Travel plan. Johnson Inc., in turn, represents our interests to the insurer, Desjardins Financial Security/Les Assurances Desjardins. In so doing, Johnson Inc. analyses the insurer’s opening request of premiums for the upcoming year and prepares the counter proposal on our behalf.

This year’s negotiations have again been trying as the claim experience has been high and fanned by a weakened Canadian dollar, many if not most claims being paid in American funds. The insurer’s revised position at December 2017 was an increase in premiums for Extended Health Care of 31.4%, an increase for Dental of 9.6% and an increase for Premier Travel of 12.8%.

The committee decided to subsidize the increases in the Extended Health Care and Dental plans with half of our accumulated rate stabilization fund or $85,730. The resulting increase for the 2018-19 year for the Extended Health Care plan was 19.9% and for the Dental plan the increase was 5.0%.

In looking at the Premier Travel plan, the plan experience showed that many more claim dollars were spent on the supplemental travel plans. A true reflection of the claims to loss ratio costs would result in a 9.5% increase on the base plan premium rate for 62 days and a 36.4% increase on the supplemental plan premiums. This breakdown provided the 12.8% increase overall in the Premier Travel plan required by Desjardins Financial.

The committee remains concerned that the trend of the past two years may continue and is examining alternative plans, options, and initiatives. One of these is a program called THRIVE which is yet in its design stage.

The Benefits Committee also hosted a seminar for itself and the RTAM board on insurance underwriting in March, and provides information at pre-retirement seminars.

The committee appreciates the feedback that it receives from our members and its strong working relationship and support from Johnson Inc.

Bylaws and Policy

Respectfully submitted by Joan Dawson, Chair, Thompson Members: Charles Clifford, Portage la Prairie; Vel McAdam, The Pas; Ray Sitter, Brandon; Beth Smith, Dauphin; Wally Stoyko, Winnipeg

Committee communication and collaboration throughout the year consisted of three committee meetings, with e-mail and phone communication between meetings and amongst members.

The implementation of the Strategic Plan

was the main focus of this year with the goal of addressing the changes recommended for the 2017 - 2018 year as well as identifying policies that needed updating or clarification. This process will continue throughout the next four years of the five year Strategic Plan. Once the 2018 Policy Manual is ratified at AGM 2018, the Bylaws and Policy Committee will work to review and update the Bylaws manual and also go forward with addressing the second year’s Strategic Plan goals.

The first two committee meetings were to evaluate which areas of the Policy document would be updated. In January, the whole committee met, changes were reviewed and suggestions from all of the RTAM committees and RTAM member, Dorothy Young, were incorporated. The document was reviewed at both the February and March Board meetings. At the March meeting the Board voted to recommend to the 2018 AGM the ratification of the 2018 RTAM Policy Manual.

Due to the number of updates and changes to the Policy Manual the AGM delegates will be asked to ratify the document by an omnibus motion. Delegates received a copy of the document via post/email prior to the AGM so that they had an opportunity to review the document prior to the AGM.

Communications

Respectfully submitted by Carol Pelton, Winnipeg, Chair Members : Jack Fraser, Winnipeg, Website Chair; Doreen Sage, Neepawa. KIT Chair; Ken Malcolm, Dauphin, Public Relations Chair

The committee reviewed the policy manual for the mandate of the communications committee and the three committees related to communications.

The strategic plan has three objectives under the Communications pillar: a. to improve KIT (Keep in Touch) magazine; b. to improve the website; c. to facilitate new member participation on RTAM committees. The committee attempted to outline the editorial process for KIT. Still outstanding is clarification from the Committee/Board establishing RTAM’s editorial philosophy for both KIT and the website. Moving forward, the Communications Committee needs to look at the editorial policies and process of other retired teachers' publications and use it to strengthen RTAM's policies. In addition, further research on an updated website needs to continue.

Keep In Touch (KIT)

Submitted by Doreen Sage, Chair and Editor, Neepawa Members: William Taylor, Brandon; Vaughn Wadelius, The Pas; Joan Dawson, Thompson; Joan Goble, Thompson; Heather Emberley, Winnipeg; Joan Rink, Neepawa; Judy Oldstead, Brandon; Gwen Watson, Matlock, (deceased).

It was a tragic year for the Editorial Committee as we suddenly lost one of our members, Gwen Watson.

KIT, the newsletter/magazine of the Retired Teachers' Association of Manitoba, is published four times a year, in full colour. All material is emailed to the Editor by RTAM Committee Chairs, by RTAM Chapters, by individual RTAM members and various other sources.

Since RTAM's very secure website, with necessary firewalls and protocols in place, has been upgraded, KIT is now available to all mobile devices, anywhere, any time. KIT is also available via eblast, which means that you can have the current copy sent directly to your device and have your land mail address removed from the print mailing list. This eblast list is stored securely and used only for the eblast of KIT.

Hoping to engage more RTAM members, KIT is now holding a photo contest twice a year. Response has been interesting and some great photos have been entered. Thank you to Joan Dawson and Judy Olmstead for organizing and getting this contest judged.

The Strategic Plan RTAM adopted this year directed KIT to give more space to chapter reports. Therefore, all chapter reports received are printed in the Summer issue. To accommodate this, all reports from committee chairs and chapters were to be no more than one-half page

in length. KIT is also planning on featuring a chapter in each upcoming issue, as space permits.

All communication among committee members and the editor is done by email. Thank you to committee members for comments, suggestions and editing skills.

Thank you to committee chairs, RTAM chapters and individuals for submitting excellent material and photos. These are what makes up KIT and makes it what it is.

Website

Respectfully submitted by Jack Fraser, Chair (Winnipeg) Members: Wayne Hughes (Winnipeg), Barbara McDole (Winnipeg), Carol Pelton (Winnipeg)

The website committee is charged with oversight of the design and maintenance of our website. Maintenance of the website has been a challenge this year, but as the RTAM year draws to a close, we are now current in our postings. The long-range plan has been to have the office take on the daily editing of the site. The Board has been exploring the options and the implications of this.

Please visit our website regularly. • We are working on keeping our “Upcoming Events” current and relevant. • KIT is readable on line on your mobile devices. (It can also be sent to you via email.) • We are encouraging chapters to post news and their current information. If chapters have items to contribute (Chapter Revisions/Upcoming Events/Volunteering Opportunities etc.) please contact the Office at office@rtam.mb.ca. • We post highlights of our Board Meetings • If you have suggestions regarding the content or functionality of the Website, please email: Website Committee Chair in care of office@rtam.mb.ca.

The website continues to expand with input from many different people and organizations. We need YOU to help us move forward with this endeavour. We are only as good as our contributors make us.

Educational Advocacy and Wellness

Respectfully submitted by Peggy Prendergast, Chair (Winnipeg) Members: Joan Dawson (Thompson), Alison Logan (Winnipeg), Connie Newman (Winnipeg), Maureen Recksiedler (Stonewall), Joan Rink (Brookdale) Nine committee meetings were held from June 2017-March 2018. The Educational Advocacy and Wellness Committee, in conjunction with the Winnipeg Foundation has responsibility for the annual administration of the RTAM Endowment Award Program. This fund was established in 2013 with a $50,000 deposit to the Winnipeg Foundation to fund an RTAM Student Award Program. This year five students graduating from Grade 12, sponsored by a relative who is an RTAM member received $600. Next year there will be enough money in the fund to award four awards of $700. An outreach “Senior Advocacy Forum” held in Selkirk on November 8, 2017, was organized by the committee, MASC (the Manitoba Association of Senior Centres), the Gordon Howard Centre, and the local health authority. It was modeled on events previously offered in Thompson, Dauphin, Portage la Prairie, and four in the city of Winnipeg. An integral part of the success of these past events has been the much appreciated work, commitment, support and cooperation of the chapters involved. There was no working RTAM chapter in this area. The committee recommendations are on the RTAM website. Two afternoon Wellness Seminars, one in Neepawa in October and one in Winnipeg in March at our Board office were offered this year. The topic for both seminars was: “Your Health Directive – ERIK Kit – Power of Attorney – Wills - HELP.” Sharon Tod, a lawyer who specializes in this topic, is always appreciated for her time and the expertise she volunteers to RTAM.

Membership and Chapters

Respectfully submitted by Beth Smith, Dauphin, Chair Members: Pat Bowslaugh, Brandon; Joan Dawson, Thompson; Joan Goble, Thompson; Audrey Greenhill, Winnipeg; Ray Sitter, Brandon

The total number of RTAM members, as of March 31, 2018, was 9,737.

• Chapters were sent a welcome letter in the Fall of 2017 with information on the

Chapter Initiative Grant, a copy of the

RTAM Strategic Plan and “Meeting Ideas.” • Nine Chapter Initiative Grants have been approved as of April 15, 2018. • An advertisement was placed in the

Manitoba Teacher to inform active teachers of Pre-Retirement Seminars in Winnipeg,

February, 2018, and Brandon, March, 2018.

Ads were placed on the RTAM website and in KIT magazine, which is distributed to all schools. The Pre-Retirement Seminar for

Thompson is in the planning stages. • 2017 AGM Activities: a. What can RTAM do to encourage new membership? What can RTAM do to better serve its members? These two activities were compiled into the following document: “RTAM AGM ACTIVITY, MAY 2017, AND HOW IT RELATES TO THE RTAM STRATEGIC PLAN.” This document has been distributed to the various RTAM committees for their consideration and implementation. b. What advice would you give active teachers about retirement? What do you wish someone had told you about retirement? These two activities were compiled into the following document: “RETIREMENT FROM A RETIRED TEACHER’S PERSPECTIVE.” This document has been distributed to Chapters, Board members, Local Teacher Associations and posted on the RTAM website.

Officers

Respectfully submitted by Rosalie Bornn, Dauphin, chair Members: Joan Dawson, Thompson; JoAnne Hoyak, MacGregor; Carol Pelton, Winnipeg

The Officers Committee met as necessary in coordination with the monthly RTAM Board Meetings. Committee consultation and collaboration also often occurred by email or telephone. When deemed necessary, the Executive Director, Mary-Anne Slegers, was asked to attend meetings with ex officio status. From the beginning of the year, the officers largely dealt with the mandate of the 2017 RTAM Policy Manual which referred to matters of staff, office and finance. At the October, 2017, RTAM Board Meeting, under the Governance pillar of the Strategic Plan, a motion was passed to increase executive function of the Officers Committee on an interim trial basis, with evaluation to occur at the January 2018 Board Meeting. At that meeting, a motion was passed to restore increased executive function of the officers on a permanent basis. The Bylaws and Policy Committee was tasked with developing the new committee mandate as a part of its current policy document review in advance of the AGM. The rationale for the new mandate was to improve effectiveness of RTAM decision making by supporting increased transparency of the process.

Pension Committee

Respectfully submitted by JoAnne Hoyak, Chair, MacGregor Members: Peggy Prendergast, Winnipeg; Julian Hoyak, MacGregor; Bill Caan, Winnipeg; Alison Logan, Winnipeg; Rudy Peters, Winnipeg.

Six committee meetings were held during the 2017 - 2018 year.

Major issues on the pension agenda included: 1. Reaction to the Pension Commission’s recommendations for reforms to the Pension Benefits Act. The Pension and the Political Advocacy committees jointly with MTS submitted a response to the government. 2. Continued vigilance and opposition to the Federal government’s Bill C-27 which may set precedence and impact existing pensions and the defined benefit security they offer now. 3. Monitoring the status of the joint agreement with MTS and accepted by the TRAF Board as to the dispersal of the restricted surplus. TRAF has sent it to the government and it is,

at present, in the hands of the Treasury Board. 4. Appointment of a RTAM member to the

TRAF Board. The protocol for the selection process has been initiated by the committee. 5. Continued communication with senior support groups such as the Manitoba

Seniors Coalition and the Canadian

Coalition for Retirement Security with whom ACER-CART is connected and who submitted a brief to the Manitoba government in opposition to the Pension

Commission Reform recommendations. 6. Concern regarding the status of the COLA going forward now that Bill 45 has ended.

Minister Wishart gave his assurance that the situation would simply revert to that of pre Sale report days. The COLA as of July , 2018 is 1.15%. 7. Continuation of the tradition of meeting with our provincial representatives to keep our issues current and at the forefront:

Education Minister Ian Wishart in February,

NDP leader Wab Kinew and Education critic Matt Wiebe in March and Liberal leader Dougald Lamont in March.

Political Advocacy

Respectfully submitted by John Sushelnitsky, Portage la Prairie, chair; Members: Pat Bowslaugh, Brandon, Ralph Cibula, Gladstone, Guy Hansen, Winnipeg, JoAnne Hoyak, MacGregor, Julian Hoyak, MacGregor, Connie Newman, Winnipeg.

The first activity of the Political Advocacy Committee was to join in the observance of the United Nations International Day of Older Persons, October 1, 2018. Chapters were encouraged to engage in activities which would highlight the talents and the contributions of its seniors to their communities. The fifth Meet and Greet event with the Members of the Manitoba Legislature was held April 10, 2018, at the Legislative Building. This event is primarily social in nature and is intended to encourage communication and contacts between the MLAs and RTAM. It has been successful in initiating better relations with the people who make laws affecting us. The Committee has continued to study the issue of Electoral Reform and submitted an article to KIT. The fate of our pension was a prime concern of the Committee. At the federal level there was Bill C-27 and at the provincial level there was review of the pension schemes and the recommendations leaning towards defined contributions instead of defined benefits. Our preference for defined benefits was made clear to the provincial government, both in documents and in conversation, with the Minister of Education and Training.

Public Relations (PR)

Respectfully submitted by Ken Malcolm, Chair (Dauphin) Members: Bill Cann (Winnipeg), Ralph Cibula (Gladstone), Guy Hansen (Winnipeg), John Sushelnitsky (Portage la Prairie)

We had a great year and truly worked hard on many ideas such as RTAM promotional items, a “branding slogan", and many ideas “FOR THE GOOD of RTAM” members including endeavoring to encourage a much higher percentage of new retirees to join our organization.

This year we obtained quality tote bags c/w RTAM branding, RTAM logo'd pens as well as useful Dry Erase Memo Boards for use on fridges, etc. We really wanted to keep our RTAM logo visible to our current membership. We explored promotional RTAM coffee mugs but decided the idea was an idea that “had passed its prime”.

In addition we developed a “Borrowing Protocol “for our Upright RTAM Banner, our Parade Banner and our flags. One of the committee members has had a sturdy shipping box built so that our upright banner can be safely shipped out to local RTAM Chapters. He also constructed a long tube type container for shipping of our flags and parade banner. Our promotional flags and banners can now be shipped safely and securely We also worked on the “hospitality room” for AGM members and potential committee members to get better acquainted in the evenings after their arrival at our 2018 AGM.

We had a good year and as PR Chairperson, I have to say it was a pleasure to work with