Committee Highlights

ACER-CART

JoAnne Hoyak, RTAM Vice President, ACER-CART Director The ACER-CART Executive and the Executive Director have provided superlative support to the ACER- CART membership in terms of retired teacher advocacy during the recent Federal election campaign.

You will have had access to the excellent brochure available to all members through KIT, the RTAM website, the ACER-CART website, and the capable distribution by our Chapter Chairs to chapter members personally.

You will have been made aware of the current topics of utmost concern, the rationale behind them and the suggestions for implementation. This model design will be used by RTAM in its ongoing political advocacy work.

Of particular note is the capability of ACERCART’s “NEW MODE” software which facilitates letter writing campaigns to pertinent recipients and for which RTAM contributed funding.

Benefits Committee

Pat Bowslaugh, Chair The committee is currently reviewing the Benefits plans and preparing to make recommendations for the 2022-2023 plan year. • There is no recommended change in premiums to be paid on the coverage provided for the Prestige

Travel Plan.

• Wording clarification on the return to Canada requirement for the 62 and 93 day travel plans has been drafted and will be shared when finalized.

• There is a recommended increase in the dental plan premium of 5.9%.

• The committee is reviewing a number of changes to the health plan which will be provided at a future date.

Communications (KIT Editorial Committee)

Beth Smith, Chair • Two meetings were held in August to go over the procedures established at our May meeting with

Gayl Punzalan (KIT Publisher) and all of the RTAM staff members, to get KIT out to our RTAM members. • There are 4 edits by the KIT editors. (1) Each

article separately, (2) KIT Proof 1, (3) KIT Proof 2, and (4) KIT Final. Teamwork is definitely the key to an almost perfect magazine. • The KIT Editorial Committee consists of: Rosalie

Bornn, Joan Dawson, Joan Goble, Doreen Sage and

Beth Smith (Chair)

Communications (Public Relations)

Guy Hansen, Chair The committee has worked on 3 initiatives this summer: • Promotion of United Nations Day of the Older Person,

Celebration of Remembrance Day on November 11, 2021 and advertising of our UCN/RTAM bursary.

• The PR Committee would like to remind RTAM members about registering for the Trip Merchant

Newsletter and the Union Savings Discount Program.

• The committee reviewed the new funding model for our UCN Award/Bursary and the possibility of honouring members posthumously with donations to this bursary.

Membership and Chapters

Beth Smith, Chair • Chapter Initiative Grants (CIG) are available for

Chapter engagement. The amount of the grant is $250.00. The application form can be found on the

RTAM website, www.rtam.mb.ca.

• An advertisement for the RTAM Pre-retirement

Seminar was placed in the Manitoba Teachers’

Society on-line newsletter, The Sub, as the

Manitoba Teacher will not be in print form until January 2022. As a result there were 217 registrants for the October 30, 2021 seminar. Due to some technical difficulties, the number of participants decreased. • We have decided to offer another Pre-Retirement

Seminar on November 20, 2021, offered by Zoom beginning at 9:30 am. Information was sent out to all of the previous registrants inviting them to the seminar.

Pension Committee

Allison Logan, Chair The Pension Committee met on September 1, 2021. The members welcomed to the committee for the coming year include: Joan Dawson, JoAnne and

Jules Hoyak, Lynn Land, Mel Montgomery, Bill Cann and Alison Logan, Chair.

Jeff Norton and Brad Prokop brought information and updates from TRAF. A discussion of committee goals and future plans took place. The committee will be meeting monthly.

Student Awards Committee

Peggy Prendergast, Chair The Student Awards Committee met on the mornings of August 30, 2021 and September 2, 2021. Each member, on the days in between and using the previously prepared manual and matrix, assessed the 58 applications RTAM received.

Four applicants were chosen for RTAM Board approval at the September 16 Board meeting. Results will be posted on www.rtam.mb.ca following notification to the award winners and their RTAM

sponsors.

Student Success Portfolio

Joan Zaretsky, Chair We continue to add articles to the RTAM website including our “November Discussion Starter” and “Mentoring”. We are starting to plan with Gordon the development of two You Tube videos about our Program. We have redesigned our website to make it more reader friendly and helpful to our sponsors.

We have a researcher in place, Andrew Augustyn, a U of M Masters student. We had our first invitation for a Committee member to speak on our Program at an RTAM Chapter meeting!

We continue to seek applications from RTAM members who wish to support their family member in the development of a portfolio. We decided to open up the eligibility criteria to include students in Grades 9 and 10 as reflected in our revised application found online. Portfolios are now available in French.

Wellness Advocacy

Linda Blair, Chair

To date, the Wellness Advocacy Committee has hosted four online presentations: 1. Tuesday, September 28, 2021 - "Retirement Posture Pitfalls and Best Practices for Optimal Spinal Health" by Dr. Dan Timmerman, Lindenwoods Chiropractic

2. Friday, October 1, 2021 - "Successful Aging/Fall Prevention" by Vicki Russenholt, Victoria Lifeline.

Those present received current information on wellness issues pertinent to older adults. 3. Tuesday, October 26, 2021 - “Empowering All Canadians to Live Healthier Lives Uninterrupted by Heart Disease and Stroke" by Jennifer Michaud, Health Policy & Engagement Specialist with Heart & Stroke in Alberta and Northwest Territories.

4. Tuesday, November 2, 2021 - “Trip Merchant: Travel More, Save More!” with Ryan Mikucki, CoFounder, Trip Merchant.

Our Committee meeting was held on Tuesday, November 9, 2021. Results of recent evaluation forms were reviewed. Positive feedback on various aspects of presentations was noted. The process of engaging with potential presenters was conveyed to Committee members. Upcoming presentations were noted with special attention to our next presentation on Wednesday, November 24, 2021 as it starts at 1 p.m. and is a lengthy presentation. Also, there is a Mental Health presentation on Wednesday, January 12, 2022.

At our January Committee meeting, we will be looking at formalizing plans for presentations in September and October 2022. The office has a list of possible presenters that we add to as we discover new possibilities. We will access this list as we plan for future presentations.

Committee Chair, Linda Blair, advised Committee members that 2021-2022 will be her last year as Wellness Advocacy Committee Chair. She will be putting forth her name for the position of RTAM President for 2022-2023. She encouraged those members who are not RTAM Directors to consider becoming Directors. n