2023 BCTF AGM Reports and Resolutions

Annual General Meeting Reports and Resolutions

March 18–21, 2023

Practising allyship

In striving to become an e ective ally in anti-oppression activism, it’s important to understand that the term “ally” does not denote an identity. It’s not who you are, it’s what you do!

Acting

Allyship involves more than words. It means taking concrete action in solidarity with people from equity-seeking groups.

Listening

An ally respectfully listens to people from equity-seeking groups with an open heart and mind.

Learning

An ally makes the e ort to learn about personal privilege, historical injustices, and the impacts on the lived experience of oppressed people.

Yielding

An ally is mindful to avoid monopolizing conversations, interrupting, patronizing, and speaking for others. Instead, we yield space for others.

Introduction

This booklet is divided into sections as follows:

Part 1 is the Leadership Report of the Executive Committee.

Part 2 consists of recommendations of the Executive Committee and Representative Assembly on a variety of other topics, and resolutions received from locals.

Part 3 consists of committee reports, which cover the period since the last Annual General Meeting.

Part 4 covers the report of the Representative Assembly and Nominating Committee.

Part 5 is an outline of voting rights at the AGM. Please take note of the section on “Voting Cards.” This is a crucial item. The Standing Rules of Order of the Annual General Meeting are also included in this section.

AGM business

The “business” of the Annual General Meeting will consist of the recommendations in Part 1 and the various recommendations and resolutions in Part 2.

To help readers distinguish between recommendations of the Executive Committee and/or Representative Assembly, and resolutions submitted by locals, recommendations have been numbered 1 to 33. Resolutions have been numbered 101 to 172 (“Late” resolutions will be numbered starting at 200; “new” resolutions in the 300s.)

Any supplementary recommendations of the Executive Committee and any “late” resolutions will be contained in the information kits distributed to delegates at the Annual General Meeting.

Read with Members’ Guide

The headings used in this booklet are, as far as possible, the same as those used in the policies and procedures section of the Members’ Guide to the BCTF.

The topic headings in both publications are arranged in alphabetical order. Page numbers in parentheses throughout the booklet also refer to the Members’ Guide.

Readers can therefore very easily check current policy and procedure statements on matters dealt with by the various recommendations and resolutions. Copies of the Members’ Guide were distributed last fall to each staffroom, and copies were sent to all locals. The Members’ Guide is also available online.

Under Procedure 2.C.02 (p. 23), locals are encouraged to submit recommendations to the Executive Committee and resolutions to the Representative Assembly throughout the year, for matters that can be dealt with by these bodies. This procedure has a two-fold benefit: action can be obtained sooner, and the amount of Annual General Meeting business is reduced, permitting a more thorough discussion and completion of more Annual General Meeting items.

Late resolutions

These are covered in 6.C.1 (p. 174) of the Standing Rules of Order of the Annual General Meeting. A “late” resolution must be on a matter that arose too late for inclusion in Reports and Resolutions. The Executive Committee must rule prior to the Annual General Meeting on whether or not the resolution meets the definition of “late” as per the standing rules.

The Executive Committee will be meeting on March 17, 2023, to deal with any resolutions submitted for consideration as “late.”

New resolutions

These are covered fully in 6.D (p. 174) of the standing rules. To qualify as a “new” resolution, the resolution must meet all the following criteria:

The new resolution:

1. arises directly out of the business of the meeting.

2. could not have been submitted in time to become either a regular or late resolution.

3. must relate to an issue that must be dealt with before the spring meeting of the Representative Assembly.

Part 1

Executive Committee Leadership Report

2023–24 Leadership Report

BCTF Procedures 2.A.02 to 2.A.06 address the annual expectation that the Executive Committee recommend leadership priorities for the ensuing year to the Annual General Meeting, and to present those recommended priorities to the Winter Representative Assembly for feedback.

Outlined below are the leadership priorities being recommended to the 2023 Annual General Meeting:

Recommendation 1

That the following be the 2023–24 leadership priorities:

• Supporting contract implementation and enforcement while building toward the next round of provincial and local bargaining.

• Advocating for the conditions to make teaching in BC an accessible, attractive, and sustainable career. Creating space for truth and reconciliation as key to our commitment to anti-racism within the public education system and Federation structures.

• Intentionally designing spaces for members to connect, collaborate, and engage, and continue removing barriers to participation.

• Understanding and responding to members’ evolving health, safety, and wellness needs, and their connection to teacher working conditions.

• Advancing the role of public education and the union as a catalyst for change in the climate emergency.

Supporting statement

The Executive Committee recommends leadership priorities for the following year to the Annual General Meeting. Development of the priorities begins with the December facilitated visioning day that includes reflection and dialogue between the Executive Committee, directors, and management staff of the Federation. These leadership priorities, while succinct in number and length, represent the deep conversations about the Federation’s work in addressing the issues that affect members, the union, and public education.

Recommendations and Resolutions PART 2

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

By-law amendments must be passed by special resolution at an AGM, which requires a 75% majority to pass (see By-law 20). Special resolutions require advance notice to the membership and cannot be amended from the floor at the AGM.

Recommendation 2

That By-law 7.2 be amended as follows: The Judicial Council shall be composed of a two chairpersons, who shall be elected by the Representative Assembly, and an additional 18 26 members, all of whom who shall be elected by the Representative Assembly. At least one of the chairpersons and at least 12 of the additional members shall be Aboriginal, Indigenous, Black, or persons of colour. All members of the Judicial Council shall be active members of the Federation entitled to vote and must receive a majority of the votes cast by the Representative Assembly. When a Judicial Council member resigns from or otherwise leaves the Judicial Council, the member’s appointment to the Judicial Council may continue solely for the purpose of completing ongoing proceedings.

Supporting statement

This recommendation seeks to increase the size, diversity, and representation of members on the Judicial Council. Greater diversity can help to mitigate institutional and procedural biases, as well as ensure that elements of the councils’ work, such as screening and hearing panels, better reflect the diversity of the Federation membership.

Recommendation 3

That a new By-law 5.21 be adopted as follows:

(a) An Executive Committee member may be removed from office by a two-thirds majority vote at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting.

(b) An Executive Committee member may be suspended from office by a unanimous vote of the other Executive Committee members.

Supporting statement

BCTF Executive Committee members are considered directors of the BCTF as that term is defined in the Societies Act. The Societies Act stipulates that a director may be removed by special resolution and that the voting threshold for an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting to remove a

director may not be higher than a two-thirds majority. The proposed By-law 5.21 (a) reflects the process that is provided by law through the Societies Act and makes it clear to all members that this process exists.

It is also permissible for a society to include other means for removal or suspension of a director. The proposed By-law 5.21 (b) provides an alternative means for suspension, but not removal, of an Executive Committee member by a unanimous vote of the Executive Committee. This would allow the Executive Committee to address an urgent issue to suspend an Executive Committee member in circumstances where there may be a period of time before an Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting is scheduled.

Recommendation 4

That the last sentence of By-law 5.1 (a) be amended as follows: An Executive Committee member may be removed from office under the provision of By-law 1.7, Bylaw 5.21, or By-law 7.

Supporting statement

This is a housekeeping change to ensure the process for removing an Executive Committee member is clearly referenced in By-law 5.1 (a).

Recommendation 5

That By-Law 20 be amended as follows:

Only the Annual or Special General Meeting can amend the Constitution, the by-laws, the Salary Indemnity Plan Regulations, and the Code of Ethics and only if a 75% majority of the delegates vote in favour of the amendment(s) passed by at least twothirds of the votes cast by delegates on behalf of the voting members.

Only the Annual or a Special General Meeting can amend the Salary Indemnity Plan Regulations and only if passed by at least three-quarters of the votes cast by delegates on behalf of the voting members

Supporting statement

The Societies Act defines a special resolution as a resolution at a general meeting passed by at least two-thirds of the voting members. The by-laws may set a higher threshold but is not required.

Recommendation 6

That By-law 8.1 be amended as follows:

(a) The Annual General meeting of the Federation shall be held during the month of March or April at a date, time, and place to be fixed by the Executive Committee.

(b) Notice of the date, time, and place of every Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting, the text of every special resolution, and, in the case of an Annual General Meeting, where to access the audited financial statements shall be sent by email to every active member in good standing who has provided the Federation with an email address.

(c) Notice of the date, time, and place of every Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting, and the text of every special resolution, shall be available to every active member in good standing through the secured member portal on the BCTF website in the three weeks 21 days prior to the Annual General Meeting.

(d) The audited financial statements of the Federation, including the Salary Indemnity Fund, shall be available to every active member in good standing through the secured member portal on the BCTF website in the 21 days three weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting.

Supporting statement

This amendment is intended to update the by-law language in two ways. First, to remove reference to the member portal, consistent with recent changes to the BCTF website. Second, to ensure that By-law 8.1 (a) complies with the Societies Act, which requires the AGM notice period to be expressed in days, rather than weeks, in order to utilize the deemed notice provision in s. 77(2) of the Societies Act (which allows publication of the AGM notice on the BCTF website).

Recommendation 7

That By-law 9 be amended by adding a new (d) as follows:

within 60 days of the Executive Committee receiving a written request from at least 10% of the voting members of the Federation, in accordance with the Societies Act, a Special General Meeting will be held.

Supporting statement

Section 75 of the Societies Act stipulates that promptly after a society receives a requisition by 10% of members for a general meeting, the directors must call a general meeting to be held within 60 days of receipt of the requisition. The requisition must be

signed by 10% of the voting members of a society, or a lower percentage if the by-laws provide for a lower percentage. The current By-law 9 sets a variety of avenues to requisition a Special General Meeting but does not include an option that complies with s. 75 of the Societies Act. This proposed amendment to By-law 9 ensures that it is clear to members they may requisition a general meeting in this manner. The BCTF can include other avenues for requisitioning a general meeting (as set out in the current By-law 9) but must also provide this avenue for 10% of voting members to requisition a general meeting in accordance with the Societies Act.

Recommendation 8

That By-law 18.1 be amended as follows: All books, documents, and other records shall be kept in the office of the Federation. With the exception of those books, documents, or records containing information confidential to members or former members, or in-committee minutes, these books, records, and documents may be examined by any member upon their giving to the Executive Director due notice in writing to that effect. If a member wishes to examine records that include information confidential to members or former members, or in-committee minutes, they may write to the Executive Director who will consider the request.

Nothing hereinbefore contained shall prevent the examination by a member of books, documents, and records concerning that member, that have been designated by the Executive Director under By-law 5.7 as confidential.

Supporting statement

A society must set out in its by-laws any restrictions to members’ inspection of minutes of board meetings. The current By-law 18.1 partially addresses access to Federation records but does not specifically address the inspection of in-committee minutes. The proposed amendment to By-law 18.1 ensures that in-committee minutes are specifically included within this list and provides a process for members to request access to these records through the Executive Director.

Recommendation 9

That By-law 5.1 (b) be amended as follows: Notwithstanding the foregoing, each Member-atLarge shall be elected for a term of two years. If for any reason a Member-at-Large leaves the position after only one year, a successor shall be elected to fill the unexpired portion of the two-year term. Should a Member-at-Large, part way through their term of office, accept nomination to run for a table officer position, their position as Member-at-Large shall be declared vacant as of the following July 1.

Supporting statement

This is current BCTF practice and is also reflected in AGM Standing Rule 13.5. This amendment to By-law 5.1 (b) ensures that this is clearly addressed within the by-laws. Rules that affect the terms of office for Executive Committee members should be included in the by-laws.

Recommendation 10

That By-law 5.1 be amended by adding a new (g) as follows:

Executive Committee members may not concurrently serve as Executive Committee members and Local Representatives or local delegates to the Annual General Meeting or hold BCTF appointed or elected roles, except as assigned by the Executive Committee as part of their Executive Committee duties.

Supporting statement

BCTF practice is that Executive Committee members cannot serve as local representatives to the BCTF as this creates a potential conflict between the two roles. However, this is not currently set out in the by-laws and, for clarity, should be included as rules that affect the terms of office for Executive Committee members.

Recommendation 11

That By-law 8.2 (b) be amended as follows: Voting by Local Representatives and Delegates at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting is by way of delegate voting. Local Representatives and Delegates act as delegates for the voting members of their local for the purpose of the meeting. Each voting member has one vote, which is allocated to the Local Representatives and Delegates for their local. Each local shall adopt policies that address the distribution of votes among delegates from the local. Each member of the Executive Committee holds a single vote and is not

included in the local member count for the purpose of the Annual General Meeting delegate voting.

Supporting statement

The BCTF does not currently have any by-laws or procedures that operate to address the distribution of member votes at a BCTF AGM between the delegates from one local. Prior to the amendments to the bylaws to include a Societies Act compliant delegate voting process, AGM Standing Rule 12.7 applied as follows: “…each delegate shall be guaranteed the right to hold one voting card, but no delegate may hold more than eight voting cards.” This proposed amendment to By-law 8.2 will ensure that locals adopt policies to address the distribution of votes among their delegates. The creation and adoption of policies addressing the distribution of votes ensures transparency and is consistent with good governance practices.

Recommendation 12

That a new By-law 5.22 be added as follows: The Federation will not make donations to:

1. any federal, provincial, or municipal political party.

2. any individual candidate or group of candidates seeking office in any federal, provincial, or municipal election.

3. any individual seeking the nomination for any federal, provincial, or municipal party. Concomitantly, the Federation may not directly affiliate to any political party. Locals of the Federation have the autonomy with regard to political donations but will not use Federation grants for this purpose.

Supporting statement

This recommendation seeks to codify in the by-laws the BCTF’s long-standing practice of not making donations to any political party or candidate and ensure alignment to recent amendments to the BC Election Act. The Federation is non-partisan in this regard and, unlike many other provincial unions, is not affiliated with a political party nor does it donate to any federal, provincial, or municipal party or candidate. Instead, the Federation actively advocates for its policies and positions regardless of which government is in power. In addition, the Federation draws on the opportunity an election provides to highlight teaching and learning conditions, funding, the importance of quality publicly funded public education, and the issues of broader concern in communities.

Over the decades, the BCTF has conducted many such campaigns and engaged members in political action in the lead up to elections, seeking to make public education a vote-determining issue. As explicitly stated in the recommendation, this by-law would not prevent locals from making decisions with regard to political donations, within the requirements of the election financing rules applying to municipal, provincial, and federal elections.

Related to this recommendation, the Federation has the following in place:

• By-law 4.3 includes the statement:

“Not withstanding anything contained in these by-laws, no levy on the membership shall be made for the purpose of financing political parties and/or election campaigns of political parties.”

• Procedure 27.04 which states:

“the BCTF continue its practice of commending or criticizing government education programs and/or the educational programs of political parties.”

Recommendation 13

That the third point in the stem of Procedure 31.A.02 be amended as follows: Commitment to Democratic Processes in coordination with Aboriginal Ways of Knowing and Being.

Supporting statement

The Commitment to Democratic Processes alone does not capture the Federation’s commitment to incorporate Aboriginal Ways of Knowing and Being in our work together. Amending this title recognizes and places value on Aboriginal Ways of Knowing and Being as part of the Federation’s commitments

101. Surrey

That By-law 5.1 be amended by adding a new (g) as follows:

To ensure a balance representative of the membership as a whole, of the seven nondesignated Member-at-Large positions, at least two be held by those that self-identify as men, at least two be held by those that identify as non-binary and/or equity seeking, and at least two be held by members who self-identify as women.

Supporting statement

For a number of years, we have attempted to designate the composition of the seven nondesignated Member-at-Large positions on the BCTF

Executive Committee. These have not passed. A challenge with by-law amendments is that they cannot be made better during the Annual General Meeting (AGM). We cannot amend them on the floor. When the membership has not been surveyed to develop through a consensus model by-law amendments, and only one option is presented, it suffers from not acknowledging all voices of members. This motion does three things:

1. It creates a second option to be voted on. By-law amendments only have yes or no options at the AGM. It is easy to see a no vote to a motion that deals with one aspect of equity as being antiequity. Having multiple options allows for a choice of something different to vote yes on.

2. This alternative would ensure an inclusive representation by a variety of groups of the membership with each having a minimum representation. Our commitment to solidarity starts with all “being equal and deserving mutual respect” and understanding “that an inclusive union is a stronger union and commit to embracing both unity and diversity.” If we want to change the composition of the seven nondesignated positions, we need to consider multiple options because of the way by-law amendments work, or to build consensus before the AGM.

3. This may be a starting point to examine the bigger concept of what qualities seven Members-atLarge are being expected to be responsible to act in the best interest of the membership. Recent attempts to designate the seven positions focused on equity seeking and gender. What if we looked at different ways to represent the membership? Elementary teacher, secondary teacher, nonenrolling, small school, mid-sized school, large school, isolated, rural, urban, etc.

102. Prince George

That By-law 5.1 (a) be amended as follows:

There shall be an Executive Committee, which shall consist of a President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, an Immediate Past-President (when applicable), and nine ten Members-at-Large, elected in such a manner as to ensure that at least three Member-at-Large vacancies are filled at each Annual General Meeting. One Member-at-Large position shall be designated to be held by a Member of Colour, and one shall be designated to be held by an Aboriginal member, and one shall be designated to be held by a 2SLGBTQ+ member. The designated positions shall have the same term and role as the non-designated positions. The Executive Committee

positions are elected by the Annual General Meeting and shall take office on the following July 1. Each member of the Executive Committee shall be a member in good standing entitled to vote, in accordance with By-law 1.1. An Executive Committee member may be removed from office under the provisions of By-law 1.7 or By-law 7.

Supporting statement

There has been a significant growth in the number of members in the BCTF. There has not been a proportional increase of growth in our provincial Executive Committee. Power should be disseminated to the greatest number of members possible. The addition of a new Member-at-Large seat will add voice and perspective in leadership. Designated space for a 2SLGBTQ+ member is an opportunity for 2SLGBTQ+ members to see themselves represented in our highest leadership positions. With increasing attacks from ultra-right-wing people in political and non-political arenas, the creation of this representative space sends the message that as the BCTF we value this representation, value equity, and will defend it. .

103. Prince George

That By-law 5.1 be amended by adding a new (g) as follows:

The Member-at-Large position designated to be held by a 2SLGBTQ+ member is open to the election of a member who identifies as 2SLGBTQ+.

Supporting statement

Designated space for a 2SLGBTQ+ member, is an opportunity for 2SLGBTQ+ members to see themselves represented in our highest leadership positions. With increasing attacks from ultraright-wing people in political and non-political arenas, the creation of this representative space sends the message that as the BCTF we value this representation, value equity, and will defend it.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Recommendation 14

That Annual General Meeting Standing Rule of Order 12.7 be deleted.

Supporting statement

Since the Federation moved to a Societies Act compliant delegate voting process, Annual General Meeting Standing Rule of Order 12.7 no longer applies. This standing rule should be deleted in order

to avoid confusion as it no longer applies under the current delegate voting system.

Recommendation 15

That Annual General Meeting Standing Rule of Order 6.B.1 be amended as follows: Special resolutions shall be defined as recommendations or resolutions that seek to amend the Constitution and by-laws of the Federation and other resolutions so defined in the Societies Act. Such special resolutions shall require a threequarters two-thirds majority vote to pass, with the exception of changes to the Salary Indemnity Plan Regulations which shall require a three-quarters majority vote to pass.

Supporting statement

The Societies Act defines a special resolution as a resolution at a general meeting passed by at least two-thirds of the voting members. The by-laws may set a higher threshold but it is not required.

104. Burnaby

That Annual General Meeting Standing Rule of Order 4.2 be amended as follows:

Debate on changes to the agenda will only be permitted in the first session of each day and will be limited to 30 minutes. An exception will be granted to the The Resolutions Committee will have the ability to propose amendments at any time they deem necessary and appropriate, and if the proposed amendments are brought to the floor by a member of the Resolutions Committee after a session has begun, that debate on those amendments will be limited to 10 minutes.

Supporting statement

Currently, the debate on changes to the agenda will only be permitted in the first session of each day and will be limited to 30 minutes. An exception will be granted to the Resolutions Committee. This motion seeks to clarify the role of the Resolutions Committee, by making it clear that the Resolutions Committee can propose amendments to the agenda at any time, and as many times as necessary.

105. Surrey

That Annual General Meeting Standing Rule of Order 13 be amended to add a new 13.15 as follows:

The election for the non-designated Member-atLarge positions must be conducted in accordance with the representation established in By-law 5.1

(g) and take into account the numbers of selfidentified members in each grouping. At any stage of the balloting process, in order to meet the ratio, candidates may be declared as ineligible to continue or be declared as elected. If the ratio cannot be met with the candidates remaining, the remaining positions will be declared vacant.

Supporting statement

This recommendation would ensure that the Annual General Meeting Standing Rules of Order provisions applying to the election of the non-designated Member-at-Large positions on the Executive Committee are consistent with the by-law change being proposed on the same matter.

That Annual General Meeting Standing Rule of Order 1. be amended by adding a new 1.10 as follows:

After three consecutive speakers in the affirmative or negative, the chair will test the meeting regarding calling the question.

Supporting statement

Often at our meetings we hear points repeated offering the same opinion on the motion and someone must go to a microphone to move a motion to call the question to end debate. The strategy above was used at the 60th BC Federation of Labour Convention in November and allowed voices to be heard and the work to move along during the meeting. This does not limit debate; it is a mechanism to question the house without the need of an additional motion and allow the meeting to proceed more efficiently.

That Annual General Meeting Standing Rule 7.2.i be amended as follows:

Subsidiary motions (A subsidiary motion is intended to assist a meeting in treating or disposing of a main motion.) No subsidiary motion, other than an amendment, shall be in order until after the chair is satisfied that an opportunity have been given to at least three (3) speakers to present the affirmative and at least three (3) speakers to present the negative points of view.

Supporting statement

Currently, as Robert’s Rules indicates in the Annual General Meeting Standing Rules of Order 7.2.i of the Members’ Guide, the chair has the ability to decide when they are satisfied that an opportunity has

been given to present both sides of an argument and accept a subsidiary motion. At the last few meetings, this has often been used for tabling and referring motions, in which the chair has ruled that the mover of the motion and one speaker on the other side has presented a sufficient argument for both sides— without varying the speaking order. This has the effect of stifling debate and thereby members’ voices. It has been discussed in the recent past that Robert’s Rules of Order, as they currently stand, are oppressive and advice has been given to the Executive Committee from various ad hoc and standing committees that the process needs to be overhauled. Until that process has been reviewed and a new option presented, there needs to be accountability that voices are heard and debate is not stifled. The intent of this motion is to allow voices to be heard, and when there are no speakers to one side or the other (after varying the speaking order), then the subsidiary motion could be accepted. Page 174 “7.2.i—Subsidiary motions (A subsidiary motion is intended to assist a meeting in treating or disposing of a main motion.) No subsidiary motion, other than an amendment, shall be in order until after the chair is satisfied that an opportunity has been given to present the affirmative and negative points of view.” On page 169 of the Members’ Guide the seven subsidiary motions are: 1. postpone indefinitely, 2. amend, 3. refer, 4. postpone to a certain time, 5. limit or extend limits of debate, 6. previous question, 7. table.

108. Prince George

That Annual General Meeting Standing Rule 13.3 be amended as follows:

That the election be conducted in the following order:

a. President

b. First Vice-President

c. Second Vice-President

d. Member-at-Large designated for an Aboriginal member

e. Member-at-Large designated for a Member of Colour

f. Member-at-Large designated for a 2SLGBTQ+ member

f

g Members-at-Large.

Supporting statement

If the resolution to amend By-law 5.1 to add a Member-at-Large seat to the Executive Committee for a member who identifies as 2SLGBTQ+ carries, this resolution would add this seat to the order of elections.

106. Langley

107. Kamloops Thompson

109. Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

That Annual General Meeting Standing Rule of Order 2. be amended by adding a new 2.9 as follows:

All environmental/ecological resolutions to the BCTF Annual General Meeting be included in the first session.

Supporting statement

At the last BCTF Annual General Meeting in 2022, most environmental resolutions did not make it to the floor. Therefore, the membership was denied debate and hopeful passage of these important motions. Given that many environmental systems and wildlife species are in a state of collapse and that climate change has been declared an emergency in many jurisdictions across the world, these resolutions must be considered a priority. The state of the environment affects everybody.

BARGAINING Recommendation 16

That Policy 3.J.01—3.9, 7.3, and 9.5 be amended as follows:

3.9 The classroom teacher, in collaboration with the school-based team and/or other specialist teachers assigned to provide support services to students, shall have the right to determine the placement of, resources for, and support services necessary to the needs of students with special needs students with disabilities/disabled students and/or diverse learning learners and other students in the class.

7.3 The purpose of full inclusion of students with special need into regular classes is to provide a positive educational experience for all students with special needs and the other students in the class. Classes shall be smaller than the sizes stated in 7.2 when they include a high proportion of students with learning disabilities, diverse learning, behavioural, emotional, or health needs, or with a broad range of student ages, grade levels, or achievement levels.

9.5 In any classroom where students with special needs are integrated, with students with disabilities/disabled students, appropriate additional safety measures shall be available, and teachers teaching on call will be advised of such measures.

Supporting statement

Following an Executive Committee decision from the August 22–23, 2021, meeting, a motion was referred to the Professional Issues Advisory Committee that the “BCTF use ‘disabled person/person with disability’ language rather than ‘special needs,’ reflecting, modeling, and respecting both identity-first and person-first language.” Terms using person-first and identity-first language are inclusive and demonstrate the diversity among students and members.

110. Coquitlam

That the Federation determine how to amend the outdated and restrictive language in the Dorsey award to reflect the existing working and learning conditions of adult education teachers with a report back to the 2023 Fall Representative Assembly.

Supporting statement

When the Dorsey award was implemented, adult education was very different than what it is today. There was no ministry mandated curriculum and the student population was primarily second language students. Now, adult education teachers provide ministry regulated curriculum and often work with school age students who are not successful in the K–12 stream. Despite the demands increasing dramatically over the years for adult education teachers, there remains no improvement in working conditions such as preparation time, access to professional development, hours of work, lack of portability of experience credit, school calendar, and barriers to hiring in the K–12 system. As bargaining has been repeatedly unsuccessful in bringing change, it is our hope that amending wording in the Dorsey award could address some of these issues.

111.

Burnaby

Executive Committee advice—That this resolution be referred to the Bargaining Conference:

That the Federation add a new Policy 3.A.09 as follows:

That during provincial negotiations the Federation maintain all existing superior local language/ provisions.

Supporting statement

In every round of provincial bargaining, our Bargaining Conference, Representative Assembly, and Executive Committee meetings have set this as direction for our Bargaining Team during negotiations with the employer. It is time we include this long-held stance in our own statements of bargaining policy in our Members’ Guide

112. Maple Ridge

That the Federation approach the BC Public School Employers’ Association to create a joint document with supporting documentation that establishes provincial standards and best practice and procedure for the progressive steps of discipline with clear steps of “duty to inquire,” “support,” “clarification,” and non-disciplinary “written instruction” (when needed) prior to disciplinary investigation for any non-culpable or minor culpable concerns.

Supporting statement

When comparing the training and supportive documentation for administrators on how to navigate steps in the disciplinary process and comparing what is found between districts, it is clear there is no shared common standard across the province. Not having a provincial “best practice” means that some districts do not fully prepare their administrators to deal with teacher conduct concerns, as the union would hope, in a supportive manner that allows for improvements and documentation of steps that have been taken, prior to moving to the potential for punitive actions that can have a dramatic and lasting impact on a teacher’s professional standing and even wellness. Having a provincial set of standards in place would establish better direction to employers to facilitate administrative training—supporting and fostering environments where growth in teacher professional practice is dealt with in a positive and not a punitive manner.

113. Langley

That the Federation hire public sector bargaining experts/negotiators to be added to our Provincial Bargaining Team.

Supporting statement

Our Bargaining Team is made up of teachers who have multiple other jobs they are required to complete during bargaining. The government can focus more of their attention on bargaining and has often brought in experts. With the added fact that teachers are not experts in bargaining, this is leaving us at a severe disadvantage against the government bargaining team. Like other professional unions, we need to have experts who not only look at BC teacher’s contracts, but other provinces teacher’s contracts and other union’s contracts. Bring in the best language and the best strategies from across Canada to get us the best contract. Money is always the issue, but at 45,000 teachers across BC, we could hire two advisors/

experts for less than $5.00 per member per year. A cost that is reasonable to help our Bargaining Team get the best results.

114. Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

That the Federation develop strategies to increase the scope of local autonomy in local bargaining and seek advice on the potential for co-ordinated provincial support for local tables, and report back to the Spring Representative Assembly.

Supporting statement

It is well understood that the barriers erected around local bargaining by the Public Education Labour Relations Act result in suppression of local tables, a venue where members often feel great connection to the objectives and the relationship with the district. We know that the absence of a robust dispute resolution mechanism, lack of funding for local tables, and a restrictive split of issues have reduced the capacity of local negotiations. This motion asks the Federation to begin the cyclical work of bargaining in committing to research early in the cycle, in order to organize among locals and within the Federation to improve our chances of revitalizing and empowering local bargaining in the coming round.

We know that member engagement is closely tied to our working conditions, and that recruitment and retention continue to be a significant challenge for public education. It is only by working proactively to improve local bargaining that we can continue to ensure our members are well served, well represented, and well organized!

115.

That the Federation develop and co-ordinate provincial and local mid-contract strategies to address limits to union leave.

Supporting statement

Many local collective agreements have limits to the number of days that members can access on union leave. While these were not enforced in previous years, many districts are starting to hold fast to these limits, which has had a serious impact on local ability to release members for the ongoing work of the union, but also has limited our ability to engage in mentorship and union engagement. It has also had an impact on the union’s ability to identify our own representatives for our work and can result in released officers undertaking a disproportionate amount of local work, which has a centralizing effect

Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

and can undermine union renewal and sustainability. This was identified as an objective in the last round of bargaining, but we were not able to achieve resolution to this matter. This motion asks the Federation to attempt a solution to this significant barrier to autonomous union organizing.

116. Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

That the Federation begin, immediately upon the conclusion of the successful ratification of the provincial agreement, a program to:

1. educate membership about the labour movement in BC, both past and present.

2. suppor t locals in educating their membership about the history of BCTF provincial bargaining, including bargaining structures, and wins and losses.

3. solicit input from membership on the long-term direction and strategy with regard to provincial bargaining.

4. prepare workshops and materials to communicate to members and locals on how to become financially prepared for job action.

Supporting statement

The intention of this resolution is to put in action a plan to keep bargaining top of mind of rank-andfile members, by way of informing, engaging, and preparing us to fight for improved working and learning conditions. We know that the salary gains that were made in this round do not address the stress, burnout, and deteriorating mental health of teachers and students. The BCTF and locals can take a pro-active approach now to begin readying members to turn up the pressure, by dispelling common myths such as that members do not make gains through job action and by assisting members with financial planning. We know that everything worth having has to be fought for. In order to fight effectively, we need to be prepared both individually and collectively. A strategic plan such as the one proposed in this resolution will get us started on being ready for the fight. When we fight, we win!

CANADIAN LABOUR CONGRESS/ BC FEDERATION OF LABOUR

117. Coquitlam

That the Federation lobby the BC Federation of Labour to develop and publish a publicly accessible online resource that lists unionized products, services, and vendors available for any worker or affiliate to buy Canadian and union-made goods in BC and Canada.

Supporting statement

There is a need to better identify, support, and utilize unionized labour and unionized work. An accessible resource that can raise awareness, inform, and educate union members and the general public about services, products, and vendors that are union-made would be beneficial.

CERTIFICATION AND TEACHERS’ COUNCIL

118. Surrey

That the Federation advocate for and encourage faculties of education to include Indigenous history classes in their list of approved Canadian studies as prerequisites for teacher education programs, including through requesting the BC Teachers’ Council to engage faculties of education on this issue.

Supporting statement

This has three great advantages:

1. It will help to increase the number of Indigenous teachers in our schools. Forcing Indigenous students to study Eurocentric histories is insensitive and not in keeping with our commitment to truth and reconciliation. This is causing us to lose potential Indigenous teacher candidates who are sorely needed as teachers in all of our districts.

2. These courses would provide an excellent way for newcomers to Canada to have a better understanding of the current drive for truth and reconciliation and to understand the vital nature of proper Indigenous education in our schools. It will also help teachers to include Indigenous content in their classes.

3. This resolution would bring universities in line with our secondary four credit Indigenous focused coursework graduation requirement.

EDUCATION POLICY

119. Cranbrook

That the Federation investigate a more environmentally friendly approach to the Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) campaign without compromising the level of contact this campaign currently has with the parent community with a report back to the Fall Representative Assembly.

Supporting statement

The BCTF has been taking initiatives to be more ecologically considerate by making changes to its

means of conducting business. Our union, which views itself as a climate justice organization, is recognizing the impact that the manufacture of and use of resources has on the global climate. The amount of paper used in the printing and distribution of FSA campaign materials is an area that the BCTF could address. This campaign involves sending out information as well as directly contacting parents of affected students through distribution of letters at schools. Investigating each component and exploring options to reduce the amount of paper consumed would align this annual campaign with other BCTF political action projects without compromising the integrity of the campaign.

120. Surrey

That the Federation investigate discontinuing the use of the term “non-enrolling teacher” and replacing it with a term that encompasses the work of those teachers.

Supporting statement

Members who currently teach in positions that do not enrol students are assigned by ratios and/or are described/categorized by the provincial government as “non-enrolling” teachers. This categorization carries a negative or “less than” connotation and does not accurately describe what teachers who fall in this category are actually assigned to do. This description speaks to only one aspect of their position. The use of a term such as “specialist,” would serve to highlight loss of support to students, who are often the most vulnerable, when a “specialist” is pulled from their role. Furthermore, the use of “specialist” better reflects the additional education and training required to hold these positions.

121. Central Coast

That the Federation actively lobby the provincial government to change the structure of the Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) requirements so that data collection accurately represents student diversity in British Columbia.

Supporting statement

As teachers, we strive toward best practices in our approach to instruction, knowing that when we provide multiple entry points and incorporate content from a variety of cultural and socioeconomic perspectives, we are more likely to increase students’ sense of self efficacy and engagement with learning. We know all of this, and yet, when it comes to the Ministry’s FSA assessments in grades 4 and 7, we

see the opposite—a standardized test that does not adequately reflect the true diversity of the students in our classrooms. Despite this, the Ministry website describes the FSAs as “[a source of] important information on how well students are progressing in the foundation skills of Literacy and Numeracy.” Data is only as good as its methodology allows, and when it comes to the FSAs, the current method of data collection is inherently flawed. As a social justice union, we know that. I am asking this body of representatives to do better for the students in our classrooms by directing our union to actively, and publicly, advocate to change the structure of the FSA so that it adequately reflects the diversity of students in our province.

FINANCE Recommendation 17

That Procedure 10.J.20—2. be amended as follows:  Each eligible local is entitled to a percentage of their President’s salary and benefit costs, as defined in Procedure 10.J.20—1., deducted by the amounts paid by locals in Procedure 10.J.20—3. The percentage depends on the locals’ full-time equivalent members (FTE) at September 30 of the previous year. The following is the range of FTEs and related grant %:

a. Locals with 170 175 or less FTE will receive 100%.

b. Locals with more than 170 175 and less than 500 510 FTE will receive 90%.

c. Locals with 500 510 or more FTE will receive 80%.

That the FTE ranges be examined on an annual basis to ensure, that as a result of a change in FTEs, there is not a significant change in the total amount of the President’s Release Time Grants given by the Federation.

Supporting statement

After examining the September 30, 2022, FTE counts, which in accordance with this procedure will help determine next year’s grants in 2023–24, it was determined that two locals will be surpassing the FTE ceilings for their respective tiers which will result in a 10% decrease to each of their President’s Grant (approximately $9,000 and $2,000).

The proposed FTE ranges preserves the current percentage allocation the locals will receive for their grant.

The proposed change is intended to address an immediate need and to allow more time to investigate a more permanent and sustainable change to the procedure so that it does not have to be revisited on a regular basis.

Recommendation 18

That for the 2023–24 membership year, the fee for affiliate administrative membership under By-law 1.6, exclusive of the Salary Indemnity Plan, be $100.

Supporting statement

This recommendation maintains a status quo fee for this category.

Recommendation 19

That for the 2023–24 membership year, the fee for those who are members under By-law 1.6 (affiliate membership) shall be an amount negotiated between the BCTF and the affiliate, on a fee-forservice basis.

Supporting statement

No change from the current policy as per Procedure 10.B.18—5.

Recommendation 20

That for the 2023–24 membership year, the fee for active membership for those who are members under By-law 1.1 (b) shall be the same as the fee for active members under By-law 1.1 (a), provided that the Representative Assembly may, in establishing policy regarding the eligibility of such members, waive or modify the fees.

Supporting statement

No change from current policy as per Procedure 10.B.18—6.

Recommendation 21

That the Federation appoint the audit firm KPMG as its auditor for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023.

Supporting statement

The Audit Committee continues to be satisfied with the audit services provided by KPMG and continues to believe that KPMG is best suited to meet the BCTF’s financial reporting needs.

Recommendation 22

Recommended by the Executive Committee

That for the 2023–24 membership year, the fee for those who are members under By-law 1.1 (a) shall

be 1.690% of the actual salary of the member, and its allocation be amended as follows:

1.259 1.319% to the General Operating Fund

0.310 0.22% to the Collective Bargaining Defence Fund

0.079 0.074% to the Public Education Defence Fund

0.015 0.050% to the Provincial Bargaining Fund

0.027% to the W.R. Long International Solidarity Fund

0.000% to the Contingency Fund. Except that the fee for active members who are teachers teaching on call shall be 1.590%.

Supporting statement

The recommendation is to change the fee allocation to focus on building the Collective Bargaining Defence Fund (CBDF) to meet its $115 million dollar goal in preparation for the next round of bargaining. This will be achieved by reallocating some fees from both the General Operating Fund (GOF) and the Provincial Bargaining Fund (PBF) to the CBDF. With the recommended 0.310% fee, and assuming there are no significant needs of the fund, and the fee allocation remains the same, the CBDF will reach its $115 million target by fiscal 2025–26.

The following is fur ther rationale for the recommendation:

• The GOF is recommended to be reduced from 1.319% to 1.259% or reduced by 4.5%. Even with the challenge of predicting future costs with inflation, especially with significant increases in travel, hotel, and meal costs, and the return to in-person events, we estimate that the GOF will have a slight surplus with the decrease in the GOF fees. There is a slight risk because of the current challenges of predicting future costs, due to elevated inflation, our costs will be higher than the GOF membership fees in 2023–24. If this does occur the GOF does have a surplus to cover any deficit. In addition, not reducing the overall fee allows the flexibility to reallocate fees back to the GOF if required. The reduction of the GOF fee is recommended to be reallocated to the CBDF.

• The GOF fee recommendation contemplates that we will continue to address the non-pension postemployment liability by continuing to annually put aside funds from the GOF to the GOF NonPension Post-Employment Benefit Fund and to also fund the GOF Facilities Fund for future capital needs.

• The PBF is recommended to be reduced from 0.050% to 0.015% as 2023–24 will be a non-

bargaining year and the expenses will be largely reduced. With such a fee it is expected to be enough to cover the anticipated expenses and for the fund to have a break- even budget in 2023–24. The PBF as of June 30, 2022, does have a healthy balance of $4.3 million to cover any unanticipated budget shortfall. By not reducing the overall fee the BCTF will have the flexibility to increase the fee rate in a bargaining year, when the PBF will have increased expenditures.

• The Public Education Defence Fund (PEDF) is recommended to be 0.079%. It is expected that the PEDF will continue to be used even in nonbargaining years with potential upcoming media needs which as an example could be media exposure of classroom composition and working conditions.

• Keeping the overall fee the same at 1.69% will not only allow to put a larger amount of the fee to the CBDF but allow the flexibility to reallocate to the GOF and other funds if needed in this uncertain cost environment.

The TTOC fee is recommended to be the same as for contract members at 1.69%. TTOCs receive all services covered by this fee, the same as any other active member.

Recommendation 23

Recommended by the Representative Assembly

That for the 2023–24 membership year, the fee for those who are members under By-law 1.1 (a) shall be 1.690% of the actual salary of the member, and its allocation be amended as follows:

1.259%1.319% to the General Operating Fund

0.315%0.22% to the Collective Bargaining Defence Fund

0.074% to the Public Education Defence Fund

0.015%0.050% to the Provincial Bargaining Fund

0.027% to the W.R. Long International Solidarity Fund

0.000% to the Contingency Fund.

Except that the fee for active members who are teachers teaching on call shall be 1.590%

Supporting statement

This reflects the fee recommendation adopted by the 2023 Winter Representative Assembly.

Recommendation 24

That for the 2023–24 membership year, the fee for those who are members under By-law 1.2 (associate membership), shall be $100, except that the fee for

associate members who are students enrolled in programs of study in university/college programs leading to certification as teachers shall be $1.

Supporting statement

This is a status quo recommendation.

Recommendation 25

That for the 2023–24 membership year, a member who is on leave of absence either without pay or on deferred salary leave, remains an active member, without payment of fees.

Supporting statement

No change from the current policy as per Procedure 10.B.18—4. This is consistent with By-law 1.8, which provides for members who are on unpaid leave of absence from the school district in which they are employed, and not also employed by another school district, to remain active members without payment of fee for the leave period.

Recommendation 26

That existing Members’ Guide procedures pertaining to the Contingency Fund (Procedure 10.L.20 to 10.L.28) be deleted and transfer the existing cash/ cash equivalents in the Contingency Fund to the new GOF Contingency Fund.

Supporting statement

These procedures have become redundant since Procedure 10.D.32 GOF Contingency Fund was approved by the Representative Assembly.

122. Sooke

That the Federation continue funding for the Special COVID-19 Transition Grant Part C: School Union Representative Release on an ongoing basis.

Supporting statement

School-based representatives do the lion’s share of the union’s work. They are in schools helping members daily—their work is never done. This release gives them time to do some of those tasks. Staff representatives and health and safety representatives have a large burden because of their volunteer positions, and they are facing burnout. One direct result of COVID-19 is the membership’s awareness of the importance of health and safety in their jobs. The employer needs to continue to be held accountable for COVID-19 related health and safety concerns such as ventilation. However, there is more work to train teachers about violent incident reporting, as well. Staff representatives have always had a long list of tasks

assigned to them: discussing collective agreement issues with their principals, representing members in meetings with administration, and counselling teachers who need to know their collective agreement rights to name just a few. They often help other school representatives do their jobs too. Our school-based representatives are vital in bringing people into the union and encouraging member engagement, and an extra day for them to do their work creates a stronger union.

123.

That the Federation continue funding for the Special COVID-19 Transition Grant Part A: Release-Time on an ongoing basis.

Supporting statement

Currently, there is a stratified level of reimbursement for locals depending on the number of members:

a. up to 160 FTE members—40 days

b. from 161–499 FTE members—60 days

c. from 500–999 FTE members—80 days

d. from 1,000–1,499 FTE members—100 days

e. from 1,500–2,999 FTE members—120 days

f. over 3,000 FTE members—140 days.

The pandemic isn’t over, and the fallout from the pandemic will likely continue for years. The increased workload in the office is not abating. Members are burning out at an alarming rate. Violence in schools is increasing for many reasons, including the stress COVID-19 has placed on student learning, both academically and behaviorally. This grant is necessary for local offices to be able to continue providing vital services to members and for increased engagement with the membership. Release time for a health and safety chairperson to advocate for members’ rights after a violent incident and to push the employer to take real steps to reduce violence is needed. Increasing time for vice-presidents to help answer emails, represent members in investigations, and counsel members about their collective agreement rights all increase member recognition of the value of their union.

124. Maple Ridge

That Procedure 10.J.10—4. be amending by adding a new c. as follows: release time provided as time in-lieu where there is agreement with the school district to do so.

Supporting statement

Any period where we are facing a province-wide teacher shortage that impacts availability of teachers teaching on call (TTOCs), such that they are not available, has consequences for our local teachers. The union, which has an obligation to support its members in such situations, may further aggravate and deepen issues of which the employer is initially responsible for. Such impacts include non-enrolling teachers pulled from their duties to cover their colleagues undertaking school union representative training. It is important that we maintain the need to replace teachers with TTOCs when absent on Federation business, but where no TTOCs are available, the onus of the work falls to our nonenrolling colleagues to complete. Also, unlike a typical working environment of the past, there is little to no potential for local TTOCs to benefit from additional available work due to unavailability when a failure to fill shortage exists.

125. Maple Ridge

That Procedure 25.H.14—10. be amended as follows:

That members attending SURT training referred to in 10.J.10 can be compensated with time-in-lieu equivalent to time spent in training, with release time provided regardless of whether the release takes place on teaching days or non-teaching, where there is agreement with the school district to do so

Supporting statement

Any period where we are facing a province-wide teacher shortage that impacts availability of teachers teaching on call (TTOCs), such that they are not available, has consequences for our local teachers. The union, which has an obligation to support its members in such situations, may further aggravate and deepen issues of which the employer is initially responsible for. Such impacts include non-enrolling teachers pulled from their duties to cover their colleagues undertaking school union representative training. It is important that we maintain the need to replace teachers with TTOCs when absent on Federation business, but where no TTOCs are available, the onus of the work falls to our nonenrolling colleagues to complete. Also, unlike a typical working environment of the past, there is little to no potential for local TTOCs to benefit from additional available work due to unavailability when a failure to fill shortage exists.

Sooke

126. Langley

That the Federation Member Outreach Grant be restructured with funding based on FTE with a minimum of $1,500 per local.

Supporting statement

The challenges of the last few years around teacher shortages and the limited access to school union representative training as a result have left an evident gap in the engagement and contract awareness of our members. Accordingly, there is a great deal of uncertainty about how teachers can advocate for the glaring gaps in our schools around supports, workloads, health, and safety. A large resistance to job action has left us with little political moves to put pressure on our government. Instead of job action, what if we united the 45,000 teachers together. If we can get membership engagement within our union up and then use that to effectively advocate for education issues, we could add large political pressure on the government without job action. Time is the most valuable resource for teachers and providing time to release staff for training on a reoccurring basis to increase membership engagement is vital to moving forward. Together we can shine a light on the working and learning conditions the governments seem intent on ignoring.

127. Greater Victoria

That the Federation create Climate Action Grants.

Supporting statement

Tackling our climate emergency is going to take a complete overhaul of how our different infrastructures in society function. One way for us to implement systemic change is through the education system— both our districts and our locals. The goal of this motion is to create a grant that locals across the province can access and use either to lobby their school district to take action reducing greenhouse gas emissions, or to help their own local reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. With the diversity of our large geographic landscape in BC, the actions that locals take across the province could look very different from one another. One local could use this grant to create bike storage facilities at their union office. Another local could use this grant to push their school or district to make their heating systems carbon free.

128. Greater Victoria

That the Federation support Indigenous educators by creating an annual financial line item that supports the creation of and/or the continuation of an Indigenous mentorship program that allows Indigenous teachers to connect, gather, gain support, build community, heal, and have a culturally safe place to journey as Indigenous educators.

Supporting statement

In 2019, the Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association granted the Indigenous Education Committee onetime funding to build an Indigenous mentorship program. The Indigenous Mentorship Program has been successfully running in Victoria for two years. The funds were used to support release time. Indigenous educators were given the chance to connect, be in the presence of Elders, share traditional knowledge, smudge, drum and sing, learn from each other, share stories, share wellness ideas, and most importantly build a community of Indigenous educators. Due to restrictions being lifted, the last gathering of the school year was held in person, at the local college, with a feast, Elders, smudge, gifting, honouring, celebrating, sharing, and drumming. Considering that in 2012 the Ministry mandated that Indigenous content be woven through all subject areas K–12, and Indigenous teachers are often leaned on to support this; considering the times that we are in with regard to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, published in 2013, enlisting 11 Education Calls to Action; considering the times that we are in with regard to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People; considering the horrific news that occurred in May, 2020, in Kamloops, of the 215 unmarked graves, and with the continued findings of more unmarked graves; considering that Indigenous teachers often work alone, without other Indigenous teachers on staff; considering that Indigenous people are in a time of healing and in a time of resurgence; considering that the Indigenous Mentorship Program has been a positive, tremendous success; and realizing that there is a financial component for the release of Indigenous educators during instructional time, we hope you support this motion.

129. Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

That Procedure 10.J.74 be amended by adding a new 3. as follows:

That the Federation annually provide an additional one-time grant of up to $10,000 to locals that have had the same local president for eight consecutive school years to support with union mentorship initiatives within the local specifically intended to address succession planning.

Supporting statement

This motion would add to the current wording of Procedure 10.J.74, which was adopted by the Annual General Meeting as follows: 10.J.74

1. That the Federation annually provide a grant to locals of up to a maximum of $3,500 to support union mentorship initiatives.

2. That the Federation provide a Union Mentorship Grant to be available each year, to support locals to develop union mentorship plans for members who identify as racialized, persons of colour, and/ or members who identify as Aboriginal.

130. Prince George

That the sublocal grant be revised to allow sublocals to access the $10,000 grant without conditions, with an additional $20,000 available specifically to support the work of the sublocal president with receipts.

Supporting statement

Locals 571, 572, and 573 are united in support for increased autonomy of sublocals. When this grant was created, conditions were added that prevent sublocal leadership from acting with financial independence in a manner that other locals can. For example, sublocal officers cannot use this money to provide food for general meetings. The provision of food at a general meeting or staff representative assembly is something that is not questioned as appropriate in a main local— sublocals should have the same rights.

HEALTH, WELFARE, AND SAFETY OF TEACHERS

Recommendation 27

That for the 2023–24 membership year, each member eligible to participate in the Salary Indemnity Plan pay, in addition to the fee for the operation of the Federation, a fee for the operation of the Salary Indemnity Fund of 2.09% of the actual salary of the member, plus the participating

employee’s share of the employer’s savings from reduced employment insurance premiums.

Supporting statement

The Salary Indemnity Fund (SIF) fee pays for the administration of the SIF’s investments, the administration and payment of SIP claims, and the operation of the BCTF Health and Wellness Program.

On June 30, 2021, the Plan had a surplus (assets in excess of 130% of liabilities) of $26.7 million. As a result, the BCTF 2022 Annual General Meeting set the fee at 1.99% for the 2022–23 school year. The actual cost of the Plan as of June 30, 2022, was 2.42% compared to an expected cost of 2.19%. In addition, the surplus, in excess of 130% liabilities, was reduced from $26.7 million in 2021, to $8.0 million in 2022. This was largely due to unfavourable investment returns.

The most recent actuarial valuation of the Salary Indemnity Plan illustrates that over the past five years the Plan cost 2.14% of salaries. The Plan’s actuary recommends that the BCTF set the SIP fee at 2.09% of salaries, based on the cost of coverage, decreased by a dividend to consume surplus assets (assets in excess of 130% of liabilities) over 5 years. A SIP fee of 2.09% would consume $1.5 million of the surplus each year and requires 5.9 years to exhaust. In addition, an increase of 0.10% of salaries from 1.99% to 2.09% of salaries for the 2023–24 school year would equate to approximately $4 more per pay period for a teacher earning $80,000, paid bi-monthly over 10 months.

Based on this year’s actuarial valuation, the Income Security Committee considered the potential for higher cost of coverage for both the short-term and long-term portions of the Plan, the uncertainties associated with future investment experience gains, and potential pandemic effects on future claims and costs. A SIP fee recommendation of 2.09% for the 2023–24 school year recognizes the need to provide stability to the Plan from a cost perspective, to reduce the surplus gradually over time, and acknowledges the preference of adjusting the SIP fee in smaller increments rather than larger ones each year.

131. Greater Victoria

That the Federation publicly advocate that the paid days of illness or injury leave set out by regulation under section 49.1 of the Employment Standards Act be increased from 5 days to 15 days.

Supporting statement

Teachers teaching on call (TTOCs) and teachers on contract who accrue less than five sick days a year now have access to Employment Standards Act days. This is a great first step, but it is simply not enough. Many people can be sick for more than five days in a year, especially during our pandemic. Raising this from 5 to 15 days would put this in line to what a fulltime contract teacher would accrue in terms of sick days. This would create a more equitable situation for all teachers in our province.

132. Maple Ridge

That the Federation establish a working group with other interested unions to lobby the provincial government to amend section 34 of the Employment Standards Regulations to remove teachers and other workers from the list of those exempted from Part 4 (Hours of Work) in the Employment Standards Act.

Supporting statement

Currently, there are a high number of employees going on stress leave due to the impact the increased workload is having on their health and well-being. At a time when we have a teacher shortage throughout the province, but at the same time the employer often seems reluctant to adjust expectations for fewer employees doing more work, rising exponentially as the remaining employees pick up the difference. The labour standards have strong language to protect employees, but many employees, such as teachers, are exempt from these protections, even though the teachers are a body significantly and negatively impacted by hiring and retention failures in teaching.

133. Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

That the Federation undertake research into a critical mental health scholarship and report back to a future Representative Assembly.

Supporting statement

Critical Mental Health scholarship is a substantial body of peer-reviewed literature which offers constructive criticism of mainstream mental health practices and assumptions. For a balanced, critical-

thinking oriented education, future mental health literacy and curricula in schools would benefit by considering the most current research and perspectives by academics in the field. As the Ministry of Education and Child Care continues to develop its repertoire of mental health resources the BCTF would do well to do its own literature review, in order to be able to advocate for more balanced resources available to educators in the future.

INDUCTION CEREMONIES, AWARDS

134. Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

That the Federation review the current awards criteria and the mechanisms by which candidates are evaluated with an equity lens including nomination processes.

Supporting statement

The Federation has a history of creating and disbursing awards for many areas that our members value—social justice, health and safety, early career work, honouring life’s work, and more. However, it’s impor tant to consider the fact that those honoured in our awards tend to be individuals who are already inside of union structures, or who contribute in established and acknowledged ways, and/or who have proximity to existing power structures. This may have the inadvertent impact of stratifying the recognition and appreciation for member work. It will be important as we continue in our equity and inclusion work to recognize individuals who may be participating in different, less recognized ways that strengthen our union. This motion, if carried, would result in a review of the criteria and selection processes for the existing awards and consider ways of increasing equity among those we honour.

135. Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

That the Federation decline to participate in external teacher awards.

Supporting statement

There are occasions when the Federation is approached to provide input or feedback to local, national, and international teaching awards. These awards, which can be for classroom or instructional practice, present a challenge to our internal unity, and to the practice of the Code of Ethics that guide us not to evaluate the work of our colleagues. This provides policy that will assist in providing a clear and consistent response whenever such a request comes to the BCTF.

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

136.Coquitlam

That the Federation lobby the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance to establish a provincial educator tax credit.

Supporting statement

Due to a lack of funding and a clear resistance on the part of the government to increase funding for the education sector, educators often spend their own money on resources and classroom supplies. While we don’t believe educators should spend their own money to prop up a failing system, it is happening. Establishing a provincial educator tax credit can reduce the financial burden felt by educators.

137.Burnaby

That the Federation insist the Ministry of Education and Child Care make the implementation of the Learning in the Primary Years: The Primary Program Framework successful, by providing adequate funding, resources, and teacher involvement.

Supporting statement

The new Primary Program document is in the editing stages and will soon be sent out in a draft form for teachers to provide feedback. We need to make sure the Ministry understands the importance of creating an implementation plan. We want all teachers to know about, have a copy of, and use the new document. This can only occur if there is adequate funding, resources, and teacher involvement. Schools and teachers need to be provided with the money to buy the resources to implement it, and teachers need to be involved in the dissemination of information, it can’t be top down. If it is not implemented properly, it will end up on a shelf and will not be used.

138.Burnaby

That the Federation advocate for the development of a K–12 American Sign Language curriculum with a focus on deaf and hard of hearing students, in consultation with deaf and hard of hearing people.

Supporting statement

This would address language deprivation among deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students and educate DHH students whose first language is American Sign Language (ASL) in a formal course to foster their language acquisition throughout K–12 education. In the few districts where such courses exist, it is usually for non-signing students who are interested

in learning about ASL as a foreign language, not for DHH students. There are too many DHH students and adults who are not informed of the linguistic rules behind their language because they never had a teacher who received training in ASL in order to teach ASL. Often it is an English-speaking teacher teaching these courses, with no training in language acquisition education. This is not adequate for DHH students, nor for those learning ASL as an additional language. An example of a district-specific board authorized authority course for ASL 10–12 can be found on pages 5 to 6 of this document: burnabyschools.ca/wpcontent/uploads/2022/02/22-02-14-COW-PublicAgenda-Package.pdf

139. Maple Ridge

That the Federation work with the Ministry of Education and Child Care and direct them to work with the Ministry of Children and Family Development to come up with a framework for minimum standards in-service training for teachers related to the duty to report a child welfare concern.

Supporting statement

During the Maple Ridge Teachers’ Association union officer and teacher professional development, which included a workshop hosted by the Ministry of Children and Family Development staff, we became aware that they do not have a recommendation that is co-ordinated with the Ministry of Education and Child Care to ensure any kind of training by the employer is provided to facilitate better understanding of the duty to report child and welfare concerns that public school staff are expected to know. After our own training, we are aware that there is a significant gap between what should be known to navigate a duty to report versus what teachers know about the process. This gap, in knowledge, creates a two-fold issue: teachers may unknowingly not adequately follow up on their obligations to report child welfare concerns, leading potentially to students continuing to experience harm and teachers being disciplined or facing serious fines and punitive consequences, as being found negligent in such duties is considered a serious offense under the Child, Family and Community Service Act

140. Greater Victoria

That the Federation encourage and lobby for curriculum implementation funds from the Ministry of Education and Child Care for implementation days to support new Indigenous education graduation requirements.

Supporting statement

The Ministry has rolled out a plan for the implementation of the Indigenous graduation requirement without the funding to do this in an effective and meaningful way. The English and social studies departments are eagerly trying to make major changes in curriculum without text resources that are authentic and properly reviewed. The teachers are not being in-serviced to ensure they are implementing materials and protocols in a good way. There is concern that this process, without the proper inservice, will have effects that could result in negative views of this important curricular change instead of the positives that are intended.

ORGANIZATION OF THE BCTF

Recommendation 28

That a new Procedure 25.C.40 be adopted as follows:

1. An Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting may conduct a vote to remove a member of the Executive Committee under By-law 5.21 in accordance with the following process:

a. The member will receive adequate notice of the allegations against them and that their status as a member of the Executive Committee is being considered by the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting.

b. The member will be given an opportunity to make a written submission to the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting regarding the allegations and their membership on the Executive Committee.

Supporting statement

This proposed procedure is to accompany the new By-law 5.21. The procedure ensures procedural fairness for any decision concerning removal of an Executive Committee member. The key elements are that the member is provided with notice and the opportunity to make submissions. By setting out the process in the BCTF procedures, it is clear to all parties involved what procedural requirements must be followed prior to a decision being made regarding removal from the Executive Committee.

141. Coquitlam

That the Federation conduct an audit of all programs, committees, and decision-making bodies to identify gaps in and barriers to member participation and use the information to assist with increasing overall member engagement.

Supporting statement

Member engagement in union work and unionism is low. The BCTF should always be working to ensure that the programs that are offered engage as many members as possible, and that the workshops, committees, programs, and more are meeting the needs of the entire membership. An audit of participation in various BCTF programs, etc., will provide data that can support efforts to increase member engagement.

142. Surrey

That the Annual General Meeting recommend to the Executive Committee that the Federation form a Climate Action Advisory Committee, to advise the BCTF Executive Committee on climate issues, to work to encourage teachers to take action on the climate crisis, and to provide an environmental justice lens to the BCTF Executive Committee, Representative Assembly, and Annual General Meeting.

Supporting statement

The fight against climate change goes far beyond providing support for teachers affected by horrific climate realities like flooding caused by atmospheric rivers, entire towns lost to wildfires, and heat domes. These after-the-fact reactions keep up continually in an existential threat reality of leaving us vulnerable and constantly in crisis mode with devastating impacts. As union members, we need to develop fully fledged climate action plans that transform the way we do business in all regards. The amazing work of the Environmental Justice Action Group under the Committee for Action on Social justice needs to be elevated to a fully separate advisory committee, with proper staffing, support, and a more substantial capacity to help our Executive Committee make vital and truly earth saving decisions that strengthen our membership both at work, and in their general lives. If we don’t undo the speciesism lenses we hold, where we sideline nature/climate as a tokenized side-box reality, we are in fact not doing the work of our union to support our members, but rather leaving them fully exposed to the elements. To be a fully social justice union, a climate justice lens is a necessity, this committee will help us achieve that goal by giving teachers and our union leadership the tools we need to stop this man-made ecocide. Let us empower ourselves always.

143.Burnaby

That the Federation provide American Sign Language interpretation at all events open to the general membership and advertise that fact when sharing the details of an event.

Supporting statement

This is one step toward ensuring that our deaf colleagues have equal access to events and feel welcomed and respected. Interpreting services can book up quickly, meaning that a request from a deaf member might go unfulfilled—by making bookings in advance (and as a default practice), we can hopefully avoid that. Closed captioning isn’t always sufficient to allow access, as written English is often a second or third language. Providing a service to allow our deaf members to access events in their first language is important, and so is letting them know about the availability of interpreters. All our members ought to feel welcome and included.

144.Greater Victoria

That on the Provincial Specialist Association (PSA) Day, the Federation refuse to provide workshops at competing district events.

Supporting statement

In addition to the previous motion, we would like the association to ensure they are not supporting districts in holding competing events by offering them BCTF workshops and facilitators. With the understanding that some members may not be able to travel and that some conferences may not be equipped with hybrid features, locals should have the opportunity to offer BCTF workshops but not districts.

145.Kamloops Thompson

That the Annual General Meeting recommend to the Executive Committee that the Federation create a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) committee of four teachers with a mandate to promote UNESCO goals and support all schools provincially in joining or who have already joined the UNESCO network.

Supporting statement

“We accept and act on our broad responsibility to be involved in the social development of the communities, province, and world in which we live. We are responsible for being and creating active citizens who work for the betterment of humanity”—The BCTF website main page (August 2022). According to its constitution, the purpose of UNESCO is “to contribute

to peace and security by promoting collaboration among the nations through education, science, and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law, and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world”—UNESCO Mandate (October 2022) en.unesco.org/human-rights. During the years of 2016–21, the BCTF recognized the common ground shared between both organizations and created an informal liaison. This motion is calling for the renewal of the partnership between the BCTF and the UNESCO Schools Network. The BCTF is a social justice union that has worked strongly toward equality, access, advocacy, and agency, all through solidarity actions. As a union, we look toward our classrooms and our communities to play an active role in addressing poverty, environmentalism, heterosexism, racism, ableism, along with many other injustices. The UNESCO Schools Network aims to address the same goals through classroom and school-wide activities, with teachers and students alike at the heart of change. The intention of this motion is for the established committee to work together with the BC UNESCO Schools Network for the purpose of strengthening the work already being done in BC classrooms to prepare students to live as global citizens. Collaboration could take place in two important ways. The UNESCO Schools Network can provide quality educational resources for teachers who are faced with teaching challenging social justice topics. The content produced by the UNESCO Schools Network is constantly updated offering the latest conceptual frameworks, language, support reading, and audiovisuals. Materials are often presented as living documents that teachers can use/adapt/change to meet their classroom needs. Teachers will feel confident that they are working with the best support materials available. A second and equally important reason for a continued relationship with the BC UNESCO Schools Network is that teachers and their school boards will have access to thought leaders who may be invited inhouse to offer professional development. Access to background information, ways of knowing, and social justice informed pedagogical practice are examples of the many types of sessions that might be of interest. The committee can represent the voices of teachers to select relevant topics. Reconciliation as a priority, reminders about United Nations days, recognizing important events related to reconciliation are in the calendar along with links to activities aimed at “building bridges and positive links between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.” Launched

in 1953, the BC UNESCO Schools Network (ASPNet) is an international network that links together students, teachers, and educational institutions across the world. The network includes over 11,500 UNESCO member schools in 182 countries which work together on international understanding, peace and human rights, intercultural dialogue, sustainable development, and quality education in practice. The BC UNESCO Schools Network in Canada was officially founded in 2001 under the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCUNESCO). At this time, there are more than 80 schools in eight Canadian provinces. There are three member schools in BC and three candidate schools awaiting full member status. The organization has identified Education for All, Global Citizenship Education, Education for Sustainable Development, and Reconciliation as priorities for this year.

146. Vancouver Secondary

That Procedure 25.A.06—9. be amended as follows: The count shall be conducted by the Provincial Returning Officer. Any information obtained during the count, except the local and provincial results of the vote, shall remain confidential. Except where locals have opted for electronic votes under 5.e. above, the vote will be counted locally with reports from local returning officers to the Provincial Returning Officer. For locals that have opted for electronic votes under 5.e. above, that local returning officers receive the vote tallies for their local Any information obtained during the count, except the provincial results of the vote, shall remain confidential.

Supporting statement

As it stands, locals that choose paper ballots will have local tallies while locals that choose electronic voting do not. All locals should receive the same data regardless of how the vote is conducted.

147. Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

That the Federation invite Elders identified by local First Nations, to open zone meetings, representative assemblies, annual general meetings, the Summer Leadership Conference, and the Federation Leadership Institute, and to begin each event with an activity consistent with the protocols of the Nation(s).

Supporting statement

This resolution is intended to continue the important work of decolonization to which the BCTF is already committed. It would seek to make territorial

acknowledgments at the opening of BCTF business more meaningful by actively learning the specific protocols of the host nations where that specific meeting takes place. This would further enable BCTF members to learn of the variety and subtleties of cultures and protocols of Indigenous peoples and would also allow for new relationships to be built between our membership and host nations.

This is something that has been done at annual general meetings, and more recently at zone meetings, and it makes sense to expand the scope of this practice to demonstrate respect and acknowledgment of the local Nations and of Elders within those Nations. Whenever we meet provincially, we have an opportunity to learn, practice, and develop our understanding of the practice of decolonization, and in many ways, that includes hearing members of First Nations speak in their own voices, and sharing the information that they deem relevant for guests, settlers, and visitors on their territory.

148. Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

That the Federation direct the provider of the electronic voting platform to share with each local office the disaggregated data on all future provincial ratification vote results by each local.

Supporting statement

Paper balloting is resource intensive, but some locals chose it because the Federation does not currently make available a local’s voting results when electronic voting is used. The technology exists to run separate voting processes for each local, with the results being able to be made known to each local as to how its members voted. Knowledge is power— evidence drives action. Knowing how membership votes can better inform local strategy on how to educate and engage their members in preparation for the future rounds of bargaining. For clarity, the intent here isn’t for a local’s voting result to be shared with all locals.

149. Vancouver Elementary Adult Educators

That Procedure 25.A.06—9. be amended as follows:

The count shall be conducted by the Provincial Returning Officer. Any information obtained during the count, except the provincial results of the vote, shall remain confidential and except that disaggregated data for the results from each local may be shared with the local office. Except where locals have opted for electronic votes under 5.e.

above, the vote will be counted locally with reports from local returning officers to the Provincial Returning Officer. Any information obtained during the count, except the provincial results of the vote, shall remain confidential and except that disaggregated data for the results from each local may be shared with the local office.

Supporting statement

Paper balloting is resource intensive, but some locals chose it because the Federation does not currently make available a local’s voting results when electronic voting is used. The technology exists to run separate voting processes for each local, with the results being able to be made known to each local as to how its members voted. Knowledge is power— evidence drives action. Knowing how membership votes can better inform local strategy on how to educate and engage their members in preparation for the future rounds of bargaining. For clarity, the intent here isn’t for a local’s voting result to be shared with all locals.

150.Prince George

That Procedure 25.B.02—3.c. be amended as follows:

Nine Ten Executive Committee Members-at-Large— with one Member-at-Large position designated for a member who identifies as being Aboriginal, and one designated for a member who identifies as racialized, and one designated for a member who identifies as 2SLGBTQ+—elected by the Annual General Meeting for two-year terms in such a manner as to ensure that at least three vacancies shall be filled at each Annual General Meeting.

Supporting statement

If By-law 5 is amended to add a designated seat for a member who identifies as 2SLGBTQ+, Procedure 25.B.02—3.c. should also be amended to align with the new by-law wording.

PENSIONS

151.Vancouver Secondary

That members of the BCTF direct Federation leadership to support a plan of full divestment from fossil fuels of the BC Teachers Pension Plan by:

1. encouraging through formal and informal channels a consensus of the Teachers’ Pension Board of Trustees to move forward with a plan for a fossil free investment fund to be achieved by 2028 consistent with the fiduciary obligations of the Board.

2. encouraging the Teachers’ Pension Board of Trustees to direct British Columbia Investment (BCI) to develop a cost-effective, fiduciarily sound implementation process to achieve this objective.

3. reporting to the membership on a quarterly basis all efforts and progress to achieve these objectives.

4. appointing pension trustees who are responsive to the science, facts, and prudent investment standards needed to respond to the financial risks of climate change.

Supporting statement

With the recovery ongoing from the catastrophic fires and flooding of 2021, it is clear that climate disruption is a problem that teachers, students, and communities will be facing for the rest of our lives. Our retirement funds can either help allay the problem or worsen it. This resolution lays out clear and concrete steps to address our pension investments’ contribution to carbon emissions:

• It asks leadership to actively promote divestment from fossil fuels to our trustees in a consistent, ongoing, and fiduciarily sound manner.

• It sets a standard for the appointment of new trustees to our pension board: candidates must fully grasp the serious implications of climate science for managing our investments, including the investment risks presented by fossil fuels.

• The resolution also directs leadership to provide periodic updates to the membership about actions taken to fulfill the intent of this resolution. This resolution also asks that our trustees give fair and thorough consideration to a realistic, costeffective, and fiduciarily sound plan to divest from fossil fuels. There should be no obstacle to devising such a plan, as more than 1,500 institutions globally who manage $40 trillion USD have divested, including pensions in Canada and the US (divestmentdatabase. org). According to BlackRock’s seminal study for City of New York pension funds, divested funds have not lost money and divestment modestly improved returns in some cases. Fees were also in line with historical costs. The trustees of those global institutions have figured out how to achieve their investment goals without fossil fuels in the portfolio. They are subject to the same duty as our pension’s trustees—to invest our retirement dollars prudently and actively address threats to the value of the fund. Fossil fuels present a serious threat to our fund’s long-term value. Fossil fuels have underperformed for more than a decade, lagging the stock market in 8 of the last 12 years and performing worst of all sectors in 5 of those years.

Fossil fuel companies continue to drill and mine at rates that are not aligned with a livable climate. The sector’s proposal to remain relevant in a low-carbon world relies on technologies that are not commercially viable. Fossil fuels saw a short-term bump in profitability due to rising oil prices from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the impact of sanctions, but the long-term financial outlook is negative. Society is decarbonizing, new regulations limiting fossil fuel use are being passed, and alternative technologies are replacing fossil fuel use for electricity, transportation, plastics, and other petrochemicals. These alternative technologies are seeing record deployment around the world. Our pension board currently has a policy of shareholder engagement with fossil fuel companies, which relies on owning shares in order to cast votes. Unlike with most other industries, engagement with fossil fuel companies has proven counterproductive. For example, after shareholders, including BCI, installed several new directors at ExxonMobil from a climate-conscious slate last year, the CEO said not to expect any big changes and the company continues developing new oil and gas fields. Carefully crafted divestment strategies are a logical component of a climate action plan. It remains to be seen whether we can achieve our net-zero goals without targeted divestment of problematic emitters. When a trustee becomes aware of a risk to the value of their investment fund, they have a responsibility to consider how to defend the fund from that risk and implement a solution. Without considering a reasonable plan to divest, our trustees may be derelict in their duty. Fortunately, our investment managers at BCI are talented. They have helped us keep our retirement fund healthy. We are confident that they can propose a reasonable plan to continue meeting our investment targets without fossil fuels in the portfolio. It will require creative thinking, diligence, and a willingness to consider different perspectives. That is what we ask of our students every day and what we stand for as a profession. The resolution empowers BCI and our trustees with a five-year timeframe to design and implement a financially responsible and low-cost plan within the rules and structure of our retirement fund. To address our pension money’s contribution to carbon emissions, we need to set a high standard and allow our professionals the leeway to meet it.

152. Greater Victoria

That the Annual General Meeting recommend to the Executive Committee that the Federation create a task force to investigate ways to divest our pension funds from fossil fuel investments and report back to the Fall Representative Assembly.

Supporting statement

We are in the midst of a climate crisis and one of the biggest ways we can address this climate crisis is by looking at where our teacher pension money is invested. At last year’s BCTF Annual General Meeting, we passed a motion that stated that the BCTF investigate ways to divest our pension fund from fossil fuel companies. This resolution passed with our members voting over 70% in favour of it. Unfortunately, we as a provincial union, can’t divest the money ourselves. There are separate organizations that invest and divest our pension money and so far, there has been no real divestment from fossil fuel companies. Currently, The Teachers’ Pension Plan trustees are against divestment from fossil fuel companies and think this divestment would be too difficult and costly for our pension. You can look at much larger pension plans than ours and see that this is not the case. Europe’s largest pension plan, the Netherland’s APB, has already begun divesting from fossil fuel companies. Closer to home, New York state’s pension plan has begun to divest from fossil fuel companies as well. The purpose of this new resolution would be to get a group of teachers from across the province to investigate ways we could divest our pension fund from fossil fuel companies and ways that we could put pressure on the groups that control our pension funds to ensure we divest from fossil fuels.

POLITICAL ACTION

Recommendation 29

That the Federation strongly publicly condemn the Royal Bank of Canada, OJO Home Canada, and the Fraser Institute for monetizing student assessment data for corporate profit, demand they cease this action, and call upon provincial and territorial governments to take immediate steps to prevent this misuse of student data.

Supporting statement

Government has the tools to prevent corporations from making money off the schools’ rankings. Big banks should not be allowed to profit from this egregious misuse of student data. The partnership with RBC, OJO Home Canada, and the Fraser Institute

makes the need to protect the data more acute than ever. Whenever data is collected especially from children, it needs to be used in an ethical manner for the purpose for which it was collected. The blatant corporate use and monetization of student assessment data to profit big business needs to be immediately stopped and condemned in the strongest possible manner.

The Royal Bank of Canada, OJO Home Canada, and the Fraser Institute have all partnered so that when families are looking to buy a home, they can use the OJO Home Canada platform to search for homes according to school rankings and then go through the Royal Bank for their mortgage.

The BCTF has been opposed to the Foundation Skills Assessments (FSAs) in their current form for decades, one of the key concerns has been the public ranking of schools and the damaging impact they have on school communities when the results are reported by media outlets. The intent of the Fraser Institute is to undermine public education in favour of private schools. While it is not new that realtors use this data to sell homes, the online campaign and website and advertising brings the issues of the misuse of student data into the public realm in a much more intentional manner. There are many dangers with this type of campaign including the further stratification of neighborhoods that can have detrimental impacts on schools and communities.

153. Coquitlam

That the Federation lobby post-secondary institutions and the provincial government to freeze teacher education program tuition for five years.

Supporting statement

Education has seen a province-wide shortage in available teachers. Teachers teaching on call shortages are a daily reality, and recruitment and retention issues are forefront to many of our bargaining discussions. Teacher education programs are not keeping up with demand, and many are seeing lower than capacity enrolment. With cost-ofliving and inflation increases over the last few years, the current tuition fee could be frozen to increase attraction to teacher education programs by making them more affordable.

154. Surrey

That the Federation lobby the government to abandon its investment in Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) and divest LNG subsidies for:

1. retraining for workers currently in fossil fuel energy industries.

2. investment in sustainable, zero-emission energy industries.

3. developing of the green electrification infrastructure in both rural and urban settings.

Supporting statement

In 2020, the provincial government provided $1.3 billion in oil and gas subsidies, more than the government spent on combating climate change, and five times more than the government gets back in royalties from the oil and gas sector. These subsidies take the form of tax exemptions, credits to reduce royalty payments, direct spending commitments, and financing for infrastructure. These subsidies do not consider the public expense of cleaning up abandoned wells and fracking ponds, the health and social costs of LNG production and use, or the costs to society from the effects of climate change. Under our current government, subsidies to fracking have doubled, this at a time when other west coast jurisdictions like California and Washington are ending fracking licenses. Government money spent subsidizing the oil and gas sector means less spent on health care, education, and housing, while at the same time contributing to the effects of climate change that will impact our members and the students in our care.

155. Surrey

That the Federation stand in solidarity with Wet’suwet’en Peoples through actions including but not limited to:

1. making a public announcement.

2. bringing a motion of support to the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, the Canadian Labour Congress, and the BC Federation of Labour.

3. writing a letter to the Minister of Forests, the Minister of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship, and the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation demanding that the provincial government cease all drilling by Coastal Gas Link on Wet’suwet’en territories in respect and recognition of the rights of Wet’suwet’en to free and informed consent as laid out in United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)/British Columbia Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA).

Supporting statement

BC’s adoption of UNDRIP means that Indigenous peoples determine how they will be self-governed. Both the hereditary system of the Wet’suwet’en as well as the elected band council system (imposed through the Indian Act) are legitimate. Both the federal and provincial governments need to meet the required mandate through UNDRIP that requires, “States shall consult and co-operate in good faith with the Indigenous peoples concerned through their own representative institutions in order to obtain their free and informed consent prior to the approval of any project affecting their lands or territories and other resources, particularly in connection with the development, utilization, or exploitation of mineral, water or other resources.” It is with this in mind that we need to elevate and support calls from the Wet’suwet’en to stop drilling under the sacred headwaters that nourish the Wet’suwet’en Yintah. The Coastal Gas Link construction has destroyed the ancient village site Ts’elkay Kwe and threatens salmon spawning grounds and resources that many communities’ access downstream. The drilling and construction in this area has been destructive and the antithesis of what UNDRIP calls for.

156. Surrey

That the Federation engage in a media campaign to inform interested parties about the lack of specialist teachers that support students with special needs.

Supporting statement

It is urgent as professionals that we inform the public about the discrepancy between the principles of inclusion for students with diverse needs as mandated by the Ministry of Education and the lack of human resources to carry out this duty. The reality of the day-to-day demands placed on teachers needs to be made visible to the public. Our professional body, the Federation, needs to speak on our behalf and inform the public about the truth of the inadequacy of resources needed to educate the children of BC.

157. Surrey

That the Federation start an awareness campaign regarding access to mental health benefits through the First Nations Health Authority.

Supporting statement

This gives extra support to our members who need counselling and identify as Indigenous and enables our non-Indigenous members to recommend extra support to students and their families who may need

them. Indigenous people that are status are entitled to up to 22 sessions of counselling through the First Nations Health Authority. Indigenous people that are non- status/Métis are entitled to up to 15 sessions of counselling through the First Nations Health Authority. Teachers can let Indigenous students and their families know that this benefit is available should they need the support of mental health services.

158. Greater Victoria

That the Federation publicly lobby for districts and the government to cease the practice of hosting competing events on the October Provincial Specialist Association (PSA) Day.

Supporting statement

The Ministry and various districts continue to host competing events on the PSA Day which affects participation and therefore makes it more difficult for the provincial specialist associations both fiscally and in member engagement. In order to place value on the work of our professional specialist associations and their conferences, we would like the BCTF to take a more public approach to their advocacy.

159. Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

That the Federation lobby the federal government for full regularization of all undocumented people and permanent residence for all migrants, particularly those in low-waged jobs.

Supporting statement

Prime Minister Trudeau has instructed the federal Minister of Immigration to move ahead with a regularization program, but it is expected that there will be limitations placed on those seeking to obtain permanent residence status. Migrants, including refugees and undocumented migrants, often work in some of the most insecure and exploitative jobs such as nursing, child and elder care, farming, and domestic labour. Over 500,000 people live in Canada without any valid immigration permits and 1.2 million people are on work, study, or refugee claimant permits. Many of these workers are part of our school communities. They may be parents, caregivers, and students in the public school system. The BCTF is a social justice union, and our members have a responsibility to advocate for and support the right to full status for all undocumented people.

160. Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

That the Federation call up on the government of British Columbia to:

1. change the BC Labour Relations Code to include sectoral bargaining so migrant care workers can unionize.

2. increase the budget for the Employment Standards Branch for improved monitoring and compliance of the Employment Standards Act.

Supporting statement

Temporary migrant care workers are some of the most vulnerable workers in BC, without access to unionization and subject to employer abuse. Although they are theoretically protected under the Employment Standards Act, BC Human Rights Code, and WorkSafeBC, enforcement is virtually nonexistent due to the lack of resources (i.e., enforcement officers). Such workers are isolated and subjected to long working hours, many living in employers’ homes which are often not safe environments. Sectoral bargaining is one way to provide dispersed care workers employed by individual employers to form unions, but the Labour Code needs to be changed in order to allow for that kind of organizing.

161. Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

That the Federation call upon the government of British Columbia and the government of Canada to:

1. provide a safe, regulated drug supply (safe supply) for those who currently rely on the illegal drug market, and to do so in collaboration with evidence-based drug-policy groups.

2. continue and extend the BC decriminalization on the personal possessions of drugs, increasing the amounts deemed appropriate by evidence-based policy groups.

3. pardon prior convictions that no longer would be charged recognizing the disproportionate impacts of criminalization on Black, Indigenous, people of colour, and low-income people.

4. advocate for harm reduction instead of the abstinence model.

5. ensure access and availability of teaching materials that are in keeping with a harm reduction approach instead of the abstinence model, to be used in the delivery of BC’s physical and health education curriculum at various grade levels.

Supporting statement

The overdose and toxic drug supply crisis was declared a public health emergency on April 14, 2016. The number of deaths is staggering. The impact of the crisis extends into schools and into our working lives as teachers and many members’ personal lives either directly or indirectly.

Small steps are being taken, but more needs to be done—including ensuring that teachers have access to teaching materials that are accurate and in keeping with a harm reduction approach.

162. Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

That the Federation advocate for the ending of programs between BC schools and local police and/ or RCMP.

Supporting statement

We know that the incarceration rates and the experiences of police violence, racial profiling, and criminalization impact Black people, Indigenous people, and people of colour (BIPOC) disproportionately. Regardless of the actions of individual members of local police or the RCMP, the institutions themselves have an impact on our members, our students, and our students’ families. Yes, police officers present a sense of protection and security for those with privilege in a school community, but as teachers we are responsible for fostering an emotionally and physically safe environment for all. Schools are safer and traumafree when BIPOC members, BIPOC students, and BIPOC families are safe from re-traumatization within them. Only through concrete actions like this can we truly claim to be committed to anti-racism and reconciliation.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

163. Vancouver Secondary

That Procedure 30.A.32—7. be amended as follows: Members of the Peer Support Services will be given adequate training and support by the Federation. BCTF peer support program consultants hold their training and meeting days on two back-to-back weekdays.

Supporting statement

Consultants in the Peer Support Services are currently required to work a full Saturday twice a year at the BCTF office without pay. To be clear, this is not simply a meeting—it is a full 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

workday involving training sessions, note taking, case presentations, etc. We believe that requiring members to work without pay is contrary to union principles. Management already expects us to work outside our Monday/Friday schedule; we shouldn’t face the same pressures at the union. We would like these meetings to take place during the week, with teacher teaching on call coverage for our classes, so that we are paid for our workdays.

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS, RIGHTS, AND STANDARDS

Amendments to the Code of Ethics must be passed by special resolution at an Annual General Meeting, which requires a 75% majority to pass (see By-law 20). Special resolutions require advance notice to the membership and cannot be amended from the floor at the AGM.

Recommendation 30

That the BCTF Code of Ethics, Procedure 31.B.02 be amended to add a new 10. as follows: In the course of union business and meetings, the member must not discriminate against any other member because of race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, political belief, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or age of that person or member, or because that person or member has been convicted of a criminal or summary conviction offence that is unrelated to the membership or intended membership, or any other protected grounds under the BC Human Rights Code.

Supporting statement

By embedding this statement of protected grounds under the BC Human Rights Code within the BCTF Code of Ethics, the Federation is clear that all members are required to act in accordance with the BC Human Rights code. This helps ensure safe spaces free from discrimination for all members in support of greater union solidarity. The Judicial Council currently has jurisdiction over complaints under the Code of Ethics.

PRIVATIZATION AND COMMERCIALIZATION

164. Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

That Procedure 29.16 be deleted.

Supporting statement:

Procedure 29.16 has not been put into practice for quite some time. It can be deleted from the Members’ Guide.

PROFESSIONAL RELATIONS

Recommendation 31

That Procedure 32.02—2. be amended as follows: The Executive Committee will appoint members to the Internal Mediation Service for three-year terms, normally to a maximum of three terms, and the members will comprise represent gender diversity, a balance of male and female elementary and secondary members, and shall include at least two mediators who are fluent both in French and English.

Supporting statement

This recommendation seeks to update the procedure to reflect inclusive language and move away from binary and dated terminology.

PROVINCIAL SPECIALIST ASSOCIATIONS

Recommendation 32

That Procedure 33.16—4.a. be amended as follows: presidents/vice-presidents, treasurers, and membership co-ordinators of provincial specialist associations shall be active BCTF members;

Supporting statement

Under the current Procedure 33.16, only provincial specialist association (PSA) presidents and vicepresidents have to be active members of the BCTF. PSA treasurers handle BCTF-controlled funds and, along with membership co-ordinators, handle member personal information. As the Federation provides support for these roles and oversight on funds and personal information, it is important that the treasurer and membership co-ordinator are active members of the BCTF.

165. Greater Victoria

That the Federation encourage provincial specialist associations to include hybrid or remote online options promoting accessibility to all members.

Supporting statement

As a union we work hard to make opportunities just, fair, and inclusive to all of our members. BC is a diverse province in landscape and weather. We

have members in remote communities that find it both challenging and fiscally difficult to travel to conferences. The hybrid option honours the importance and value of meeting face-to-face while keeping an inclusive option open for those unable to travel.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

166. Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

That the Federation research and report to members about the working conditions of its members who work in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) as well as the living conditions in the DTES, and other innercity communities.

Supporting statement

The province of British Columbia has recently announced a decision that it will be taking a greater role and responsibility in co-ordinating and overseeing supports and services in Vancouver’s DTES given the severity and multitude of issues playing out in that area of Vancouver. There are also schools that are located in this area, and therefore it is incumbent upon the province to also play a role in ensuring that the reality facing students and staff in those schools is recognized, and that appropriate levels of support and interventions are implemented. The Federation can play a role in ensuring that this occurs, as the depth of need goes far beyond what can reasonably be expected of local intervention.

167. Surrey

That the Federation recommend to the Executive Committee to take further action to “take steps to redress the increase in gender disparity in the teaching profession” such as engaging members through a task force.

Supporting statement

The January 2021 Winter Representative Assembly passed the following:

That the BCTF address the continuing decline in numbers of men in the teaching profession by quantifying the extent of the decline, identifying the potential impacts of the decline on public education and in the community at large, investigating the causes of the decline, and taking steps to redress the increase of gender disparity in the teaching profession with a report back to the Fall Representative Assembly.

January 2022 provided a one-page summary of previous research and actions including: That in 1991, 37% of the teaching force were male identifying and in 2016 our 20- to 29-year-old teachers are only 17% male identifying. In 30 years, the male identifying teachers have decreased by half and the report even highlights “[t]his trend was likely to increase exponentially over the coming years.” “The BCTF is actively committed to equity in the union;” however, the actions to deal with the original motion included investigating how to “address the continuing decline in numbers of men” are incomplete. Research results have been shared with partners including Faculties of Education, the Association of BC Deans of Education (ABCDE), and the BC Teachers Council (BCTC) members.

However, affecting systemic change requires a plan with SMART goals. As an active BCTF member for 27 years, I do not believe that my BCTF relies on outside forces to be the change they want to see. The BCTF is an action oriented social justice union. There are several huge successes where the BCTF acted, including Women in Negotiations (WIN). There was a clear problem with not enough members identifying as women being in leadership and having opportunities to grow in leadership. The last five years have had 83% female identifying members as Members-at-Large on our BCTF Executive Committee. When the members of the BCTF recognizes that there is a need, we pass motions at annual general meetings, representative assemblies, and Executive Committee meetings and actions follow:

• member engagements (task forces, surveys, town halls)

• examining and recommending actions (task forces, advisory committees)

• actionable outcomes (recommendations, programs such as WIN)

• recommendations to the Annual General Meeting (seeking outside counsel)

• developing, modifying, and implementing a plan to affect change.

It is great that we now have the knowledge that there is a “trend was likely to increase exponentially over the coming years.” However, we cannot rely on the universities to fully understand or to solve the problem. The 2021 motion is now considered completed and the report concludes the action required. This motion is to recommend the work continue to “identify[..]the potential impacts of the decline on public education and in the community

at large, investigating the causes of the decline, and taking steps to redress the increase of gender disparity in the teaching profession.”

An actionable result, such as a task force, would engage members, potentially pre-members, and lost members to put their heads together to examine:

• the existing sources of the decline.

• the current impacts of the decline.

• the potential further impact.

• why more male-identifying pre-service teachers are on probation or not successful.

• why male identifying members are more likely to leave the profession.

For 47 years the Members’ Guide has included Policy 41.D.11, which states “That a more equitable distribution of women and men should be included in school staffs at all levels.” This motion reaffirms the belief of equitable distribution of members at all levels. There is clear evidence there continues to be a decline in male identifying members and “this trend is likely to increase exponentially over the coming years. “Such work is critically important for our existing male identifying members, our future male identifying members who are currently our students. Close to 50% of our students are boys and many of them can say that I don’t see people like me working in all levels in education. This work needs to be included in ongoing efforts of the BCTF to ensure equitable representation of our diverse population.

168. Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

That the Federation create a dynamic online list of environmentally friendly actions teachers could readily implement or promote in order to mitigate environmental degradation and to be more mindful of our ecological footprint.

Supporting statement

Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something. As Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary General states, “We are on the highway to climate Hell.” We are running out of time to reverse or even stop environmental degradation. The idea behind this list is to collectively take some responsibility for our behaviour and to instill environmentally beneficial habits our students can employ throughout their lives.

TEACHER EDUCATION

Recommendation 33

That Policy 47.C.03 be deleted.

Supporting statement

The current wording of this policy is as follows: 47.C.03—That Grade 13 received in Ontario from 1969–1976 be recognized as equivalent to first year university for certification and TQS category in BC.

The Teachers’ Qualification Service (TQS) section of the Members’ Guide is quite short and Policy 47.C.07 is the only policy that provides advice to the TQS Board about how applications are to be adjudicated. Policy 47.C.03 was adopted by the 1994 Annual General Meeting, likely in response to a specific issue that was occurring at the time. It does not need to be retained in the Members’ Guide.

169. Nanaimo

That the Federation lobby the Teachers’ Qualification Service and the Ministry of Education and Child Care to acknowledge Indigenous lived experience as equivalent to academic preparation, and as an act of reconciliation, place teachers with a Master of Arts in Indigenous Languages and Linguistics in category six.

Supporting statement

Currently, teachers of Indigenous languages hold a Master of Arts in Indigenous Languages and Linguistics but do not always hold a degree in Education. As a result, many teachers of Indigenous languages are paid at a category four. The lived experience of Indigenous language teachers is the equivalent to the academic preparation of an education program and as a result, Indigenous language teachers should be remunerated accordingly. This is a simple but important act of reconciliation which ensures that the value and importance of Indigenous language teachers is reflected in the pay they receive.

170. Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators

That Policy 47.A.05 be amended to add a new 11. as follows:

To be aware of the role of collective agreements and teacher unions in their working conditions, and legislation relevant to the professional conduct of teachers and protection of workers.

Supporting statement

Policy 47.A.05 includes a list of matters that the Federation believes should be part of teacher education programs in BC. This is an important list connected to the instructional and pedagogical work teachers undertake in their careers, but absent from this list is material that will connect pre-service teachers with knowledge about unionism and the role of a collective agreement in a teachers’ life. This proposed policy change speaks to the necessity of having teacher candidates enter the workforce with a strong understanding of our working conditions and the importance of defending public education. There are occasions when the Federation is approached to provide input or feedback to local, national, and international teaching awards. These awards, which can be for classroom or instructional practice, present a challenge to our internal unity, and to the practice of the Code of Ethics that guide us not to evaluate the work of our colleagues. This provides policy that will assist in providing a clear and consistent response whenever such a request comes to the BCTF. Teacher education programs prepare teacher candidates to be effective educators in the classroom, but do not assist new teachers in understanding the labour context within which they will operate as professionals. Simply put, the newer teachers beginning their careers understanding the power of bargaining and the collective agreement, the more teachers will understand the need to participate in union work in defence of our working conditions and the welfare of the public education system.

TEACHERS TEACHING ON CALL

171. Surrey

That the Federation publicly demand that school districts ensure that there is a sufficient supply of teachers teaching on call in all specialist areas (e.g., special education, counselling, technology, etc.) at all times throughout the school year.

Supporting statement

When school districts fail to ensure there are enough specialized teachers teaching on call (TTOCs) it puts teachers at a disadvantage when considering ministry, BCTF, or local union work. When teachers know that they are not going to be covered by another specialist, they also know that their students learning will be compromised if they take time away from their regular work. This has the effect that said teachers are reluctant to take time away and are therefore less likely to have their voices heard. This has serious

consequences for any type of consultation with district/ministry task forces that have direct influence on the efficacy of the work in their area of expertise. We also lose their perspective from work with our union. This results in a serious reduction in capacity both at the ministry and union levels.

172. Greater Victoria

That the Federation encourage locals to fund teachers teaching on call (TTOCs) engagement in professional development (PD) with the same frequency as continuing contract teachers including paid days for PD events and travel days as required.

Supporting statement

We would like our new teachers to feel like valued members of the teaching profession. Early career teachers that are offered professional development opportunities will develop more confidence and capacity for growth in their teaching practice. We are in a state of rapidly losing our early career teachers and TTOCs, and we feel that this professional development support is essential. The TTOCs are our members and we would like the BCTF to encourage locals to fund PD for them at the same rate as continuing contract members.

Report of the Executive Committee PART 3

Executive Committee report

An extensive report on the work done by the Executive Committee (EC) in implementing the priorities of the 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and actions taken on decisions of the 2022 AGM will be included in the kits distributed at the AGM. Members can access the document on the BCTF’s website.

The following are the reports of the advisory committees to the EC and are based on their work since the last AGM.

ABORIGINAL EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Terms of Reference

Composition: Nine members

1. Advise the Executive Committee on:

a. Aboriginal education issues.

b. workplace climate for Aboriginal teachers.

c. the implementation of an employment equity program for Aboriginal teachers.

d. outreach activities.

e. challenging thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate colonialism and working together with others to ensure that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act are implemented.

2. Facilitate the Aboriginal education portion of zone meetings and Summer Leadership Conference.

3. Assist in the development of local, zonal, and provincial networks of members, and consult on Aboriginal education issues.

4. Review research on the level of success of Aboriginal students in BC public schools, and provide advice on initiatives to enhance success for Aboriginal students.

5. Work with the Aboriginal Education Association Provincial Specialist Association and teachers to improve the level of success for Aboriginal students.

6. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate racism and work together with BIPOC members to create and maintain anti-racist environments.

Priorities

1. Centre, respect, prioritize, and promote Aboriginal perspectives, resources, and content and continue supporting the Federation’s work in highlighting the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

2. Support the Federation’s goal of increasing education about Canada’s historical and current colonial policies and genocidal practices, by supporting the Indigenous studies graduation requirement and providing anti-Indigenous racism education for all BC educators and students.

3. Support members’ understanding of the intergenerational effects of colonization on Aboriginal people and the rich histories and cultures of Aboriginal peoples.

4. Continue supporting the Federation’s work in the collaborative development and implementation of local enhancement agreements to foster strong relationships with Aboriginal communities and to ensure that local presidents are signatories (See also 2019 Annual General Meeting Report on Enhancement Agreements).

5. Promote the BCTF Statement of Principles for incorporating Aboriginal Ways of Knowing and Being.

6. Promote the BCTF website as a venue for sharing Aboriginal education teaching resources, especially locally relevant resources.

7. Continue the work of decolonizing schools and unions and promote the use of the BCTF Aboriginal Lens.

8. Use an equity lens to continue decolonizing existing structures and remove barriers to equitable access to participation within the union.

9. Support and promote the leadership priorities adopted by the 2022 BCTF Annual General Meeting.

Report

The Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee (AEAC), comprised of nine members representing locals throughout British Columbia, advise the BCTF EC on policy related to Aboriginal matters. The committee continues to ensure that communication is facilitated between teachers and the Federation through the local contacts.

The Federation continues the important work of implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Many teachers and students province-wide

continue to work with Project of Heart: Illuminating the Hidden History of Indian Residential Schools in BC. Demand for this resource continues to require reprinting as requests are now over 30,000 copies. In addition, there have been 84,765 online impressions to the ebook. Resource development remains another of our top priorities.

The Project of Heart canoe, originally commissioned by BCTF to commemorate the findings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, was featured at our Summer Leadership Conference opening keynote address with Chief Rosanne Casimir. Throughout the Summer Leadership Conference and Facilitators’ Institute Training the canoe was displayed at Gage Towers. The canoe has travelled from Alert Bay to Langley, Comox, Port Alberni, Chilliwack, and Mission, inspiring hundreds of students, teachers, and community members to learn from The Project of Heart, and through Bev Brown’s Speaking to Memory Exhibit.

Aboriginal education workshops remain a priority. In May 2021, 215 undocumented graves were located and confirmed at the site of Kamloops Indian Residential School. In response to the shocking revelation, a new workshop and resource—215

Le Estcwicwéy: Honouring the Children Buried at Kamloops Indian Residential School—was developed by members of the AEAC, and Aboriginal facilitators. A workshop was developed to educate BCTF staff and facilitators on how to apply the Aboriginal Lens and incorporate it into all aspects of our organization.

Employment equity and enhancement agreements also remain a focus for the AEAC. We continue to work toward the goal of achieving employment equity programs in all school districts. We continue to support the joint efforts of teachers, parents, communities, and districts in maintaining the reciprocal relationships and accountability model that enhancement agreement protocols provide.

We remain committed to building strong relationships with BC education partners and working with the Aboriginal Education Provincial Specialist Association.

The AEAC would like to thank the EC and all Federation members for their ongoing support as well as their efforts to incorporate the Aboriginal Lens and Aboriginal Ways of Knowing and Being throughout the work of our Federation.

Aboriginal Education Advisory Committee 2022–23

Brenda Celesta, Kamloops Thompson

Brian Coleman, Langley

Jenna Hopper, Kootenay Lake

Allison Hotti, Surrey

Lyndsay Lockhart, Sooke

Coreen Loe, Fort Nelson

Stephanie Muldoe, Coast Mountain

Claire Shannon-Akiwenzie, VEAES

Susan Chang, Prince George

Teri Mooring, Executive Committee liaison

On the committee 2021–22

Jelana Bighorn, VEAES

Missy Haynes, Sooke

Brandon Peters, Vancouver

Secondary

ADULT EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Terms of Reference

Composition: Seven members

1. Advise the Executive Committee on all matters related to adult education.

2. Review education policy and research, and provide advice on initiatives to increase opportunities for adult learners.

3. Advise the Executive Committee on the needs and concerns of adult education teachers, including as they pertain to bargaining.

4. Develop strategies for achieving parity in funding for adult education and achieving equity in working conditions for adult education teachers.

5. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate colonialism and working together with others to ensure that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act are implemented.

6. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate racism and work together with BIPOC members to create and maintain anti-racist environments.

Priorities

1. Raise the profile of adult education teachers within the BCTF.

2. Support adult education teachers across the province and engage them in the work of the Federation.

3. Advise on advocacy to achieve parity and equity of per FTE funding for adult education students.

4. Advise on advocacy to achieve parity and equity in accessing professional development opportunities for adult education teachers within their locals.

5. Advise on advocacy to achieve parity, equity, and common language for adult education teachers in provincial and local collective agreements.

6. Consider the role of the committee in decolonizing schools and unions and investigate the use of the BCTF Aboriginal Lens in committee discussions.

7. Use an equity lens to continue decolonizing existing structures and remove barriers to equitable access to participation within the union.

8. Support and promote the leadership priorities adopted by the 2022 BCTF Annual General Meeting.

Report

The Adult Education Advisory Committee (AdEAC), consisting of seven members from locals throughout British Columbia, meets three times each year.

The committee continues to work on ways to increase the profile of adult education teachers within the Federation. The AdEAC is working to ensure that the membership is aware of the funding disparities in adult education. The committee is working with Teacher magazine to feature adult education and how adult education teachers meet the needs of adult learners, particularly the role they play in contributing to poverty reduction.

Advocating for parity per full-time equivalent funding for adult education students, equal to that of K–12 students, continues to be a priority. The expansion of online and distributed learning delivery models increasingly denies students the supports that inperson classrooms provide, which is a continued focus for this committee. Adequate and equitable funding can ensure these students can graduate or upgrade, have a solid chance to rise above minimum-wage jobs, and improve their quality of life.

Many adult education teachers do not have the same collective agreement rights as their K–12 colleagues. Inequities in preparation time, paid professional development days, instructional time, class-size and composition limits, work schedules, and course load continue to create inferior work conditions. The committee continues to advocate for equity for adult education teachers.

The committee looks forward to continuing their exploration of ways to challenge thinking, structures,

and systems that perpetuate colonialism, and working with others to ensure that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples are implemented. Developing and strengthening relationships across advisory committees will be a focus.

Adult Education Advisory Committee 2022–23

Lizanne Foster, Surrey

Allan Haley, VEAES

James Hanson, Powell River

Kimberley Henneberry Glover, Maple Ridge

Rob McGowan, VEAES

Jelana Bighorn, Executive Committee liaison

On the committee 2021–22

Keith Chan, Coquitlam

Dale Hardy, Maple Ridge

Joanne Shaw, Prince George

ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON FRENCH PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

Terms of Reference

Composition: Seven members

1. Make recommendations to the Executive Committee on the needs and concerns of French as a first and working language (FFWL) teachers relating to bargaining, working and learning conditions, and professional development.

2. Facilitate the French education portion of zone meetings and Summer Leadership Conference.

3. Assist in the development of local, zonal, and provincial networks of FFWL members, and consult on French education issues.

4. Advise the Executive Committee on the need for equity in the allocation and the distribution of funding and resources for French education programs.

5. Collaborate and strengthen working partnerships between provincial specialist associations and other language associations to support in the delivery of French education programs.

6. Review BCTF policy statements and objectives as they relate to FFWL members.

7. Review educational change as it pertains to French education, as a first and additional language.

8. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate colonialism and working together with others to ensure that the Truth and Reconciliation

Commission Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act are implemented.

9. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate racism and work together with BIPOC members to create and maintain anti-racist environments.

Termes de référence

Composition: Sept membres

1. Conseiller le Comité exécutif quant aux besoins et aux préoccupations des enseignant(e)s des programmes de de français langue première et seconde (FLTP) concernant les négociations, les conditions de travail et d’apprentissage et du développement professionnel.

2. Animer la portion sur l’éducation en français aux réunions de zones et à la conférence d’été.

3. Appuyer le développement des réseaux local, provincial et des zones pour les membres FLTP et mener des consultations sur les enjeux de l’éducation en français.

4. Conseiller le Comité exécutif sur le besoin d’équité dans l’affectation et la distribution du financement et des ressources pour les programmes d’éducation en français.

5. Collaborer et renforcer les partenariats de travail entre les associations provinciales de spécialistes et d’autres associations linguistiques pour appuyer la prestation des programmes d’éducation en français.

6. Examiner les énoncés de politique et les objectifs de la FECB en ce qui a trait aux membres FLTP.

7. Examiner les changements en matière d’éducation en ce qui a trait à l’éducation en français en tant que langue première et langue supplémentaire.

8. Remettre en question la pensée, les structures et les systèmes qui perpétuent le colonialisme et collaborer avec les autres pour veiller à la mise en œuvre des appels à l’action de la Commission de vérité et de réconciliation, de la Déclaration des Nations Unies sur les droits des peuples autochtones, et de la Déclaration sur la Loi sur les droits des peuples autochtones.

9. Remettre en question la pensée, les structures et les systèmes qui perpétuent le racisme et travailler en collaboration avec les membres BIPOC pour créer et maintenir des environnements antiracistes.

Priorities

1. Advance the cause of French education as a public good in the BC public education system and in the BCTF by supporting the Federation’s advocacy for more equitable working conditions for French as a first or working language (FFWL) members.

2. Achieve greater representation of FFWL members by developing support and training for French education local chairs (and/or representatives).

3. Support local, zonal, and provincial opportunities for all FFWL members to build powerful relationships to address their specific needs and honour their linguistic and cultural diversity.

4. Continue supporting the Federation’s work to secure resources, in‐service, teacher mentorship, and professional development opportunities for FFWL members to support K–12 French curricula.

5. Consider the role of the committee in decolonizing schools and unions and investigate the use of the BCTF Aboriginal Lens in committee discussions.

6. Use an equity lens to continue decolonizing existing structures and remove barriers to equitable access to participation within the union.

7. Support and promote the leadership priorities adopted by the 2022 BCTF Annual General Meeting.

Priorités

1. Faire avancer la cause de l’éducation en français en tant que bien public dans le système d’éducation publique de la Colombie-Britannique et au sein de la FECB en appuyant les efforts de la Fédération pour des conditions de travail plus équitables pour les membres dont le français est la langue première ou la langue de travail (FLTP).

2. Atteindre une plus grande représentation de nos membres FLPT en élaborant spécifiquement un soutien et une formation ciblés pour les président(e)s locaux(-ales) et/ou représentant(e)s de l’éducation en français.

3. Appuyer les opportunités aux niveaux local, provincial et des zones pour tous les enseignants FLPT dans le but d’établir des relations solides afin de répondre à leurs besoins particuliers et d’honorer leur diversité linguistique et culturelle.

4. Continuer d’appuyer le travail de la Fédération visant à maintenir les ressources, les services, le mentorat des enseignant(e)s et les occasions de perfectionnement professionnel pour les membres FLTP afin de soutenir les programmes de français de la maternelle à la 12e année.

5. Considérer le rôle du comité dans la décolonisation des écoles et des syndicats et étudier l’utilisation de la lentille autochtone de la FECB dans les discussions du comité.

6. Utiliser la lentille d’équité pour poursuivre la décolonisation des structures existantes et éliminer les obstacles de l’accès équitable à la participation au sein du syndicat.

7. Soutenir et promouvoir les priorités de leadership adoptées par l’Assemblée générale annuelle 2022.

Report

During the 2021–22 year, the Advisory Committee on French Programs and Services (ACFPS) began moving increasingly from virtual to in-person connections to create and hold space for member voices and respond to their feedback on building capacity and sustained engagement. Committee members worked toward achieving committee priorities by:

• planning, developing, and facilitating activities for zone meetings and Summer Leadership Conference to strengthen relationships, enrich territorial acknowledgments, and support ongoing dialogue in building capacity and increasing engagement with existing and future French education local chairs (FELC) and FFWL representatives.

• exploring expanded in-person opportunities for teacher mentorship and professional development in French, toward increasing member supports in locals across the province and regions for the biannual zone meetings.

• putting forward recommendations to the EC to advocate for updates to the Members’ Guide, and the development of capacity through the creation of a school union representative training (SURT) workshop in support of FELC and FFWL members.

• increasing committee representation at events for new and early career members, such as the new teacher Zoom gatherings, to host a space for French-speaking members to connect on themes in semi-structured spaces and discuss their lived and shared experiences.

• creating connections that support ACFPS and BCTF priorities by meeting with committees and staff across divisions, including a member of the International Solidarity Committee and the editor from Teacher magazine, as well as reaching out to partner groups such as Focused Education Resources.

• presenting the needs and supporting statements of FFWL members at the BCTF Bargaining Conference to support the delegation in determining provincial bargaining priorities.

• seeking out and responding to member feedback to enhance accessibility and content for Frenchspeaking members with respect to the BCTF website.

• planning to prepare and organize a coalition of French education stakeholders in supporting FFWL members with respect to programs and services.

On the Committee on French Programs and Services 2022–23

Patrice Oscienny, Fernie

Sonja Gowda, Peace River South

Kelly MacLean Dosen, Surrey

Rome Lavrencic, New Westminster

Astérie Ndikumana, Nicola Valley

Elizabeth Rush, SEPF

Winona Waldron, Executive Committee liaison

On the committee 2021–22

Robin Coogan-Penner, Vernon

Yam Leung, SEPF

Keri Russell, Kootenay

Columbia

COMMITTEE FOR ACTION ON SOCIAL JUSTICE

Terms of Reference

Composition: 28 members, consists of the four members on each of the seven action groups

1. Promote safe, healthy, nurturing, respectful, and inclusive environments for all members, students, and families in which to live, work, and learn, where all diversity is celebrated.

2. Create and promote resources for members and locals on social justice issues specific to each action group with an intersectional lens.

3. Advise the Executive Committee on social justice issues and related BCTF policy, procedures, and events, and on advocacy for equitable, systemic, social justice-related change both within the BCTF and throughout the province of BC.

4. Work on developing links with other unions, community groups, NGOs, and others on social justice issues.

5. Assist locals and zones in developing social justice programs, projects, and events, particularly those that involve the concerns of the individual action groups.

6. Promote and assist in the development of local, zonal, and provincial networks of members on action group issues.

7. Facilitate the social justice portion of BCTF zone meetings, Summer Leadership Conference, and the Provincial Social Justice Conference.

8. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate colonialism and working together with others to ensure that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act are implemented.

9. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate racism and work together with BIPOC members to create and maintain anti-racist environments.

Priorities

1. Support members in engaging in activism with students and their communities.

2. Support local contacts and communities to grow and sustain teacher-led initiatives around Aboriginal people, Black people, and people of colour within classrooms, schools, and broader communities, supporting members’ and students’ connections to existing social justice movements in the community.

3. Combat white supremacy, white fragility, and prejudice in members of the committee and union structures, and work to educate members on dismantling systemic racism and replacing racist structures with ones that actively combat racism and promote equity and inclusion within the BCTF, local structures, governance, and school communities.

4. Develop a structure or system of accountability that is embedded in the committee with the goal of decolonizing schools and unions through the application of the BCTF Aboriginal Lens, and by providing opportunities for deeper learning and support.

5. Deepen understanding around and actively practice decolonial decision making processes and ways of working together.

6. Develop strategies toward the eradication of the oppression of LGBTQ2S+ and disabled communities.

7. Develop strategies to engage members in multifaceted, active citizenship focusing on learning from the current social context and its impact on environmental and intersectional social justice issues and language, connections with our natural environment, resource management, Just Transitions, and union engagement.

8. Consider the intersections among the Committee for Action on Social Justice’s (CASJ) action groups and other advisory committees, with the goal of strengthening those connections, and with the intention of building upon current networks and the broader social justice community.

9. Develop strategies to support member participation and momentum building on the adoption, implementation, and review of emerging social justice policies in school districts as well as taking action as per the Just Recovery principles.

10. Combat the deleterious impact of neoliberal policies on public education, disability justice, society at large, and the global environment.

11. Develop strategies to centre and connect the voices and experiences of Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) members throughout union structures, and provide accessible and safe spaces, resources, and supports so BIPOC members feel uplifted, affirmed, visible, and celebrated.

12. Provide advice on equity issues resulting from the COVID-19 experience, including educational change, and how these might disproportionately impact vulnerable school populations.

13. Develop strategies to address the ableism experienced by disabled people/people with disabilities and ensure the provisions of safe working environments, workplace accommodations, and learning accommodations as rights and not privileges.

14. Use an equity lens to continue decolonizing existing structures and remove barriers to equitable access to participation within the union.

15. Support and promote the leadership priorities adopted by the 2022 BCTF Annual General Meeting.

Report

The BCTF Committee for Action on Social Justice

(CASJ) is composed of 28 dedicated BCTF members, who bring their passions, diverse lived experiences, and unique expertise to their work in focused action groups. This community of individuals came together for two virtual sessions and one in-person meeting in 2021–22 to do the challenging and rewarding work of promoting healthy, nurturing, respectful, and inclusive environments and to advocate for systemic, social justice-related change within the BCTF and throughout BC.

Despite the challenges of connecting through online meetings, this group has built and strengthened

relationships based on mutual respect. This has been made possible by the group’s ongoing commitment to unlearning and relearning, both as individuals and together as a cohesive group. Sharing stories and experiences with one another purposefully has cultivated a greater connection and understanding of their varied perspectives and worldviews. This work was deepened through the skillful and intentional facilitation sessions in February and in-person meetings in June.

In February, CASJ was part of a leadership session at the BCTF—the BIPOC members of CASJ did leadership capacity training with Joe Truss and Gina Patterson and the white members of CASJ did leadership and capacity training rooted in anti-oppression work with Jackie Larkin and Maggie Ziegler. CASJ members acknowledged the importance of doing this work, specifically around race, racialization, and racism in this way. In pushing themselves, making space to reflect, and holding the space to grow and feel discomfort, CASJ members were able to overcome differences and in doing so, represent the best of the union movement. The emphasis on relationship building has created the conditions for members to be themselves and bring their whole selves into the work. This has enabled the group, both as a whole and in smaller action groups, to develop policy, recommendations, resources, and actions that maintain the dignity and well-being of all within the education community.

CASJ has continued to focus on decolonizing its own governance through a more equitable decisionmaking method based on consensus and creating space for all voices and opinions. CASJ has continued to refine, practice, develop, and explore consensus decision making, with a dedicated session on working with the fist to five model. This is challenging but rewarding work and has meant that many members of CASJ have grown new skills around ideas of generative conflict and how to work together and build consensus based in a collective desire to move forward together in unity. This reframing of the process as being as important as the outcome has been an important shift toward decolonizing the committee.

Despite the challenges of still teaching and practicing union activism through a global pandemic and having to adapt, revise, and reimagine how the committee would function, the impact of the work of CASJ is far reaching and continues to ripple outward. In June, the

committee hosted the BCTF’s first in-person event, the Social Justice Conference, Reconnecting for a Just Recovery in Richmond. Highlights included a panel with Shannon Daub from the CCPA and Seth Klein from the Climate Emergency Unit talking about climate change, Monique Gray-Smith’s keynote on love as medicine, the feminist campaign school’s Trudi Goels’ talk on municipal governance, entertainment by Rup Loops, and a very informative session on land acknowledgments from the AEAC. Workshops available for participants included Sex and the Law: Beyond Consent, facilitated by Kristen Gilbert from Options for Sexual Health; Empowering Students Through Climate Justice, by Be The Change Earth Alliance (BTCEA); and Our Wealth is Who We Are: Language, Protocol, Identity, Land, Family, Songs, Dances, Names, facilitated by Marjorie Dumont and Gloria Cole. The conference provided a muchneeded opportunity for members to connect, build relationships, build capacity, and build community after many years apart and for the members to become familiar with the BCTF social justice programs, workshops, and delve deeply into social justice work. Participants left the conference with meaningful connections and excitement to engage in both union and equity work more deeply.

The passion of CASJ members in their seven action groups bubbled into the broader union movement in many ways. This work showed up in the creation and revision of many resources and workshops, publications in the Social Justice Newsletter and Teacher magazine, professional development, and networking opportunities such as the LGBTQ2S+ virtual meet up. This passion and desire to make systemic change was evident in many of the recommendations CASJ brought to the BCTF EC regarding governance, equity, and inclusion, and addressing barriers within Federation policies and structures.

In addition to work in-house, CASJ members contributed to broader social change through their involvement in many different organizations and committees based at the local, provincial, and national level. Through reciprocal growth and sharing, CASJ members both provided support, knowledge, and expertise and received information, ideas, and guidance on specific timely issues. The deeply held belief in the value of connecting with and amplifying the work of other like-minded organizations is foundational to CASJ and is embodied in this work.

ON THE COMMITTEES 2022–23

Anti-Racism Action Group

Ann Alexander, Surrey

Nimfa Casson, Vancouver Island North

Rozhin Emadi, North Vancouver

Linda Frank, Boundary

Disability Justice Action Group

Al Friesen, Langley

Ruth Pontalti, Surrey

Natalie Raedwulf Pogue, Campbell River

Erin Woodford, Creston Valley

On the committee 2021–22

Lee, Vancouver Secondary

Nichelle Penney, Kamloops Thompson

Heather Sallows, Sea to Sky

Economic Justice Action Group

Melissa Butler, Vernon

Mary Hotomanie, Burnaby

Sara McGarr y, Vancouver Secondary

Marcus Tse, Nelson

On the committee 2021–22

Rick Kumar, Surrey

Environmental Justice Action Group

Ditta Cross, Burnaby

Tara Ehrcke, Greater Victoria

Sarah Newton, Revelstoke

Monique Richoux, Greater Victoria

LGBTQ2S+

Elliot Fox-Povey, Cowichan Valley

Michelle Hernandez, Coquitlam

Lexa Perl, Gold Trail

Trevana Spilchen, Delta

Peace and Global Education

Christina Billingham, Chilliwack

Christopher Rolle, Vancouver Island West

Shailly Sareen, Nanaimo

Angella White, Nisga’a

On the committee 2021–22

Regie Plana-Alcuaz, Surrey

Status of Women

Angela Marcakis, Surrey

Serena Mohammed, Richmond

Regis Plana-Alcuaz, Surrey

Sheena Seymour, Upper Skeena

On the committee 2021–22

Trish Mugford, Vancouver Secondary

Lisa LaBoucane, Executive Committee liaison

FINANCE COMMITTEE

Terms of Reference

Composition: Seven members

1. Financial Management

a. Assist the Executive Committee, and through the Executive Committee, the Representative Assembly, in carrying out the financial responsibilities of the Federation.

b. Develop financial objectives and policies that ensure the Federation operates in a financially prudent manner that results in a sound financial position.

c. Monitor revenues and expenditures in the various funds of the BCTF and Salary Indemnity Fund operations and report to the Executive Committee significant variations from budgeted amounts, on a quarterly basis.

d. Review annually financial aspects of 6th and Ash building operations including the budget and financial statements.

e. Advise the Executive Committee and the Representative Assembly on the setting of the annual fee.

f. Assist the Executive Committee in specific areas such as the Staff Pension Plan Advisory Committee.

g. Act in an advisory/consultative capacity to the treasurer when necessary.

h. Monitor the performance of all BCTF investment funds and review annually the BCTF’s investment policies and practices, and advise the Executive Committee on such.

i. Review annually all insurance coverage.

j. Review annually the BCTF expense policies, including compensation and allowance policies, and provide advice for change to the Executive Committee.

2. Audit Committee Role

a. Provide the auditors with a means of access to the Executive Committee and preserve the auditors’ independence in their relationship with the treasurer and other staff.

b. Ensure that the auditors would have the right to appear before, and be heard by, the Finance Committee at any meeting of the Audit Committee.

c. Before the start of the annual audit to discuss with the auditors, in general terms, the scope of the examination as set out in the engagement letter and the audit fees, and recommend the terms of the engagement letter to the Executive Committee.

d. At the completion of the annual audit, meet with the auditors:

i. to review the financial statements prior to approval by the Executive Committee and submission to the Annual General Meeting.

ii. to review and investigate any items covered in post-audit letters or recommendations on internal control.

e. At other times, to discuss quality and depth of accounting and financial staffing; implementation of new accounting systems and the need to extend the audit examination into areas beyond those required under a normal statutory audit; and to report on these discussions to the Executive Committee.

f. Review the Federation’s system of control, accounting policies, and audit cost, and report, with advice, to the Executive Committee.

g. Recommend, through the Executive Committee, the external auditors for appointment by the Annual General Meeting.

h. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate colonialism and working together with others to ensure that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act are implemented.

i. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate racism and work together with BIPOC members to create and maintain anti-racist environments.

Priorities

1. Review the annual budgeting governance model for all funds and to monitor the performance and cash flows of the Federation.

2. Review the fee and fund balances and provide recommendations to the Executive Committee.

3. Review the BCTF expense policies.

4. Determine investment asset mix for the nonannuity portion of the BCTF Staff Pension Plan.

5. Consider the role of the committee in decolonizing schools and unions and to investigate the use of the BCTF Aboriginal Lens in committee discussions and work.

6. Use an equity lens to continue decolonizing existing structures and remove barriers to equitable access to participation within the union.

7. Support and promote the leadership priorities adopted by the 2022 BCTF Annual General Meeting.

Report General Operating Fund

The General Operating Fund (GOF) had a fee allocation of 1.319% (2021—1.319%) and the fund had a surplus of $8.5 million in fiscal 2022, compared to a surplus of $9.3 million in fiscal 2021. The GOF incurred a decrease of $10.8 million employee future benefit liability re-measurement in fiscal 2022, compared to a decrease of $1.3 million employee future benefit liability re-measurement in fiscal 2021. In addition, the GOF had a net transfer $13.1 million to the GOF Facilities Capital Fund and the GOF NonPension Post Employment Benefit Fund compared to a net transfer of $3.7 million in the prior year. As a result, the GOF’s fund balance at June 30, 2022, increased to $28.4 million, compared to $22.3 million at June 30, 2021.

GOF Facilities Capital Fund

The purpose of the fund is to accumulate resources for future capital expenditures related to the BCTF building common elements. Contributions to the fund are by budgeted allocation from the GOF, as approved by the RA. Transfers from the fund are planned in advance and approved by the RA. This fund was created in the year ended June 30, 2019.

During the year ended June 30, 2022, a net transfer of $466,000 was transferred from the GOF Facilities Capital Fund to the General Operating Fund. This transfer includes $500,000 (2021— $500,000) from the General Operating Fund to the GOF Facilities Capital Fund and offset by $966,000 transfer from the GOF Facilities Capital Fund to the General Operating Fund As a result, the fund balance at June 30, 2022, decreased to $853,000, compared to $1.3 million at June 30, 2021.

GOF Non-Pension Post-Employment Benefit Fund

The purpose of the fund is to accumulate funds for the non-pension post-employment benefit plan for BCTF staff. Actuarial estimates determine the non-pension

post-employment liability and amounts are set aside to fund the liability into the future. Contributions to the fund are by budgeted allocation from the GOF and approved by the RA. This fund was created in the year ended June 30, 2019.

During the year ended June 30, 2022, a net transfer of $13.6 million (2021—$1.229 million) was transferred from the GOF to the GOF Non-Pension PostEmployment Fund. This transfer includes $15.0 million (2021—$2.4 million) transferred from the GOF to the GOF Non-Pension Post Employment Fund offset by $1.42 million (2021—$1.17 million) transferred from the GOF Non-Pension Post-Employment Fund to the GOF for current year benefit payments. The fund had a balance of $17.1 million at June 30, 2022, compared to $3.7 million at June 30, 2021.

Collective Bargaining Defence Fund

The Collective Bargaining Defence Fund had a fee allocation of 0.220% (2021—0.220%) and ended the year with a surplus of $7.7 million compared to a surplus of $8.1 million in the prior year. During fiscal 2022, the fund incurred approximately $181,000 (2021—$94,000) in expenses. The fund balance at June 30, 2022, increased to $65.1 million, compared to $57.4 million at June 30, 2021.

Contingency Fund

The Contingency Fund had a fee allocation of 0.000% (2021—0.000%) and the fund ended the year with a deficit of $52,000 compared to a deficit of $17,000 in the prior year. During fiscal 2022, the fund incurred $72,000 (2021—$40,000) of expenses related to donations. The fund balance at June 30, 2022, remained at $2.1 million, the same fund balance of $2.1 million at June 30, 2021.

Provincial Bargaining Fund

The Provincial Bargaining Fund had a fee allocation of 0.050% (2021—0.050%) and the fund ended the year with a surplus of $499,000, compared to a surplus of $1.3 million in the prior year. During fiscal 2022, the fund had increased expenses due to being a bargaining year with increased activity. The fund balance at June 30, 2022, increased to $4.3 million, compared to $3.8 million at June 30, 2021.

Public Education Defence Fund

The Public Education Defence Fund had a fee allocation of 0.074% (2021—0.074%) and had a surplus of $602,000 compared to $1.1 million in the prior year. During fiscal 2022, the fund incurred

increased expenses related to public education advocacy activities due to increased bargaining activity. Last year in 2021, $2 million was transferred from the GOF to the Public Education Defence Fund. There were no transfers in the current 2022 year. The fund balance at June 30, 2022, increased to $4.2 million compared to $3.6 million at June 30, 2021.

William R. Long Memorial Fund

The William R. Long Memorial Fund (W.R. Long Fund) had a fee allocation of 0.027% (2021—0.027%). In fiscal 2022, the W.R. Long Fund had a surplus of $209,000 compared to $195,000 in the prior year. The fund balance at June 30, 2022, increased to $669,000, compared to $460,000 at June 30, 2021.

Salary Indemnity Fund

The Salary Indemnity Fund (SIF) is a legal not-forprofit trust which is controlled by the BCTF. The objective of the SIF is to meet the short-term and long-term obligations of the Salary Indemnity Plan.

The net assets of the fund decreased by $19.9 million compared to the increase of $27.8 million in the prior year for a total net asset of $292.6 million at June 30, 2022, compared to $312.5 million at June 30, 2021. Total claims paid during the year were $53.8 million which is slightly higher than the $52.6 million in the prior year. At June 30, 2022, the SIF benefit obligation was $219.1 million compared to $220.0 million in the prior year. The SIF benefit obligation is actuarially determined by the plan’s actuary, George & Bell Consulting. The result is a decrease of the surplus to $73.5 million at June 30, 2022, compared to $92.5 million at June 30, 2021.

Activities and actions undertaken by the Finance Committee in the 2021−22 fiscal year

During 2021–22, the Finance Committee engaged in a number of major activities including:

1. recommending an increase to the Collective Bargaining Defence Funds’ balance goal.

2. recommending the SIF allocate investments into a renewable energy fund.

3. recommending an investment asset mix for the non-pension post-employment benefit fund.

4. recommending a BCTF Staff Pension Plan annuity purchase (guaranteed payment from an insurance company).

5. recommending that a new investment policy and a socially responsible investment policy for the GOF Non-pension Post-employment Benefit Fund.

6. recommending a change in the definition of Metro for purposes of the 10.I Travel and Expense Allowances.

7. recommending increases to the travel meal per diems.

Audit Committee

The Finance Committee, with the Second VicePresident and a representative from the Income Security Committee, met to fulfill the responsibilities of the Audit Committee. In carrying out these responsibilities, the committee met with the financial officers of the Federation and the external auditors, reviewed internal controls and the scope of the audit, reviewed the financial statements, and recommended them to the EC for approval. As well, the committee recommended to the AGM the appointment of the Federation’s auditors.

Finance Committee 2021−22

Jessa Clark, North Okanagan-Shuswap

Denise Hendry, Kamloops Thompson

Ishar Litt, Kamloops Thompson

Mark Morrison, Income Security Committee representative

Steve Querenjung, Haida Gwaii

Pauline Veto, Surrey

Katherine Trepanier, Executive Committee liaison

On the committee 2021–22

Susan Bauhart, Central Okanagan

Stéphane Bélanger, SEPF

Jatinder Bir, Surrey

Dana Neidig, Income Security Committee representative

HEALTH AND SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Terms of reference

Composition: Nine members

1. Advise the Executive Committee on member health and safety matters, including health and safety policies at the provincial level.

2. Review WorkSafeBC issues and provide advice to the Executive Committee with respect to the BCTF’s positions and strategies on such.

3. Act in an advisory capacity to improve mental and physical health and safety in the workplace.

4. Advise and assist the BCTF on strategies and supports for pandemic recovery, as they relate to heath and safety concerns.

5. Advise and assist the Federation in the improvement of violence prevention programs in the workplace.

6. Advise and assist the Federation in the improvement of mental health programs in the workplace.

7. Facilitate the health and safety portion of BCTF zone meetings and Summer Leadership Conference.

8. Develop and review BCTF health and safety programs and review other health and safety programs.

9. Assist in developing health and safety training.

10. Bring awareness of current trends in health and safety to the Executive Committee and health and safety contacts.

11. Advise the Executive Committee on provincial and local health and safety issues for collective bargaining.

12. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate colonialism and working together with others to ensure that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act are implemented.

13. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate racism and work together with BIPOC members to create and maintain anti-racist environments.

Priorities

1. Promote and raise the profile of health and safety in the membership to support the implementation of training and safe work practices.

2. Support locals with the implementation and review of violence prevention programs.

3. Support locals with reporting of workplace risks, hazards, and incidents.

4. Support locals to ensure that joint occupational health and safety committees are functioning effectively, and that members and worker representatives are aware of their safety orientation and training rights.

5. Advise on advocacy to ensure that all workers receive health and safety orientation and training annually.

6. Promote awareness of health and wellness initiatives such as the BCTF Health and Wellness Program and other local supports.

7. Advise on advocacy for mental health and wellbeing supports for members.

8. Support health and safety oriented social justice initiatives.

9. Support other labour groups to promote health and safety initiatives for all workers.

10. Consider the role of the committee in decolonizing schools, BC teachers’ unions and associations, and to investigate the use of the BCTF Aboriginal Lens in committee discussions.

11. Use an equity lens to continue decolonizing existing structures and remove barriers to equitable access to participation within the union.

12. Support and promote the leadership priorities adopted by the 2022 BCTF Annual General Meeting.

Report

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Health and Safety Advisory Committee (HSAC) has been actively engaged in health and safety advocacy at a local and Federation level. In 2022, members of the HSAC participated in the BCTF New Teachers’ Conference and facilitated health and safety sessions at the BCTF Summer Leadership Conference.

Health and safety partnerships

Through the HSAC, the BCTF continues its partnership with the BC Labour Heritage Centre’s Day of Mourning BC Schools Project. The BCTF continues to support the BC Federation of Labour’s Occupational Health and Safety Standing Committee by having an HSAC member serve on the committee. As well, HSAC has appointed a representative to join the newly formed Canadian Labour Congress Harassment Working Group.

Health and safety workshops

BCTF health and safety workshops continue to be in high demand for both school union representative training and tripartite training. The BCTF now offers over 20 workshops in both English and French.

Health and Safety Advisory Committee 2022–23

Michael-Don Borason, Vancouver Secondary

Michelle Chapman, Prince George

Jennifer Clausen, Vancouver Island North

Darren Companion, Greater Victoria

Anna Donaldson, Cariboo-Chilcotin

Larry Dureski, Cranbrook

Sabha Ghani, Burnaby

Christina Kempenaar, Sooke

Gavin Slade-Kerr, Surrey

Kevin Epp, Executive Committee liaison

On the committee 2021–22

Cynthia Hewitt, Alberni

INCOME SECURITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Terms of Reference

1. Advise the Executive Committee on:

a. changes in policies and procedures of the Salary Indemnity Plan.

b. income security funds administered by the BCTF including an annual statement of anticipated revenue, expenditure, and cash flow for the Salary Indemnity Fund.

2. Participate on the BCTF Finance Committee on matters related to the Salary Indemnity Fund.

3. Participate on the BCTF Audit Committee.

4. Participate on the BCTF/BCSTA Group Life Insurance Committee.

5. Act as an appeal panel with respect to decisions of the administrator of any income security plan under the direct control of the BCTF.

6. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate colonialism and working together with others to ensure that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act are implemented.

7. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate racism and work together with BIPOC members to create and maintain anti-racist environments.

Priorities

1. Continue to review quality of services to members.

2. Monitor and provide advice in regard to the mandate and scope of the BCTF Health and Wellness Program, including Well Teacher Groups and Starling Minds.

3. Consider the role of the committee in decolonizing schools and unions, and to investigate the use of the BCTF Aboriginal Lens in committee discussions.

4. Use an equity lens to continue decolonizing existing structures and remove barriers to equitable access to participation within the union.

5. Support and promote the leadership priorities adopted by the 2022 BCTF Annual General Meeting.

The Income Security Committee (ISC) met five times since the 2022 AGM. The committee devoted its regular meetings to the following activities:

• monitoring information regarding the Salary Indemnity Plan (SIP)

• providing feedback and input into SIP and Health and Wellness (HW) Program reports

• reviewing the actuarial experience of the SIP fund

• providing input on fee and plan design recommendations to the EC

• acting as the appeal body to which members may appeal decisions of the SIP Administrator or Health and Wellness Plan Co-ordinator

• reviewing and monitoring the BCTF/BCSTA Group Life Insurance Plan

• discussing the application of Trauma Informed Practice and the Aboriginal Lens guide to the committee’s work.

One member of the committee sat on the Finance Committee and two members joined the SIP Administrator as trustees on the BCTF/BCSTA Group Life Insurance Committee.

In 2022, the ISC heard 20 appeals from members. Salary Indemnity Plan

In 2022, there was an increase in both short-term and long-term claimants as well as the number of claims paid year-over-year.

This represents a slight increase in both averages from the previous year.

The long-term claims paid data reflects the amount actually paid to members after deducting the following offsets: Canadian Pension Plan (CPP)/ Quebec Pension Plan (QPP), Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB), accommodation employment, pensions, Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), and disability insurance. Without the offsets, the gross amount due to members was $45.99 million, slightly up from $43.92 million in 2021. The two largest offsets were CPP/QPP at $6.09 million and accommodation employment at $3.39 million.

Overall, plan liabilities have decreased slightly from $220.0 million to $219.1 million. Meanwhile, plan assets decreased from $312.7 million to $292.8 million. The SIP continues to operate with a surplus. The goal continues to be for the SIP surplus to be at 30% of the plan. The current valuation has shown that the surplus decreased from $92.7 million at June 30, 2021, to $73.7 million at June 30, 2022. The SIP surplus is now 33.6% of plan liabilities, compared to last year’s surplus of 42.1%. The surplus decreased in 2021–22 because of unfavourable investment returns.

The valuation shows that over the past five years, the cost of the short-term component has averaged 0.56% of salaries (a 0.01% increase) and the cost of the long-term component has averaged 1.58% of salaries (a 0.06% decrease). The total is equal to 2.14% of salaries, which is down from 2.19% for the previous year.

ending June 30

*The number of claimants and claims paid data may change year-to-year as members have up to one year to file a SIP claim.

For short-term claims, the average daily benefit was $195, and average claim days was 56.1.

In June 2003, the EC passed a motion which determined that the annual increase to long-term disability (LTD) benefits would be the year-over-year increase in the annual average of the BC Consumer Price Index (CPI), April to March. The annual average of the BC CPI for the 12-month period ending March 31, 2022, rose from 132.87 to 143.0. That translated into a 3.73% increase in the annual average of the BC CPI year-over-year. The BCTF EC approved a 3.73% increase to LTD benefits effective July 1, 2022.

The following are the increases approved to LTD benefits by the BCTF EC over the last five years:

BCTF Health and Wellness Program

The Health and Wellness Program continues to be well utilized by members. The program received 1,241 referrals for the 2021–22 school year. Due to the complex nature of files and delays due to pandemic restrictions, files have trended toward staying open for longer durations than in previous years. The program also provided funding for Starling Minds and the Well Teacher groups to help support the physical and mental well-being of members.

BCTF/BCSTA Group Life Insurance

Policy no. 20414 is a group life insurance plan which is jointly sponsored by the BCTF and the BC School Trustees Association (BCSTA). The plan was established in 1967 and Great West Life Assurance Company (now operating as Canada Life) was the underwriter of the plan until August 31, 2020. As of September 1, 2020, the plan’s underwriter is The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company (Manulife), and there are 35 school districts that participate. On September 1, 2020, the plan added 5 school districts. Those school districts had been operating their group life insurance plan through the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA), which was in contravention of their collective agreements.

Three representatives from the BCTF and three representatives from the BCSTA form the Insurance Committee which meets yearly at an AGM to review the plan’s financial results and determine the premiums which need to be paid. The Insurance Committee met on April 11, 2022.

The 12-month period (from September 1, 2020, to August 31, 2021) reviewed by the Insurance Committee represented the plan year, immediately following the July 1, 2020, renewal. There have been between 11 and 15 life claims in each of the last four years.

Overall, the total plan balance as of August 31, 2021, was just over $11.6 million, down from $16.4 million in the prior year.

At the April 2022 AGM, the Insurance Committee agreed to maintain current rates and to maintain 12.5% partial premium holiday for the 30 school districts participating in the Plan prior to September 1, 2020; and to also continue the same rate for the five school districts that joined the Plan effective September 1, 2020, for another year, for the 2022–23 Plan year effective July 1, 2022.

The next meeting of the Insurance Committee will be on April 17, 2023.

2022–23 Income Security Committee

Mark Morrison, Chair; Greater Victoria JW Cho, Richmond

Dana Neidig, Alternate Chair; Finance Committee Representative, Surrey

Debbie Comer, BCTF/BCSTA Group Life Insurance Committee Representative; Mount Arrowsmith

Melanie Miki, BCTF/BCSTA Group Life Insurance Committee Representative, Surrey

Bénula Bunjun, Executive Committee liaison

On the committee 2021–22

Jacquie Shelemey, BCTF/BCSTA Group Life Insurance Committee representative, Sunshine Coast

PENSIONS COMMITTEE

Terms of Reference

Composition: 12 persons; 6 members, 3 members that are also trustees, 2 Retired Teachers’ Association (RTA) members appointed by the RTA, and 1 RTA member that is also a trustee

1. Participate as BCTF representatives on the Teachers’ Pension Plan Advisory Committee (TPPAC).

2. Provide advice to the BCTF Executive Committee on pension matters.

3. Provide advice, through the TPPAC, to Plan Member Partner Trustees on amendments to the pension plan rules, administration of the pension plan, and investment of the pension funds.

4. Monitor and review the BCTF Group RRSPs.

5. Monitor and report on the environmental, social, governance, and climate action practices of the Teachers’ Pension Plan.

6. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate colonialism and working together with others to ensure that the Truth and Reconciliation

Commission Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act are implemented.

7. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate racism and work together with BIPOC members to create and maintain anti-racist environments.

Priorities

1. Participate in:

a. continued communication to members about the importance of the pension plan as a significant part of their salary benefits package.

b. supporting the economic welfare of the plan now, and into the future.

c. support for initiatives that reach out and include new and younger members in pension education.

d. supporting and defending defined benefit pension plans.

e. communicating the success and importance of the Joint Trust Agreement.

2. Support communication of the Canadian Pension Plan enhancements and the implications for the Teachers’ Pension Plan.

3. Support communication of the environmental, social, governance, and climate action practices of the Teachers’ Pension Plan, BC Pension Corporation, and BCI among plan members.

4. Continue to support communication and education about the Teachers’ Pension Plan.

5. Consider the role of the committee in decolonizing schools and unions, and to investigate the use of the BCTF Aboriginal Lens in committee discussions.

6. Use an equity lens to continue decolonizing existing structures and remove barriers to equitable access to participation within the union.

7. Support and promote the leadership priorities adopted by the 2022 BCTF Annual General Meeting.

Report

The Pensions Committee met four times in 2022. The committee meetings included the following actions:

• to make recommendations to the BCTF EC regarding the BCTF Group RRSPsto support and defend defined benefit pension plans

• to support communication to members about the importance of the pension plan as a significant part of their salary and benefits package

• to monitor the BCTF Group RRSPs relative to compliance with the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities guidelines

• to monitor members’ pension issues.

Pensions Committee members in 2022

Trustees (4): Liz Baverstock (BCTF), Al Cornes (BCRTA), Chung Yan Ip (BCTF), Leslie Roosa (BCTF)

BCTF (6): Randy Chau, Glen Hansman, Joanne Hapke (from July 1, 2022), Naomi Nilsson, Kristie Oxley (from July 1, 2022), Judy Stewart (to June 30, 2022), Elaine Ting, Eric Young (to June 30, 2022)

BCRTA (2): Arnie Lambert (to October 28, 2022), Elizabeth Mackenzie (from October 28, 2022), Gerry Tiede (to October 28, 2022), Linda Watson (from October 28, 2022)

Carole Gordon, EC liaison

Teachers’ Pension Plan Advisory Committee members in 2022

Trustees (5): Liz Baverstock (BCTF), Al Cornes (BCRTA), Chung Yan Ip (BCTF), Leslie Roosa (BCTF), Rob Taylor (BCSSA)

BCTF (7): Randy Chau, Carole Gordon, Joanne Hapke (from July 1, 2022), Glen Hansman, Naomi Nilsson, Kristie Oxley (from July 1, 2022), Judy Stewart (to June 30, 2022), Elaine Ting, Eric Young (to June 30, 2022)

BCRTA (2): Arnie Lambert (to October 28, 2022), Elizabeth Mackenzie (from October 28, 2022), Gerry Tiede (to October 28, 2022), Linda Watson (from October 28, 2022)

BCPVPA (1): Ankie Carswell

BCSSA (1): Lawrence Tarasoff

PROFESSIONAL ISSUES ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Terms of Reference

Composition: 12 members, three selected annually by the PSA Council

1. Advise the Executive Committee on education policy, including but not limited to:

a. curriculum review, development, and implementation.

b. professional development and in-service.

c. teacher education, certification, and evaluation.

d. teachers’ professional autonomy.

e. privatization, commercialization, and corporatization.

f. enhancing teaching practice and supporting teachers in all stages of their careers.

g. classroom assessment and communicating student learning to parents.

h. district assessment and province-wide system evaluation.

i. inclusion and supports for students school-wide and support for students with disabilities, special needs, and marginalized youth.

j. proliferation of technology including issues in relation to privacy, access, and teacher workload.

k. tools and opportunities to amplify teachers’ voices on professional issues.

l. structures and systems that perpetuate colonialism, racism, and climate change.

m. the funding model for K–12 education in British Columbia.

2. Advise the Executive Committee on the promotion of democratic processes that support teachers’ professional voice and influence issues at their schools and in their school districts.

3. Advise, consult, and advocate for professional issues in dialogue with PD chairpersons, with locals, in zone, at Summer Leadership Conference, and with the Provincial Specialist Association Council.

4. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate colonialism and working together with others to ensure that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act are implemented.

5. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate racism and work together with BIPOC members to create and maintain anti-racist environments.

Priorities

1. Advise on current education policy in relation to enabling patterns of colonization and systemic racism using tools such as the BCTF Aboriginal Lens.

2. Identify and advise on issues related to professional learning through an intersectional lens of decolonization, structural oppression, and systemic racism.

3. Monitor and provide advice regarding Ministry initiatives including curriculum, reporting,

resources, and strategies for maintaining reasonable workload and resisting the corporatization opportunities in a post-pandemic world.

4. Protect and strengthen teachers’ professional autonomy and teacher-led professional development including by supporting professional development chairpersons and refining tools for supporting professionalism.

5. Develop strategies to address the challenges and issues that surround designation, inclusion, integration, and funding of special education.

6. Investigate and advise on the professional issues related to recruitment and retention of teachers.

7. Provide advice on professional issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, including educational change, and how these might disproportionately impact vulnerable school populations.

8. Support members in understanding and promoting the role and function of public education in supporting equity, advancing racial justice and reconciliation, confronting systemic racism, and addressing climate justice and the impact of climate change.

9. Consider the role of the committee in decolonizing schools and unions, and to investigate the use of the BCTF Aboriginal Lens in committee discussions.

10. Use an equity lens to continue decolonizing existing structures and remove barriers to equitable access to participation within the union.

11. Support and promote the leadership priorities adopted by the 2022 BCTF Annual General Meeting.

Report

• Promoted the Professional Development (PD) Lens as a tool to protect and strengthen professional development and encouraged locals and PD chairs to maintain teacher control over professional development.

• Used the PD Lens, self-directed PD, and teacher inquiry to continue to promote and grow professional autonomy.

• Advocated for professional autonomy regarding student health and safety during the pandemic. Developed a Professional Autonomy Guidelines document.

• Advocated for a provincial-wide virtual Teacher Inquiry Project.

• Participated in New Teachers’ Conference (virtual), zone meetings, Facilitators’ Institute Training, and the Summer Leadership Conference.

• Participated in and gave advice regarding Ministry initiatives, including assessment and reporting. Participated in Trinational Conference to Defend Public Education in Oaxaca, Mexico.

• Attended meetings of the BC Federation of Labour Education Standing Committee.

• Discussed issues related to COVID-19 and teaching during the pandemic, including the potential impact on public education and mental well-being of teachers and students.

• Revised Members’ Guide to the BCTF when referencing “special needs” to reflect the current practice of person-first language and identity-first language.

• Investigated possible unintended negative outcomes of changes when advocating to the Ministry of Education and Child Care to reflect current practice.

Professional Issues Advisory Committee 2022–23

Joanna Atkinson-Cornthwaite, Nanaimo

Runa Bjarnason-Wilson, Golden

Erin Coleman, Surrey

Adrienne Demers, Fernie

Dave MacKenzie, Vernon

Dave McCristall, Coquitlam

Ronak Pahlevanlu, Coquitlam

Lena Palermo, Greater Victoria

Jennie Slack, Burnaby

Ilda Turcotte, Greater Victoria

Colleen Wall, Revelstoke

Yuri Watanabe, Richmond

Rick Joe, Executive Committee liaison

On the committee 2021–22

Louise Thomson, Cowichan Valley

PROVINCIAL SPECIALIST ASSOCIATION COUNCIL

Terms of Reference

Composition: The President of each provincial specialist association (PSA)

1. Provide, as a community of PSAs, a forum for:

a. the discussion and sharing of mutual concerns.

b. developing and helping to support strategies that grow and enhance PSAs.

2. Advise the Executive Committee on:

a. matters of particular concern to individual PSAs, or to all PSAs.

b. professional matters such as education policy; design, review, and implementation of curriculum, assessment, reporting, and

graduation requirements; and professional development and in-service.

c. bargaining objectives and building public awareness regarding the importance of learning specialist teachers.

d. requirements, resources, and advocacy strategies for quality in public education.

e. strategies to raise the profile of PSAs.

f. PSA finances and other policies and procedures related to PSAs.

3. Provide local presidents and local committee chairs strategies to promote PSAs and local specialist associations.

4. Foster the creation of, promote, and support PSA chapters provincially.

5. Liaise, consult with, and provide advice to the Professional Issues Advisory Committee (PIAC).

6. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate colonialism and work together with others to ensure that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act are implemented.

7. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate racism and work together with BIPOC members to create and maintain anti-racist environments.

Priorities

1. Support PSAs on matters related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2. Support the development of PSA leadership organizational capacity.

3. Support the enhancement of PSA services to members.

4. Create communication opportunities for partnership and collaboration around PSAs, their chapters, and local professional development chairpersons.

5. Consider the role of the committee in decolonizing schools and unions, and to investigate the use of the BCTF Aboriginal Lens in committee discussions.

6. Use an equity lens to continue decolonizing existing structures and remove barriers to equitable access to participation within the union.

7. Support and promote the leadership priorities adopted by the 2022 BCTF Annual General Meeting.

Report

• The following is a brief representative selection of the activities and actions undertaken by BCTF PSAs during the 2022 calendar year:

• For the October 2022 PSA Day, in a professional development environment still impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, PSAs offered conferences in a variety of formats, including in person only, online only, dual in person and online, and hybrid. Federation members responded positively to the different formats, and offering online options enabled better engagement with members outside of the Lower Mainland. At the same time, many members indicated that they were very happy to be able to meet in person again.

• During the first half of 2022, PSAs continued to be directly involved with the Federation’s response to the pandemic. This included:

- several PSA presidents representing the Federation on the Ministry of Education’s K–12 Education Restart Steering Committee health and safety workgroup.

- updated PSA-developed COVID-19 best practice guides for their specialist area members. These guides were also reviewed and approved by the BC Public Health Office.

- PSAs directly contributed to the specialist area information contained within the Ministry of Education’s Provincial COVID-19 Health and Safety Guidelines for K–12 Settings.

• Providing member support and advocacy dedicated to both challenging systemic oppression and decolonizing existing structures within the K–12 education system.

• Continuing provision of learning resources and other support materials to members through both PSA websites and the Federation’s TeachBC site.

• Ongoing communication to PSA members with a focus on new members.

• PSAs continue to provide ongoing advocacy related to Ministry of Education and Child Care policy including:

- curriculum, assessment, reporting, and graduation requirements

- changes to online learning policy

- revision of the Ministry Learning Resources

Policy

- health and safety

- mental health

- sustainability and climate change responses

- anti-racism.

PSA Council

Carol Arnold, Aboriginal Education Association (AEA)

Shanee Prasad, Anti-Oppression Educators Collective (AOEC)

Heather Lytle, Association of BC Drama Educators (ABCDE)

Sophie Bergeron, Association Provinciale des Professeurs de l’Immersion et du ProgrammeFrancophone (APPIPC)

Tianay de Andrade, BC Alternate Education Association (BCAEA)

Nicole Porter, BC Art Teachers’ Association (BCATA)

Susan Robinson, BC Association of Mathematics Teachers (BCAMT)

Kindra Harte, BC Association of Teachers of Modern Languages (BCATML)

Martin Runge, BC Business Education Association (BCBEA)

Trevor Randle, BC Culinary Arts Specialist Association (BCCASA)

Paula Johnson, BC Dance Educators’ Association (BCDEA)

Nicole Jarvis, BC Early Career Teachers’ Association (BCECTA)

Thomas Diesch, BC Educators for Distributed Learning PSA (BCEDLPSA)

Janet Wade, BC Music Educators’ Association (BCMEA)

Janine Fraser, BC Primary Teachers’ Association (BCPTA)

David MacKenzie, BC School Counsellors’ Association (BCSCA)

John Munro, BC Science Teachers’ Association (BCScTA)

Dale Martelli, BC Social Studies Teachers’ Association (BCSSTA)

Tammy Le, BC Teacher-Librarians’ Association (BCTLA)

Kyla Hadden, BC Teachers of English Language Arts (BCTELA)

Elizabeth Seitz, BC Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (BCTESOL)

Nigel Reedman, BC Technology Education Association (BCTEA)

Dave McCristall, Computer-Using Educators of BC (CUEBC)

Jonathan Dyck, Environmental Educators’ Provincial Specialist Association (EEPSA)

Jennifer Chobotiuk, Learning Assistance Teachers’ Association (LATA)

Jennifer Slack, Middle Years and Provincial Intermediate Teachers’ Association (myPITA)

Nazli Izmirli, Montessori Provincial Specialist Association (MPSA)

Josh Ogilvie, Physical Health Education British Columbia (PHEBC)

Tybie Elenko, Specialist Association of Gifted Educators in BC (SAGEBC)

Melissa Edstrom, Teachers of Home Economics Specialist Association (THESA)

Sarah Brooks, Teachers of Inclusive Education BC (TIEBC)

TEACHER MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD

Terms of Reference

Composition: Five members

1. Ensure that the objectives of the magazine are met.

2. Conduct periodic surveys of the effectiveness of the magazine.

3. Participate in the annual planning and review of the magazine.

4. Participate in developing themes and content for upcoming issues.

5. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate colonialism and working together with others to ensure that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act are implemented.

6. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate racism and work together with BIPOC members to create and maintain anti-racist environments.

Priorities

1. Challenge colonial structures and attitudes and highlight the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

2. Highlight member and community actions working toward equity and inclusion in classrooms, schools, locals, and the BCTF.

3. Raise awareness of mental health and wellness issues affecting members, to reduce stigma and emphasize that teacher well-being is foundational to a strong public education system.

4. Feature campaigns and ongoing advocacy of organizations the BCTF supports.

5. Raise awareness and support initiatives for climate justice.

6. Promote professional development opportunities including resources, workshops, and professional learning opportunities.

7. Include diverse member voices from across the province.

8. Consider the role of the committee in decolonizing schools and unions, and to investigate the use of the BCTF Aboriginal Lens in committee discussions.

9. Use an equity lens to continue decolonizing existing structures and remove barriers to equitable access to participation within the union.

10. Support and promote the leadership priorities adopted by the 2022 Annual General Meeting.

Report

In 2022, Teacher magazine was awarded honourable mention for Best Overall Print Publication at the Canadian Association of Labour Media (CALM) annual conference. The article titled, “The greatest gift was being held accountable for my racism,” also won the CALM award for Best Writing Volunteer Produced.

The advisory board met twice in 2022 to review recent issues of Teacher magazine and discuss plans for upcoming issues.

The board members discussed the role images play in engaging readers. The magazine has made a concerted effort to include more images of real members and students along with articles. Themed editions have also helped to engage readers more deeply on social justice topics. Recent magazine themes include food, climate change, and language.

Teacher magazine incorporated the BCTF’s new branding guidelines in the fall of 2022. This shift included changes to the front and back cover, as well as other design changes throughout the magazine.

Teacher Magazine Advisory Board 2022–23

Shelley Balfour, Cranbrook

Jennifer Fox, North Vancouver

Robyn Ladner, Vernon

Mahima Lamba, Delta

Kristin Singbeil, Nanaimo

Carole Gordon, Executive Committee liaison

On the Teacher Magazine Advisory Board 2021–22

Catherine Quanstrom, Bulkley Valley

Alexa Bennett Fox, North Vancouver

TEACHERS TEACHING ON CALL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Terms of Reference

Composition: Nine members

1. Advise the BCTF Executive Committee on:

a. the diverse identities and varying needs of teachers teaching on call (TTOCs) across the province of BC.

b. policies, procedures, and activities regarding TTOCs.

c. strategies for improving the quality of life and professional recognition for TTOCs.

d. structures, resources, and activities which encourage and support the participation of teachers, who teach on call in the locals and the BCTF.

2. Understand and consider in its advocacy, the diverse experiences, backgrounds, geographical locations, and working conditions of TTOCs.

3. Advise, consult, and advocate for TTOC issues with TTOC contacts, with locals, in zones, at the BCTF Summer Leadership Conference, and at the BCTF New Teachers’ Conference.

4. Support communications with members on TTOC issues.

5. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate colonialism and working together with others to ensure that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act are implemented.

6. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate racism and work together with BIPOC members to create and maintain anti-racist environments.

Priorities

1. Encourage locals to work with TTOCs to raise the profile of TTOCs and to promote TTOC Appreciation Week in May.

2. Identify issues and develop strategies to address recruitment and retention and working conditions for TTOCs.

3. Assist in developing and implementing strategies to support TTOCs to become more active in their locals, PSAs, and the Federation as a whole.

4. Support locals to develop strategies to respond to the needs of, and protect TTOCs’ health and safety, and improve TTOCs’ working conditions as schools transition out of the pandemic.

5. Use the social justice lens to ensure that TTOCs from equity-seeking groups can count on access, agency, and a sense of belonging in schools and the union.

6. Consider the role of the committee in decolonizing schools and unions, and to investigate the use of the BCTF Aboriginal Lens in committee discussions.

7. Use an equity lens to continue decolonizing existing structures and remove barriers to equitable access to participation within the union.

8. Support and promote the leadership priorities adopted by the 2022 BCTF Annual General Meeting.

Report

The work of the Teachers Teaching on Call Advisory Committee (TTOCAC) last year continued to focus on advocating for TTOCs in the transition out of the pandemic. Members working as TTOCs faced many challenges in their workplaces and were affected by chronic teacher shortages throughout the province, so the TTOCAC focused on recruitment and retention and working conditions as two crucial parts of its work.

Building bridges between TTOCs and others is an important part of the committee’s work, both in raising the TTOC profile and in the equity work to address discrimination and barriers within the education system. Although unfortunately unable to participate in the virtual AGM, the TTOCAC used every opportunity last year to encourage TTOCs to get involved and to feel that they are supported by their union.

2022 Summer Leadership Conference

TTOCAC members on the committee at that time facilitated the training of new and experienced local TTOC contacts during the 2022 Summer Leadership Conference. The training focused on strategies that TTOC contacts could use for local engagement, mentoring, and building local capacity.

There were also discussions on professional autonomy, booking TTOC workshops, TTOC callouts and redeployment, along with advocating for sick days for TTOCs. The Power of Leadership booklet was reviewed and shared as well.

A special carousel outdoor gallery walk activity with TTOCAC members as “living libraries” explored lived stories of TTOCs and was very popular with participants.

Zone meetings

The TTOCAC members planned and facilitated two zone meetings in the 2022 year. Through their work with TTOC contacts at zone meetings, the advisory committee members worked on developing networks for TTOCs in locals and provincially.

The 2022 spring zone meetings were one-day virtual events. As well as checking in with TTOC contacts on ongoing challenges, successes, and COVID-19 specific issues, the committee’s agenda included writing motions, TTOC Appreciation Week, callout systems, filing WorkSafe claims as TTOCs, a grievance update, and the issue of TTOCs covering for EAs.

A major aim of the 2022 fall meeting sessions was to find out the main issues and concerns of TTOCs as identified by local TTOC contacts, as well as sharing those from the committee’s own priorities list. Bargaining remained a topic on all minds at the fall session, and in particular the need to ensure that any settlement with the employer provide TTOCs with collective agreement benefits and protections on an equitable basis with other members.

Both fall and spring zone meetings in 2022–23 include a joint session of the TTOC contacts and local presidents. The fall session focussed on local capacity building and membership engagement of both TTOCs and new teachers. Both groups shared their own successful practices and discussed ideas and strategies to strengthen the activities in these areas. The spring session focus will be on mentorship for new teachers and for TTOCs.

Motions to the Executive Committee

The committee asked that the Federation encourage locals to work with school boards to adopt a sanctuary school policy, and to provide training on sanctuary school policies for local released officers for the purpose of local advocacy with school districts. They also requested an update to share with local presidents of a Local TTOC Call-out Practices document produced in 2015.

TTOC Appreciation Week

The first full week in May 2023 will be the second annual celebration for TTOCs. For the 2022 session, the committee worked with BCTF staff to develop communications and promotional materials for this week. These included social media shareables, an animated GIF, thank you cards, ads for local publications, and posters.

Thanks to the advocacy of the committee, TTOC Appreciation Week is now an eligible activity for locals to apply for funding of up to $1,500 under the 2022–23 Member Outreach Grant.

Ongoing work

TTOCAC members continued throughout the year to advocate for TTOCs in their own locals, with other local TTOC representatives in their zone, and at provincial meetings.

On the committee 2022–23

Julie Bond, Cranbrook

André Côté, Central Okanagan

Paul Falardeau, Vancouver Secondary

Dianne Hunt, Mackenzie

Carla Lowther, Peace River North

Anita Taylor, Boundary

Richard Warrington, West Vancouver

Mariah Franzmann, Executive Committee liaison

On the committee 2021–22

Sarah Harvey, Greater Victoria

Nadia Mallay, North Vancouver

Sonia Manak, Sooke

Morgan McKee, Burnaby

Karine Ng, Vancouver Secondary

WORKING AND LEARNING CONDITIONS/BARGAINING ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Terms of Reference

Composition: 10 members

1. Raise awareness of, and advocate for, the improvement of teaching and learning conditions throughout the province to ensure success for each student.

2. Study and analyze information on the equitable provision and allocations of resources to districts and schools.

3. Study and analyze the workload of members and the quality and equity of learning opportunities provided to students.

4. Develop strategies and provide advice for locals in strengthening and achieving effective local bargaining and other actions.

5. Provide ongoing advice on all matters related to bargaining

6. Facilitate the bargaining chair portion of zone meetings and Summer Leadership Conference.

7. Assist in the development of local, zonal, and provincial networks of local bargaining chairs.

8. Suppor t grassroots member engagement with respect to local and provincial bargaining.

9. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate colonialism and working together with others to ensure that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act are implemented.

10. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate racism and work together with BIPOC members to create and maintain anti-racist environments.

Priorities

1. Examine and monitor current working and learning conditions and provide advice regarding strategies to achieve improvements.

2. Advise on and support collective actions and the implementation of the collective agreement.

3. Monitor the impact of the teacher shortage and provide advice on advocacy for teacher recruitment and retention initiatives with attention to teachers from equity-seeking groups.

4. Provide advice on member engagement, capacity building, and local support in relation to bargaining, implementing, melding, and defending collective agreements.

5. Connect the work of WLC/BAC to other advisory committees within the Federation.

6. Consider the role of the committee in decolonizing schools and unions and to investigate the use of the BCTF Aboriginal Lens in committee discussions.

7. Use an equity lens to continue decolonizing existing structures and remove barriers to equitable access to participation within the union.

8. Suppor t and promote the leadership priorities adopted by the 2022 BCTF Annual General Meeting.

Report

The committee engaged in one virtual meeting in January 2022 and two in-person meetings in June and September 2022.

Committee members planned and facilitated training for WLC representatives/bargaining chairs for the 2022 spring and fall zone meetings. Topics included:

• review of early local bargaining, the Settlement Facilitator Process, and local ratification

• implementing new contract language

• working and learning conditions and workload

issues for members

• engaging members with bargaining truth and reconciliation in classrooms.

Committee members planned and delivered two days of training for bargaining chairs who attended the 2022 Summer Leadership Conference. Discreet session topics included:

• BCTF bargaining history

• role of the local bargaining chair and preparing for the next round

• melding and enforcement of new local language

• organizing members for collective action in the local.

Committee members spent time at each meeting reviewing the bargaining sections of the Members’ Guide and beginning to develop comprehensive recommendations on changes. This work will continue into early 2023.

Committee members 2022–23

Kevin Amboe, Surrey

Tara Elliot, Fernie

Carl Janze, Vancouver Secondary

Jason Karpuk, Kamloops Thompson

Mary Lawrence, Prince George

Preet Lidder, Vancouver Secondary

Ryan McCarty, Mission

Janise Nikolic, Mission

Shanee Prasad, Burnaby

Amrit Sanghe, Surrey

Jody Polukoshko, Executive Committee liaison

On the committee 2021–22

Alison Liddicoat (January–October), Sunshine Coast

Tammy McKinley, Chilliwack

Chloë McKnight, VEAES

Sarah York, Alberni

W.R. LONG MEMORIAL INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY FUND COMMITTEE

Terms of Reference

Composition: Four members

1. Provide advice to the Executive Committee on:

a. strategies and priorities for the development and carrying out of international solidarity projects that strengthen public education and teacher unions.

b. projects and grants for international solidarity projects based on the priorities.

c. activities that build relationships of solidarity between BC teachers and teachers in other countries, including union exchanges and volunteer projects.

d. communications that increase member awareness of global education issues and the Federation’s international solidarity work.

2. Approve funding of projects, on amounts not to exceed $5,000 for a project.

3. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate colonialism and working together with others to ensure that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act are implemented.

4. Challenge thinking, structures, and systems that perpetuate racism and work together with BIPOC members to create and maintain anti-racist environments.

Priorities

1. Provide international solidarity that strengthens teacher unions in their ability to support teachers and public education.

2. Engage members in international solidarity through dialogue, exchange, and other opportunities with international partners.

3. Enhance members’ understanding of international solidarity and of strategies learned through the struggles and successes of our Latin American (and other) partner unions by publicizing these in Teacher and other BCTF communications channels.

4. Consider the role of the committee in decolonizing schools and unions and investigate the use of the BCTF Aboriginal Lens in committee discussions.

5. Use an equity lens to continue decolonizing existing structures and remove barriers to equitable access to participation within the union.

6. Suppor t and promote the leadership priorities adopted by the 2022 BCTF Annual General Meeting.

Report

Over the decades, our Federation’s international solidarity work has deepened and broadened—both geographically and in terms of the range of issues addressed. The focus is primarily on solidarity work in the Americas—South, Central, and North—through an approach of long-term relationships that are mutually respectful and co-operative in developing the nature of the project.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated challenging social, economic, and political conditions that most of our partners face. This has included high levels of unemployment or underemployment, high levels of social inequalities, and very slow vaccine rollout. Teacher partners have taken on leadership roles in facing these conditions, and creatively used their skills and resources to support teachers and students.

Some highlights from activities in 2021–22

Non-sexist and inclusive pedagogy

The Non-Sexist and Inclusive Pedagogy (NSIP) program is a regional initiative that carries out training and consciousness-raising among Central American teachers to facilitate the implementation of non-sexist, inclusive, and democratic practices in the classroom. For 2021–22, the BCTF has supported projects with the National Association of Salvadoran Educators (ANDES 21 de Junio), the Honduran High School Teachers’ College (COPEMH), the First Professional College of Honduran Teachers (PRICPHMA), and the Women’s Collective of the Federation of Honduran Teachers’ Organizations (FOMH). Activities have focused on developing workshops and lesson aids, adapting training to online formats, training teachers in marginalized areas, certifying a NSIP diploma, and lobbying for labour rights. NSIP teaching resources, photos, and workshop outlines developed by partners are available at pedagogianosexista.com/

Women’s leadership training

The BCTF supports women’s leadership training that is focused on engaging more women teachers in leadership roles in their organizations at local and national levels. For 2021–22, the BCTF has supported projects with the Costa Rican Education Workers’ Union (SEC), the Peruvian Education Workers’ Union (SUTEP), and the Federation of Central American Teachers’ Organizations (FOMCA, Women’s Secretariat). Activities have included online empowerment training, organizing, and participating in local actions, and increasing the visibility of women leaders. The BCTF has also been exploring a partnership with the General Union of Palestinian Teachers (GUPT).

Research and democratic pedagogy

Latin American partners are using research to better understand priority issues, with the results presented back to teachers in order to collectively develop strategies for action. In Colombia, the Federation of Colombian Educators (FECODE) has continued

work on the “Schools as Territories of Peace” project. In Mexico, Totlahtol Yoltok (Our Living Word), a local collective of the National Confederation of Education Workers, Veracruz, has continued to lead on the decolonization of Indigenous education. The Initiative for Democratic Education in the Americas (IDEA Network) organized a hemispheric campaign against educational inequality (see idea-network.ca/ en/?p=443) and published new issues of Intercambio Magazine (see idea-network.ca/en/?cat=5).

Institutional strengthening

The International Program aims to support and strengthen teacher unions as agents of change and defenders of universal, democratic, and quality public education. In Bolivia, along with the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF), the BCTF has funded a program of union skills training and professional development. In Southern Africa, the BCTF continues to partner with the Namibia National Teachers’ Union (NANTU), supporting professional development facilitator training based on the Workshop on Workshops model used by the BCTF. In Cuba, the BCTF is supporting a collaborative project, involving Cuban and BC teachers and students, to develop short videos supporting English language learning.

Engaging BC teachers in international solidarity

While many in-person exchanges have not been possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual encounters have continued to allow for unique spaces of learning and solidarity. The BCTF is also a part of Common Frontiers, a national working group with over two decades of experience and credibility in international solidarity. Common Frontiers provides solidarity statements, webinars, a monthly newsletter, and a podcast (Super-exploitation and Resistance) that highlights labour struggles in Latin America for a Canadian audience.

Funding of the International Solidarity Program

The BCTF International Solidarity Program is funded through a percentage of the fees from the BCTF operating fund. This has allowed the BCTF to have a significant impact in working with colleagues and their unions in Latin America and Southern Africa.

Many of the BCTF projects are carried out in a partnership with CoDevelopment Canada (see www. codev.org/). Many BCTF members are members of CoDevelopment Canada and have served on its board.

Report of the Representative Assembly PART 4

Representative Assembly report

The Representative Assembly (RA) held three regular meetings in 2022: January 28–29, May 27–28, and November 4–5. In addition, a Special Representative Assembly was held on August 22, 2022.

The RA consists of local representatives (LRs) chosen based on the formula outlined in Procedure 25.B.02 (page 98) of the Members’ Guide to the BCTF. Local presidents (LPs) and members of the Executive Committee (EC) are non-voting members of the RA.

Voting at the RA is by voting cards issued to LRs based on one card for each 0.2%, or fraction thereof, of the total membership of the BCTF.

Each meeting of the assembly gives representatives the opportunity to review all minutes of the EC. This review assists assembly members in exercising their constitutional responsibility to advise the EC on any question affecting BCTF policy as well as to authorize or prohibit any proposal of the EC deemed to be contrary to, or beyond the scope of, BCTF policy. Each RA also receives a stewardship report outlining action on the implementation of RA decisions.

The following is a brief outline of some of the major issues considered by the 2022 RAs.

Winter meeting—January 28–29, 2022

• elected delegates to the Canadian Teachers’ Federation Annual General Meeting

• elected Executive Committee Member-at-Large, RA Agenda Committee member

• amended Procedure 25.A.28 and Procedure 10.I.06

• lobbied the government to share school closure information

• agreed on 2022–23 membership fees, minimum local fee, affiliate administrative membership, associate membership, member on leave of absence, members under By-law 1.1(b)

• donated to the BC Federation of Labour, Princeton District Teachers’ Association, The First Nations Child & Family Caring Society, and the Tk’emlúps te’ Secwepemc and shíshálh Nation

• investigated potential issues on the Draft Reporting Order

• supported the time-limited E-petition e-3672

• planned for the October Provincial Specialist Association Day

• agreed WorkSafeBC training not take place on professional development days

• agreed to fully fund Zoom licenses for PSAs.

Spring meeting—May 27–28, 2022

• amended Procedure 2.A.08, Procedure 3.E.04, Policy 3.J.01—3.9, Policy 3.J.01—7.3 and 7.8, Policy 3.J.01—8.7.1, 8.7.2, 8.8, 8.9, 8.10, 8.13, and 8.14, Procedure 8.A.04, Policy 25.D.14—1., Procedure 25.A.06—5. and 9., Procedure 44.14— 2.d. and 2.g.

• deleted Procedure 3.E.06, Procedure 25.H.14— 11., Procedure 31.C.02, Procedure 49.16—1.–3., Procedure 30.A.38

• donated to International Trade Union Confederation’s Ukraine appeal

• referred to the EC: Procedure 3.G.02, Procedure M. Zone Meetings, 25.M.02

• called for full funding for seamless day childcare if implemented

• condemned the misuse of student assessment data

• elected member to BCFED Executive Council, EC Member-at-Large, health and safety representatives, Finance Committee, Judicial Council, nominating chairperson, alternate nominating chairperson, RA Agenda Committee, RA chairpersons, RA ombudspersons

• advocated for climate justice resources and curriculum

• advocated for discipline of trustees found to breach policies and regulations

• researched the efficacy and role of school trustees

• advocated to appoint an Ethics Commissioner

• reviewed the existing grant criteria

• lobbied the government to direct a portion of revenue from the carbon tax to fund green and carbon-emissions reducing technology in schools and school districts

• initiated a provincial grievance on the contracting out of the Integrated Child and Youth Clinical Counsellor (ICY-CC) positions within the province

• publicly advocated for a legal and regulated supply of drugs that have traditionally only been available through the illicit drug market, also known as safe supply

• wrote a letter to BC Investment Management Corporation (BCIMC) and Mosaic Forest Management (MFM) acknowledging that MFMs plan to defer harvesting for the next 25 years on 40,000 hectares of BC forests is a significant step forward toward valuing the non-timber benefits of old growth stands

• called upon the Ministry of Education for a province-wide implementation to the Letter of Understanding for Employment Equity for Aboriginal Teachers to redress the underrepresentation of Aboriginal teachers in BC public schools

• added animal boarding as a reimbursable expense for travel on Federation business

• adopted the week leading up to September 30 as Truth and Reconciliation Week

• agreed that if a count is called for, voting occur electronically.

Fall meeting—November 4–5, 2022

• elected members to Judicial Council and elected a Judicial Council chairperson

• amended Procedures 10.I.04, 25.D.18, 25.D.52

• provided $1,000,000 of financial and legal support to CUPE Ontario

• expressed public solidarity with CUPE Ontario

• donated $10,000 to First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Society

• agreed to create a Climate Justice 101 workshop

• advocated for in-service training when any new reporting standards are implemented

• created a policy with hotels to ensure deposits are waived when carrying out BCTF work

• agreed to investigate a permanent hybrid model for members to attend governance and zone meetings remotely

• amended the Standing Rules of Order 7.2.i

• made a public statement of support in English and Farsi for the people of Iran

• made a public statement in support of the student teachers of Carmen Serdan Rural Teacher College in English and Spanish.

Report of the Nomination Chairperson

The Nominating Committee presents the following names (in alphabetical order for each position) of BCTF members who have been nominated pursuant to By-law 5.4 (page 11 of the Members’ Guide to the BCTF) for positions on the EC. Additional nominations may be made from the floor of the AGM.

For President—one to be elected

Clint Johnston, Chilliwack

Jillian Maguire, Vancouver Secondary

For First Vice-President—one to be elected

Carole Gordon, Central Okanagan

For Second Vice-President—one to be elected

Robin Tosczak, Greater Victoria

Members-at-Large—four to be elected

Non-designated (4)

Jo Cornthwaite, Nanaimo

Mariah Franzmann, Prince George

Rick Kumar, Surrey

Marilyn Ricketts-Lindsay, Surrey

Katherine Trepanier, Prince George

Voting Rights of the Annual General Meeting and Standing Rules of Order

Voting rights of the AGM

By-law 8.2 (p. 13 of the Members’ Guide) specifies that the voting body at the AGM consists of three different groups of people: (1) the local representatives (LR), elected by the local and sublocals, (2) members of the Executive Committee (EC), elected by the AGM, and (3) the delegates, elected by the local and sublocals. Each of the three groups has certain voting rights and responsibilities.

The information that follows outlines those for each of the groups and, outlines the rights and responsibilities of locals in selecting their LRs and AGM delegates.

Voting rights of delegates

1. Each delegate must be elected by a general meeting of their local or sublocal.

2. A delegate attends the AGM as a representative of the local or sublocal. Each voting card is therefore assigned to the delegate by the local.

3. By-law 8.3 (p. 14 of the Members’ Guide) allows delegates and LRs from the same local to exchange and exercise each other’s voting cards, subject to any rules the local has made regarding the transfer of voting cards. If a delegate or LR leaves the meeting room temporarily, therefore, they may pass the voting cards to another delegate or LR from the same local. This provision ensures that all locals can be fully represented in any voting that occurs at the AGM.

4. Delegates are free to vote as they see fit on questions at the meeting.

5. Having stood for election as an AGM delegate, each delegate has the obligation to attend the sessions of the AGM, to ensure that colleagues are represented in all votes.

Voting rights of local representatives

1. Each LR or alternate LR must be elected by a general meeting of the local or sublocal.

2. Each LR attends the AGM as a member of the Representative Assembly at BCTF expense. Their voting card is therefore issued by the BCTF office.

3. By-law 8.3 (p. 14 of the Members’ Guide) permits an LR or alternate LR to pass their voting card to another LR from the same local or to a delegate from the same local.

4. By-law 8.3 also permits an LR to exercise both LRs’ voting cards and delegates’ voting cards, provided that the cards are transferred to them by members of the same local, subject to any rules made by the local or sublocal regarding the transfer of voting cards.

Voting rights of members of the BCTF Executive Committee

1. Each EC member is elected by the AGM and is therefore responsible to the BCTF as a whole, not to their local.

2. Each EC member attends the AGM as a member of the BCTF EC, at BCTF expense, not as a representative of any local or sublocal.

3. Each EC member receives a voting card as an individual and may therefore vote only their own card. They may not pass the card to anyone else, including other members of the EC.

4. An EC member may not exercise a LR’s voting card or a delegate’s voting card because the EC member does not represent any local or sublocal.

Rights and responsibilities of locals and sublocals

1. A local must elect its local representative(s) at a general meeting.

2. A local must elect its AGM delegates at a general meeting.

3. By-law 6.7 (p. 12 of the Members’ Guide) allows the president or an “authorized agent” of the local to appoint a substitute if the LR and alternate are both unable to attend a meeting of the Representative Assembly and, by extension, the AGM.

4. A local may elect a person to serve in more than one capacity. For example, the local may have a by-law specifying that the vice-president will automatically be a LR and/or a member of the local’s AGM delegation.

5. A local may make rules regarding the custody and issuance of delegates’ voting cards to ensure that all the local’s cards are present in the meeting room at all times during the business sessions. Such rules may be made to ensure that the members of the local have a voice in all decisions made at the AGM. Please note, however, that such rules cannot infringe on the voting rights of individual delegates.

6. By-law 8.3 (p. 14 of the Members’ Guide) allows local or sublocals to make rules regulating the transfer of voting cards between its delegates and LRs. Such rules must be made by a general meeting of the local.

AGM Standing Rules of Order

1. Right to attend and speak

1.1 All members of the BCTF shall have the right to attend the meeting.

1.2 Surviving spouses shall have the right to speak on pension matters.

1.3 The right to speak shall be on recognition of the chair and obtained by standing at one of the microphones. Every person shall identify themself when granted recognition by the chair.

1.4 The chair shall, in recognizing speakers, have the right to deviate from the order in which persons seek recognition to permit a speaker or speakers to present a contrary point of view from that of those who have already spoken.

1.5 No speaker shall, without the consent of the delegates, speak more than once or for longer than three minutes on each motion, main or secondary, except for the mover of the motion, who shall have the right to speak for four minutes. This rule shall not deprive the mover of the right to close debate, provided that there has not been a procedural motion to close debate. A motion to change these times shall be in accordance with the AGM Standing Rule 7.2.iii.c.

1.6 Asking and answering questions shall not constitute speaking to a motion.

1.7 a. Questions and answers thereto shall be directed through the chair.

b. A member may address the meeting in their working language and, when the working language is not English, may have another delegate accompany them to the microphone to provide a translation of their remarks to English. Both the delegate addressing the meeting and the delegate providing the translation shall each have up to three minutes to speak to a motion and up to four minutes when moving a motion, in accordance with Annual General Meeting Standing Rule of Order 1.5. The delegate providing the translation will identify themself when granted recognition by the chair.

1.8 No delegate shall comment on any matter immediately before moving a motion.

1.9 The chair can call for the question to be put, if there has been debate on both sides of the issue, when the time on the agenda for the next item has arrived. If the assembly declines to put the question at that time, the matter automatically goes to unfinished business unless another procedural motion arises.

2. Preparation of the proposed agenda

2.1 The preparation of the proposed agenda shall be the responsibility of the President.

2.2 The proposed agenda shall contain the hours at which each session will convene and adjourn, and shall indicate the business to be transacted during each session. Recommendations and resolutions shall be referred to by number. The numbers shall correspond to those assigned in a document entitled Reports and Resolutions, Annual General Meeting.

This document shall be made available to members as long as possible before convening of the meeting and shall, insofar as is possible, contain all information pertinent to the items to be included in the proposed agenda of the meeting.

2.3 The proposed agenda shall provide opportunities for delegates to ask questions concerning the reports of the Representative Assembly, the Executive Committee or any other BCTF committee or task force.

2.4 Committee reports shall be published in Reports and Resolutions or, in exceptional cases, included in the information kits distributed to delegates.

2.5 Because the proposed agenda must be printed and circulated, provision shall be made for late reports and resolutions. It shall be the responsibility of the Executive Committee to propose the inclusion in the proposed agenda of matters so arising. Component parts of the BCTF shall submit to the Executive Committee resolutions arising too late for inclusion in the printed proposed agenda.

2.6 The Annual General Meeting shall, from time to time, make rules concerning which of its component parts shall have the right to submit matters for the consideration of the meeting.

2.7 (i) The proposed agenda shall commence with the election of chairpersons.

(ii) A co-chairperson not in the chair should be available to assist the chair and the meeting by providing parliamentary opinion.

(iii) The chairpersons shall be either active members or honorary associate members.

2.8 That the agenda will include scheduled times in advance of the commencement of elections for the Executive Committee positions to allow for speeches from:

(i) candidates for Full-Time Table Officer positions, with a limit of four minutes allocated to each candidate.

(ii) candidates for Member-at-Large positions, with a limit of three minutes allocated to each candidate. (May 19 RA, p. 18)

3. Motion to adopt agenda

Debatable, amendable, but cannot be referred, postponed or tabled.

3.1 The agenda shall be circulated to the meeting. The chair shall bring to the attention of the meeting any changes to the proposed agenda that have originated with the Executive Committee, and shall cause to be presented to the meeting an explanation of why the item(s) could not be included in Reports and Resolutions.

3.2 Subject to the provisions of these rules, the constitution and by-laws, and the policies and procedures of the Federation, when a motion to adopt the agenda is made, the meeting can, by motions requiring simple majorities, add items to, delete items from, or rearrange the order of items on the proposed agenda.

3.3 Recommendations and resolutions printed in Reports and Resolutions or contained in the information kits distributed to delegates shall be part of the proposed agenda, and may not be withdrawn except by motions to amend the proposed agenda.

4. Motions to amend the agenda (subsequent to its adoption)

Debatable, amendable, but cannot be referred, postponed or tabled, require a two-thirds majority.

4.1 Once the proposed agenda has been adopted, it becomes the property of the meeting. Items on it may therefore not be withdrawn without the unanimous consent of the voting delegates present. However, any change to the agenda, once it has been adopted, can be made by motion, but any such motion shall require at least two-thirds majority to pass. This includes any motion that limits or extends specified time allocations, changes the order of items remaining on the agenda, or designates specific times for items.

4.2 Debate on changes to the agenda will only be permitted in the first session of each day and will be limited to 30 minutes. An exception will be granted to the Resolutions Committee.

5. Motion to adopt minutes

Not debatable, amendable as to errors in fact only.

5.1 There shall be a motion to adopt the minutes of the previous meeting. These minutes shall

have been circulated to locals, geographical representatives, members of the Executive Committee, and school staffs.

6. Main motions

Debatable, amendable, may be referred, tabled, postponed or reconsidered.

6.1 A main motion is defined as a motion that introduces a substantive question as a new subject. AGM main motions are introduced as resolutions or as recommendations.

6.2 Main motions must be moved and seconded. It shall be the primary responsibility of the sponsoring body of a main motion to move and second the motion, but it shall be the right of any delegate to move or second any main motion.

6.3 No recommendation or resolution shall be discussed or voted on until copies of it have been distributed to the meeting.

6.4 The names of the mover and seconder, and their locals, shall be included on the printed copies of “late” and “new” resolutions.

Types of main motions

6.A Resolutions and Recommendations (as circulated to delegates).

6.A.1—A “resolution” shall be defined as a main motion, sponsored by a component body of the BCTF, other than BCTF committees, the Executive Committee, or the Representative Assembly, that has been published in Reports and Resolutions. (See also section 6.D of these rules of order and statement 2.C.04.) 6.A.2—A “recommendation” shall be defined as a main motion sponsored by the Executive Committee or the Representative Assembly.

6.A.3—Recommendations shall take precedence over resolutions.

6.B Special Resolutions.

6.B. 1—Special resolutions shall be defined as recommendations or resolutions that seek to amend the constitution and by-laws of the Federation and other resolutions so defined in the Societies Act. Such special resolutions shall require a three- quarters majority vote to pass.

6.B. 2—The Societies Act requires notice of motion of any special resolution.

6.C “Late” resolutions.

6.C. 1—A “late” resolution shall be defined as a resolution that deals with a matter that arose too late for the sponsoring group to have the resolution published in Reports and Resolutions. “Late” resolutions must be submitted to the

Executive Committee prior to the AGM. If the Executive Committee rules that a resolution is a “late” resolution as defined herein, it shall recommend that resolution for inclusion in the proposed agenda.

6.D “New” resolutions.

6.D. 1—To be acceptable for consideration by the AGM as a “new” resolution, a resolution must meet all of the following criteria:

1. arises directly out of the business of the meeting;

2. could not have been submitted in time to become either a regular or “late” resolution;

3. must relate to an issue that must be dealt with before the spring meeting of the Representative Assembly.

6.D.2—Before accepting a “new” resolution, the chairperson of the meeting shall ask the chairperson of the Resolutions Committee to indicate to the meeting whether or not the Resolutions Committee believes that the resolution meets the criteria for new resolutions, as stated in rule 6.D.1.

6.D.3—When a new resolution has been proposed for consideration by the meeting, it shall be duplicated and distributed to the meeting at a later session or displayed to the meeting.

6.D.4—A new resolution shall receive consideration only with the consent of the meeting expressed by majority vote on a procedural motion to accept the resolution for consideration. The motion to accept for consideration shall not be proposed until copies of the new resolution have been made available to the meeting.

6.D.5—All of the foregoing rules shall apply to resolutions intended for consideration under the heading “new business” at the final session, provided that the chairperson may suspend rule 6.D.3 if this resolution clearly deals with a matter of urgent concern that was not evident early enough for rule 6.D.3 to have been applied. (Dec 10 Ex, p. 8) 6.D.6—If, when the AGM adjourns, it has not considered a resolution submitted as a “new” resolution, the resolution shall die—that is, it shall not be considered to be unfinished business of the meeting.

6.E Alternative wording for resolutions.

6.E.1—Alteration of the wording of a resolution, or consolidation of more than one resolution, is permissible, provided that the alteration or consolidation is for clarification and does not change the intent.

The normal procedure shall be that such alteration of wording will be prepared in consultation between the sponsor of a resolution and the Resolutions Committee. The alternative wording shall be printed and distributed or displayed to the meeting, prior to consideration of the resolution. If the meeting agrees by a simple majority, the alternative wording may be moved instead of the original wording. A motion to accept alternative wording must be seconded, is debatable, not amendable, and requires a simple majority.

6.F Procedures for presenting resolutions.

6.F.1—A motion to adopt the resolution may be made from the floor. This motion is the primary responsibility of the delegates representing the sponsoring association.

6.F.2—Attention to any broader implications, inherent in the motion, of which the meeting needs to be aware in disposing of the resolution, may be found in the Advice Booklet.

6.F.3—The chairperson of the Resolutions Committee may recommend an appropriate method of dealing with the resolution, such recommendation to be made prior to the resolution being placed on the floor for debate.

6.F.4—The motion to adopt the resolution is then open for debate, during which procedural motions to give effect to the Resolutions Committee’s recommendations may be proposed from the floor.

7. Secondary motions (A secondary motion is any motion that is in order when a main motion is being debated.)

7.1 A secondary motion can be made and considered while a main motion is pending. After a secondary motion has been made and has been admitted by the chair as in order it must be acted on or disposed of before direct consideration of the main question can be continued. Secondary motions that will be accepted by the chair are those listed in rule 7.2.

7.2.i—Subsidiary motions (A subsidiary motion is intended to assist a meeting in treating or disposing of a main motion.) No subsidiary motion, other than an amendment, shall be in order until after the chair is satisfied that an opportunity has been given to at least three (3) speakers to present the affirmative and at least three (3) speakers to present the negative points of view.

7.2.i.(a) Postpone main motion indefinitely. Debatable (including debate on the main motion). Not amendable and may be reconsidered only if

the motion to postpone indefinitely is passed. A motion to postpone indefinitely allows the meeting the privilege of declining to take a position on a main motion. Its adoption kills the main motion and avoids a direct vote on the question.

7.2.i.(b) Postpone main motion to a subsequent annual general meeting.

Debatable (only as to the appropriateness of postponement), amendable (only as to year). Requires majority vote.

Postponement to a subsequent annual general meeting has the effect of ordering the inclusion of that item on the agenda of a subsequent meeting.

7.2.i.(c) Amend.

Debatable, amendable*, may be referred, postponed, or tabled.

An amendment is a motion to change, to add words to, or to omit words from, an original motion. The change is usually to clarify or improve the wording of the original motion and must not be contrary to the intent of that motion.

*Motions for amendments to amendments of main motions are in order but are not themselves amendable.

7.2.i.(d) Refer to main motion with or without amendment. Debatable (only as to the propriety or advisability of referral), amendable (only as to instructions contained in the referral motion). A motion to refer must indicate the body to which the motion is to be referred, may empower action, or may require a report to a subsequent annual general meeting, to the Executive Committee, or to the Representative Assembly.

7.2.i.(e) Postpone main motion to a certain time. Debatable (only as the appropriateness of postponement), amendable (only as to time). Requires a two-thirds or larger majority vote because it has the effect of amending the agenda. Postponement can be to a later time in the same session or to a later session of the meeting.

7.2.i.(f) Previous question (that the question be put). Not debatable, not amendable, requires a twothirds majority.

This motion may be moved only by a delegate who has been recognized by the chair. After the motion has been seconded, it must be voted on immediately. If it passes, all previous commitments to allow persons to speak are eliminated.

The chair may call the question to be put if there has been debate on both sides of the issue, when the time on the agenda for the next item has arrived. If the assembly declines to put the

question at that time, the matter automatically goes to unfinished business unless another procedural motion arises.

7.2.i.(g) Table.

Not debatable, not amendable, requires a majority vote.

A motion to table has the effect of delaying action on a main motion. If the motion is not lifted from the table later (see rule 8.1), the effect of the motion to table is to prevent action from being taken on the main motion.

7.2.ii—Privileged motions (A privileged motion does not relate directly to the pending business, but has to do with special matters that, without debate, should be allowed to interrupt the consideration of anything else.)

7.2.ii.(a) Call for orders of the day.

May interrupt speaker, not debatable, not amendable.

If the adopted agenda is not being followed or if there is a deviation from the agenda, a single delegate can require that the agenda be followed. A call for orders of the day must receive immediate attention from the chair. The ruling of the chair shall be subject to challenge.

7.2.ii.(b) Question of privilege (point of privilege).

May interrupt speaker, seconder is required if a formal motion is made.

The question or point must concern the welfare, reputation, right, privilege or physical comfort of a member, a group of members or the BCTF as a whole. The chair shall rule immediately on the validity of the point. The ruling of the chair shall be subject to challenge.

7.2.ii.(c) Recess.

May not interrupt speaker, not debatable, amendable as to length of recess, cannot be reconsidered.

A recess is a short intermission in the meeting’s proceedings, after which business will immediately be resumed at exactly the point where it was interrupted.

The privileged motion to recess is a motion that a recess being immediately, made while another question is pending.

A motion to recess that is made when no question is pending is a main motion and follows the normal rules for handling a main motion. This applies whether the recess is to begin immediately or at a future time.

7.2.ii.(d) Adjourn.

May not interrupt speaker, not debatable, not amendable, cannot be reconsidered.

A motion to adjourn means to close the meeting. The privileged motion to adjourn can be made only where provision for another meeting or session exists.

7.2.iii—Incidental motions (Incidental motions are incidental to the motions or matters out of which they arise. With few exceptions, they are related to the main question in such a way that they must be decided immediately, before business can proceed.)

7.2.iii.(a) Point of order. May interrupt speaker. The point must concern an alleged breach of standing rules and must receive an immediate ruling from the chair. The ruling shall be subject to challenge.

7.2.iii.(b) Appeal (challenge the chair). Debatable by challenger and chair only.

An appeal or challenge of the chair is in order when another has the floor, but the challenge must be made at the time of the ruling. If any debate of business has intervened, it is too late to appeal.

If any delegate is dissatisfied with any ruling of the chair, the ruling may be challenged. A motion to sustain the chair shall take precedence over all other business.

When a ruling of the chair is challenged by a delegate, all other business shall be suspended. The delegate making the challenge shall have the right to present argument to the meeting as to why the ruling is in error. The chair shall have the right to defend the ruling. The vote on the motion to sustain the chair shall follow immediately without further debate.

7.2.iii.(c) Suspend the standing rules.

May not interrupt speaker, not debatable, not amendable, cannot be reconsidered. Except where obviously impossible (such as wanting to suspend the rule(s) during a final session of an AGM), a motion to suspend a standing rule shall require notice at a previous session of the meeting and a two-thirds majority vote. Standing rules may be suspended without notice by unanimous consent provided that the suspension is not contrary to the constitution and/or by-laws.

Notwithstanding this provision, the meeting may, at any time, on recommendation of the Resolutions Committee, suspend the standing rules with a two-thirds majority vote.

7.2.iii.(d) Objection to the consideration of the question.

Not debatable, not amendable, two-thirds vote against consideration is required. Can be

reconsidered only if objection is sustained. A motion to object to the consideration of the question can be made when another member has been assigned the floor, but only if debate has not begun or a subsidiary motion has not been accepted by the chair.

7.2.iii.(e) Division of a question.

May not interrupt speaker, not debatable, amendable, may not be reconsidered.

When a motion relating to a single subject contains several parts each of which is capable of standing as separate proposition, the parts can be separated to be considered and voted on as if they were distinct questions. Such a procedure is consideration seriatim.

When the decision has been made to consider a question seriatim, each part of the motion shall be separate and any procedural motion shall be applied only to the part being debated.

7.2.iii.(f) Requests and inquiries.

Note: The first two types of inquiry are responded to by the chair, or by a member at the direction of the chair; the other requests can be granted only by the meeting.

(1) Parliamentary Inquiry—a request for the chair’s opinion—not involving a ruling—on a matter of parliamentary procedure as it relates to the business at hand.

(2) Point of Information—a question about facts affecting the business at hand—directed to the chair or, through the chair, to a member.

(3) Request to be excused from a duty.

(4) Request for any other privilege.

8. Motions that bring a question again before the meeting

The following three motions will be the only ones accepted by the chair to bring a question again before the meeting.

8.1 Take from the table.

Not debatable, not amendable, cannot be reconsidered.

A motion to take from the table must be passed before any motion that has been tabled can be reconsidered. Because the motion will have the effect of amending the agenda, it shall require a two-thirds or larger majority vote to pass. If passed, the motion shall be dealt with at the earliest opportunity.

8.2 Rescind something previously adopted.

Debatable (including discussion on the motion to be rescinded or amended). Amendable. Twothirds or larger majority vote required because

the effect is to amend the agenda. Negative votes only can be reconsidered.

A motion to rescind is a proposal to cancel or annul an earlier decision. A motion to rescind, if passed, cancels the earlier motion and makes it possible for a new motion to be placed before the meeting.

8.3 Reconsider

Debatable (provided the motion to be reconsidered is debatable, in which case debate may also go into the original motion). Not amendable. Cannot be reconsidered. Two-thirds or larger majority vote required because the effect is to amend the agenda.

A motion to reconsider has the following unique characteristics:

a. It can be made only by a delegate who voted with the prevailing side—i.e., voted in favor if the motion involved was adopted, or voted contrary if the motion was defeated.

b. The motion can be made and seconded at times when it is not in order for it to come before the meeting for debate or vote. In such a case it can be taken up later, even after it would be too late to move it in the first place.

c. A motion to reconsider is in order at any time, even after the meeting has voted to adjourn provided that the mover of the motion has addressed the chair before the chair declared the meeting adjourned.

9. Calling the question

9.1 The chair may call the question to be put if there has been debate on both sides of the issue, when the time on the agenda for the next item has arrived. If the assembly declines to put the question at that time, the matter automatically goes to unfinished business unless another procedural motion arises.

10. Committee of the whole

10.1 The meeting may, when considering any item on the agenda, resolve itself into a committee of the whole. The procedure shall normally be used for either of two reasons:

1. The topic is sufficiently complex to warrant interim decisions that will become binding only after passage of a final composite resolution recommended to the meeting by the committee of the whole.

2. The matter is a sensitive one and it is the opinion of the meeting that only BCTF members and staff should be in attendance.

10.2 The procedure shall be for delegates to move and second that the meeting resolve itself into a committee of the whole, naming the chairperson of the committee. After discussion, during which the standing rules may be waived, the committee of the whole shall move to rise and report to the meeting.

10.3 A motion that repeats the words of the report of the committee shall then be placed before the meeting. Only the motion carried by the meeting in regular session shall appear in the minutes.

11. Special committee of the whole

11.1 Prior to pension matters being considered, the meeting shall move into a special committee of the whole with delegates, staff, representatives of honorary associate members and others, as appropriate, present.

11.2 The number of honorary associate member representatives shall be determined on the same basis as local delegates.

11.3 During the special committee proceedings, the honorary associate member representatives shall be governed by all applicable rules contained in section 11 of the BCTF Standing Rules of Order of the AGM as if they were a local of the Federation.

11.4 The delegates and honorary associate member representatives shall consider the recommendations and resolutions placed before the meeting in the special committee of the whole.

11.5 All recommendations and resolutions that were considered in the special committee of the whole proceedings must be considered out of committee by active members. (10 AGM, p. 3)

12. Voting

12.1 a. Voting cards shall be issued to locals, to local representatives, and to members of the Executive Committee in accordance with By-law 8.2. These cards shall be distributed at the time and place designated on the proposed agenda.

b. The following process has been adopted for the replacement of lost voting cards:

i. a member of the voting body advises the Resolutions Committee, in confidence, that a voting card or cards have been lost.

ii. without indicating in any way the local or individual, members of the Resolutions Committee move and second that the rules be suspended to allow number of voting card(s) to be replaced.

12.2 No local may elect more delegates than it is entitled under By-law 8.2. This rule does not

preclude the right of a local to elect “alternate” delegates who can replace their elected delegates if the need arises.

12.3 When a local elects fewer delegates than it is entitled to under By-law 8.2, the local shall make rules regarding the distribution of the extra voting cards among its delegates.

12.4 Delegates are free to vote as they see fit on questions at the meeting.

12.5 All voting, except for elections and recounts— the latter as specified in rule 12.10—shall be conducted solely by show of voting cards. There shall be no roll call votes.

12.6 Delegates may vote only the cards of their own locals and/or the cards issued to the local’s representatives.

12.7 Subject to the provision of rule 11.1, each delegate shall be guaranteed the right to hold one voting card, but no delegate may hold more than eight voting cards.

12.8 Call for a count of voting cards. Call must be supported by 100 people. Is not debatable, not amendable, and may not be reconsidered. When a delegate considers the chair to have erred in discerning the result of a vote, they may call for a count of voting cards.

12.9 All counts of voting cards shall be taken by scrutineers assigned to clearly defined areas, and shall be made using a numerical call system.

12.10 That should a recount be required, it shall be taken by ballot rather than by show of voting cards.

13. Election of Executive Committee members

13.1 a. Election of Executive Committee members shall be conducted by secret ballot.

b. Ballots will display candidate names, including traditional Indigenous, chosen and or legal names, at the discretion of each candidate.

13.2 a. Ballots shall be distributed to delegates at the time and place designated on the agenda. No replacement ballots shall be permitted and no ballots shall be distributed at any other time or place than that specified on the agenda.

b. The following is the process has been adopted for late pick- up of ballots:

i. a member of the delegation advises the Resolutions Committee, in confidence, that a ballot or ballots have not been picked up;

ii. that without indicating in any way the local or individual, members of the Resolutions Committee move and second that the rules be

suspended to provide a local or an individual, with the appropriate ballot(s).

13.3 That the election be conducted in the following order:

a. President

b. First Vice-President

c. Second Vice-President

d. Member-at-Large designated for an Aboriginal member

e. Member-at-Large designated for a Member of Colour

f. Members-at-Large.

13.4 Nominations made in accordance with By-law 5.4 shall be circulated to the meeting. Further nominations for any office may be made from the floor during any session prior to that at which the election will be conducted.

13.5 That should a Member-at-Large, part-way through their term of office, accept nomination for a table officer position, their position as Memberat-Large shall be declared vacant as of the following July 1, and the AGM shall fill the position for the unexpired portion of the term.

13.6 All nominees shall be introduced at the close of nominations, and all candidates for an office shall be introduced as a group immediately preceding the balloting for that office.

13.7 A ballot for election of Members-at-Large shall be valid if marked for at least one candidate, but shall not be valid if marked for more candidates than the number of vacancies to be filled.

13.8 Should the validity of any ballot be questioned by any person assigned to count the ballots, it shall be the sole responsibility of the chairperson of the Nominating Committee to decide whether or not that ballot is valid.

13.9 On the completion of each ballot the chairperson of the Nominating Committee shall report to the meeting the number of votes received by each candidate, without attaching names to the numbers. Following an indecisive ballot, and before each candidate is identified with their vote count, the candidate receiving the fewest votes shall be dropped from the ballot. At this time the meeting may at its discretion order the dropping of additional candidates from the next ballot. If at the time of balloting for a particular office there is a sole nominee for that office, that person shall be declared elected.

If at the time of the first ballot there are more candidates for an office than positions available, the meeting shall go through the process of dropping candidates as described above. When

this process has the number of candidates remaining equal to the vacant positions, such remaining candidates must still obtain more than 50 percent of the number of valid ballots cast in a subsequent vote to be declared elected.

13.10 No candidate shall be declared elected unless they receive more than 50 per cent of the number of valid ballots cast. Blank ballots and any ballots declared by the chairperson of the Nominating Committee to be spoiled, pursuant to rule 12.8, shall not be valid ballots. If at the time of balloting for a particular office there is a sole nominee for that office, that person shall be declared elected.

13.11 At any time prior to the conducting of a ballot any candidate may, by giving notice to the meeting, withdraw from any or all positions for which the candidate has been nominated.

13.12 In the elections for Members-at-Large, the first persons elected for the number of twoyear vacancies shall be declared to be elected for two-year terms. Persons declared elected after all two-year terms have been filled shall be elected for one- year terms. If on any ballot more persons can be declared to be elected than there are two-year terms vacant, the one(s) with the highest number of votes shall be declared elected to two-year terms. If on any ballot more persons can be declared elected than there are one-year terms vacant, the one(s) with the highest number of votes shall be declared elected to one-year term(s).

13.13 When there is a tie vote for a single position, there shall be another ballot held. If the subsequent ballot results in another tie vote, then another ballot shall be held. This process shall continue until one candidate receives more votes than the other.

13.14 Ballots from Annual General Meeting elections will be automatically destroyed unless there is a motion to retain them.

14. Motion to amend standing rules

Debatable, amendable; but cannot be referred, postponed or tabled.

14.1 A motion to amend the Standing Rules of Order shall require a two-thirds majority unless notice of amendment has been given in Reports and Resolutions.

15. Matters not covered in standing rules

15.1 When the chair is required to make a ruling not covered by these rules, guidance shall be sought from Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

Déclaration d’engagement pour la solidarité

Que la Déclaration d’engagement pour la solidarité suivante, guide la conduite des membres participant aux réunions de la FECB :

1. Nous croyons que la solidarité syndicale est fondée sur le principe de l’égalité des membres et de leur droit au respect mutuel.

2. Nous comprenons qu’un syndicat inclusif est un syndicat plus fort et nous nous engageons à accepter à la fois l’unité et la diversité.

3. Nous nous engageons à nous assurer que les membres des groupes en quête d’équité se fassent accueillir, inclure et traiter de manière équitable et respectueuse lors de toutes les réunions et de tous les événements de la Fédération.

4. Nous croyons que l’ensemble des membres a le droit de se sentir en sécurité et de se faire traiter avec dignité lors des réunions de la FECB.

5. Nous nous engageons à mener toutes les réunions de la Fédération dans un environnement libre de toutes formes de harcèlement, de discrimination et d’intolérance.

6. Nous nous engageons à accorder toute notre attention aux membres, aux personnes qui présentent et aux personnes invitées à nos réunions.

7. Nous valorisons les discussions dynamiques et la participation active. Nous encourageons les membres à partager leurs perspectives et à débattre de leurs positions, car grâce à ces débats, nous élaborons des politiques et des pratiques solides.

8. Nous apprécions que notre syndicat ait pour longue et solide tradition de défendre fermement ses opinions à l’interne ou à l’externe en tant qu’organisation.

9. Nous respectons nos processus démocratiques et comprenons qu’une fois que nos décisions sont prises, la position collective l’emporte.

Commitment to Solidarity

That the following Commitment to Solidarity guide the conduct of members participating in BCTF meetings:

1. We believe that union solidarity is based on the principle that all members are equal and deserve mutual respect.

2. We understand that an inclusive union is a stronger union, and commit to embracing both unity and diversity.

3. We commit to ensuring that members of equity-seeking groups are welcomed, fully included, and treated equitably and respectfully at all Federation meetings and events.

4. We believe that all members have the right to feel safe and be treated with dignity at BCTF meetings.

5. We commit to conducting all Federation meetings in an environment free from harassment, discrimination, and intolerance.

6. We undertake to give our full attention to members, presenters, and invited guests who are addressing our meetings.

7. We value vigorous discussion, welcome active participation, and encourage members to share perspectives and debate positions because through such debate we develop strong policies and practices.

8. We appreciate that our union has a long and spirited tradition standing up for firmly held views, and that we do this internally with each other and externally as a collective.

9. We respect our democratic processes and understand that, once our decisions are made, the collective position prevails.

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