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OSSTF District 11- Thames Valley
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District 11 Office |
District Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 5: April 2, 2003
Table of ContentsClick on any of the titles below to go directly to that article. |
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Messages from
the District President
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Education Matters Online
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Messages from the District President
District 11 Website
The District 11 Website has been overhauled and is up and running. The site has a wealth of information and announcements from the District as well as links to other related sites. Please browse around the site and let us know what additions would be valuable. The District is grateful to Kelly Zuber for beginning the building of the site and to Wendy Hirschegger who has inputted all the information and documents and has provided all the related links.
AMPA
AMPA 2003 was a great experience. Thanks to all our delegates for forgoing the start of their spring break for four days in order to represent District 11. This was an election year for the Provincial Executive. After an emotional and well deserved tribute to Earl Manners, who is leaving after eight years as our President, the assembly elected a new Executive. Rhonda Kimberley-Young was elected President. Sherry Rosner and Ken Coran were elected Vice-Presidents. Gerry Harrison, Jack Jones and Desiree Francis were elected as Executive Officers. Sheila Vandenberk was acclaimed as Treasurer.
Special congratulations to Ken Coran, former District 11 President!
Job Posting -Federation Services Officers
The District employs four Federation Services Officers. The Officers are appointed for two year terms. The current term expires June 30, 2003. The positions were posted in the workplaces on March 19, 2003. Applications are due by April 3, 2003. For more information contact a workplace rep or call Don Rowdon at the District office. Job descriptions can be found on the website in the District Constitution.
College of Teachers Elections
Despite our continued loathing of the OCT, OSSTF is strongly urging EVERY member to vote and to elect the OSSTF slate of members. It is urgent that we elect strong teacher advocates. This Governing Council will be in place for three years and will play a key role in pressuring the new government to abandon the PLP and to create a true classroom majority on the Council. Currently, both opposition parties have promised to reform the college’s makeup and to abandon the PLP.
Voting can only be done on the College web site until April 14, 2003.
You will need your college registration number found by checking the Public Register on the OCT home page and your SIN number to enter the Member area to set up an account with a secure password. The web site will customize your ballot so that when you log in next time, the ballot will be ready. The OSSTF endorsed candidate in the Southwest region is John Callaghan. The OSSTF endorsed candidate for the English Public Secondary is Ted Coulson.
Education Matters Online
The launching of the debut issue of Education Matters Online will take place on April 7. To access it, go to the District Website and then click on District Magazine; there the Table of Contents contains links to all of the various articles--news and feature articles that will be of interest to the District 11 membership. Log on to read about the Bishop Townshend Awards Dinner, Laurier teacher Melissa MacIntyre’s incredible "Cycle for Cure" fund-raising bike ride, Huron Park teacher Chris Whitlock’s leave in New Zealand, and many other articles and features.
Your Vote Counts: Vote for Change
Research shows that a significant percentage of teachers and other educational workers did not vote in the last provincial election. Please remember to vote, and to take someone with you to the polls.
One strategy which many branches are employing to assure a strong teacher and educational worker vote is to hold an Advance Poll party. All this entails is a staff deciding to vote at an Advance Poll, and then to go together where possible to the different ridings where they live, and to vote in advance. Each branch may wish to celebrate their combined efforts to Turf the Tories with an Advance Poll party.
The Tories have left behind a weakened Ontario, and we deserve better. Think about the Ontario which has become their legacy. Bottled water everywhere because we are afraid to drink from the tap. Lengthy, sometimes fatal, waiting lists for hospital care. Electricity costs which are out of sight, and which we will surely pay for either directly or through hidden taxes. Double cohort students with high averages about to be turned away by the thousands from institutions of higher learning. Private highways, built with public money, such as the 407, which most of us cannot afford to drive on. Schools with large classes, too few supplies, and in need of serious repair. Private schools subsidized at the expense of a strong public system. The list goes on and on, but we can do something about it–we can vote.
Guest Column: Registered Education Savings Plans
by Marie Blanchet, Hon. B. Comm, CFP, RFP, CIM, FCSI, OTG Financial Inc.
Saving for a child’s post-secondary education nowadays is almost a necessity rather than a luxury. As teachers and education workers, you appreciate the value of higher education and hope your children will aspire to greater achievements. But the high cost of a post-secondary education today can make this a challenging goal for parents to budget, and the cost of a university education is expected to increase exponentially in years to come.
Between the 1990/91 and 2001/2002 school years, tuition fees have increased by over 126% - rising from $1,714 in 1991/92 to $3,452 in 2001/2002.
Quite often, providing for a child’s post-secondary education comes at a time when teachers and education workers are entering retirement and are faced with a reduced income stream but higher expenses related to tuition and living expenses. So how does one close, or at least narrow, the gap?
Consider an RESP – a Registered Education Savings Plan. This is a tax- deferred education savings plan which allows a subscriber or contributor to save for a child’s post-secondary education. Although contributions are not tax deductible, the income and growth is tax-deferred and when withdrawn, will be taxed in the hands of the lower-income, university-bound beneficiary/child. In order to encourage individuals to save for a post-secondary education, the government will match up to 20% of contributions to the plan, to a maximum of $400, through the CESG or Canada Education Savings Grant. This represents an immediate 20% return on your contribution!
Individuals in the past have shied away from these plans because of the limitation of transferability between family members, the loss of the earnings on the capital, and the restriction on post-secondary education. Recent Federal Budgets have vastly improved the options for these plans, offering a great deal of flexibility on many issues. As well, it is possible to open more than one RESP at different institutions for the same child, similar to opening more than one RRSP account.
For more information on RESP’s now available through OTG Financial Inc., please see the longer article in Education Matters Online or contact us at 416-752-9410 or 1-800-263-9541 or visit the website.
About OTG Financial:
Founded in 1975, OTG Financial (formerly Ontario Teachers' Group) was established to equip education workers with preferred access to superior financial services. Today, OTG Financial is a dynamic enterprise that is unique, experienced and aware, providing Ontario's education community (and immediate families) with cost effective access to investment advice, financial products, financial planning, and mortgage services.
A significant benefit is their not-for-profit mandate. This means their sole focus is on making money for you, not for them, by offering products and advice that avoid the higher costs found with other providers. Result: you reap the direct benefit of having more of your money working for you.
Youth Criminal Justice Act
The Young Offenders Act was replaced by new legislation called the Youth Criminal Justice Act on April 1, 2003.
The new legislation has been drafted in response to identified shortcomings in the Young Offenders Act, and in particular to address the extremely high incarceration rate for young offenders. The Ontario rate of incarceration is currently the highest in the world.
How will this new legislation impact on schools? System and police responses to offending students will now fall under three main categories, including extrajudicial measures, extrajudicial sanctions, and court. For further information on these changes, please see the longer article in Education Matters Online.
