DISTRICT 7 WINDSOR & ESSEX COUNTY
MINUTES of the Executive Meeting held at Lily Kazilly’s Restaurant, Windsor, December 5,
2011 AT 9:30 A.M.
PRESENT: Simone Rickerby, Judy Bowden, Bill Bowden, Val Luscott, Mary Mason, Keith
Robertson, Ann Cotter, Mike Murphy, John McLaughlin, Gord Miall, Glenna Hemphill, Margaret
Clarke, Bernie Sistek, George Merrett
REGRETS : Norm Renaud
1. President Simone called the meeting to order at 9:41 A.M..
2. Motion to approve the agenda as amended: moved by Judy Bowden; seconded by Glenna
Hemphill. Carried.
3. Motion to accept the minutes of the October 17 Executive meeting: moved by Val Luscott;
seconded by Mary Mason. Carried
4. Business Arising from the Minutes
a) Executive meeting time and location
Motion: That Executive Committee meetings in 2012 be held at the Essex
Train Station. Moved by Gord Miall; seconded by Val Luscott. Carried
Val will finalize cost factor. Simone will make arrangements
5. Correspondence :
- thank you note from Hospice for the donation in memory of Barbara Marion
- received telephone call and email from June Szeman, liaison person for District 7.
Forwarded the liaison topics and resolutions to the Executive as sent to me by June
- request for conference call pertaining to the Charitable Foundation. I was away so Judy was
asked to take the call as she had more information with her emails with Jim and Eleanor
Pentick of Thunder Bay and her involvement at Senate
- email from Jan Murdoch: suggestion for fundraising for the Foundation
- email from Dennis Gushulak re: discussion topics as well as documents available from the
Member Services Committee to assist with recruitment
- email from Jim Devine, District 24 in Toronto asking for promotion of his book “Echoes
from the Classroom”
- financial request from Lynn Baker re: “Doors Open Windsor 2012”
- Memorandum from Provincial President Jim Sparrow re: legality of donating money to the
Charitable Foundation from membership fees
- email from Gail Knox re: Alexandra Kirby successful recipient of provincial scholarship for
District 7
- received telephone call from Vern Batte re: financial request for project Guatemala
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6 Treasurer’s Report (as of November 30, 2011) – Bernie Sistek
Deposits Held
#1 Matures July 11, 2012
$3894.78
#2 Matures Sept. 21, 2012
$3000.00
#3 Matures Aug. 23, 2014
$3934.18
November 17 Fall Luncheon details
attendees - 77
revenues
tickets
$1582.00
50/50
$134.00
Auction
$405.00
Total
$2121.00
payments
Venue
Entertainment
refund
Total
$1110.62
$70.00
$10.00
$1190.62
Profit
$ 220.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Ticket breakdown
members -70
new members - 2
guests - 5
Number of members taking advantage of “discount” - 15
_________________________________________________
Budget line update
Budget line
Date
Archives
Awards
Executive
Goodwill
Mileage
Newsletter
Pension
Petty Cash
Political Action
Public Relations
Member Services
Secretarial
Senate
Social/Program
2011-11-30
2011-11-30
2011-11-30
2011-11-30
2011-11-30
2011-11-30
2011-11-30
2011-11-30
2011-11-30
2011-11-30
2011-11-30
2011-11-30
2011-11-30
2011-11-30
Budget
$75.00
$1,510.00
$2,750.00
$3,000.00
$2,500.00
$10,500.00
$60.00
$75.00
$2,000.00
$200.00
$750.00
$500.00
$6,000.00
$2,500.00
2
Remaining
$75.00
$1,510.00
$2,669.51
$1,136.99
$1,108.50
$2,555.14
$50.26
$75.00
$619.82
$160.45
$750.00
$220.23
$1,951.93
$689.88
Budget line
Date
Teacher Education
Travel Account
Webmaster
2011-11-30
2011-11-30
2011-11-30
Budget
$300.00
$209.20
$450.00
Remaining
$0.00
$304.20
$258.69
Motion to accept the Treasurer’s report as presented: moved by Bill Bowden; seconded
by George Merrett. Carried.
7. Executive Reports:
President: - Simone Rickerby
Thank everyone who assisted at the Fall Luncheon especially Keith who was there early and was a
great help in setting up
Many thanks as well for the donations to the Silent Auction
Thank you to Gord Miall who attended the Retirement Workshop put on by the Catholic School Board
Thank you to Judy Bowden for handling the Conference call in my absence
Thank you to Bill Bowden for a very successful shopping trip. Everyone had a great time and those
who won the Target gift cards were very excited
-met with the Serbian Centre to sign the contract
-prepared materials for the Fall Luncheon
a) created the table decor
b) prepared the envelopes for the tables
c) purchased door prizes
d) photocopied the auction sheets
e) prepared the list of names for the door prizes
f) created the table signs
g) updated the display board
- delivered the materials to the Serbian Centre
-set up materials for the silent auction
-set up the tables with decor and table signs
- communicated with Bernie and George on various occasions
-sent all Provincial information to the executive members
-communicated with June Szerman our District Liaison person
- contacted Jim Sparrow as to the format in presenting a project to be funded on a yearly basis by
provincial and the deadline for submission
- answered an email from Lynn Baker wishing financial assistance for a project she is involved with
-made telephone contact with Verne Batte concerning financial assistance for his project
- contacted Judy Bowden re: conference call as I would be absent and Judy was involved in the
proposal to Senate concerning the Charitable Foundation
- sent thank you notes to the individuals who donated bake goods for the silent auction
-sent a congratulatory email to Alexandra Kirby the District 7 recipient of the Provincial Scholarship
-contacted Lilly Kazzilly’s to set up venue for the meeting
- sent information to Simon Leibovitz per his request of the names of district media contacts
-prepared and sent agenda for the meeting
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Past President – Gord Miall N/R
President-Elect – Marg Clarke N/R
Vice-President – Judy Bowden
-attended Senate
-attended Fall Luncheon
-revised RPW Flyer and Registration Form and delivered same to Gord
- revised letters to Directors of our 3 local School Boards requesting permission to use the Courier and
got same to Gord
- participated in the Charitable Foundation Conference Call (November 25, 2011)
SENATE REPORT:
Please refer to the memo forwarded from Simone re: Motions/Resolutions Passed at Fall Senate
-the Budget was passed but the decrease in grants to Districts and the size/density/distance
factors grandfathered to 2015 were revisited but remain unchanged from what was passed in
the Spring
-it was announced that Harold Brathwaite’s term had been extended for two more years
-we were introduced to the two members at large who were appointed to sit on the Board of
Directors for the Foundation for the next three years; Valerie Mah (District 16) who was
selected as Chair of the Board and Ray Ball District (District 27)
-Johnson Inc. donated $100,000.00 to the Foundation and they have committed an additional
$100,000.00 in each of the next two years for a total of $300,000.00
-the Senator from District 5 then presented a $10,000.00 donation
-this sparked a debate as to appropriateness of using monies generated through membership
fees for donations to the Charitable Foundation and whether or not this was in keeping with
prior assurances from Provincial Office that this would not be the case
-a motion was put forth (Bowden, Cotter) “That no membership fees be given to the
Foundation by the Provincial Office or Districts.”
-after some discussion, due the late hour and in order to check with the accountants and
lawyers, the motion was referred to the Spring 2012 Senate
Since our October Senate I have spent many hours networking with District 16 and District 2
re: this motion and the how’s and the why’s of presenting it at Spring Senate
- we have prepared a summary paper (first draft) and have included the following recommendations:
-that Districts refrain from making donations to the Foundation with funds derived from fees
pending the results of debate at Senate 2012
-that Districts continue to make donations to the Foundation with funds derived from fund
raising activities
-that this paper, once it is completed by the current participants, be distributed to all Districts
and the Provincial executive for their information
- the next steps for this committee
-that this ad hoc committee, together with any new adherents, meet for
discussion to finalize this document and do so at the earliest convenience
-that members of this ad hoc committee seek additional contacts to broaden the
base of this committee
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PRESIDENTS’ CONFERENCE CALL - RE: RTO/ERO CHARITABLE FOUNDATION REPORT
-Thank you to Simone and Marg for the opportunity to take this call.
-Valerie Mah, Chair of the Foundation and Gordon Cressy, Director of Advancement and Fundraising
for the Foundation were on the line as was Jim Sparrow and Joanne Murphy from Provincial Office
and a number of Presidents/Representatives from a number of Districts. Not all Districts were
represented.
-President Jim gave an update, in response to a question raised by Provincial Office at Senate, from the
Auditor and Legal counsel with respect to the legalities of Districts diverting funds derived from
membership fees to the Charitable Foundation. It appears that there are no negative tax implications
nor is it illegal to do so long as we do not benefit either directly or indirectly by so doing.
-Gordon Cressy then updated on the funds raised to this point: $100,000.00 from members and
$100,000.00 from Johnson Inc.
- the breakdown:
-over $200,000.00 raised to this point
-90% through the mail
-most in the $120.00 range (from members)
-9 donations of $1000.00 or more (from members)
-1 donation of $5000.00 (from a member)
-1 donation of $10,000.00 (from a member with a promise of another
$10,000.00 in the second year)
-for December the Foundation will focus on an email campaign
-if you donate on line you will receive you tax receipt almost immediately
-they will be creating a virtual donor wall on line to thank people
-ideas from Districts include: -blast email
-asked if the Foundation could possibly design and create a display board
that Districts could use at fundraising events
-an appearance with Steve Pakin on TVO
-an appearance on the Mary Ito show on CBC
-District Events: establish a foundation Ambassador to do a letter campaign and/or meet with
Potential donors in the Community – service clubs, businesses etc.
8. Committee Reports:
Archivist – Emy McBride - abs
Awards Committee – Judy Bowden
-thank you to Marg for preparing and repairing the Lenore Graham Certificates
-thank you to the Committee for their work in selecting our most worthy recipients
-will be asking the committee to meet early in the New Year to discuss expanding our Awards
Program
-while at Senate I picked up 6 RTO/ERO recognition pins
Communications
Media Relations Rep. – Mike Murphy
- set up Facebook, will be setting up twitter account
- placed ad in The Windsor Star and community newspapers for the Fall Luncheon
Newsletter Editor – John McLaughlin – N/R
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Web Master – Ann Cotter
- Created a webpage for the draft executive meeting minutes. Website>District 7 Executive>Executive
Meeting Minutes
- Emailed a District 7 template to the table executive
- Distributed business cards at the Fall Luncheon with an invitation to join the “Green List”
- Uploaded Golf Tournament, Senate Pictures, and Fall Luncheon pictures to Flickr
- Updated the Lenore Graham webpage with 2011 Award Recipients – Mary Mason and Keith
Robertson
- Added around 26 names to the communication email list since our Oct. 17, 2011 Executive Meeting.
There are now 176 people who have volunteered their names to the Email List
- Sent out a communication from MailChimp about the Nov. 22, 2011 shopping trip
- I haven’t imported the email addresses into MailChimp. Before I send out a communication with
these email addresses, I think it would be best to announce this new practice in the spring newsletter
Goodwill
Mary Mason
Sent one 60th Wedding Anniversary card; 15 Sympathy cards; 2 Congratulations cards; 10 Get Well
Cards
Gift bags for the shut-ins have all been delivered
Canned goods collected at the Fall Luncheon were delivered to the Downtown Mission; thanks to keith
Robertson for delivering them
Addressed 372 Christmas cards (ready to mail); up from 319 last year
The Luncheon was delicious
Merry Christmas to everyone!
Glenna Hemphill
Cards sent: Thanksgiving 61, Hallowe'en 62, Birthday 31
Delivered 29 goodie bags to members
Helped Mary complete Christmas cards
Visited 1 member
Val Luscott
Visitations have taken place once more. Gifts from RTO were given and received gratefully. Claims
for distance travelled and for purchases of gifts have been duly submitted. I also made sure Freddie and
Eleanor had the forms to make their claims. Shirley Plant said she will not be making claims even
though I told her it was in the best interest of herself and RTO District 7’s Goodwill budget.
I want to thank Freddie Beehuis, Jessie Klein-Lebbink and others for attending Ruth Thrasher’s
funeral. I was unable to attend due to illness
Nomination Committee –Gord Miall
The committee will meet in February. Please let President Simone know if you wish to change
positions.
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Pension – Keith Robertson
Information on one of the many OTPP investments:
As of November 25, 2011, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan decided to keep control of Maple Leaf
Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) which had been on the market for 8 months. This was a smart move
according to Robert Longley, a reporter for the Toronto Sun. Teachers own 79.53% of MLSE and
were asking $1.5 billion for the long-suffering franchise. MLSE is a very large enterprise including the
Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Team, the NBA Raptors (basketball), the Toronto FC (professional
soccer), the Toronto Marlies Hockey Team, 3 TV sports channels, Air Canada Centre, BMO Field
(soccer), Master Card Centre (3 Olympic sized ice rinks) where the Leafs and Marlies practise, among
several other holdings.
Although a championship for any sports team is rare, blindly loyal sports fans are willing to pay for
some of the highest priced tickets in Canada to help OTPP pay top rated pensions to retired teachers.
MLSE is a virtual gold mine for OTPP. If the Leafs reach the playoffs, each home game is estimated to
be worth between $3 and $4 million.
This is only one of OTPP’s many holdings which contribute to the funds for our pension plan.
Give fund managers credit for making wise business decisions.
Political Advocacy – Norm Renaud - abs
Social – N/R
Travel – Bill Bowden
SUCCESS! I am happy to report we had a trip come to fruition. Our bus trip to Great Lakes Crossing
and surrounding area was a big success. The ladies and gentlemen present shopped and shopped some
more. Coolers came home filled with turkeys etc. and everyone seemed to have a good time.
Those present gave me some ideas for future trips, especially shopping and once again I think the day
was a big success. Many thanks to our members, especially to Margaret Snow and to Emy McBride,
for beating the bushes and helping us to get the needed number of travellers. I am looking forward to
our trips next Spring.
The RTO/ERO Breakfast Club continues to be a success. Last month we had a good turnout at the
Deluxe in Essex. We meet this Thursday at the Backroad Cafe on Grand Marais East (just west of
Central). Hope to see you there.
Thanks to President Simone for the disclaimer and Ann for the on-line advertising of the trip. For the
first time I will be submitting to our treasurer a request for a budget line in order to help promote our
trips in 2012.
It should be noted that the travel account has a balance 50% greater than the previous month. I aim to
cost our trips as economically as possible and I did use a portion of the funds to purchase target gift
cards that were drawn for and awarded to some lucky trip participants.
Health Report – Bill Bowden
I dealt with several member inquiries about actual membership in our plan. These members all had one
thing in common – they were 65+ years. These members thought that since they were now covered by
the ODB plan and were in good health, they could drop our extended health coverage and save the
money.
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It was interesting that I received these calls on the same topic at about the same time that the increase
in premiums was announced. I naturally spent time discussing the other benefits of our plan and the
fact that what we really have is an insurance plan (in case of illness and need).
I do not know if I convinced them to stay with us but I did ask that they look to the future and that even
if they are in good health at the present time that may not be the case down the road and should they
opt out now they would be required to pass a medical which may not be easy to do if they find
themselves in ill health at the time.
The other issue I dealt with was the cost of drugs both covered and not covered by the ODB plan. An
invaluable asset is our publication Health Matters and I urge all members to read it.
Membership Records – Glenna Hemphill
- as of Nov. 30 District 7: Full 2037, Associate 152
- updated membership list and emailed changes to some executive members
- delivered membership kit to an interested person
Teacher Education Liaison Report – Judy Bowden
-TELC has met 3 times since our last Executive Meeting
-major concern was planning for our full day of OTF Workshops for the Professional Learning Series
Program at the Faculty on December 2, 2011
-discussions also centered around the governments proposed 2-Bachelor of Ed. Program – the
Affiliates are in the early stages of looking into the ramifications of this proposal and considering
alternative models as well
-one of the motives behind the 2-year B.Ed. program stems from the fact that we are the only Province
with a 1 year (actually 8 month) program and in spite of the Labour Mobility Act introduced in 2009,
teachers trained in Ontarioare4 not considered fully qualified in other parts of the Country. For
example, in Alberta Ontario trained teachers are not given full contracts but rather are placed on a
letter of permission at a lower pay scale than teachers trained outside of Ontario
-I attended and supervised at 4 OTF Workshops at the Faculty on December 2, 2011
-THE PRE-SERVICE COMMITTEE has also met 3 times since our last Executive Meeting
-Terms of Reference were finalized as well as our list of priorities for the coming year
-yearly calendars for the last four years were examined with the intent of analyzing and evaluating the
number and length of practicum sessions
-discussions also centered around the effect of the newly implemented course calendar and a motion
was put before Faculty Council to revert to the 2010 Calendar for September 2012 as the current
Course calendar has proved costly and difficult to timetable and staff; the motion passed and this move
will afford time to study and develop a more workable plan with the knowledge that the 2-year B.Ed.
may be a reality in some form come 2013.
-there has also been some discussion with respect to the 2 – year B. Ed. Program with some
speculation as to what it may look like and the implication as well as the need to begin researching
similar programs now
Bursary – Norm Renaud – N/R
Membership and Recruitment – Gord Miall
- working on preparations for the March 24 RPW
- thanks to Judy for doing posters and letters
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- sent letters to Chair of Boards asking for permission to use courier system
- attended OECTA’s Retirement Workshop and distributed packages to people retiring this year
- our workshop will be at Fogalar Furlan, back building, upstairs
- have received good co-operation from Provincial Office staff
9. Provincial Reps
Provincial Executive
Jim Sparrow – Provincial President - abs
Marg Clarke – Executive Member
- Prov. Exec. has established subcommittees to work on Exec. Director Succession Plan; Executive
workload; and transparency
Norm Renaud – Chairperson, Project Service to Others Committee – abs
Provincial Communications Committee - Ann Cotter
Ann will give a report at the February Executive meeting
Provincial Constitution Committee – George Merrett
I enjoyed my duties assisting the Constitution Cttee at the Fall Senate. Next committee meeting is in
February.
10. New Business
1. Motion: That the District 7 Executive support Judy Bowden in her endeavours to liaise with
other Districts regarding clarification of District contributions to the Charitable Foundation.
Moved by George Merrett; seconded by Gord Miall. Carried
The District 7 Treasurer will include a budget item for approval in the 2012 budget to cover Judy’s
expenses for a one-day trip to Toronto to meet with representatives of other interested Districts.
2. Marg Clarke will call a meeting of the District 7 Constitution Committee in January.
3. When requests come from members from other districts to include items in our newsletter the editor
has the final decision . The usual practice is to include local requests only.
Motion: That only Non-Profit/Local promotions be included in the District 7 Newsletter.
Moved by Ann Cotter; seconded by Bill Bowden. Carried
11. Important Dates
December 8 – Breakfast Club 9:30, Backstreet Café
January 9 – 9:00 Core Executive budget meeting – Lumberjack Restaurant
January 10 – Grant Request deadline
January 16 – 9:30 Essex Train Station – Executive Meeting
January 31 – PSTO Interim report
March 1 – PSTO Application deadline
March 23 – Bursary Application deadline
March 24 – RPW
April 17 – Spring Luncheon
Motion to adjourn – Moved by Keith Robertson; seconded by Mary Mason. Carried
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Meeting adjourned at 11:54 a. m.
Minutes submitted by:
George Merrett, Secretary, District 7
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