November 2019 News
The HARTA November Luncheon
Wednesday, November 20 at 11:00 AM
St. David’s United Church
4614 48 St Leduc
There will be a workshop on making Christmas Cards after lunch.
Needed supplies will be provided at a cost of $3.00/card.
Lunch: Sandwiches, soup, vegetable and fruit plates, desserts.
Potluck, a local singing group, will lead a Christmas Carol Sing-Along.
Second Wind Conference
On October 30, 2019 after the last meeting of the SWC steering committee I disbanded the committee that I had been privileged to chair. Yesterday, I personally said farewell to the Second Wind Conference as I formally passed the responsibility for its continuance to the Edmonton Retired Teachers’ Association (ERTA).
There will be a pause in offering the Second Wind Conference to the general public in 2020 as ERTA will need to develop a ‘system of governance’ for the conference along with the establishment of a ‘Steering Committee’
Please direct all future communications pertaining to the Second Wind Conference to the President, Edmonton Retired Teachers’ Association.
Christopher Harrison
October 18, 2019
The Charitable Foundation
The ARTCF anticipates allocating a total of $70,000 in Grants:
Alzheimer Society of Calgary – Caregiver Education Sessions.
Parkinson Association of Alberta – “Virtual” Support Group to Albertans isolated by their illness or remoteness from resources.
Alberta CNIB – volunteer training program.
ARTA covers our operating expenses and provides a substantial grant.
ARTA contributes $50 in memory of individuals members who pass away.
Vital support has come from ARTA’s business partners, branches and individual members.
ARTCF has Charitable status and issues Income Tax Receipts.
Gordon Cumming Foundation Chair
Alberta Teachers’ Association About the Provincial Education Budget Proposals:
Funding Documents Reveal 16 Per Cent Cut for K–3 Students: Alberta Education’s Funding Manual, released after the tabling of the budget, shows that funding for most of Alberta’s 6-, 7- and 8-year old students will be slashed by over $1,300 per student.
Budget will Bring Larger Classes and Fewer Programs for Students: School boards will receive about $200 less per student than they received in the last school year. This is equivalent to a 2 per cent funding cut.
Pension Plan Take Over “feels like a hijacking”: Buried deep in the text of the budget tabled by Finance Minister Travis Toews last Thursday is a provision that will have the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) take over control of $18 billion in assets of the Alberta Teachers’ Retirement Fund (ATRF).
Frequently Asked Questions about Proposed Pension Change in Budget 2019: We compiled several responses to frequently asked questions related to proposed changes to the administration of the Teachers’ Pension Plan.
Teachers are Tired of Being Told to Do More with Less: President Jason Schilling responds to the finance minister’s call for a 2% wage rollback.
Further on the ATRF Issue:
The website: handsoffmypension.ca is up and running. It gives more information on the ATRF fund and what individual teachers can do to register their outrage to the cavalier way the government is behaving in keeping teachers out of the loop in their plans to change the investing arm of our pensions. You can use this link to register your displeasure with your MLA. Please feel free to share this link with other teachers and retired teachers.
Ron Thompson
HARTA President
A Branch of ARTA
You may have noticed either on our website or in the news media that in the recent 2019 Provincial Budget released by the Alberta government on October 24, 2019, ATRF is “expected to transfer funds to Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) for management.”
The ATRF Board and Management were not informed of this until the Budget was released. We have a number of questions and have reached out to the Minister of Finance to seek information and answers.
The Government has stated that there will be no changes to pension benefits. The legislation has yet to be tabled, and we will continue to ensure that the pension funds are managed in the best interests of all members of the plan.
Because of the proposed change, there have been a lot of public conversations about ATRF and how we invest teachers’ pension funds. We are committed to transparency and open communication and, in that spirit, message you today to share this ATRF Advantage fact sheet that includes information about the ATRF as a pension manager.
We appreciate your ongoing support, and we’ll continue to share information through atrf.com. You can also contact the Government of Alberta Treasury Board and Finance, your MLA or the Alberta Teachers’ Association with any further questions or comments and to share your concerns.
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