April 2021 News
I hope that everyone is continuing to stay safe and healthy but socially connected. Hopefully, many of you have been able to take advantage of at least the first vaccination for COVID-19. Our branch has been unable to meet as a group, socialize, and enjoy each other’s company due to the current situation but we have hope that things will change by fall and we will be able to resume our events. There are a few things to update you on and to share with you.
Your ARTA Board of Directors had its regular February meeting by zoom and the next meeting on May 25th and 26th will be held in the same way. At the May Board of Director’s meeting, there will be an election for a trustee for the ARTA Benefit Plan Trust Fund. Ideally, nominations for this position should be submitted by May 11, 2021. If this is an opportunity that you may be interested in, please let me know and I will forward the nominations package to you.
Advocacy
Advocacy is part of the mission of ARTA on issues relevant to members, and the current political situation in Alberta has provided lots of opportunity for advocacy for ARTA and for individuals on a range of issues. Our ARTA president, Lorna McIlroy, has been busy on our behalf advocating on issues such as our ATRF pension and AIMCo and most recently with the K-6 draft curriculum. You can see her most recent letter regarding the curriculum on the ARTA website and there is a link on the ARTA website to her participation with the ATA president, Jason Schilling, on a talk show regarding the ministerial order and our ATRF pensions. I would encourage you to get involved on the issues that are important to you. Both as WCRTA president and as an individual I have written numerous letters to my local MLA on a number of topics. It is a good idea when you write your MLA to cc the letter to the appropriate government minister(s), the premier, and the leader of the opposition. Don’t be surprised if you are opposing current government actions or policy that you get an automatic stock government reply that neither addresses your issue or your questions but you can always respond back to that. At our February Board of Directors meeting, we were told that local MLAs are generally required to respond to constituents and that if you are frustrated with a non-reply from your local MLA you have the option of contacting the speaker, Hon. Nathan M. Cooper – MLA Olds-Didsbury or the government whip, Mike Ellis, MLA Calgary West.
Member Services
There is currently no emergency travel coverage for members through ARTA plans in the case of a COVID-19 diagnosis as long as government travel advisories remain in effect. ARTA plans to continue to offer coverage for anything not COVID-19 related. Please refer to the April ARTAfacts for more information on this topic.
2021 ARTA Scholarship Information. Deadlines come up quickly so check this out if you have family that might qualify.
Wellness
As most of you have already seen in the Spring news&views magazine, the ARTA Wellness Committee is again sponsoring the Wellness Challenge. All the information you need can be found on the Wellness Challenge page on the ARTA website. Simply track the time you spend doing any activities that get you moving from April 1st to June 30th, then pick out and total your best 30 days, and then submit that time total to me early in July so that I can send in our branch total. This year, in addition to prizes for the top performers, there will be random draws for all participants.
The Pension and Financial Wellness Committee of ARTA sponsored a Financial Wellness Seminar. The seminar is now available on YouTube in two segments.
The deadline for the 2021 ARTA Photo Contest is May 28, 2021.
The 2021 ARTA Writing Contest deadline is Nov. 12, 2021. Check out the categories, rules, and guidelines.
The Okanagan branch of ARTA – OKARTA – is hosting a virtual wine tasting event. Just a warning that the timeline to have the wine delivered from BC is tight so don’t delay in exploring this opportunity if you are interested.
ACER-CART is the national body representing retired teachers and the issues concerning seniors on a national level. ARTA is involved in this organization. Visit acer-cart.org
