OTF Advocates for You (OTF Report)

The   Ontario  Teachers’   Federation has  a mandate  to  focus  on  three  areas  of concern to  educators:  policy and legislation, professional advocacy,  and pension.

PENSION CONCERNS
Whether you are new to  the  profession, a  mid- career teacher, or actively planning your retirement, there is  much to know about  pensions  and OTF is there to help. The OTF website, otffeo.on.ca,contains current and historical  information that will assist you in understanding your pension and the processes that govern it. OTF  meets  regularly  with  our  government partner on issues affecting the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and  its  members.  For example, the Partners’ Committee  works to determine buy-back provisions for maternity and parental  leaves and on re-employment issues. OTF and the government are legally required to file a valuation for the OTPP every three years. This is the process by which the partners determine  any changes to plan benefits and set matching contribution rates for plan members and the government. One thing  is  for certain: the  more you know about your pension and your  own  financial  and  investment profile, the better prepared you will be once retirement day arrives. Asked about the best time to  invest,  David Chilton author of The WealthyBarber says, “Yesterday.” And the  next  best time? “Right now!  What  are   you   waiting for?”   Considering that   your pension is likely to be the largest single  asset  you  will  ever  own, taking charge of your financial life from day one of your career will yield many positive benefits for you and your loved  ones.

PROFESSIONAL ADVOCACY
At  OTF, professional advocacy often means building partnerships  among members of the various teacher federations  that  are affiliated with OTF and other education stakeholders.
Recognizing  that   bullying   is   a   universal issue  that  requires thoughtful,  systemic effort to abate, OTF  partnered with the Centre ontarien de prévention des agressions (COPA) to develop a  multi-pronged bullying  prevention  program.

Phase 1, the Safe@School Project (safeatschool. ca) provides teacher training modules  and print and video resources  free of charge. It promotes a philosophy that is inclusive of students, parents, support staff,  teachers, and  administrators.  The program was developed two  years ago  and  is funded by the Ministry of Education. The Ministry was so impressed  with its  scope and quality of that it has extended funding.

Phase 2  of  this  initiative  will  be  of  considerable interest  to  Intermediate teachers and their students. It is  set to roll out early in 2010. Called Change Our World (changeourworld.ca),  it will  focus  on  challenging   homophobia, racism, and gender-based  violence. ETFO’s “Challenging  Homophobia and Heterosexism: A Resource Guide for Educators”  was one of the documents consulted for the project; it is a recommended read for all teachers.

Hopefully, there  will  be  an  opportunity for Phase 3. Stay tuned!