News

ACER-CART Western Regional Meeting

The RTAM executive, Jayesh Maniar (President), Linda Blair (Vice-President), Jocelyn Fraser (Treasurer), Melissa Sitter (Executive Director), and myself, Vicky Hutchinson (Chair, Benefits Committee), attended the ACER-CART Western Regional Meeting on June 9 and 10, 2025 in Saskatoon, SK. Regional meetings are held every year ending in an odd number.

All of the western provinces, though they have different geographical, political, and organizational structures, are dealing with similar issues in support of retired teachers. Some common topics we talked about dealt with the threat of ROTERO (Ontario retired teachers), programs towards aging in place, and challenges in recruiting volunteers for committees and board of directors.

BC Retired Teachers’ Association (BCRTA) highlighted the challenge for our organizations of changing demographics; fewer retirees reflective of fewer teachers hired in the 80s and 90s and teachers retiring at an older age for fiscal and other concerns.

Alberta Retired Teachers’ Association (ARTA) highlighted their advocacy with politicians and the challenges caused by their current political environment. As a registered charity, ARTA supports programs for adult English as an Additional Language, affordable housing, and health care for seniors. ARTA shared that they own a pharmacy to provide medications to members in Calgary.

Superannuated Teachers of Saskatchewan (STS) highlighted their initiatives around age friendly and retirement lifestyles. They accessed grants for Home Supports and Social Prescribing.

Manitoba has one of the cheaper membership rates in the west. RTAM has opened our membership for education community members such as those from the U of M in order to boost membership numbers to sustain long-term viability. Our collective ears perked up at all of the housing initiatives that other provinces are considering. Is this something RTAM should be looking at?

Chris Galloway of Friends of Medicare talked about their work in expanding public health care in Alberta. His presentation focused on the challenges to Medicare between privatization and other governmental issues in Alberta. Chris mentioned that one of the challenges that Alberta is facing is that the provincial government is looking at selling hospitals to private corporations. The problem with this plan is that if the hospital is not profitable, there will be restrictions on who can access services in the hospital and the actual services that are being offered. Other work that Friends of Medicare concentrated on are seniors’ care, pharmacare, as well as mental health and addictions care.

ACER CART priorities and strategies for 2025 were presented.

Priority:

ACER-CART will, in collaboration with like-minded organizations develop and advocate for strategies for aging at home.

Strategies

1. Advocate for the development and implementation of a National Seniors’ Strategy which includes aging at home strategies, a universal national Pharmacare program and policies to combat the move towards privatization.
2. Advocate for initiatives that will ensure all seniors are properly supported in their efforts to achieve financial stability to enable aging in the right place.
3. Advocate for a public health care system that prioritizes appropriately supported care in seniors’ own homes and in their own community for as long as possible.
4. Continue to advocate for a standalone Federal Minister of Seniors.
   
   
   Respectfully submitted, 
   
   Vicky Hutchinson
   Chair, RTAM Benefits Committee