Executive Report for March 2024 e-newsletter
March is here and spring is just around the corner! With an incredible winter almost behind us, we may see more warm weather during March and an incredible spring ahead. We hope everyone is excited for the upcoming season change, warmer weather, more sunshine and more time with family and friends. The monthly report from our Executive Committee is below.
- Based on RTAM having a successful meeting with Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning, Mr. Nello Altomare. We are preparing update packages for our committees which will explain some of the key updates and commitments that were shared by both parties. There were great synergies and commitments that came from our meeting with the Minister. However some of the Province's plans have to remain confidential at this time as they haven't been confirmed or are still awaiting updates. RTAM will begin to plan partnerships with the Ministers office based off our successful meeting and updates for our members as information and updates become available to share.
- While at the Provincial Legislative Offices this past February, President Linda Blair also distributed letters of invitation to Cindy Lamoureux from the Liberal Party and Wayne Ewasko from the Conservative Party (both were essential in the successful passing of Bill 208 in 2023 and remain strong supporters of retired educators and older adults). All letters were well received by all three parties (the letter to the NDP was delivered to Nello directly during the in-person meeting) and they will be presenting to RTAM membership through live online (and free) Zoom sessions later this spring and throughout the summer and early fall of 2024. Members should count on presentations from each party directed specifically to the Retired Teachers Association of Manitoba and a Q&A segment will follow each presentation. Updates to the presentations will be published online as they become available.
- REMINDER: we have set the date, location and format for the 2024 RTAM Annual General Meeting.
- Location: Hilton Winnipeg Airport Suites 1800 Wellington Ave (Winnipeg, MB)
- Date: May 8th, 2024
- Time: 9am - 430pm
- In-person and online registration opens today.
- The landing page for AGM information on the RTAM website can be found here, with updates being made throughout February and March.
- Have you ever wondered what being an RTAM Board member and/or Committee member would involve? Would you like to hear more about these positions? Think about registering for the Zoom presentation focused on Recruitment for these positions which is being held on Saturday, March 9 at 9:30 a.m. If you have specific questions/details that you would like to know more about, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Registration for the event will take place through this link.
- The RTAM Strategic plan has been completed and offers an exciting look into our next four years. We hope to grow our technological footprint, deliver stronger and more diverse communications, more programs and events, diversify our representation and increase staff... just to highlight some of the plans we are undertaking for the next few years! The Strategic Plan can be found on our website.
- We continue to add new online programs and seminars every week. We are almost to our goal of one program every week until the end of June and have added new presentations like "Sleep 101", "Dealing with Grief" and "Aging and the Brain". With the presentations incoming from the Provincial Parties and Leaders, we know we will have more than what we need to get us through to the summer! Check back online often!
- Award season is tied to the Annual General Meeting, this is a reminder that award nominations are due to the office by March 17th, 2024 if you're hoping to have someone recognized for Distinguished Service.
- The tentative budget for 2024-2025 has been completed (pending approval at the AGM). This budget will deliver a new website, increased staffing, membership cards and protected money for Chapters moving forward!
- RTAM (through their President) took part in an RTAM pre-retirement seminar and MTS pre-retirement seminar in February, with great feedback and interaction at both.
- The RTAM Board of Directors and the RTAM Committees are working to create a new membership class based on a request from the University of Manitoba and since, other colleges and universities throughout Manitoba. This new membership class will be reviewed as part of the AGM during bylaw and policy updates.
The RTAM Executive
Linda Blair, President
Gabe Mercier, Vice President
Jayesh Maniar, Secretary
Brent Corrigan, Treasurer
As part of our New Horizon for Seniors Grant, we allocated some funds for a research study to help us determine the effectiveness of our program. We recently were matched with a U of M Masters student to be our researcher. Andrew Augustyn is very excited to do this research as he is interested in the theme of mentoring for his M.Ed. thesis. RTAM has sent out letters of invitation to hold interviews on his behalf to those who have signed up for the program. He will be doing two interviews this fall as part of his Qualitative Research Course and then completing our research with eight more interviews in February in order to meet our Grant Report requirements due in March. Enjoy reading his biography below.
