The Pension and Financial Wellness Committee
continues to advocate on pension issues on behalf
of retiring and retired teachers and endeavours to
inform ARTA members about fi nancial issues of
concern to retirees.
In the past year, the Strategic Planning and
Advocacy Committee held orientations for new
committee members, incoming committee chairs,
new branch presidents, and returning board
members. Joint Chair meetings were held in October
and May to discuss committee business plans and
initiatives. The annual retreat took place in Canmore
at the end of May with informative and entertaining
speakers addressing the topic of advocacy.
The Wellness Committee renamed its Walking
Challenge the Wellness Challenge, having
participants count minutes of active involvement in
fi tness pursuits. With the introduction of support
by a registered nurse, wellness clinics will include
preliminary screening for diabetes. Wellness grants
were doubled to encourage more branch wellness
initiatives. The Wellness Committee contributes
articles about wellness to each issue of news&views ,
and arranges wellness options for retreat participants.
Seven new committee members were elected to
vacant standing committee positions, with two on the
Governance Committee.
Branch presidents reported on the variety of
activities organized for their membership over the
past year.
Under a trust agreement with ARTA, the ARTA
Benefi t Plan Trust was established in 2008 to
guarantee the indebtedness of the Education
and Public/Private Sector health benefi t plans
with its Board of Trustees responsible for the
administration of the investment of Fund assets.
The Emergency Travel Reserve Fund, set up in
2016, is also governed by the Board of Trustees with
two trustees elected annually.
The Alberta Retired Teachers Charitable
Foundation, incorporated as a non-profi t society
in 2012 and granted charitable status in 2015,
was created to support Alberta seniors seeking
appropriate accommodation, health services, and
education by partnering with like-minded charitable
agencies. The Foundation is administered by a
six-member Board of Directors elected annually.
Grants have been provided to the Alzheimer Society
of Calgary, CNIB, and the Parkinson Association
of Alberta. Four ARTA branches contributed a
total of $1,000 in donations to the Foundation this
year. Provisions have been made for CanadaHelps
(canadahelps.org) to facilitate online donations
with a tax receipt generated for each contribution.
ACER-CART is the voice of retired teachers at the
national level addressing issues of common concern
to all seniors. ARTA is entitled to an additional
representative to ACER-CART because of the election
of ARTA’s past president to the position of regional
representative west at the ACER-CART AGM in June.
ACER-CART, instrumental in developing strategies
and producing resources to counter elder abuse, is
committed to a national pharmacare program, is
focusing on a strategy to combat federal legislation
that would allow the conversion of defi ned benefi t
pension plans to target benefi t plans, promote the
establishment of a Ministry of Seniors, and actively
espouse enhanced senior health care supports
and residential care facilities. In cooperation with
like-minded groups, ACER-CART will continue
to advocate for the protection of defi ned benefi t
pensions and the implementation of a single payer
national pharmacare plan during the 2019 federal
election campaign.
The Alberta Teachers’ Retirement Fund (ATRF)
is the trustee, administrator, and custodian of the
assets of the Teachers’ Pension Plan (TPP) post-1992
fund and the Private School Teachers’ Plan (PSTP)
for 80,338 members, of which 27,625 are retired
teachers. The funded ratio of the pension plan is
now 90 per cent. Beginning September 1, 2018, the
contribution rate for active teachers was reduced to
11.92 per cent. There are 230 members aged 95+,
and 35 who are 100+. ●
news&views WINTER 2018 | 21