An article from March 21st in the Winnipeg Free Press includes several quotes from Norm Gould regarding MTS’s position on Bill 28.
R.D. Parker teacher Phil Neziol receives special recognition from Boys and Girls Club of Canada and SDML for Youth Build Program
The CEOs from the Boys and Girls Club of Canada visit and review their programs or programs which are implemented in their sites across Canada. They did a review of the Youth Build Program during the first part of 2017. In September of 2017, the CEOs came to the Boys and Girls Club in Thompson and did a presentation of the review to the staff of the Boys and Girls Club including Phil. The review includes interviews with the Boys and Girls Club of Thompson staff, funders of the program, parents, and community members in Thompson. The review concluded that the Youth Build program was a “Best Practice Program.” It meets all the criteria of the review and more. The CEOs mentioned that they rarely designate a program as a best practice program. It has to go well beyond what is expected by the Boys and Girls Club. They recommended that all Boys and Girls Clubs across Canada implement it. The Thompson site is the only site that has this kind of program and adults taking it would benefit.
Update from Norm Gould with troubling news on TTA members’ salary and pension
Below is a message from MTS Norm Gould regarding announcements made by the Manitoba government on teachers’ salaries and pensions:
Dear MTS member:
Yesterday, Minister of Education and Training Ian Wishart made a series of announcements that will have a profound effect on you, your salary and ultimately your pension in the near future.
1) The Pallister government will impose provincial bargaining on you and your colleagues starting July 1. This move was done without consultation with the Society and with complete disregard for you as an MTS member. We have grave concerns about this process. Bargaining is highly complex and no consultation seems to be a pattern in this government’s dealing with teachers and other Manitoba workers. Be assured, we are committed to protecting your best interests.
2) Your salary will be frozen. Because of it, you as an individual teacher will lose about $15,000 out of your family budget over the course of the next four years. In effect, you will subsidize the government’s cost cutting measures.
3) Your pension will be reduced by about 30%. As a result of your pension contributions remaining constant during this time, your pension for this period will be reduced by approximately 30%.
4) We were blindsided. I met with the Minister last week and asked him point blank if there was anything major on the horizon we should be aware of. Both he and his deputy minister turned to me and said, “no”. Yet this is the most far-reaching and unfair series of changes we have experienced in decades.
My number one duty as President is to safeguard and protect your welfare as a member of The Manitoba Teachers’ Society. I will communicate with you over the next weeks and months to keep you on top of the latest developments.
Please stay in touch with your local president and feel free to share your displeasure with your MLA.
For a list of MLAs go to: https://www.gov.mb.ca/legislature/members/mla_list_alphabetical.html
News from Feb. 6 Regional Meeting
Among the issues discussed at the regional meeting on Feb. 6 were Bill 28, cuts to French education and the Manitoba government’s promised plan to improve literacy and numeracy. For more information, click on the news items released by MTS below:
Literacy/numeracy foundation, solutions flawed
Thompson Teachers' Association 