2018 Council Election
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ELECTION MARCH 5 – APRIL 9, 2018 Meet your candidates for election to the eighth Council of the Ontario College of Teachers. They’ve stepped forward, met the requirements and now ask for your vote. Learn who they are, what they stand for and how you can support them by casting your vote. It’s your College. You decide! YOU2018 DECIDE March 2018 | Professionally Speaking 39 YOU2018 DECIDE MARCH 5–APRIL 9, 2018 Be a voter! It’s never been easier Online • Tap the Council position you wish to vote for. • Go to oct.ca and click “Vote Now.” • To learn more about the candidates, tap their name. • Log into your Members section account. • Select the candidate of your choice by tapping the circle • A ballot will appear with the positions you are eligible to vote for. beside their name. • Select the candidates of your choice. • Tap “Continue” to return to your ballot. • A link beside each candidate’s name will take you to their • When you have voted for the last position, tap “Review Choices.” biographical information. You can also link to candidate blogs • Tap “Submit Vote.” and the online forum for further information and discussion. You are not required to vote for a candidate for every position. Vote online The votes you cast are counted. Your ballot is registered as Electronic voting in the Council election begins on Monday, unmarked if you decline to vote. March 5, 2018, at 9 a.m. (EST). It continues until 11:59 p.m. • Review your ballot choices. (EDT) Monday, April 9, 2018. • When you are satisfied with your selections, click “Finish/Cast As a College member in good standing, you may cast votes My Ballot” to submit your votes. for up to four positions, depending on your current employ- ment. You are not required to vote for all these positions. If By mobile app you believe that you have an incorrect ballot, please contact • Open the OCT Membership app.* the information line before submitting your votes. • Log in. Access your ballot through your private account in the Members • Tap eVote 2018. section of the College website at oct.ca. • A ballot will appear with the positions you are eligible to vote for. *If you don’t have the app, go to oct-oeeo.ca/collegeapp. Get to know the candidates IT’S YOUR COLLEGE ant to know what the candidates are thinking? What are their hopes for the W profession? What difference do they believe they can make to the governance This is your chance to be a of your regulatory body? good professional citizen by Check out the candidates’ blogs; join in the conversation. Go to oct-oeeo.ca/candidates to participating in the Council see who’s sharing their views and who are using the online forum to answer your questions. election. Your vote is your As part of the election protocol, the candidates were invited to respond to three questions: voice in your professional 1) How can the College — and you specifically — work to achieve its strategic prior- licensing body. ities? Please choose a priority and discuss. By electing members to Council, 2) What can the College do to promote the public interest in the teaching profession? you help to determine College 3) What knowledge, skills and experience do you have that will contribute to the direction and its far-reaching impact on matters including: College’s fulfilment of its mandate? • reviewing and recommending Candidate blogs and comments on the forum appear online as submitted. Unless the regulatory change such as: candidates themselves have provided answers in English and French, the College does • The Protecting Students Act, 2016 not translate the text provided. • The enhanced teacher All Council election communications can be seen at oct.ca. education program; • reviewing content for Additional Qualification guidelines. Candidate information The electoral process enables you to discuss these issues and more with the candidates and with your he Registrar has determined that all candidates are eligible to be nominated for the colleagues. T position for which they are listed. Biographical and other candidate information re- Your votes determine the leaders flects what they provided to the College in their nomination forms. who — acting in the public interest — decide how to best govern Additional information regarding candidates is available at oct-oeeo.ca/candidates. Ontario’s teaching profession. This includes the candidates’ answers to three questions posed by the Governance Committee, candidate blogs and an online forum. 40 Professionally Speaking | March 2018 YOU2018 MARCH 5–APRIL 9, 2018 DECIDE Required statement How to set up an account s part of their nomination, candidates are asked to list any You can access your ballot only through your private, Acurrent or past memberships or involvement in any of the password-protected Members section account. 13 organizations designated by the Minister of Education. Don’t have an account? Create one now. It’s fast and easy. Candidates also: 1) Go to the “Members” section of oct.ca. 2) Click “My Account” and then the “Creating an account” attest to their eligibility for the position link in the text. they are seeking; 3) Provide your College registration number, your Social Insurance Number* or College-supplied Personal Identification attest to their willingness to serve on Council; and Number** and type the characters you see in the picture. promise that, if elected, they will swear an 4) Click “Continue.” oath or affirm that they will serve on Council 5) Provide your street and email addresses, and create a password. in the public interest. *The College has your SIN. You can choose to provide a PIN in lieu of your SIN to ensure the security of your private account. **To create a PIN call Client Services at 416-961-8800 or toll-free in Ontario at 1-888-534-2222. Election Q&A Q. What should my ballot look like? A. No. You can skip candidates in one will be submitted showing the rest of A. Every College member in good standing category and move on to the next. It your choices. as of February 28, 2018, will see candi- won’t affect your other votes. dates in two regional positions based on Q. I accidentally submitted my where they live — one full-time and one Q. How much time can I spend ballot before I finished voting. full-time/part-time. If you are employed reading candidate information to Can I get another ballot? as a principal, vice-principal, supervisory decide whom to vote for? Is there A. No. A ballot may be reissued if the officer, or by a private school or faculty a time limit? College issued it in error, but only if of education in a tenured or tenure-track A. For your security, your ballot will the original ballot has not been cast. position, you will see that position. If you time out after 30 minutes if there is no are employed by a provincewide school activity. It remains active as long as you Q. I am an elementary teacher in system, you will see up to two positions are moving around within it. After a the public system living in Ottawa. for that particular school system. If you time out, you can log in and begin the Which Council positions am are not currently employed in education, process again. The ballot is only disabled I eligible to vote for? you can still vote for the regional positions when you click on Finish/Cast My Ballot A. You will automatically receive a based on where you live. to complete your vote. personalized listing of all positions for which you are eligible to vote, when Q. I think I may have been given Q. Why does the ballot time out? you access the Members section. the wrong ballot. How can I get A. To protect your privacy. If you were Go to oct-oeeo.ca/Councilelection2018 the right one? voting and got called away, this feature for details on the electoral categories A. Call the Election information line at prevents others from accessing your and candidates. You are entitled to cast 416-961-8800, ext. 558 or toll-free in ballot in your absence. two votes for your regional positions — Ontario at 1-888-534-2222. We will issue a one full-time and one full-time/part-time new electronic ballot if it has not been cast. Q. Why are some positions labelled as — and one vote for two system positions Acclaimed? Why can’t I vote for them? for a maximum of four votes. Q. Can I change my choices A. There is no need for a vote because on my ballot? a sole nominee has been acclaimed and Q. I am employed as a principal in A. Yes, as long as you do not click on will take the position on Council. Windsor. Which Council positions the Finish/Cast My Ballot button, can I vote for? which submits your ballot as final. Q. What happens to my ballot if I A. You can cast two votes for your region- don’t select any of the candidates al positions and one for the principal/ Q. Do I have to vote for every position for a position? vice-principal position. Go to oct-oeeo.ca/ I’m eligible to vote for? I don’t know A. Your choice for that position will be Councilelection2018 for details on the some of the candidates. tagged “unmarked vote,” and your ballot electoral categories and candidates. March 2018 | Professionally Speaking 41 YOU2018 DECIDE MARCH 5–APRIL 9, 2018 Election Q&A Q.