SAVE up to $1000 per couple2 SAVE NOW with COLLETTE The Complete South Pacific featuring the Best of Australia & New Zealand 27 Days • 38 Meals Highlights: Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Ayers Rock, Alice Springs, Darwin, Kakadu National Park, Melbourne, Tasmania, Sydney, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Mt. Cook, Wellington, Rotorua * per person per Departs November 1, 2012 • $6849 land only SAVE $1000 couple2 Italy’s Treasures Art, Food & Wine of Italy Small Group Travel 12 Days • 17 Meals Wine with every meal and Whisper headsets! Highlights: Italian Lake Region, Stresa, Lago Maggiore, Italian Riviera, Portofino, Cinque Terre, Lucca, Tuscany, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Wine Tasting, Italian Cooking Class, Bologna, Venice per * per person 1 Departs October 27, 2012 • $3549 land only SAVE $200 couple Ireland’s Coastal Treasures 9 Days • 11 Meals Highlights: Dublin, National Stud, Kinsale, Cobh Heritage Centre, Old Midleton Distillery, Bunratty Folk Park, Farm Visit, Galway, Kylemore Abbey, Killary Harbour Cruise, Clonmacnoise, Athlone, Irish Night * per person per Departs October 18, 2012 • $1749 land only SAVE $200 couple1 FREE SEDAN SERVICE! Receive complimentary roundtrip home to airport sedan service on all air-inclusive tours.† Contact your local Sears Travel Agency or call www.collettevacations.ca 866.219.0649. Mention promo code - D873-AX1-918 *Rates are per person, land only, based on double occupancy and vary by departure date. †Not valid on group travel. Service is offered on all air-inclusive departures when within 100 km radius from most major Canadian gateways. One transfer per room booking. Additional stops are not permitted on route. Other restrictions may apply; call for details. Call for rates on additional departure dates and air fare from your gateway. 1Save $100 per person when you book Ireland’s Coastal Treasures or Italy’s Treasures by May 31, 2012 for travel until December 31, 2013. 2Save $500 per person when you book The Complete South Pacific by May 31, 2012 for travel until April 30, 2013. Offer can expire earlier today due to space or inventory availability. Space is on a first come, first served basis. Not valid on group or existing bookings. Travel Industry Council of Ontario Reg# 3206405; BC Reg# 23337 News & Views Contents Table of Volume 20 Number 3 Spring 2012 2 13 25 FEATURES Contest Winners #12 What Are We Who Is Eligible to and Contest #13 Doing Now? Join ARTA’s Plan? 6 Love Affair with a 3 15 26 Motorcycle Greetings From the ARTA Extended Health CRTA’s STEPPIN’ President Care Plan Options OUT 2012 5 17 Executive Director’s Autumn Report 21 27 Adventures The Power of Letters in Tuscany Planning, in Brief to the Editor 8 2012 ARTA 22 30 Wieners 20 Memorial The Importance of Aaahhh, Retirement! Golf Having a Properly Tournament Drafted Will 31 Scholarship Information 29 23 Improving Alberta’s 9 Membership/Marketing Seniors Care System In My Opinion Committee Branch Initiatives Grant (BIG) 32 GERTA’s 33 11 Second Is It Time for the Should You Plan to 24 Wind Average Person to Avoid Probate? In Memoriam Conference Speak Up? News and Views is published four times a year by the Alberta Retired Teachers’ Association (ARTA). Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to 409, 11010-142 Street NW, Edmonton, AB T5N 2R1. Tel.: 780-822-2400; Alberta only: 1-855-212-2400; fax: 1-780-447-0613; e-mail: [email protected]; website: www.albertarta.org Contributions to News and Views to the editor: Robin Carson, 409, 11010 – 142 Street NW, Edmonton, AB T5N 2R1 or e-mail [email protected]. Deadline for submissions for the summer issue is April 25, 2012. Assistant Editor: Vi Oko; Graphic Artist: Hazel Adair; Printing by Central Web, 16940 – 110 Avenue NW, Edmonton T5P 1G9 AR-ARTA-12e Contest Winners—Contest #12 News & Views Deadlines Jim Muldoon of Calgary was our lucky winner Summer issue: of Contest #12. He won the two Edmonton Oiler April 25, 2012 tickets. Thanks to Capital Printing and Forms who donated the prize. Fall issue: July 25, 2012 Winter issue: October 25, 2012 John Renfree from Edmonton took home 50th Anniversary issue: the $50.00 gas gift-certificate. Thank you to Johnson Inc. for providing this prize for ARTA. January 25, 2013 Your letters and ideas are welcome. Please ARTA is grateful to all the businesses that donate prizes for these send them to contests. We hope our readers enjoy entering the contests as much [email protected] as we do formulating them. Contest #13—ARTA Sports Quiz ARTA wants to make sure you are in the know. If you follow the two Alberta NHL hockey teams and the two Alberta Canadian Football League teams, some of that knowledge may help you to win a prize or two from ARTA. First prize is a one-night stay in the Sheraton Club Room at the Sheraton Red Deer Hotel. Second prize is a $50.00 Esso gasoline gift card donated by Johnson Inc. To win one of these great prizes, just correctly answer both questions below. If your entry is drawn first, you win the one-night stay at the Sheraton Red Deer Hotel. If your entry is drawn second, then you win the $50.00 gift card for gasoline. Only correct answers are eligible. Question 1: Daniel Mulloy—ARTA’s new Executive Director—has a two year-old son. What is his son’s first name? (Name must be spelled correctly.) Question 2: Which Edmonton Oiler recently racked up 11 points in two games in the 2012 season? (Name must be spelled correctly.) Send your answers to us at: Contest #13, ARTA, 11010 – 142 Street NW, Edmonton, AB T5N 2R1 The contest officially closes at 1:00 p.m. on April 17, 2012. The contest is open to all ARTA members in good standing—regular and affiliate. Entries received after the closing date and time will not be consid- ered. Winners will be notified shortly after the closing date. Decision of the judges is final. Email entries are not considered. Names and photos of winners may be published in News & Views. Question 1 answer: Question 2 answer: ALBERTA RETIRED TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION Volume 19,20, No. 3 2 News & Views Greetings From the President Commit to Action Gordon Cumming As I sit at my desk pondering what too will be a retiree and a senior As active teachers, we developed to write to meet my submission one day, and we are advocating skills to think critically and present deadline, the temperature outside for your future. logically. We worked at being good listeners, while honing our skills as is hovering below minus twenty Political action is a primary focus effective questioners. We sought degrees. However, on the Alberta of your ARTA Strategic Planning out others, and became confident political scene, the fire’s been lit, Committee. As a non-partisan in our inter-personal relationships. and the mercury’s starting to rise. organization we do not recommend We were passionate about our With nomination meetings occur- parties or candidates, but rather causes and visionaries for a pre- ring every second day, and the seek out the significant issues as ferred future. Little did we know Premier announcing the return of advocates for our members, retir- that we were preparing ourselves the Legislature on February 7, and ees and seniors. In November we so well to be advocates and partici- the delivery of the budget two days had your board members (branch pants in the political arena. later, I think you will be reading presidents and committee chairs) this in the midst of the 2012 elec- participate in an advocacy and Some thoughts as you go out to be tion campaign, a campaign that lobbying workshop. On your behalf involved: will shape the Alberta agenda for we are corresponding with all of • Understand the power of one, the next four years. the political parties to get their and understand how it is magni- If your instinct is to ask, “What responses to issues that have rel- fied if we are all engaged; can I do to affect the outcome?” evance to ARTA members: • Remember that advocacy starts the answer is LOTS! So, with • Commitment to preserving the at home with friends, family and apologies to Helen Reddy, here is existing pharmaceutical sup- colleagues; my message to all candidates and ports for seniors; • Know the issues, and why they parties: • Improvement of access to afford- are significant to you; • Consolidate the thoughts you “WE ARE SENIORS, HEAR able assisted-living facilities; • Enhancement of long-term care want to present; US ROAR!” We are articulate • Be a presence at forums to sup- and involved. We study the issues resources; • Expansion of resources to make port positions you agree with; and understand the impacts. We • Over the short and long term, get involved in campaigns, influ- home care a viable option for our aging population; and establish and maintain a rela- ence our friends, families, and tionship with candidates; and neighbors, and WE VOTE! We • Implementation provincially of vote early, and twice as many a progressive as opposed to flat Realize that together, we make a of our age group vote com- tax. difference. pared to the turnout of under 35-year-olds. We will come to Remember, the spring 2013 issue will be a your constituency offices and town hall meetings to hold you 50th Anniversary issue. Send us your ideas! accountable. And remember, you ALBERTA RETIRED TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION Volume 19,20, No. 3 News & Views 3 Notice of Election of Two Members: IMPORTANT ARTA Benefit Trust Board of CONTACTS Trustees ARTA: Two trustee positions (3-year term) for the ARTA Benefit Trust Board of Trustees are up for election at the ARTA board meeting 780-822-2400 on May 23, 2012.