coke/Y bi o o r t k Twenty-Second Report E District 22 Etobicoke and City of York T The Retired Teachers of Ontario w o les enseignantes et enseignants retraités de l’Ontario enty-Tw Spring 2016 What is that on the front cover? Calendar of Events • April 20 iPad Workshop • April 21 Have a Java • April 27 iPad Workshop • May 3 Executive meeting • May 9 Lunch Club • May 9 Financial Planning Workshop • May 13 Financial Planning Workshop • May 19 Mamma Mia, Drayton • May 19 Have a Java • June 7 AGM and Lunch, Crowne Plaza • June 13 Lunch Club • June 16 Muskoka Lake Cruise • June 16 Have a Java • July 11 Lunch Club • September 22 Port Stanley Train Excursion • October 12 Alice in Wonderland, Shaw • November 24 Sister Act, Dunfield Inside This Isssue President’s Message 2 District Executives 2 What is that on the front cover? 3-4 In Memoriam 5 Award Announcements 5 Retirement 5 Membership Report 6 Syrian Newcomers 6 To Hell with the Bell Breakfast 6 Square Dancing 6 RTO/ERO Policyholders 7 Lunch Club 7 What are you Reading? 7-8 School Celebrations 8 What’s Happening 8 AGM and June Luncheon 9 Travel 2016 10-11 Coffee Club 12 District 22 Etobicoke and the City Of York President’s Message District 22 Executive A Legacy is defined as a gift of property, personal 2015 – 2016 property or money often by a last will and testament. It also refers to anything handed down from the Past President past, be it familial, as a successor or in an historical Gary Parkinson 416-621-1619 context. The term is also now commonly used in President commercial and computer lingo as in legacy Board, Sheila Tait 416-767-2406 legacy system or legacy soft ware. Indeed the model 1st Vice President name of my last car, with which I finally parted Claudia Mang 416-626-0798 company after 16 years, was Legacy. 2nd Vice President At the recent funeral of an esteemed and much Karl Sprogis 905-625-4839 beloved colleague, there was the opportunity for a Secretary long chat with a former student who had brought Janet Thacker 905-503-1484 with him a photo copy of a page of a year book which was circulated and then Treasurer included in the display of the mementos prepared by the family. He filled us Harold Royle 416-741-2781 in and brought us up to date on the careers, fortunes and whereabouts of his Awards brother and a special group of friends. Sharon Kular 416-241-7278 As educators we do not often see the long term results of our ‘interventions’. Goodwill We do not see the legacy that we have gifted and left behind. Maryanne Chard 416-626-1353 As retired educators the legacy of our labour manifests itself in a legion of Health/Insurance ways, in so many walks of life and literally in every corner of the globe. Many Anne McIlroy 416-237-0115 of the gifts we give may not be stupendous and obvious but may be subtle or Member at Large seemingly insignificant but with incredible consequences with the potential for Marilyn Jones 416-237-0251 good but unfortunately at times for bad. Member at Large Our influence never ceases although the capacity may diminish. There is Bonnie Hamilton 905-276-3049 still more that we can give and offer, be it in role modeling, volunteerism, Membership/Recruitment care giving, nurturing of young family members and friends or simply Adele Pick 416-622-7361 ‘participaction’, living life to the full or as best we can. Membership/Telephone At the beginning of each AGM, the names on the list of In Memoriam for the Lynn Farquharson 905-891-9838 current year are read aloud and also displayed on the scroll written in beautiful Newsletter calligraphy. It provides us with a unique occasion each year to honour and Helen Gill 416-536-9953 reflect on the lasting legacies of all our members and our profession. Pensions/Retirement Concerns Janis McCaskill 905-857-1187 Sheila Tait, President District 22 Political Advocacy Art Witham 416-242-3207 Social Corresponding Membership Judy Paton 416-769-1373 RTO/ERO members from another district may receive our newsletters by Travel Canada Post for an annual payment of $10.00. Make your cheque payable to Pamela Guy 416-245-5201 RTO District 22 and mail to Adele Pick 1508-475 The West Mall, Toronto, ON Webmaster/Communications M9C 4Z3. Full colour versions of our newsletters are easily accessible by using Joel Nasimok 416-398-0733 RTO/ERO’s website. Canada Post is now charging $1.00 plus a weight charge for returning mail to the sender. Remember to register any change of http://district22.rto-ero.org address with the Provincial Office, at the contact found on this page. Do you have a new address? Do you have other changes to personal information or benefits questions? The Retired Teachers of Ontario/les enseignantes et enseignants retraités de l’Ontario Suite 300, 18 Spadina Road, Toronto ON M5R 2S7 Phone: 1-800-361-9888 (toll-free); Toronto area: 416-962-9463 Email: [email protected] or www.rto-ero.org For uninterrupted mailings from District 22 and RTO/ERO RTO/ERO Group Benefits Program administered by Johnson Inc. Contacts: By mail - 18 Spadina Road, Suite 100, Toronto ON M5R 2S7 By phone - Toronto Area: 416-920-7248 Toll free: 1-877-406-9007 Fax: 416-920-0939 Email: [email protected] 2 District 22 Etobicoke and the City Of York What is that on the front cover? Submitted by Helen Gill During a recent stroll in my neighbourhood, I stopped to snap a few photos only to discover that my 8 gigabyte memory card was full and these images were not coming home with me. Then I remembered my phone has a camera! It was a few hours later that I realized I have an unacknowledged hobby – the digital collecting of street art. The images I capture range from public monuments and memorials, to street signs and graffiti, some supported by the city through its STArts program, and some appearing anonymously. As I started sorting through the images on my card, I noticed that I seem to have ‘categories’ for collecting. Some photos are clearly items of historical or local heritage importance. One day I was surprised to find images of cows with their names on the sidewalk pavers in the little park that once bordered the southern edge of Gibson House Museum. Did you know that the bovines ‘Grey’ and ‘Spot’ belonged to David Gibson, land surveyor and rebel in the Rebellion of 1837? The statues and sculptures at Ireland Park are a chilling reminder of Toronto past. Other markers, like the Air India Memorial (Humber Bay East Park, Lakeshore Boulevard West & Parklawn), the Fallen Firefighters Memorial (HTO Park, Harbourfront, near Fire station 334) are sobering reminders of events from my own lifetime. Con’t Page 4 3 District 22 Etobicoke and the City Of York The personalities of neighbourhoods where I have walked are revealed in other images. The Parkdale Public Library, a heartbeat in this culturally diverse part of the city, is easily recognized by the huge globe outside its front door. Even the bicycle rack out front is reflective of the ethos of the neighbourhood. The alley that runs east and west from Portland Street to Bathurst, south of Queen Street, is famous as the backdrop for many of Rick Mercer’s rants on his CBC show, The Mercer Report. Some of my favourites are signed by Uber 5000. I’ve spotted the Lovebot, work of a local Toronto artist, Matthew Del Degan, as far east as Ossington, north at Dupont and hidden within the streets of Brockton Village and Parkdale near Roncesvalles. A little research shows that this friendly little icon is popping up around the globe. Follow the link http://www.blogto.com/arts/2015/01/toronto_lovebot_spotted_around_the_world/ My category ‘signs and stickers’ is quite eclectic. Some of these appealed to me for their creativity and interest factor like the signage in the animal pens at the High Park Zoo; others are informative, urging urban walkers to beware of coyotes along the Western Beaches boardwalk. Some signs have been ‘amended’ such as a Neighbourhood Watch sign that indicates ‘protected by Batman and Robin’ and another favourite of mine are the #SavetheBees stickers from the Sierra Club posted in public spaces. Murals, Art Boxes and Little Free Libraries of various shapes and sizes are popping up, but my favourite photos are installations or creations in the public realm, like the gLITTER Box, that reflect the humour, wit and creativity of the unknown artist. Currently I am on the hunt for signs of ‘yarn bombing’. Mine is a great ‘good weather’ hobby. All you need is a camera in your pocket and the inclination to play tourist for a day, tuned in and aware of what is around as you ‘day trip’ through parts of this great city 4 District 22 Etobicoke and the City Of York • be a child/grandchild of a Old Age Security (OAS) In Memoriam Johnson employee. • universal • age 65 (67 in 2023 but under review) Submitted by Adele Pick We offer our sympathies to the family and Online Application Form • $564.87 per month friends of our departed members. Please note the following important • 15% claw back of individual details. income over $71,572 to $116,103 Elizabeth Chapman Elizabeth McGrade • The application is an on-line Anna DiVito Marion Morris document.