ETFO Thames Valley Occasional Teachers' Local: June 2022

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

Leaves of Absence; Ten days to remain on the OT List; Message to Members re Lottery; OTF Campground; Prep Payback

Unavailable to Teach Next Year? Apply for a Leave of Absence!

If you are not available to teach for TVDSB next year, you can keep your place on the OT elementary list by applying for a leave of absence. Full-year leaves under Article L10.16 must be received no later than December 30th of the school year in which the leave is to begin. E.g. Dec. 30/22 for a leave for the 2022 - 2023 school year.

To apply, log into the Employee Portal and in the blue border along the left hand side, click on Laserfiche - Electronic Forms. There you will find forms for various negotiated leaves, ranging from part-year to full-year in length. The form will ask for your supervisor. Currently this is Clare MacMillan whose email is clare.macmillan@tvdsb.ca.

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Removal From the List

The Collective Agreement requires that everyone on the TVOT List must teach a minimum of 10 days per school year in order to remain on the Occasional Teacher List with the TVDSB. Those on Board approved full-year leaves are exempt from this requirement. For those who took a part-year leave of absence, the Board looks for at least one day of teaching per month which means if an OT returned from a leave at the start of February, they would need at total of 5 teaching days by June 30th.

N.B. mandatory online training counts as .5 of a day and OTs have access to 3 additional paid PD sessions for a total of 2 full days which count for all purposes, as time teaching.

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- All OTs/LTOs: complete Annual WHMIS review, Offence Declaration, IT Declaration, Privacy Declaration in the Employee Portal (this is a condition of your employment)

- All OTs/LTOs: complete 9 mandatory online training modules listed in Employee Portal in "Employee Training" under "2021-2022 OTE Required Training"

- Daily OTs: last day to submit paid PD modules found in the Employee Portal in "Conference Session Registrations". Daily OTs have access to 3 half-days plus a half-day for mandatory training

- LTOs in assignments less than .5 and those LTOs whose assignments end June 29th: last day to submit 2 sessions (one day) of paid PD modules found in the Employee Portal in "Conference Session Registrations".

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Lost Prep Time Payback Claims

As agreed to by the Board and the Union in a Letter of Understanding, TVOT daily Occasional Teachers and LTOs who lost their prep periods can still submit their claims for a cash payback for that time via the link TVDSB emailed to members in Outlook in the "Occasional Teacher Elementary" section (bottom left hand side), dated June 13, 2022.

NB: Daily OTs who accepted full day prep payback assignments but did not receive 40 minutes of prep time at the beginning as provided by Article L18.03, are eligible to claim this lost prep time.

L 18.03 (c) If the assignment is for the Occasional Teacher to provide preparation time payback in full day assignment, then that Occasional Teacher shall be provided with a minimum of forty (40) minutes preparation time at the beginning of the assignment.

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Message from your Local President - Terry Card

I can recall no issue that has prompted more complaints to our TVOT Local office, than TVDSB's decision to use a lottery system again this year, to fill centrally staffed long-term positions. We hear your anger and your anguish and to be clear, your TVOT Local in no way endorses this practice. We agree with the comments so many of you have provided in our membership survey and in your phone calls and emails. However, the Board has not listened to the arguments we have presented all year, and with the revocation of Regulation 274 (which set a provincial framework for hiring), each Board can develop its own process.

For all those members who have requested that the Local go out on strike or at least, embark on work to rule over the issue, please note that we cannot legally utilize either of these yet - both are considered to be strike actions and are not lawful until certain conditions are met once our Collective Agreement has expired. Be assured, however that hiring practices will be this Local's top issue when negotations open next school year and at that time, we will count on the support of the membership.

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Bill 115 Remedy Update

On February 3, 2022, Provincial ETFO shared with members that Justice Lederer had reached a Bill 115 remedy decision. The award requires ETFO to endeavour to notify eligible members of the damages payment and the basis for its calculation. More information about these payment calculations and eligibility can be found at Bill 115 Remedy FAQ

ETFO members and former members who are eligible to receive a Bill 115 remedy payment should receive correspondence from Provincial ETFO by mail/email before August 31, 2022. This includes Occasional Teachers/LTOs who taught either or both the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 school years.

If you believe you are eligible but do not receive correspondence from Provincial ETFO by August 31, 2022, please fill out ETFO's Bill 115 Notice of Objection Form no later than 11:59 PM on September 30, 2022.

Based on the approximate timelines provided by the Ministry of Education, school boards are expected to pay out funds to eligible members by June 2023.

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OTF Campground

One of the hidden gems is the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF) Campground on picturesque Quinn Lake. The camp site is available to all OTF members and education workers in publicly-funded schools.

Booking for the 2022 Campground Season is open. Learn more here or email campground@otffeo.on.ca.

A receipt for the Ontario Staycation Tax Credit will be issued after the camp closes in October and before the 2022 tax season ends.

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Please note: your Local TVOT Office will be closed after June 30th and will re-open when school resumes in September. We do however check our ETFOTVOT emails on a weekly basis.

Should an emergency occur where members require assistance from ETFO Provincial, you can contact them at 1-888-838-3836.

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Wednesday, June 22, 2022

$500 is Yours! Do You Know? 8 Days Left

Can You Afford To Leave This Behind?

Daily Occasional Teachers with TVDSB are entitled to 4 half-days of paid PD which for all purposes, count as days worked. (LTOs in .5 FTE or less are entitled to 2 half-days.)

The 9 mandatory training modules required to remain employed, count as 1 half day.

In addition, there are plenty of online options (including OCT's Sexual Awareness programme), that can be completed on your own time so long as the reflection forms are submitted by the end of school day on June 30th.

We encourage TVOT members to "Earn while you Learn", and not leave almost $500 on the table at the end of this school year.

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- If you missed the Board's June 20th deadline to submit your lost prep time Payback Claim, there will be another opportunity, date TBA.

- Payment to members who are eligible for the Board's Retention Stipend, will occur automatically - no application is necessary.

- If you have completed your OCT Sexual Abuse program but have used your paid PD allotment, you can submit it in early September as one of your Paid PD options.

- TVOT members can apply for up to 2 full years leave of absence from the OTE List under Article L10.16 with no reasons given. Apply in the Employee Portal under Laserfiche (left-hand side). N.B. for this purpose, the Supervisor to list is Clare MacMillan / clare.macmillan@tvdsb.ca.

- If submitting an Employment Insurance claim, your Local does not have a number but is entered as: ETFO Thames Valley Occasional Teachers' Local.

- For purposes of Employment Insurance, a day of work is recorded as 8 hours.

- Those in LTOs only have until July 31st to submit to the Board, their QECO rating and proof of any previous teaching experience outside of TVDSB. If you are awaiting your QECO rating, then send the receipt by the deadline - otherwise you will miss earning the correct salary for work done in 2021 - 2022.

- TVOT's large September mail-out to members uses the address you have on file with TVDSB so please keep that information up to date in the Employee Portal - it is also a condition of employment with this Board.

- Benefits for LTOs end with the end of their long-term assignment.

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- Deadline to complete the 9 Mandatory online modules found in the Employee Portal under Employee Training "2021 - 2022 OTE Required Training" . (Counts as a half-day of teaching.)

Completion of these modules is a condition of employment.

- Deadline to complete online sessions found in Employee Portal under Conference Session Registrations under Elementary Occasional Teacher PD 2021 - 2022, listed for June 30, 2022. (Each session counts as a half-day of teaching.)

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Wednesday, June 15, 2022

TVDSB Hiring Timelines and Process; Prep Payback Claims; Columbia Invitation; Important Deadlines; June 30 PD Day; OCT Fees

THE HIRING TIMELINES for Permanent and LTO Positions in TVDSB have been released:

Round 4 postings are expected to come out the last week of June with vitural inteviews to follow once the posting has closed.
For September LTO positions where the Administrator wishes to interview, postings will come out on July 11th and close on July 13th (3 days only) with virtual interviews to follow once postings close, until July 27th.
September LTO positions that are to be filled centrally, will be posted August 8th and close on August 12th (5 day posting) with placements to occur the week of August 15th.

THE HIRING PROCESS for Permanent and LTO Positions in TVDSB has not been changed from the process used last year, in spite of the Local's continued advocacy for a more fair and transparent process. The Board has informed the Local that they will use a revised checklist that includes teaching qualifications, education and varied work experience skill sets. They have advised us that they will continue to use a lottery system for centrally placed LTOs however.

Occasional Teachers are advised to check the Occasional Teacher section of their TVDSB Outlook regularly for additional information.

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Prep Payback Claims

As agreed to by the Board and the Union in a Letter of Understanding, TVOT daily Occasional Teachers and LTOs who lost their prep periods can now submit their claims for a cash payback for that time via the link TVDSB emailed to members in Outlook in the "Occasional Teacher Elementary" section (bottom left hand side), dated June 13, 2022.

NB: Daily OTs who accepted full day prep payback assignments but did not receive 40 minutes of prep time at the beginning as provided by Article L18.03, are eligible to claim this lost prep time.

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- Deadline is June 30th to complete Mandatory Training Modules as required to remain on the OT List. Go to Employee Training in the Employee Portal and complete all 9 modules listed under OTE:

from "Automated External Defibrillator (AED)" to "TVDSB Guidelines on the non-use of racial and other slurs and epithets". You can check to see that your modules have been received if the check mark is still there next time you log in.

- Deadline is June 30th to complete Annual WHMIS review / Offence Declaration / IT Declaration / Privacy Declaration found in the Employee Portal - this is a condition of Employment.

- Deadline is June 30th to complete your Paid PD which counts for all puposes as time worked. Each option counts as a half day so check in the Employee Portal under "Conference/Session Registration" and click on "Elementary Occasional Teacher PD 2021-2022" for registration and further details about each session.

- Deadline is June 30th to be pre-approved for the Local's $400 Professional Learning Development Fund/PLDF, as the TVOT office is closed during July and August.

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LTOs and the June 30th PD Day

L20.03 A Long-Term Occasional Teacher who is scheduled to work when there is a Professional Activity Day will be paid for the day and will be required to participate in the scheduled professional activity sessions, pro-rated according to the FTE of the assignment. This includes any Professional Activity Day scheduled the last day of school in June provided the permanent Teacher being replaced does not return to work that day.

This means if the end date of your LTO is June 30, 2022 then you are expected to attend and you will be paid at grid rate.

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The onus is on Occasional Teachers to ensure that their OCT Fees are paid each year.

Those who fail to pay their fees will be paid as uncertified instructors, cannot be pre-booked for assignments or LTOs and lose their rights to ETFO representation and legal support. These people are listed by OCT as "inactive/non-practicing" rather than being in "good standing".

To ensure you are in good standing, we encourage members to visit OCT membership .

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Renovations that you should call your insurance broker about -

If you’re like many other Canadian homeowners who have recently come out of the pandemic, chances are you have either completed some type of renovation or have something planned in the future. Here’s a list of situations that are important to review with your broker ahead of time.

Wednesday, June 8, 2022

NEW: TVDSB Disconnecting From Work Employee Procedure; Columbia Invitation; Payment for OCT Sexual Abuse Prevention Program; $400 from the Local for AQ courses

NEW: TVDSB Disconnecting From Work Employee Procedure

Effective June 2, 2022, the Board advises all employees that:

" To the extent reasonably possible, work-related communications via any medium should only be sent, received, and checked during an employee’s established working hours.

“After Hours” generally means from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Monday to Friday and from Friday 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. This definition will be varied depending on the working hours of different employees and is subject to the obligation to be available for After Hours emergencies.

“Disconnect from Work” means not engaging in work-related communications, including emails, telephone calls, video calls, text messages, or the sending or reviewing of other messages, so as to be free from the performance of work.

There will be no consequence or penalty for staff who do not respond to after-hours communication, subject to the requirements related to emergency communications."

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Columbia Outlet Store Invitation to TVOT Members

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ETFO on the Environment

Members may not be aware that ETFO Provincial has resources available that examine environmental issues and provide materials and links to organizations working to protect the environment. Here are some of those links:

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OCT and the Sexual Abuse Prevention Program (SAPP)

OCT has been clear that they want all Teachers/Occasional Teachers to complete OCT's Sexual Abuse Prevention Program/SAPP. To that end, TVDSB will accept completion of SAPP as eligible for a half-day of the four half-days of paid PD OTs can access each school year. (Reminder that retirees must reserve one half-day in June for completion of the mandatory online modules that are posted now and must be completed by June 30, 2022.

To request payment, log into the Employee Portal > Conference Session Registration > Elementary Occasional Teacher PD 2021-2022 and register for the OCT Abuse Prevention Program. Once you have finished, submit the online reflection form to Staff Development along with a screen shot of the accreditation noted on your OCT. This will confirm your successful completion. Members who have already completed SAPP and have not used all of their paid PD, can follow the same steps and will be eligible for the half-day of pay. Those who still have not competed SAPP by next school year can use a half-day from the 2022 -2023 allotment and the Board will accept their completion for the first few weeks of September. NB: Those who are in LTOs next September can complete the program on the first PD Day at their schools.

ETFO Provincial assures the Local that government officials have reiterated that completion is not mandatory for those who were certified before January 2022 however the OCT website will reflect that this training is "incomplete" for members who chose not to participate.

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How long is a school day?
Did you know that for purposes of Employment Insurance, TVDSB reports a day of work as 8 hours.

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Did you know, that if you have worked as an elementary Occasional Teacher for TVDSB for 12 months, you are eligible for $400 from the Local's Professional Learning Development Fund (PLDF)?

Application forms are available to those who register on our ETFOTVOT website so apply now if you plan on taking an AQ course over the summer so that funds are set aside for you on your successful completion.

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Catalytic converter theft:

What is it and what can you do to prevent it

In recent years, Canada has seen an alarming rise in the theft of catalytic converters, particularly since the start of the pandemic. Let’s take a look at what a catalytic converter is, why thieves are targeting it, and what you can do to protect yourself against catalytic converter theft.

Wednesday, June 1, 2022

ETFO Summer Academy: Announcing your 2022-2023 Local Executive; About June 30th; Our London Family Events

ETFO Summer Academy!

Registation is now open for ETFO's 2022 Summer Academy.

Each course runs for three consecutive days and are to be offered in person in London and across Ontario. The cost per course is $75.

For more information visit ETFO Summer Academy

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It was a wonderful evening! Thank you to everyone who came to TVOT's first in-person event in 2 years. How nice to be with so many of our peers once again - and such a delicious meal!

Elected at that meeting was the ETFOTVOT Local Executive for 2022 - 2023:

President: Terry Card (2 year term)
First Vice-President: Kevin Utley
Second Vice-President: Vivek Nath
Treasurer: Nancy Springer
Secretary: Sharon Pinylo
Health and Safety Officer: David Griffith
Executive Members at Large: Meera Jain, Farida Makhani, Ruth Ann Morley, Krisanne Nunes
Chief Negotiator: Terry Card
Collective Bargaining Committee: Farida Makhani, Vivek Nath, Sharon Pinylo, Nancy Springer, Kevin Utley

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Daily OTs -

- Last day to complete your Paid PD sessions as listed in the Employee Portal under "Conference/Session Registrations". These count for all purposes as time worked

- Last day to complete 9 mandatory online training modules for payment as listed in the Employee Portal under "Employee Training" as 2021-2022 OTE Required Training

LTOs -

- Required to be at school and to be paid according to their FTE so long as the permanent Teacher they are replacing is not working there that day (Itinerant LTOs end June 29th)

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On June 6/22, it will be one year since the terrorist attack on the Afzaal Family. Numerous events are being hosted in the region to mark that day, honour the memory of the four family members who lost their lives and promote healing in our community. Here is a list of Our London Family Events.

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3 ways to safely tow a car behind your RV

RVs are a great way to explore the beautiful natural

landscapes Canada has to offer without giving up the

comforts of home. However, while RVs provide comfort and

flexibility on the road, they’re not ideal for exploring parks,

driving around city or residential streets, or finding a parking

space. Let’s look at the three methods you can choose from to

safely tow a vehicle behind your RV.