What's happening in D3 this month:

April 3rd:  Espanola HS lunch visit 🍕
April 5th:  District Executive Meeting - 4:30 pm
April 7th - 10th: EASTER!!! 🌷🐰 🐤
April 12th:  Cecil Facer SS lunch visit 🍕
April 13th:  Lasalle SS lunch visit 🍕
April 13th:  PSSP Executive Meeting - 4:30 pm 
April 14th: Virtual School Pizza lunch 🍕
April 17th: Manitoulin SS Pizza lunch visit 🍕
April 18th: CVDCS SS Pizza lunch visit 🍕
April 19th:  T/OT AGM - 4:30 pm 
April 22nd - Earth Day 🌎
April 24th:  Confederation SS Pizza lunch visit 🍕
April 25th:  Lively DSS Pizza lunch visit 🍕
April 25th:  ESSU AGM - 4:30 pm 
May 3rd: District AGM - 4:30 pm
 

I want to begin by thanking our district delegation leader Stephanie Daoust for all her work in the weeks leading to and during OSSTF’s Annual Meeting of the Provincial Assembly. I also want to thank the delegation consisting of Dan Watson, Leona Gervais, Linda Ecclestone, Heather Boychuk, Sarah Cormier, Laurie Lamothe, and Katrina Ross who represented our district, exchanged ideas, participated in debate, introduced motions, and helped elect a new and more diverse Provincial Executive.

April is the official start of AGM season and the District Office is focused on their planning and co-ordination. Over the next several weeks, the District and all Bargaining Units will host their Annual General Meetings for each of their memberships to elect executive members and pass a variety of resolutions. Bargaining Unit Presidents and the office staff have been hard at work in their planning and organizing and we sincerely hope that members and/or delegates will actively look to participate and have a voice in electing leaders and debating governance structures.

It was great to see so many new and familiar faces at the Communications and Political Action Committee’s (CPAC) Ponderings & Potations event last Friday at The Daventry. The committee plans on hosting other such events in the future in different locations in an effort to make them more accessible and to involve more members in an opportunity to kick back, decompress, and socialize with colleagues.

As was indicated in the last Bargaining Bulletins for both Education Workers and Teachers, OSSTF is looking at hosting virtual Town Hall Meetings after the Easter weekend to discuss the state of central negotiations. Information will be shared when dates and times are confirmed and we encourage all members who want more information on bargaining to attend.

                                                                           

Regards,                       
Eric Laberge
District President

         

Last chance to apply for local awards & bursaries!
This is a reminder that the deadline for applications to the Student Citizenship Bursaries is Friday, April 14^th.  Late applications will not be accepted. 

The deadline for the OSSTF District Student Technical Awards is Wednesday, May 10^th. 
For more information, please contact the District office.
 
Annual General Meetings (AGM)
Spring brings, among other things, Annual General Meeting season in OSSTF.  Over the next 5 weeks, four (4) bargaining units and the District will hold their AGMs. 

Wednesday, April 19, 2023           4:30 to 6:30 pm      Teachers/Occasional Teachers (T/OTBU)
Tuesday, April 25, 2023                 5:30  to 7:00 pm      Educational Support Staff Unit (ESSU)
Wednesday, May 3, 2023               4:30 to 6:30 pm       District 3
Wednesday, May 10, 2023            5:00 to 7:00 pm       Sudbury Student Services Consortium (SSSC)
Thursday, May 18, 2023                4:30 to 6:30 pm       Professional Student Services Personnel (PSSP)
  
                           

But what is an AGM, you ask.

-  This is a meeting that allows the voting delegates to make constitutional changes.
-  It is the only time in the federation year when these changes can happen.
-  As well, elections take place at the AGM.
-  The positions up for election differ amongst bargaining units, as per their individual constitutions.
-  At this meeting, the treasurer will give a report and present a budget for the following year. Attendees will have the opportunity to see how the finances are managed and ask pertinent questions.
-  On top of conducting this important business, it is a time to get together with other members, socialize and share a meal.

If you have questions about your bargaining units AGM or the District AGM, please contact your staff rep. There are deadlines to confirm your attendance.


Katrina Ross,
District Officer

Car theft is a huge industry. Is your vehicle a target?
 

Did you know Canada’s auto theft industry is a $1 billion business? According to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, a vehicle is stolen every six minutes in Canada. Knowing whether your vehicle has landed on Canada’s top 10 stolen cars can help you assess your risk level and determine preventative measures.

Read more at www.otip.com/article163.
 

Does home insurance cover mould damage?

Mould is a common enemy of Canadian homeowners. It poses a severe health risk and can significantly damage your home, making it expensive to repair. As a homeowner, understanding how to purify your indoor air and keep your family and visitors healthy is essential.

Read more at www.otip.com/article164.
 

 

Don’t miss out on discounts from Edvantage, your exclusive savings program! Register for your FREE Edvantage account to access your favourite discounts, get deal alerts, or download your Edvantage member card today:

https://bit.ly/3JG7CEM
 

This annual awareness month is an opportunity to raise awareness and advocate for change around the issues most impacting our planet.
 

Already, the world is 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 Fahrenheit) hotter on average than it was before fossil fuel combustion took off in the 1800s, and the many impacts from that warming includes: more frequent wildfires, more extreme rainfall and flooding, and longer, more intense heat waves.
 
Because these impacts are already emerging, every fraction of a degree of global warming is predicted to intensify the consequences for people and ecosystems.
 

 
A Stanford University study shows indicates that Earth is likely to cross critical climate thresholds even if emissions decline.
 
Artificial intelligence provides new evidence our planet will cross the global warming threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius within 10 to 15 years. Even with low emissions, we could still see 2° C of warming.
 
The study, published in  January 2023, provides new evidence that global warming is on track to reach 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial averages in the early 2030s, regardless of how much greenhouse gas emissions rise or fall in the coming decade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What actions can we take to positively affect climate change?

Reduce, reuse, repair & recycle
To protect our climate, buy fewer things, shop second-hand, repair what you can, and recycle. Every kilogram of textiles produced generates about 17 kilograms of CO2e. Buying fewer new clothes – and other consumer goods – can reduce your carbon footprint and also cut down on waste.

 
Click on the United Nations site for ways that you can help limit climate change.
 

Becoming a better recycler:

Did you know that the top contaminant of Blue box recycling is unrinsed cans and jars?  If you don’t rinse your jars, they're garbage - don’t put them in the blue box.
 
Another huge contaminant in blue boxes are greasy pizza boxes or fast-food containers .  You can recycle the top of the pizza box if it isn’t soiled.  The bottom of the pizza box (and all that left over goo) can be torn into smaller pieces and placed in the green bin.

Greater Sudbury Waste Management has provided the chart below to ensure that Sudburians are recycling properly.