www.rtoerodistrict42.ca 1June 2018

THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME (Part 1)One of the joys of retirement from teaching is the flexibility to travel any time of year instead of being restricted to school holidays. Unfortunately re-tirement also means that we are older and often with health concerns which can put us past the point of no return for certain adventures we could have done earlier in our lives.When my husband received a job offer in BC, we made the monumental deci-sion to move to Tsawwassen. Our son was already going to UBC and a year later our daughter moved to Vancouver to do her Ph.D. at Simon Fraser. Add a lot of cousins and old friends from Manitoba (where we both grew up) that were living in southern BC and we had an instance network to make us feel right at home.Ron had been actively involved with Scouts for many years in Ontario but he reactivated the local Sea Scouts in Tsawwassen. In the process we end-ed up with a little day sailing sailboat

called “Plan B”, which was replaced a few years later by a 1984 Catalina 30 sailboat named “Patience”. Even at her age, she is probably better equipped than most Catalina 30s in service these days, thanks to improvements that the previous owner had made and addition-al improvements we did ourselves.

Then in the fall of 2013 an ad appeared in the online magazine “Waggoner Pacific Northwest Boating” asking who would be interested sailing to Alaska in 2014 in a flotilla led by sailors who had been to Alaska several times. We re-sponded with a quick “YES!”2014 was the first time Waggoner ever organized a flotilla to Alaska and there were over 90 initial inquiries about the ad. In the end there were enough con-firmed responses to create 3 flotillas with 7 boats each and with three depar-ture dates in May and June. Ron and I recommended that sailboats be together in one flotilla because of the differenc-es in cruising speed, etc. from power boats, and by the end of the trips, that proved to be a good idea.In retrospect we consider the semi-nar essential to preparing for the trip, whether done in a flotilla or an individ-ual boat. From our observations, peo-ple who did not take the course tend-ed to have unrealistic expectations and were not well prepared for the chal-lenges they met. Participants came from across the United States and west-ern Canada, and included most of the

Upcoming Events

District 42 AGMSeptember 5-7

AtRiver Rock Casino

8811 River Rd, Richmond, BC

Sharing the good news:

First year free for new members

At the RTO/ERO annual meeting on May 29, the

following motion was ap-proved:

• ........... THAT the initial RTO/ERO membership fee be waived until Dec

31st of the year in which an individual enrolls.

IT TOOK PATIENCEby Janice & Ron Wasik

www.rtoerodistrict42.ca22 June 2018

members of the three flotillas and also, as per the last 10 years, other boaters who were planning to go to Alaska on their own. Flotilla members were provided with a huge box of books, maps, tide tables, etc. that proved to be invaluable resources in the planning stag-es and during the trip itself.

PREPARATIONWe spent countless hours preparing Patience for our Alaskan adventure, especially after the seminar, which gave us a lot of pointers. Here are a few:Provisions: freeze dried meals, meats, vegetables & even desserts from Mountain Equipment Co-op with easy instructions to add boiling water, soak and serve; minimum of cans and bottles except for water because of recycling & garbage restrictions on islands & more isolated communities; dried fruit; all packaging re-moved and food transferred to Ziplock bags or Glad containers that stack tightly when emptyRefrigeration: Patience already had an ice box with an insert that converted it to a refrigerator that worked well with shore power or batteries but drew too much for the batteries alone so we also bought a Coleman 12 volt cooler on sale at Walmart just before the trip for times at anchor and for extra cooling space while un-der power.We purchased 9 large stackable plastic see-through storage boxes that could nest when empty to store food and clothing in the V-berth and the aft berth. Food was stored in the back of the aft berth with more frequently used bins in front of them e.g. life jackets, tethers, rain suits, water.As we prepared to depart, we were satisfied that every-thing was ship-shape. There were no leaks of any kind and everything was in working order. We were good to go.

ANACORTES TO KETCHIKAN June 14th to July 4th, 2014On June 14th we crossed the Strait of Georgia to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, with a strong following sea and the occasional wave breaking over the deck. Upon arrival, we discovered some wetness in the for-ward cabin but thought it was nothing to be concerned about, and we enjoyed a day of rest before the flotil-la arrived.

Our next stop was east across the Georgia Strait at Garden Bay in Pender Harbour. This time, howev-er, we had to fight our way through 6-8 foot swells and into gale-force winds. There was considerable water in the forward cabin by the time we tied up. Ron did his best to plug the gap but over the following weeks more leaks were discovered and repaired by tightening a stanchion and resealing a window.From Pender Harbour the flotilla motored to Desolation Sound which we had visited for the first time the previous summer. At anchor in Prideaux Haven that evening, we celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary by dancing on the deck beside the mast, as flotilla member Don Fife on his sailboat ‘Bugler” ser-enaded us with beautiful music on his trumpet, finish-ing with “Taps” at the sunset.At the beginning of the trip each boat was given a copy of the three-week planned itinerary with the dates, ports of call, and whether we would be at a dock, at anchor or have a choice of either one. The troublesome forecast of potential gale force winds ma-terialized overnight at Blind Channel, resulting in our leaders’ calling a meeting on the dock at 5 a.m. just as we were about to leave for Port Harvey. After hearing the forecast and discussing the options (most of which included Johnstone Strait), the group decided to take one of the weather days built into the flotilla schedule. We turned on our instruments mid-day and clocked al-most 35 knot winds at the top of our mast while we were still tied to the dock. We enjoyed the unexpected opportunity for hiking, showers, laundry, chats, naps, reading, and a group dinner at the marina restaurant. The weather day also resulted in changes to our re-maining stopovers in the itinerary (some missed, some added) but nothing that we couldn’t accommodate by including on the return trip.

www.rtoerodistrict42.ca 3June 2018

President’s Message

This is the beginning of our new year; to explain briefly, our District is divided into two Units – Unit 42/2 consists of members in the eastern section of BC, and Unit 42/1, members in the Lower Mainland; the presidents of these Units alternate in the position of District President. As of May 1st, I take the position, and Walt Duncan would normally assume the role of Vice President. Walt has served District 42 for twenty years, alternat-ing as President for ten years. He has decided to resign from both positions and Mrs. Nancy Tully-Peever has agreed to assume the role. We take the opportunity to express sincere “THANK YOU” Walt for your contribution to our District.This month is significant for our members for the cele-bration of fifty years of RTO/ERO’s representation of Ontario’s Retired Teachers. The Spring Senate – May 28 -30, 2018 – will undergo significant change in lead-ership as members elect an Executive of Directors. You will be fully informed of the changes of leadership and organization. Another topic of interest, Mrs. Joanne Murphy, Chair, RTO/ERO Foundation Board of Directors, has agreed to attend our AGM and inform us of concerns regard-ing geriatrics and new approaches that have been raised about medication and medical relations with seniors. Our District is the host for the AGM. There is a change of venue. After much discussion and compari-son of the Blue Horizon Hotel in Vancouver and River Rock Casino Resort at River Road, Richmond, the decision was to try River Rock Resort. We did hold two meetings, in Surrey and Vancouver, to inform members and consider their response. The majority response was for change. We have arranged for three speakers: a lawyer on the topic of “Making One’s Will” will be quite specific on what you should know, how to be exact on how your will be discharged and to whom, Mrs. Murphy re. the handling of geriatrics, and input from seniors, their involvement and treatment, finally, Mr. Stephen Wong from Johnson Health Coverage and any change(s) that members should know. The Executive Council is committed to encouraging members to attend the AGM, whether local members

attend daily but do not stay overnight; members from Unit 42/2 must consider staying at the hotel. We will subsidize all who attend; we have to also consider how much the hotel charges for the two and a half days. Bedrooms are $185.00 per night – Blue Horizon charges $305.00 per room. The luncheon on Friday Sept. 7 will be subsidized; the cost is $40.00 for the warm (cooked) meal. Those in attendance will only pay $20.00. The District will pay the rest including the Tip. Please send a cheque for $20.00 Payable to RTO District 42 to the treasurer by July 20 with your confir-mation of attendance to the address on page 8.We must inform the RESORT about the number in at-tendance by July 23rd.Before closing, just a reminder to members that we encourage you to submit an article on a topic of inter-est to you, whether its about travel, hobby, a specific skill, whatever. Don’t worry about grammar, spell-ing, etc. We edit everything that is written in our magazine. Best wishes to all; enjoy a wonderful summer. We look forward to seeing you at the AGM in September.

Lionel Brathwaite

RTO District 42 – Mainland, B.C.

www.rtoerodistrict42.ca44 June 2018

2018 District/Unit Health Rep’s Workshop

This year’s workshop was held in Toronto on June 3rd and 4th. About 70 rep’s and staff attended; a lot is covered in the time available. After dinner on Sunday, the new Benefits Committee was introduced.

The after-dinner speaker on Sunday was Brian Thwaits, billed as Brain Trainer. See other story for further information.

The first morning presentation on Monday introduced the RTO/ERO Health and Wellness Plan, a work in progress, which will provide on-line information, questionnaires and a “health challenge” that members will be able to sign in to. The complete roll-out to all members will be announced later.

The second session presented Choosing Wisely Cana-da. This initiative was begun by concerned clinicians in the US in 2012 and launched in Canada in 2014. Twenty countries are now engaged. The focus is on the growing concern about patients’ receiving too

many tests, scans, x-rays, prescription drugs, in par-ticular antibiotics being prescribed for viral infections, and opioids. The slogan is More is Not Always Better. They showed 4 questions to ask your health care pro-vider: 1. Do I really need this test, treatment or proce-dure? 2. What are the downsides? 3. Are there simpler, safer options? 4. What happens if I do nothing?

The carousel workshops on Monday, entitled Benefits 101, Know Your Travel Plan, and Best Doctors, gave us refresher and new information.

I also attended a focus group for research being done at Women’s College Hospital, under the direction of Dr. Paula Rochon. The main heading was Improving the Health of Older Adults Using Healthcare System Data.

Patricia Solomon

Brian Thwaits, Brain Trainer

Mr. Thwaits is the author of a book entitled The Big Learn, smart ways to use your brain.

He began his career in a 2-room school in the Interior of BC then headed back to Ontario. He won a national student teacher award at Lakehead. He became a reading specialist and worked for 22 years at Mohawk College, where he set up the college’s reading centre, taught business writing courses and started to teach workshops in the private sector. This led to his career as a speaker.

As well as believing in the importance of teachers being taught to teach, he believes that students need to

be taught to learn in order to cope with today’s world. His talks these days focus on tips that help audiences strengthen their memory and tweak their approach to internalizing information. He debunks the myth that we are right-brained or left-brained.

He was well received by the RTO/ERO members at the dinner.

You can read more about this and some of his tips and a “brain workout” at https:/www.speakers.ca/2016/10/a-workout-with-the-brain-trainer/. This site reports a talk he gave to the Ontario Public School Boards Association.

Patricia Solomon

www.rtoerodistrict42.ca 5June 2018

My wife,Linda Coppin and I would like to say a Sincere Thank You and Au Revoir to all members of District. 42. We attended many meetings over the years we lived in Beautiful British Columbia. We will be moving back to Ontario this Spring as our two daughters are living in Toronto and I have a sister and her family living in Toronto. My Wife, Linda, has a sister and brother and their children all living within two hours from Toronto.

Our oldest Daughter is married and will be present-ing us with her second child about the time we arrive in Toronto and we are excited about this event. Fam-ily is important to both of us and we know that we will miss many friends here in B.C., especially those who we have met in R.T.O.

We will be joining an RTO District in Toronto and plan to get District 42 information and news from some of our friends

Au Revoir,

Walt Duncan & Linda Coppin

A Message from Walt Duncan

A Bit of History

I retired from the Scarborough Board of Education in June of 1993 and my wife, Linda Coppin, took a leave with the same Board at the end of December.

We moved to Vernon B.C. In January of 1994 and Linda resigned from the Scarborough Board shortly afterwards. We had 2 daughters who attended the the Elementary Frenc School in Vernon upon our ar-rival and both of them have now completed Univer-sity and are one living and working in Toronto.

We all enjoyed skiing at Silver Star Mountain Re-sort and hiking with The Vernon Outdoors Club. We have been members of R.T.O. District 42 since 1994 and I have been President of the Interior Unit for the majority of the years since, as well as President of the District every other year (a position shared with the President of of the LMSC Unit). I have enjoyed both roles but I am looking forward to retiring my position.

In 1989 a group of Retired Ontario teachers liv-ing on Vancouver Island met and suggested that an RTO / ERO District be established in British Columbia. Bill Shephard who moved to the Vic-

toria area following his retirement from the Scar-borough Board of Education submitted a proposal to the Provincial Office of RTO/ERO requesting that a District be established in this Province. Bill was invited to attend the May 1992 Senate and at that meeting, he received a standing ovation as his request was granted and District 42 was welcomed with more than 300 retired Ontario teachers residing permanently in B.C. becoming members of the new District.

In 2007, the Executive of District 42 discussed with the RTO / ERO Staff the idea of having District 42 become two Districts as the cost for all members and especially Executive Members to attend meet-ings was skyrocketing: such as the cost of return Ferry Service as well as the cost of distance trav-elled and accommodation needed. The Fall Senate of that year passed a motion that RTO /ERO District 47 would be for for Vancouver Island and Mainland B.C. remains District 42 which now has over 400 members.

www.rtoerodistrict42.ca66 June 2018

KEEPING IN TOUCH: UNIT 42/1

By Lionel Brathwaite

As stated in the President’s Message this is a signif-icant year for RTO/ERO, the 50th Anniversary. In celebration, the Executive has encouraged all Districts to participate in doing something memorable. Each District will receive $2000.00 to perform a memorable task. In our situation, each Unit will receive $1000.00 for the undertaking. We have received one proposal that we have a bench installed in a central park in Vancouver as RTO/ERO’s contribution. RTO/ERO will send the money when it is verified. We have held two meetings for our members, one in Surrey, the other in Vancouver, to accommodate our members and to allow for their input. There are two vacancies on our Executive Council, Health and Politics.Our Unit assumes the role of leadership for our District during this year. Those who have attended the two meetings contributed to planning for the AGM, which will be held at River Rock Casino Resort in

Richmond. We have negotiated the cost for overnight accommodation - $185.00 per night. The District will subsidize members for their attendance at the AGM. Members from the Interior will travel by carpool and we encourage likewise for our Unit. The driver of carpools will be subsidized according to mileage. Our Unit will subsidize the overnight cost for our members who attend. We will have a Unit meeting at the AGM for members’ input and to plan for the Christmas luncheon at Newland’s Golf Course. We have had good attendance each year: members have enjoyed having a room for the gathering, the atmosphere and the variety of the Luncheon Buffet. The meeting should be approxi-mately an hour or less according to input.The photos in the Western Connection attest to the joyous gathering. Best wishes to our members, and may you all enjoy a wonderful summer.

IT IS YOUR HEALTH: PREVENTION OR INTERVENTION BY Lionel BrathwaiteBefore I continue with the topic, I encourage some “feed-back” from readers whether you agree or not with the topic. So much for that.A recent article in the Sept/Oct. 2017 issue of WELL BEING JOURNAL stirred my interest to review Dr.Steven Lamm’s NO GUTS, NO GLORY, 2012, and his emphasis on healthy living. Dr. Davis’ article cautions about the denial of health information from the medical system, and the spiraling cost of medicine. He encourages the reader to become knowledgeable about health information and to question . Dr. Lamme begins the first paragraph of chapter one with the following statement: “There is an organ system within us that deserves special respect … Harm it, and you risk harming the health of your entire body.” This is followed by the question, “ Can you guess what this organ system is?’ It’s our gut, and he cautions “take care of your gut ‘ and “ you’ll enjoy true wellness.” He lists all the organs and points out that what people complain as a stomachache is “abdominal pain.” He underlines the pre-modern way of life – fresh fruit,

greens, wild game – compared to modern time “that naturally balanced diet has been abandoned in favor of ‘factory-produced potato chips, microwave dinner, soft drinks, and other processed concoction, full of fat, sugar, salt and preservatives … but offer … little in the way of nutrition.”He cautions the meager nutritional content of such food has negative effect on our health.Dr. Lamm offers advice with his emphasis on nutri-tional lifestyle changes, and offers the “Gut Solution” when one visits the doctor.1. eating plant foods with phytonutrients that offer special health benefits beyond what essential nutrients provide.2. Add more low-glycemic foods to your diet.3. Eliminating foods that trigger food allergies and food intolerances .4. Take time to enjoy and savor your food to promote digestion.I will conclude at this juncture, and will encourage that you check the library for NO GUTS, NO GLORY, or visit the bookstore.

www.rtoerodistrict42.ca 7June 2018

We thank Grenville Gardens, home of our member Cora Hallett, for hosting our meeting May 8th.

District Newsletter EditorIf you have interest or expertise in desktop publishing we would like to hear from you. District 42 is looking for a newsletter editor. The position involves using whatever desktop publishing software you prefer to to organize the material provided into a printable form. The printed version is mailed to the members in the Mainland District using address labels provided by Toronto. If this is of interest or you would like more information contact me at istraumers@shaw.ca or 604 746 7007. Thanks,Imants Straumers

Interior Unit Help Needed Our member numbers are increasing. Our Executive numbers are decreasing. In order to remain as a function-ing Unit we need to have some volunteers step forward to fill some key positions. Positions that are presently or soon to be vacant include:(1) Treasurer(2) Health Rep(3) Goodwill Rep(4) Social Planning(5) Pensions and Retirement Concerns RepThese positions do not require a significant amount of time. There are workshops offered at RTO in Toronto (expenses paid no less) for several of these positions. So, please help as we wish to continue as a unique and special Unit in a special RTO District in Canada.For more info contact Larry Hunt at larry_hunt@telus.net or 250-861-8460Or President of Unit 2 Nancy Tully-Peever at ntpeever@gmail.com

Volunteers Needed

www.rtoerodistrict42.ca88 June 2018

River Rock Casino : 8811 River Rd, Richmond, BC V6X 3P8Phone: (604) 247-8900

Rooms, other than those already reserved for the executive, must be booked by August 3rd to get the $189 group rate.

The cost for the luncheon on Friday, September 7th, is $20 per person. Send your cheque payable to RTO District 42 to:

RTO District 427-33020 Maclure RoadAbbotsford, BC V2S 7J6

AGENDA FOR THE DISTRICT AGM, SEPT. 2018

Wednesday, September 5, 2018Arrival of Mainland Executive & RTO/ERO (Toronto) GuestsDistrict members - optional registration on Sept 5th.Supper at 6:00 PM. Subsidized by DistrictAll District members in attendance will be subsidized for travel, overnight stay, luncheon & supper

Thursday, September 6th.8:45 - 9:45 AM: EXECUTIVE MEETING- District Executive, Toronto Exec., and District members (optional)Coffee/TeaUnit 2 & Unit 1 Presidents give reports.

10:00 - 11:00 AM: Guest Speaker (lawyer) addresses Members on preparation of Wills, etc.11:30 AM -1:30 PM Lunch; paid by District4:00 - 5:00 PM: Joanne Murphy, Director of Geriatrics, Topic: Health and Aging: Latest information re. health maintenance and aging6:00 - 9:00 PM: Social Gathering: variety of edibles, coffee/tea, etc. and One wine / - only will be paid by District.

Friday, September 7th.8:45 - 9:30 AM: Martha Foster, RTO/ERO Director of Board, will address members.9:45 -10:15 AM: Johnson’s Health rep. will update members re. pharma care and respond to questions.10:30 - 11:00 AM: Unit Directors comment on Unit’s program for the year.11:15 AM - 12:45 PM: Luncheon; paid by District.

I:00 PM Members depart.

RTO District 42 AGM