Complete, downloadable version of the newsletter
Retired Members Division Executive Committee List for 2022 – 2024
Region 1
Chair
Philip Shearer
(519) 494-7301
pmshearer@rogers.com
Vice-Chair
Mickey Riccardi
(519) 981-7748
mickeyriccardi@outlook.com
Secretary
Debbie Riopelle
(519) 978-3055
dropseu@gmail.com
Region 2
Chair
Ed Faulknor
(905) 385-2142
tedfaulknor14@gmail.com
Vice-Chair
Elaine Young
(519) 327-1914
opseu205@gmail.com
Secretary
Randy Sloat
(905) 549-1198
randy.sloat@sympatico.ca
Region 3
Chair
Betty Cree
(705) 748-2076
betty.cree@gmail.com
Vice-Chair
Ethel LaValley
(613) 334-2912
ebirkettlavalley@yahoo.ca
Secretary
Dora Robinson
(905) 751-9851
dora.robinson@gmail.com
Region 4
Chair
John Hanson – Div. Vice-Chair
(613) 213-4674
hansonj1@yahoo.ca
Vice-Chair
Ben Treidlinger
(613) 570-1171
ben.treidlinger@gmail.com
Secretary
Ianthe Stringer
(613) 503-4533
lanthe_s@sympatico.ca
Region 5
Chair
Yasmin Damani
(647)549-9118
yasmin.damani@yahoo.com
Vice-Chair
Perminder Grewal
(416) 560-8055
inderpinder7@gmail.com
Secretary
Sam Chopra
(647) 234-3555
schopra79@yahoo.com
Region 6
Chair
Beth Anich – Div. Secretary
(705) 949-6135
beth.anich@sympatico.ca
Vice-Chair
Brian Luckett
(705) 492-7556
bluckett@cogeco.ca
Secretary
Elaine Kerr
(807) 355-4786
kerrtbay@gmail.com
Region 7
Sandra Snider – Div. Chair
(807) 630-4751
13sasnider@gmail.com
Vice-Chair
Janet Wright
(807) 630-5064
janmarwright@gmail.com
Secretary
Sophia Ambrose
(807) 621-5062
sambrose@tbaytel.net
From left to right: Philip Shearer (Region 1), Ed Faulknor (Region 2), Betty Cree (Region 3), John Hanson (Region 4), Yasmin Damani (Region 5), Beth Anich (Region 6), Sandra Snider, (Region 7), Vikki Poirier (board liaison)
Important Numbers
- Great West Life – 1-800-874-5899
- Sun Life – 1-800-361-6212
- Pension Board (retired before Dec. 31,1992) – 1-800-668-6203
- OPSEU Pension Trust (retired after Dec. 31,1992) – 1-800 906-7738
- CAAT Pension Plan – 1-866-350-2228
- HOOPP Pension Plan – 1-888-333-3659
- OMERS Pension Plan – 1-800-387-0813
- Province of Ontario – OPSEU – Travel Insurance – Can/USA – 1-855-222-4051
- OPSEU Head Office – 1-800-268-7376
A message from our chair, OPSEU/SEFPO retired members division
As we start a new term, we welcome Philip Shearer from Region 1 and Beth Anich from Region 6 as they begin their first terms as chairs of their Regions. Both are long term activists. Philip in his local, the PHRC, Rainbow Alliance and as an Executive Board member. Beth in her local, her region, bargaining teams, MERCS and PWC. Beth had been the secretary of Region 6 Retirees and we are delighted she has accepted that role on our executive committee. They are valuable assets to the committee and will represent their regions well.
In OPSEU/SEFPO when we welcome new members, we also say goodbye to others. I want to thank Gino Franche, Region 1, for all his hard work on our committee during his term. Gino’s longtime experience in his local, region and on the Executive Board was indispensable when we were doing proposals, budget requests, constitutional amendments and resolutions. We hope he stays active in the retirees.
We sadly say goodbye to Janine Johnson who decided to retire from the committee. She had been the chair of region 6 for the last 6 terms. Being the secretary of the Retired Members Division for all 12 years on the Executive. Janine was a member of the CSAO, so was an OPSEU/SEFPO member from its first convention in 1975. Janine has held all positions in her local and on more committees than can be listed. Janine was constantly on the road from her home in Kirkland Lake to every part of Region 6 and the province. She has earned a rest.
Our conference last fall has energized the committee. We are looking at training to improve our skills in engaging our membership, social media and on-line and hybrid meetings. We want to try to have provincewide meetings with your pension and benefit providers. Maybe even on other issues affecting retirees.
Retirees are being recognized as a valued asset in the union movement. In OPSEU/SEFPO we will work at being relevant. They need more from us activists, and we need more from them. Philip, Ed, Betty, John, Yasmin, Beth and I are up for the challenge of making us relevant and getting OPSEU/SEFPO to help advocate for our needs with pensions, housing, benefits, long-term care, health care, pharmacare and more. We also need to work together to advocate for ourselves.
Sandra Snider
Chair, OPSEU/SEFPO Retired Members Division
OPSEU/SEFPO members re-elect President JP Hornick, acclaim First Vice-President/Treasurer Laurie Nancekivell
TORONTO – April 26, 2024 at OPSEU/SEFPO Convention 2024, member delegates from across Ontario re-elected President JP Hornick to continue the worker fightback for better working conditions for public sector workers and strong public services for all Ontarians. It will be Hornick’s second two-year term as president of OPSEU/SEFPO.
“There is nothing we can’t do when we do it together,” said Hornick. “We will keep raising our expectations about what workers deserve, and make sure that members have what they need to organize and win when fighting their bosses and the Ford government.”
First Vice-President/Treasurer Laurie Nancekivell ran unopposed for a second term as First Vice-President/Treasurer and was acclaimed yesterday. She delivered a participatory, activist budget for the coming year that focused on transparency and building the necessary resources for members to organize in their workplaces and communities.
“The members of our union are uniting more than ever to take on bad bosses and demand better from this government,” said Nancekivell. “I’m excited to keep making decisions collaboratively with our members who are doing transformative work in OPSEU/SEFPO.”
Following the presidential election on Friday morning, Hornick and Nancekivell joined hundreds of OPSEU/SEFPO members on a march to a nearby LCBO store, where they rallied for fair wages, good jobs, and quality public services in every corner of the province.
The LCBO generates $2.5 billion in annual revenues that go directly towards public services including health care and education.
“Our message for the premier is clear, we’re not going to stand by and let this government put our money into the pockets of grocery store CEOs. We’re going to fight to protect the public services that benefit everyone in this province,” said Hornick.
Sourced from OPSEU/SEFPO website
James Clancy (1950-2024):A visionary leader in labour and social justice
April 3, 2024
“We are saddened to share that James Clancy, a trailblazer in the labour movement, a staunch advocate for social justice and former President of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), passed away on April 2, 2024,” said Bert Blundon, NUPGE President. “Our deepest condolences go to his partner, Debbie and his children Allison, Nick and Alex.”
Clancy led the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) for 26 years. Elected as President in 1990, he advocated fiercely for the protection and expansion of public services and programs. He was a staunch defender of public Medicare, the Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, and Guaranteed Income Supplements. Over his tenure, he guided the work of the national union, through its federated structure, to become a go-to place for valuable research, outspoken campaigns, and leadership on issues no one else would take on. At the heart of his action was the belief that our commonwealth should be used for the common good.
A skillful tactician, Clancy saw the growing divide between the rich and the rest of society. He fought the austerity measures governments were pushing, as well as the rise of privatization designed to feed the profits of the already powerful. In 2010, NUPGE launched a campaign that would address those problems and provide solutions. Building on the well-established work of the union on issues of fairness and justice, the All Together Now! campaign was created using the strength of our members.
The All Together Now! campaign epitomized Clancy’s approach to mobilizing NUPGE’s members and workers across the country against inequality and for a more just society.
In the midst of the financial crisis, NUPGE embarked on a campaign against income inequality. The focus was getting people to see what society would look like if only corporations would pay their fair share, forcing a discussion on tax at a time of financial collapse. The campaign’s Fairness Express bus tour was rolled out to communities around the country, changing the way people viewed unions, and inspiring people to fight the growing trend of profit over people.
Prior to his leadership role at NUPGE, Clancy had been the youngest person to lead a major union in Canada as President of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) when he was elected in 1984.
A proud social unionist, he fought to improve wages and working conditions, but he also worked to organize the unorganized, supporting workers who were often overlooked and undervalued, and advocating for the more vulnerable in society.
Clancy was born in Kingston, Ontario, in 1950, into a family of 7 children, from public service working parents. His father was a paratrooper with the Canadian army, and his mother an ambulance driver for the British forces who met while fighting in World War II in England. They relocated to Ottawa shortly after James’s birth.
After graduating from Carleton University in 1975 with a degree in political science, he joined the Ontario Public Service as an income maintenance officer, quickly engaging in his union local, eventually becoming President of Local 533, with a focus on equality, fairness, and justice.
Clancy believed that the combined power of workers could force change in the world. Workers could challenge those in power — be it politicians or CEOs — to restore fairness and justice to the people who worked hard to make a living, feed their families, and retire with dignity. Anything that got in the way of that was fair game.
“We are thankful for the years of service James gave to our union and the labour movement,” said Jason MacLean, NUPGE Secretary-Treasurer. “He leaves behind an incredible legacy of helping build worker power and a more equitable and just society for the future generations.”
From NUPGE web page April 3, 2024
E-bike keeps me cycling.
by Gavin Anderson
Last summer I made a concession to advancing age and purchased an e-bike.
I have owned and ridden bikes since I learned to pedal a two-wheeler on the quiet suburban streets of my childhood. For all but the coldest months my bike remains my preferred means of getting around my hometown of Kingston. I also ride for recreation and in good weather I can often be found enjoying the backroads and trails surrounding the city. When we were younger my partner and I would take an extended bike trip every summer, sometimes with bulging panniers loaded with our camping gear. We have toured parts of Quebec, Eastern Ontario, and New York State. One summer we even took our bikes to Europe and explored the bike paths of Holland, Germany, and Denmark.
In recent years we have lightened our panniers by registering for supported tours such as the Great Waterfront Trail Adventure (GWTA). These tours have a vehicle that takes the riders’ gear and baggage to the next campsite as well as a “sag wagon” to rescue riders who have run out of steam along the way and need a ride to the next overnight stop.
In 2022 the GWTA was a loop from Blue Mountain along the shores of Georgian Bay and through Simcoe County. I mostly enjoyed the six-day tour, but the terrain was hilly and on the longer routes I felt pretty beat up at the end of the day. For the first time I started to wonder if these trips were becoming too arduous. At the same time, I seemed to be spending less time on my bike around home. I still pedaled around town doing my regular errands, but too often I was finding reasons not to ride further afield.
Encouraged by another retiree rider to consider an e-bike, I did some cursory research and took a flyer on an e-assist bicycle. The bike I purchased has a discreet motor that helps turn the pedals. It is not a motorcycle – it requires pedaling to move forward – but it requires much less effort to turn the crank. I call it my hill-flattening, wind-cancelling, range-extending, excuse-eliminator. I no longer avoid routes with steep inclines or stay home on windy days. A 60 km trip to Sydenham and back on the K & P Trail leaves me feeling fresh and stimulated rather than defeated and sore. This summer the GWTA ride was from Trenton to the Quebec border and included two days of 120 km – just under my e-bike’s range. I finished each day’s ride with energy to spare.
An e-bike may not be for you, but they are a perfect solution for folks like me who enjoy riding but are finding that advancing age or other issues are starting to make cycling more challenging and less fun. The bike I bought has three settings so I can adjust the level of assistance to suit the conditions. Steep hill? No problem. Steady headwind? Who cares. I am even riding in colder weather as I no longer get sweaty, and then chilled, when I must wear heavy clothing.
Like regular pedal bikes, e-bikes come in a range of prices to accommodate most budgets. Costco has e-bikes on offer for as little as $1,000 while your local bike shop probably has a range of e-bikes with prices up to several times that. If you are a retiree interested in starting to ride, or like me wanting to ride like you did in your youth, I encourage you to check it out. Visit your local bike shop and ask about options.
Gavin Anderson – OPSEU/SEFPO Retiree Region 4