The Retired Members Committee (RMC) represents approximately 700 retired faculty and librarians at the University of Toronto. All newly retired faculty and librarians are automatically members of UTFA when they retire and initially pay no dues.
The Retired Members Committee met virtually once last spring and three times in the fall, and we meet again this month. We also hosted our Annual Retiree Reception virtually, with the theme Engaging with Indigenous Perspectives at U of T. This year we launched attendee introductions via breakout groups and had positive feedback about how smoothly this worked and how enjoyable it was to meet other people. Our speaker, Professor Dale Turner, from the Department of Political Science, spoke thoughtfully about beginning the urgent process of Indigenizing the University. This is a topic of concern for retirees, and we plan to develop this theme in our next Annual Retiree Reception.
During meetings of the Committee, we enjoyed lively and discerning discussions focusing on:
- Challenges to academic freedom on campus;
- Our links with U of T’s Senior College and Senior College Centre;
- Trends in public sector benefits in Ontario;
- Protecting and valuing our health benefits plan; and
- Engaging with UTFA’s retiree community.
As Chair of the RMC, I nominated Kent Weaver for the position of Director, College and University Retiree Associations of Canada /Associations de retraités des universités et collèges du Canada (CURAC/ARUCC). The nomination was successful and Kent is now serving on the CURAC/ARUCC Board of Directors. Congratulations, Kent!
Many thanks to the members of the RMC, who share their collective wisdom to guide us: Ed Barbeau, Joseph (Joe) Carens, Elinor Fillion, Helen Grad, Mary Alice Guttman, Raymond Kwong, Brenda Mallouk, Suzanne Meyers Sawa, Angela Miles, and Kent Weaver, as well as President Terezia Zorić, Vice-President Jun Nogami, and Executive Director Kathy Johnson.
In memoriam: The Retired Members Committee has learned since the 2021 Annual General Meeting of the death of the following UTFA retirees: P. Earl Burke, Margrit Eichler, John A. Fleming, Maria Kowalsky, Douglas McIntosh, Stephen Tobe, and Gordon H. Wright.
Jody (Geraldine) Macdonald
Chair, Retired Members Committee