The transition from Great-West Life to the new OECTA ELHT presented some issues that have made it difficult for certain members. These concerns were expressed to OTIP by Liz Stuart, our provincial president, and a recent response was provided by Vic Medland, CEO of OTIP.
Many of the enrolment problems were as a direct result of software issues, and the porting of computer data from school boards to OTIP. A recent middleware software purchase appears to have resolved those problems and teachers should not experience enrolment problems when changes occur to their employment status.
Customer service was also addressed by Mr. Medland and a new improvement plan will be put in place in the new year. A dedicated team of trained service representatives knowledgeable in the intricacies of the OECTA Benefits Plan will focus on managing our case files to ensure timely and accurate service delivery. If the issue is determined to be of a complex matter, a file reference number will be issued to the member and a senior benefits specialist will be assigned to the case. Within one business day, the specialist will be in direct contact with the member and will remain with the case until it is resolved. Members will be asked to complete a short survey after the issue has been resolved, to provide feedback regarding the service they received, and OTIP will be monitoring the responses in order to improve service even further.

The Board of Trustees and the Ministry of Education are asking for your feedback on the proposed Executive Compensation Package currently posted on the CDSBEO website. I encourage all of you to read the proposal and provide feedback to the board of trustees who in turn will provide a summary of the responses to the Ministry of Education.
As you know, we have just signed an extension agreement with very modest salary increases over the next couple of years. During the negotiation of this extension agreement, the Ministry was quick to point out that there is little money available and we were lucky to see the increases we negotiated.
All of a sudden, the Ministry of Education seems to found a huge pot of money somewhere!
When you review the proposal, you will notice the matrix that outlines various determining factors to be used to set the proposed salary level for the executive (Director and Superintendents). In all areas of the matrix, the board fits a category level 3, which should be used to set the compensation rates. The proposed salary level being recommended is a level 4. Further to recommending 1 level higher than the recommended level for a school board our size, the Ministry is allowing up to a 5% annual increase to that amount.
In my 28 years of teaching, I have never received a 5% annual increase in my salary, I am encouraging everyone to exercise your right and provide feedback to the board of trustees who in turn will provide a summary of feedback to the Ministry of Education.

Mythbuster: No-fault insurance does not mean no one is at fault

You were in an accident but your no-fault car insurance means it doesn’t matter who caused it, right? You certainly can't be blamed for being confused by the term "no-fault" insurance. Get the facts on this commonly misunderstood term. Visit www.otip.com/article7 to read the full article.