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With the last edition of the 22nd Report more than a dozen newsletters have been returned as undeliverable because our members are not forwarding their new addresses when they move.

The Post Office now charges $1.00 plus a weight charge for returning mail to the sender.

Thank you for your co-operation.

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Words from the President

By now, property owners will have received their new assessment. Like most, I was a little taken aback when I saw the four year increase until I started to think about it. From 2005 to mid 2008, real estate was riding high with buyers over- bidding asking prices. I now feel the assessment is reasonable. However, if you have lakefront property in Muskoka, it's a different story. In those same years, cottages began selling for a million dollars and this summer for four or five million. That's why the new assessments are so high. It is somewhat ironic that in October, 2008, the average price of a house in Toronto dropped by 10%.

Speaking of millions of dollars, a magazine I subscribe to devoted a page to print the salaries of the 50 highest paid CEOs in Canada in 2007. Number one received $79,162,844.00 and the 50th received $5,869,588.00. It would be somewhat consoling if they paid half in taxes like some of us but I doubt that happens.

Speaking of millionaires, in case you haven't heard, your inflation adjustment in January will be 2.5%. During the past few years I have thought the inflation rate seemed rather low so I studied the method used by Stats Canada to determine the inflation rate and it seems sound except they do use variables but do not tell us what they are.

Bonnie Hamilton and I were delegates at the October Senate along with Gary Parkinson as an observer. As usual, we did not find it an invigorating experience. Too few speak too often, mostly dealing with insignificant issues. However; there was one highlight -- at the Tuesday night banquet, Jeanne Rutherford received the Distinguished Service Award and handled herself with dignity. She was a good ambassador for District 22.

Speaking of banquets, if you weren't at the Islington Golf Course on November 5, you missed a great meal, a wonderful sunshiny day and entertainment we all enjoyed. Judy Paton did all the work and as usual, it was well done. Don't miss the next one on June 10, The Old Mill, for good food, smashing entertainment and wonderful company. Come at 9:30 and have a coffee and muffin before our Annual Meeting where you can question us, make suggestions and be a part of the action.

Oh! Healthy New Year…

Silvio Sauro, President District 22

The Awards Corner

Two of our four awards require input from our members -- The Service to Others Award and the Outstanding Community Service Award.

Your Awards Committee – Herb Cooney, Don Routley, Jane Shaw and Sharon Kular are looking for your input.

Service to Others Award
This award is funded by the Provincial office and winners are chosen from nominations from the District. A successful nomination results in a grant of up to $4,000.00. The award is presented at our Annual Meeting in June.

Who is eligible?
Groups or individuals that offer these kinds of services:

1. Daycare for children of single mothers
2. Special educational programs for children with special needs
3. Help for the homeless
4. Crisis centres
5. Support for group homes
6. Long Term Care facilities
7. Third World support programs
8. Groups providing a social service to the community

To be successful there must be an involvement of a member of District 22. Application forms and complete details may be found at: www.rto-ero.org (On the left side of the home page click on STO.)

Nominations must be sent to the Awards Committee Chair, Sharon Kular by November 15, 2009.

Outstanding Community Service Award
This award is sponsored by District 22.

The recipient will receive a plaque and a cheque in the amount of $1,000.00, made out to the charity of choice, at our Annual Meeting in June 2009.

Criteria:

1. Must be a member of District 22
2. Provided volunteer services beyond the norm for a least five (5) years
3. Be nominated by three (3) persons, one of whom is a member of District 22

A full description of the volunteer activities be submitted to the Chair of the Awards Committee, Sharon Kular, no later than March 31, 2009.

Submission for either award should be sent to:

Chair, Awards Committee RTO
Sharon Kular
5 Ashmill Court
Etobicoke M9A 4T7

Ten Year Executive Service Award
This award is a desk clock with engraving. It is presented to the recipient at the Annual General Meeting in June. This award is strictly a service award and to be eligible, a member must have served ten years as an executive member. These years need not be consecutive years.

Long Time Membership Award
This award began in 2005 and was designed to recognize those active RTO members who have at least 25 years of membership.

The District has already recognized 32, 31,30, 29, 28, 27, 26 and 25 year members at our Annual General Meetings and will continue to honour those with 25 years of membership.

Sharon Kular, Awards Committee Chair

Membership Report

Welcome to our newly retired, to those who joined because their spouse passed away, and to those who have transferred into District 22. As of November 29, 2008 we have 1984 members which is a gain of close to 2% from last November.

Adele Pick, Membership/Recruitment

Corresponding Membership

If an RTO/ERO member from another district would like to receive our newsletters by mail an annual payment of $10.00 will apply. Make your cheque payable to RTO District 22 and mail to:

Adele Pick
1508-475 The West Mall, Toronto ON M9C 4Z3

Of course our newsletters are easily accessible on our website: www.rtoerotorontodistricts.org

In Memoriam

District 22 extends sympathy to all the families and friends of our departed loved ones.

Alan King

Alan King's teaching career began in 1948 in a one-room public school in Streetsville. Here, he taught 35 students in Grades 1 through 8. His next teaching assignment was in Port Credit and in 1954 Alan joined the Etobicoke School Board. After a year at Humber Valley Public School, he was appointed Vice-principal at West Glen Public School and a year later, he moved to Islington Public School as Vice-principal. The following year, Alan became Principal of St. George's Public School but was soon on the move again to be the Principal of Beaumond Heights. His next stop on the Etobicoke tour was Hilltop, where Alan was Principal for two years to 1100 Grade 6 and 7 students. Alan ended his career at Dixon Grove as Principal to over 1000 students. He enjoyed all the schools he worked at and like most educators, he especially enjoyed the many students he met along the journey.

In retirement, Alan says he used to like to garden until he could no longer decipher the weeds from the flowers! Now he finds he spends time visiting medical people…the family doctor, the ophthalmologist, the cardiologist, etc., etc.!!

Ed Note: This bio was not available for the August 2008 edition of our newsletter. Better late than never!

Letter to the Editor received early in November

At Fall Senate this week, I picked up a copy of "The Twenty-Second Report" (I like the pun!) which was displayed for Senators. I have just finished its reading, and felt I had to write you.

I offer my congratulations. Your newsletter is excellent, holding the interest of a stranger (well, sort of...), and even drawing a smile or two. You are fortunate to have the contributors you do.

I am also impressed (and jealous) about the commendable number of activities your District hosts for members. There really are advantages to living in the south.

Keep up your good work!

Yours truly,

Richard Moore, District Five
P.S. I think your giant Easter egg is located at Vegreville, Alberta.

A letter was sent in reply thanking Richard.

Osteoporosis Study

Osteoporosis is often considered an elderly woman's disease but men over 65 are also at risk. With osteoporosis, your bones get weaker and can break or fracture more easily. Weakening of your bones can occur slowly over time and you may not know you have it until you break a bone.

Although it is more common in women, it is a serious health issue for men as well.

If you are aged 65 or older and have someone in your family who has been diagnosed with osteoporosis, you may be at risk for developing this disease. Your risk also increases if you drink alcohol, smoke, have low body weight, have had a previous fracture, or are over age 75. Some medications may also increase your risk.

If you have osteoporosis or have any of the risk factors listed above, you may be eligible to participate in a research study dealing with treatment of osteoporosis in men. This study is being conducted by Dr. Robert Josse at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

If you would like more information, please call 416.864.6060 ext 8183.

East of Halifax

I decided to do a bit of history for this edition's column, namely the entrance of confederation by Newfoundland in 1949. Many of us were mere children when this took place, and were unaware of the unrest here at that time, so here goes:

Turbulent Times

Until 1907, Newfoundland was a British colony, but in the years 1907 to 1934 it was independent as a nation, within the Commonwealth, just like Canada and Australia.

By 1934 North America and Newfoundland were in the grip of the Great Depression. Newfoundland was in dire straits and the country gave up its self-governing status to Britain, and took on a Commission of Government, consisting of six appointed British civil servants, responsible to Britain to govern the land. This lasted until 1949.

In June 1948 a referendum on the future of Newfoundland was held and the option of Confederation with Canada was added to it. This was put forward by the influential radio broadcaster, Joey Smallwood, known as The Barrelman. The Ballot had three choices: Responsible Government; Confederation with Canada; keeping Commission of government. A 50% plus 1 majority was needed by any one of these in order to be successful. None of the options won. The guidelines of this vote stated that the lowest number of votes would be dropped, and a run-off vote would take place on July 22, 1948. So the latter option with 14.3% was dropped, and the remaining two with 44.6% for the first option, and 41.1% for the second would appear on the new ballot.

This caused a great deal of unrest, and even violence in some instances. It was so much that the Governor, George MacDonald, felt there was an extreme danger of riots and civil disorder, and requested that a British warship and marines be sent to assist the relatively small police force should such a happening occur. The timing was wrong, and the navy could not supply a ship within the time frame.

On July 22, 1948, the results of the second referendum were as follows:

Those favouring Confederation with Canada was 52.3% and those in favour of returning to Responsible Government was 47.7%.

There were no riots, but a great deal of bitterness, and allegations of false ballots, and irregular procedures at the polls were rampant. A protest march of over 5,000 people was held in St. John's. Leaders of the losing side , especially Peter Cashin, stated that an "unholy union between Ottawa and London had led to Newfoundland being claimed by the Canadian wolf". Some bitterness today still lives in some segments of the population.

After negotiating the Terms of Confederation, Newfoundland became Canada's newest province just before midnight on March 31, 1949. Sir Albert Walsh was the new Lieutenant Governor, and he accepted Canadian citizenship on behalf of all Newfoundlanders. Joey Smallwood was sworn in as the first interim premier until a provincial-wide election could be held. He did become the first Newfoundland premier, after Confederation, and was a man either loved or hated, not just tolerated, by Newfoundlanders. He remained premier until 1971, and died in 1991, nine days short of his 91st birthday.

The objection of the Anti-Confederationalists was not the joining of Canada, but the process by which it was done.

George MacDonald returned to England in 1949. A few days after his departure, the Evening Telegram of St. John's published a praising, gushing poem to him. A few weeks later it was realized that the poem was acrostic, and the first letter in each line, when read downward, spelled out THE BASTARD.

I hope you find this bit of history as interesting as I did. Since I was only 10 at the time, I didn't realize what had happened before our newest province was brought into Canada.

Until next time, fair winds and calm seas to everyone.

Wayne Cooke, 11 Victoria St., St. John's NLA1C 3V2

709.579.4572 / victoriast@nl.rogers.com

Eye Health
Normal Vision	With Cataracts
By the age of 80, more than 50% of the population will have a cataract (a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision) or have had cataract surgery. The lens lies behind the iris and the pupil (see diagram). It focuses light onto the retina at the back of the eye, where an image is recorded. The lens also adjusts the eye's focus, letting us see things clearly both up close and far away. The lens is made of mostly water and protein, and as we age, some of the protein may clump together and start to cloud a small area of the lens. This is a cataract. Over time, the cataract may grow larger and cloud more of the lens, making it harder to see. Wearing sunglasses and a hat with a brim to block ultraviolet sunlight may help to delay cataracts. If you smoke, stop. Researchers also believe good nutrition can help reduce the risk of age-related cataracts. They recommend eating green leafy vegetables, fruit, and other foods with antioxidants. The symptoms of early cataracts may be improved with new eyeglasses, brighter lighting, anti-glare sunglasses, or magnifying lenses. If these measure do not help, surgery is the only effective treatment. Surgery involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial lens. A cataract needs to be removed only when vision loss interferes with your everyday activities, such as driving or reading. You and your eye care profession can make this decision together. Once you understand the benefits, risks and cost of surgery, you can make an informed decision about whether cataract surgery is right for you. In most cases, delaying cataract surgery will not cause long-term damage to your eye or make the surgery more difficult. You do not have to rush into surgery. Sometimes a cataract should be removed even if it does not cause problems with your vision. For example, a cataract should be removed if it prevents examination or treatment of another eye problem, such as age-related macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy. If your eye care profession finds a cataract, you may not need cataract surgery for several years. In fact, you might never need cataract surgery. If you are age 60 or older, you should have a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once every two years to check for signs of cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and other vision disorders. Early treatment for many eye diseases may save your sight. ...taken from "health:matters" - a newsletter for RTO/ERO District Health reps.

Goodwill

Letters of condolence have been sent to families of recently deceased members.

A member who had suffered a stroke received a card and plant.

A visit was made with a small token Christmas gift to a member in a long term care facility.

I am willing to visit any members who are in a long term care facility or a retirement residence. If they would like a visit, I need to be notified of the name of the member and the name and address of the facility where he/she resides.

If any member knows of someone who is celebrating a significant birthday or someone who is ill or needs cheering up, please feel free to call me at 416 626-1353, or contact me by email at mbchard@rogers.com.

Maryanne Chard, Goodwill chair

Smile ~ Snap! Fall Luncheon Photos Pictures snapped at our Fall Luncheon at Islington Golf and Country Club courtesy of Paul Gregory

Your Pension

In early December you should have received your copy of PENSION NEWS. The main emphasis of that issue was the 2.5% increase (the highest increase in the past five years). Read your copy - there is always something to learn.

We all know that the recent shortfall was reconciled this fall with Inflation Protection changes for the current teachers. At this time we should all be aware that the current economic slump will result in future shortfalls unless a turn around is forthcoming. We have always stated that your pension is safe since it is a fully vested fund. Only a change in pension legislation could result in a pension change for you and me. I have been assured that that type of legislation is not predicted for the foreseeable future. We certainly hope that the economic tide swings and that this worry is totally put to rest.

On a brighter note you probably all read about the fall-through of BCE takeover by the OTPP and the concern that the opt out was going to cost the OTPP a significant amount of money. In a December 11, press release from OTPP the following statement was made. "Accordingly, the Purchaser terminated the agreement in accordance with its terms. Under these circumstances neither party owes a termination fee to the other." This information is available to all by going to the OTPP web site www.otpp.com. Check the site out it has a great deal of information available for your perusal.

Irwin Kelly, Pensions 

Twentieth Annual England Organ Tour ~ 15 - 28th July 2008

I have just retired from Scarlett Heights Entrepreneurial Academy in Toronto after a thirty-three year career of teaching Music (Band) and English. As a retirement present for myself I decide to go on one of these annual organ tours, a tour that had been suggested to me by a retired teacher friend many years before. I have played the organ since the age of nine when our family lived in England from 1954—64. For part of that time I was a choirboy at Guildford Cathedral, grew up in Anglican Boarding Schools, and at that age was very comfortable sitting alone in a dark church, at a large organ, and making a stupendous noise for the graves and the ghosts! Now at the age of 55 I want to go back, see many of these places again and appreciate them far more than I ever did as a child. Education is indeed, "wasted on the young", for now I have the chance to revisit these sites that my parents showed me many years before. I will gain a very different perspective on these famous and historic buildings such as St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, and the Cathedrals in Winchester, Salisbury, Exeter, Truro and Bath. Bath is actually an Abbey, but let's not quibble, for it is the visit to the organ that is more important than ecclesiastical semantics!

A quiet and polite man from Illinois, Leslie Peart, commands the tour. He is himself an organist of great skill and it is his love of the instrument, and England, that has caused him to run this tour, every summer, for the past 20 years. On this tour there are 22 people and out of that total there are 1 Australian organist and 1 Canuck! We are told that we can play at practically all the sites we visit so I decide to work up what I hope will be an unfamiliar and interesting repertoire of Canadian organ music. So in June, I am, for the last time, marking horrendous Grade 9 and 10 English exams, where Caesar is fighting with Brutus at Phillipi, and Piggy has hailed the Royal Navy destroyer and saved the day, and I then toil well into the night on the organ compositions of Willan, Meek, and Bedard.

The tour starts on 15th July, in London, with a visit to St. Clement Danes, the RAF Church, which is famous from the song, "Oranges and Lemons." It quickly becomes apparent we are a humorous and delightful group and that we can play too! The English, German, and French classics roll out of that organ, accompanied by no less significant works from America, Australia, and Canada. Dame Janet Baker's Messiaen concert at Westminster Abbey that night, and the following day we are up early and travelling around London to visit four organs. At All Souls, Langham Place, which is beside the impressive headquarters of the BBC, I meet the organist Gerard Brooks. He is delighted to find out there is a Canadian from Toronto on the tour and asks many questions about Quentin Maclean who emigrated to Canada and was at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Toronto, from 1946-62. I am now compiling research for him on Maclean, thanks to the Faculty of Music Library, U of T, and the current organist of the church.

One thing about this tour is we spend a lot of time packing and unpacking and jumping on and off our air-conditioned coach. The next three days are spent in Winchester at the Southern Cathedrals Festival where we hear wonderful concert performances and experience Anglican Service Music at its best. A large monument in this Cathedral for General Prevost shows that he took over the war of 1812-14 after my relative, Major General Sir Isaac Brock, was killed at the battle of Queenston Heights.

It makes me proud, and brings a tear, so far from home, and surrounded by so many American organists, to see the title on the monument, "Canada Preserved."

We leave Winchester and travel to Exeter, which will be our base camp for the next three days. Our "green" aspect of the tour requires a visit to the Eden Project, which has the largest greenhouses in the world. Following this a visit to the beautiful Truro Cathedral in Cornwall, which has the best preserved Cathedral organ in all of England and is known as, "The Little Giant." It is not a large organ, by Cathedral standards, but has a unique, unchanged, and fulfilling English sound. It is a great privilege to play this instrument! We travel on to Plymouth and see the steps from which the Pilgrim Fathers departed for the Colonies. I try to get all the Americans to kneel down and kiss the steps so I can take a picture for Canada but they will have none of it! After the steps, we visit an impressive parish church in Plymouth where I play a piece that elicits compliments and questions on the title from some of the Americans. I don't tell them—it's Denis Bedard's, "Fantasia on O Canada!"

We travel back towards London, stopping at Winchester to play the now free organ after the Festival and then to Eton College to view the three organs in this most famous of English Boarding Schools. On the final Sunday of the tour we visit St. Paul's Cathedral London. We attend the 11a.m. Eucharist and with my English friend we sit next to Wellington's tomb. The service has been going for 45 minutes and suddenly the verger lets in six rows of Polish teenagers who surround us and gaze around and chatter. I'm not impressed, and tell him so later. After the service we do play the organ for a short time before some of the group go up the tower for a bell ringing demonstration. My friend and I leave, thinking that lunch and good English cider is a much better idea. Besides, we have an invitation for tea with Lady Style, I went to school in England with her son, and she's only 93. The last three days in London are also a time for me to catch up with friends and a memorable $500 dinner, with Lady Style, at the Dorchester Hotel, a place I had not visited since I was 10. As a result of my dinner reservation email from Canada in June stating that I had not been in the hotel since 1963 with my parents, the staff pulls out all the stops and we have a wonderful time and an invitation to meet the chef. He's a delightfully humorous Liverpudlian and flirts with Lady Style, much to her enjoyment! It is good to see that an Englishman also has the culinary imagination to use English ingredients to make far more than plain Shepherd's Pie!

But the trip is not over yet! Air Canada—Heathrow to Toronto—on 28th July. We are about to leave and a man arrives late and sits in the seat next to me. He wants to watch a movie during lunch but breaks his headphones. I give him mine, to which he responds, "You are most kind." After lunch he pulls out of his briefcase the score of Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Mass in G Minor." I look at him and say, "Good God, you're a musician, I sang that when I was nine years old." It turns out my seat colleague is Jonathan Willcocks, son of Sir David Willcocks, of King's College Cambridge Choir fame. We have a wonderful flight!

Eric Hanbury is the Organist and Choirmaster of the Church of The Holy Spirit (Anglican) in Mississauga, Ontario. He is currently completing a CD of Canadian organ music on the Healey Willan Memorial Organ at St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church in Toronto.

Where in the World… ?
This giant Pysanka (Easter Egg) is located in Vegreville, Alberta. We had six correct replies from our readers ... Paticia Joyce, Allan Turner, Richard Clee, Michael Bewcyk, Sonja Dunn and Richard Moore from District 5.	Now--- Where in the world is this???

Reminder

We are gradually getting a large number of members to sign up for notification by email that the Twenty District 22 Second Report has been Etobicoke and York Executive posted to our website.

You can read it on line, print all of it, or print just the pages you need for trips and reminders.

Please, when emailing your editor, always mention RTO/ERO District 22 in the subject line of your email. Your editor produces a newsletter for more than one organization and needs to know on which member list your name appears.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Eleanor Thomson ethom@sympatico.ca

Free accommodation worldwide

Sign up now for free membership

As a retired teacher or school staff member, you are invited to enjoy free accommodation at the home of other educational professionals (active, former or retired).

This service is offered in 20 countries (and counting!) by Teachers Travel Web.

As a member, you can enjoy Bed and Breakfast (home hosting) for up to 3 nights or arrange home exchanges for a longer period – all free.

Your membership is now free, too - until the launch of the new website. Apply now to benefit from this temporary offer.

Teachers Travel Web was launched in 1999. It is now getting a second start with Chris, an English teacher, and her husband Peter. They live in Antwerp (Belgium), and have taken over the initiative from its New Zealand founders Mike and Tricia.

Here's why other people have joined:

• eliminate accommodation costs
• enjoy a unique and free alternative to B&B's
• exchange homes with confidence
• meet interesting people – all fellow educators fond of travel
• enjoy the extras offered by your hosts, like the use of a car or PC
• explore new places with the support of your hosts' local knowledge.

And here's an excerpt of an email from a recent member:
"We have just returned from New Zealand and had a great time there. Our first experience with Teachers Travel Web was great. What wonderful, hospitable people! What a difference it makes travelling when you can interact with people who know the country. We really enjoyed our experience. We hope many more teachers will join."

Home page: www.teacherstravelweb.com

Contact: Chris and Peter at info@teacherstravelweb.com

District 22 is publishing this page as a courtesy to the group who found us on our website. We have not checked it out and District 22 neither endorses nor takes any responsibility for those who join. However, it should be worth a careful look. We would be interested to hear from any of our members who use this service.

This shows that our members are spread all across Canada.
Prefix	Members	Prefix	Members	Prefix	Members
A	2	M1	13	M9L	2
B	5	M2	31	M9M	8
C	3	M3	16	M9N	23
D not used		M4	37	M9P	83
E	2	M5	41	M9R	100
F	0	M6	131	M9V	30
G	0	M8	216	M9W	33
H	0	Etobicoke	774	N	57
J	1	M9A	155	P	13
K	23	M9B	179	T	3
L	553	M9C	194	V	10
L Mississauga	258	M9E	1	Ireland	1
L Other	255
Thanks to Adele Pick for doing the counting. Canada Post has a lot of maps of Postal Codes on line at: www.canadapost.ca then look for Maps.

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