News

Starting July 1, 2022, members will no longer be covered under the STF Members’ Health Plan after five years of a continuous leave of absence while under contract.

Currently, there are no limits for how long a contracted teacher can be on a leave of absence and still receive MHP benefits. However, the STF Pension and Benefits Board of Directors and the STF Executive approved the change as part of a larger rewrite of the MHP Plan Text.

At the 89th Annual Meeting of Council, Saskatchewan teachers elected Samantha Becotte to serve as the next President of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation. Becotte is the seventh woman President in the Federation’s history and will take on the role effective July 1, 2022, for a one-year term.

By Jane Macleod, Senior Manager, Research and Records, Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation

Calls for provincewide assessments are, at best, passé. Paige MacPherson’s May 12 article calling for regular provincewide student testing is more a reflection of a political ideology than any empirical research. The reality is that Saskatchewan’s assessment practices demonstrate a collective commitment to equity, professionalism and student well-being, clearly not a problem for Saskatchewan families.

With Canada’s tax filing deadline fast approaching, the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF/FCE) is informing teachers and education workers across the country to why so many of their tax assessments and subsequent refunds remain unprocessed.

Following a recent meeting with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and the Office of the Minister of National Revenue, the CTF/FCE was finally able to obtain answers to the tax backlog affecting educators. Unfortunately, the lack of communication from the CRA and Government of Canada regarding this issue is extremely problematic.

In April, the STF Executive approved a 2.7% (100% of inflation) pre-retirement conditional upgrade to Saskatchewan Teachers’ Retirement Plan pension accrued between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2021. For the average teacher, this works out to about $240 added to their annual pension when they retire.