General Assembly Meetings will take place at 1:30pm in the Ron Mitchell Room at the Regina Board of Education, unless otherwise stated.
Monday, February 14, 1:30pm
RESOLUTIONS DISCUSSED AT FEB. 14, 2022
STS REGINA CHAPTER ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The following resolutions as submitted by the Chapter Advocacy Committee were discussed at the virtual Assembly held on February 14. The nine resolutions that were carried have been forwarded to the STS for discussion at the AGM to be held May 11 and 12, 2022.
Age-Friendly
1. Be it resolved that the STS collaborate with SSM, Age-Friendly communities and other relevant organizations in Saskatchewan to implement ongoing influence on the Government of Saskatchewan to achieve provincial funding for Age-Friendly programs in Saskatchewan.
BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization initiated the Age-Friendly program that is operating in 22 countries. The purpose of the Age-Friendly program is to develop methods and materials to make communities friendly for people of all ages, i.e. to assess needs and to improve accessibility and inclusion of older persons, persons with disabilities, children and youth in particular and all members of the community as a whole. Provincial funding is available for Age-Friendly committees in all provinces except Saskatchewan.
CARRIED
Truth and Reconciliation…
2. Be it resolved that the STS petition the Federal Government to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action #8.
BACKGROUND: The Call to Action #8 in the Truth and Reconciliation Report calls on the federal government to “eliminate the discrepancy in federal education funding for First Nations children being educated on reserves and those First Nations children being educated off reserves”. Per pupil federal funding such as special needs, transportation, internet access and basic education costs is less than the provincial funding given per pupil being educated off-reserve. Professional supports, wellness benefits, salary and job security for on-reserve teachers fall behind achievements through collective bargaining and professional organisations’ services provincially.
CARRIED
3. Be it resolved that the STS urge the STF to petition the Federal Government to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Call to Action #8.
BACKGROUND: See above.
CARRIED
EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND LEARNING
4. Be it resolved that the STS urge the Government of Saskatchewan to provide additional support in a timely way to post-secondary institutions for training adequate numbers of early childhood educators to staff the anticipated additional child care spaces.
Background: Federal funding has been provided to the provincial government to increase child care spaces beginning with 601 spaces in 2022. Staffing the total additional 28,000 spaces within the next five years will require more qualified early childhood educators.
CARRIED
5. Be it resolved that the STS urge the STF to request the Government of Saskatchewan to provide additional support in a timely way to post-secondary institutions for training adequate numbers of early childhood educators to staff the anticipated additional child care spaces.
Background: See #4
CARRIED
6. Be it resolved that the STS urge the Government of Saskatchewan to ensure appropriate and adequate benefits, salary, and job security for early childhood educators to create a viable career as an early childhood educator.
BACKGROUND: Early childhood educators must be treated and recognized as appropriately trained professionals in a viable career, the income from which does not require subsidization by other employment, and the employment status does not induce frequent changes of employment to improve benefits, income or job security. As experienced educators, we know that children need the opportunity to develop attachments in consistent, responsive relationships built on trust. Trusting relationships will help maximize children’s benefit from early learning opportunities.
CARRIED
7. Be it resolved that the STS urge the STF to request the Government of Saskatchewan to ensure appropriate and adequate benefits, salary, and job security for early childhood educators to create a viable career as an early childhood educator.
BACKGROUND: See #6.
CARRIED
CLIMATE
8. Be it resolved that the STS request the Government of Saskatchewan to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in Saskatchewan through the complete phase-out of coal-fired power stations, an increase in the purchase of clean energy from Manitoba Hydro, and an increase in provincial support for any expansion of clean, renewable power.
BACKGROUND: Greenhouse gas emissions are the major cause of climate change. Per capita, Saskatchewan has among the highest greenhouse gas emissions in the world. (Source: European Union - Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR) and Sask data ex Environment Canada. Table A10-16 2016 National Inventory Report Part 3 (GHG data for 2014).)
NOT CARRIED
9. Be it resolved that STS consider climate change as an issue deserving immediate STS attention.
BACKGROUND: In Canada and worldwide, the two demographics especially susceptible to the damaging impact of climate change on both physical and mental health are children and older adults. We need to raise our own awareness and knowledge about climate change in our homes, communities, and province.
NOT CARRIED
10. Be it resolved that STS annually offer its members at least one program or action focused on some aspect of climate change.
BACKGROUND: Scientific research and modelling warn us that with continued global warming we can expect increases in food insecurity, poverty, destructive weather events, air pollution, water shortages, land degradation and species extinction along with very negative influences on human health.
CARRIED
11. Be it resolved that STS encourage its Chapters to report to STS annually on climate change related improvements and negative actions that have taken place in their communities.
BACKGROUND: We need to raise our own awareness and knowledge about climate change in our homes, communities, and province.
NOT CARRIED
12. Be it resolved that STS urge the STF to recommend to all post secondary institutions in Saskatchewan, mandatory incorporation of student exploration of the relationship between their field of study, the environment and climate change.
BACKGROUND: “Of the institutions that should be guiding us into a viable future, the university has a special place because it teaches all those professions that control the human endeavour. In recent centuries the universities have supported an exploitation of the Earth by its teachings in the various professions...” Now post secondary institutions must teach us how “to sustain the natural world so that the natural world can sustain us.” (Thomas Berry, The Great Work, 1999, p. x-xi)
CARRIED