1 P a g e A. LOCATION AND ACCOMMODATIONS FOR ANNUAL COUNCIL Annual Council Sessions will take place at the: Halifax Marriott Harbourfront 1919 Upper Water Street, Halifax, N.S., B3J 3J5 1-902-421-1700 Accommodations will be at the: Halifax Marriott (address noted above) Delta Halifax 1990 Barrington Street, Halifax, N. S. B3J 1P2 1-902-425-6700 The two hotels are connected by pedway. B. ONLINE REGISTRATION Council Registration will launch online mid-february. You will receive a reminder email the day before the Online Registration goes live. Accommodations will be on a first-come, first-served basis at both properties. When either property has reached capacity, they will be indicated as full. EVERYONE MUST REGISTER ONLINE BY MARCH 23RD. This includes ALL Council participants, including Provincial Executive, Local Delegates & Observers, RRC Chairs, Professional Association Presidents (or designate); and NSTU Committee Chairs (or designate) and Special Guests. Each Council participant will receive Registration Confirmation when they complete the online process. Accommodation confirmation will be included with your Council Workbook at the end of April. PLEASE NOTE: Local Presidents will need to email Central Office with the names of their Voting Delegates, Alternate Delegates and Observers (if applicable) as soon as delegates have been selected in order to cross-reference names with those that register online. Please email those names and any subsequent changes to Audrey Cuvilier at acuvilier@staff.nstu.ca. A Local is responsible for costs relating to Alternate Delegates and Observers (if applicable). C. SOCIAL EVENTS For 2012, the NSTU will be hosting the President s Reception on Friday evening and the Awards Dinner/Dance Saturday evening. Friday evening The NSTU President s Reception (immediately following the Opening Session) in the Halifax Ballroom, Marriott Harbourfront will be held for 1.5 hours. Saturday evening The Awards Dinner will be held on Saturday evening in the N.S. Ballroom at the Marriott when Local Service Award recipients will be presented with their Service Award following the Dinner.
2 P a g e During online registration, participants will be asked to indicate if they will be attending the Flavours of the World Buffet Dinner and if they will be accompanied by a guest. Each delegate s expense claim - if attending the dinner - will be reduced by the NSTU dinner allowance of $25.00 to help offset the cost of the meal. If attending with a guest, $50.00 will be deducted. Locals will be billed for their Alternates and Observers who attend the dinner (plus guest if applicable). Once numbers have been provided to the Hotel (May 11 th ), cancellations will NOT be accepted. You may be able to sell your ticket to another delegate in order to recoup your cost(s). The Dinner will be followed by a Dance with groundsound DJ. Dress is business casual. The Teacher Deadlines For 1 st VP candidates and other vacancies on Council Committees, advertising opportunities for The Teacher must be received by: 1 st opportunity March 16 th (April issue) 2 nd opportunity April 20 t (May Issue) Nomination Forms In order for a Nomination Form to be included with the Council Workbook, it must be received in Central Office by April 2 nd. The Nomination Form is attached and is also available on the NSTU Website, under Annual Council. A summary of elections to take place at Council 2012 follows. The NSTU will provide to all candidates, upon request, a list of email addresses of Voting & Alternate Delegates once Central Office has processed the information and permission has been granted by the delegate. Council Workbooks Council Workbooks will be made available to attendees at the Local Presidents Conference on April 27 th. Local Presidents will again be asked if they are able to pick up and distribute their delegates Workbooks if they are having Local meetings 14 days prior to Council (Standing Order 4). D. DATES OF INTEREST Local Service Awards The process for submission of Local Service Award requests has been emailed to Local Presidents. Requests should be received one week prior to the upcoming Provincial Executive Meetings. Those dates are: Feb. 23 rd 24 th March 30 th April 26 th (latest date) E. ELECTION INFORMATION The presentations of 1 st VP Candidates will take place early on the Agenda Saturday morning rather than Friday evening. The close of nominations will remain on Friday evening. The following information regarding Elections at Council 2012 is included in this mailing. Standing Order 7. Vice-Presidential Campaign Guidelines; Standing Order 8. Committee Campaign Guidelines, and Standing Order 9. Active and Passive Campaign Guidelines
3 P a g e These campaign guidelines have been printed in the January/February issue of The Teacher. Candidates vying for Council positions or Committees will be able to set up stations at the Marriott on Friday evening following the Opening Session to meet and speak with delegates. Summary of 2012Council Elections Through the Council Elections Committee: First Vice-President 1-year term CTF Delegate (1 member) 3 year term Discipline Committee (2 members) 3-year term Pension Appeals Committee (1 member) 2-year term Professional Committee (2 members) 3-year term Resolutions Committee (2 members) 2-year term FIRST VICE PRESIDENT (1 year term) By-Laws - Article V (2) (b) The election of the first Vice-President shall be conducted during Council and be determined by majority vote. The First Vice-President shall hold office for a period of one year or until his/her successor has been elected and shall be eligible for re-election for further periods of one year each. The term of office for the First-Vice President shall be one (1) year beginning at the conclusion of Annual Council. CTF COMMITTEE (1 member 3 year term) Provincial Executive Motion: The person elected at each Council as 1 st Vice- President shall be one of the two CTF delegates elected in that year. The term of the delegate thus elected shall be for one year only. Council elects one member each year for a term of three years. Standing Order 18 Delegates to the Canadian Teachers Federation Annual General Meeting shall be the President, or another CTF Director as chosen by the Provincial Executive from the members of the Provincial Executive, the Executive Director as a member of the CTF Board, and a number of other delegates defined by the Canadian Teachers Federation who shall be elected by the Council. The 1 st Vice- President or, in the absence of the 1 st Vice- President the 2 nd Vice-President, shall attend as an alternate. NAME & LOCAL TERM EXPIRES Cathy Reimer, Kings Local Council 2012 Tim MacLeod, Halifax County Council 2013 Alison MacPherson, Pictou Council 2014 DISCIPLINE COMMITTEE (2 members - 3 year term) By-Laws, Article VI -3 Pursuant to the Teaching Profession Act, Section 10(1)(d), there shall be a committee of the Council to be called the Discipline Committee: (a) The Discipline Committee shall consist of five (5) members selected by the delegates voting at an Annual Council, and no member shall be at the same time a member of the Executive or a Committee of the Executive. (f) The members of the Committee shall be elected for terms of three (3) years. (g) The Discipline Committee shall meet at least once a year for professional development opportunities. Name & Local Term Expires Kim Browne, Colchester E-Hants Council 2012 Damian Lukenda, Halifax County Council 2012 Tammy Fox, Colchester E-Hants Council 2013 Kyle Marryatt, Dartmouth Council 2014 Stanley Cameron, Inverness Council 2014 PENSION APPEALS (1 member 2 year term) Standing Order 6 (b) (ii) The Council Elections Committee shall receive nominations for the vacancy of the Nova Scotia Teachers Pension Appeals Committee. NSTU Operational Procedures: The appointment to the Nova Scotia Teachers Pension Appeals Committee shall be elected at Annual Council for a period of two (2) years to coincide with the Teachers Pension Act. NAME & LOCAL TERM EXPIRES Clifford Maillet (CSANE) Council 2012
4 P a g e PROFESSIONAL COMMITTEE (2 members 3 year term) Pursuant to the Teaching Profession Act, Section 11(1), there shall be a Professional Committee of the Union, elected according to the By-Laws. By-Laws, Article VI -2 (a) The Professional Committee shall consist of six members elected by the Council. (b) Members of the Professional Committee shall be elected for a term of three years, with two members of the committee retiring each year. (c) No member of the Professional Committee shall be at the same time a member of the Executive or a Committee of the Executive. (d) The Professional Committee shall meet at last once a year for professional development opportunities. NAME & LOCAL TERM EXPIRES Liette Doucet, Halifax City Local Council 2012 Monica Stoilov, Halifax County Council 2012 Louis Robitaille, Community College Council 2013 Dianne Raoul, Guysborough County Council 2013 Tanya DeViller, Yarmouth Council 2014 Jeff Wamboldt, Dartmouth Council 2014 RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE: (2 members 2 year term) Standing Order 6 (c) (a) The Resolutions Committee shall consist of five members. (b) Each Council shall select from the floor two members to the Resolutions Committee. All members elected shall serve a two (2) year term. (c) The Provincial Executive shall elect one of its members to serve as Chairperson of the Resolutions Committee for a one (1) year term. Name & Local Term Expires Lori MacKinnon, Yarmouth Local Council 2012 Lynnette Rankin, Inverness Local Council 2012 Jed Corbett, Cape Breton Council 2013 Leon Swinkels, Halifax County Council 2013 F. CAMPAIGN GUIDELINES Standing Order 7. Vice-Presidential Campaign Guidelines In respect of Vice-Presidential campaigns, the following guidelines shall apply: (a) Active campaigning within the Council Chambers other than the normal address to delegates is prohibited. Passive campaign activity within Council Chambers is permitted. (b) Locals are prohibited from directly making any monetary or non-monetary contribution to any candidate s campaign. Such contributions do not include expenditure of funds designated for the Local (e.g. Local suite at Annual Council). (c) Campaign spending, excluding travel, by or on behalf of each candidate may not exceed $1,500.00. Such expenses are the sole responsibility of the candidate. All promotional items including prizes sponsored by the candidate shall be included in the determination of the amount spent and shall be supported by receipts or assessed at fair market value. (d) All candidates must submit an approved financial statement report form to the Annual Council Elections Committee within sixty (60) days from the conclusion of Annual Council. This statement is to include a list of all contributions with non-monetary items being assessed at dollar value, and an itemized list of expenditures; (e) The Annual Council Elections Committee shall refer the financial statements of candidates to the Provincial Executive for review. These financial statements will be published in The Teacher. (f) Publicity: Each candidate is permitted to insert in an issue of The Teacher prior to Council: (i) one head and shoulder photograph of himself/herself; (ii) biography of personal, educational, and career achievements, of no more than 150
5 P a g e words; (iii) a personally prepared platform of objectives, no more than 600 words in length. (g) Items in (f) must be sent to The Teacher fifteen (15) working days before publication and these will appear in alphabetical order. (i) Each candidate will be given a second opportunity to publish a statement subject to the provisions of paragraph (f), which statement shall not be more than 750 words in length. (ii) Paid advertisements in any medium (press, radio, TV, The Teacher) are prohibited. (iii) The number of campaign posters and/or banners on display in the hotel at Annual Council may not exceed a total of twentyfive (25) for each candidate. When Annual Council is held at a facility where Local delegates are divided between two facilities, the number of posters will be increased to thirty-five (35). A campaign poster shall include any poster, banner or sign posted by or for a member running for an elected position that makes a reference to the candidate and/or the position being sought. (h) Upon request, each candidate shall be given a list of the room numbers at the main facility used by NSTU delegates, alternates, official observers and guests once delegates have been accommodated. Distribution of campaign materials to rooms shall be limited to those rooms so identified. Such identification shall not allow the name of the occupant of the room to be determined. Standing Order 8. Committee Campaign Guidelines In respect of electoral campaigns for committees elected at Council, the following guidelines shall apply: (a) Active campaigning within the Council Chambers is prohibited. Passive campaign activity within the Council Chambers is permitted; (b) Locals are prohibited from directly making any monetary or non-monetary contribution to any candidate s campaign. Such contributions do not include expenditure of funds designated for the Local (e.g. Local suite at Annual Council). (c) Campaign spending by or on behalf of each candidate may not exceed $100. Such expenses are the sole responsibility of the candidate. (d) All candidates must submit an approved financial statement report form to the Annual Council Elections Committee within sixty (60) days from the conclusion of Annual Council. This statement is to include a list of all contributions with non-monetary items being assessed at dollar value, and an itemized list of expenditures; (e) The Annual Council Elections Committee shall refer the financial statements of candidates to the Provincial Executive for review. These financial statements will be published in The Teacher. (f) Publicity: Each candidate is permitted to insert in an issue of The Teacher prior to Council: (a) One head and shoulder photograph of himself/herself; (b) Biography of personal, educational and career achievements, of no more than 150 words; (c) A personally prepared platform of objectives, no more than 300 words in length. (g) Items must be sent to The Teacher fifteen (15) working days before publication and these will appear in alphabetical order. (h) Paid advertisements in any medium (press, radio, TV, The Teacher) are prohibited. (i) The number of campaign posters and/or banners on display in the hotel at Annual Council may not exceed a total of twenty-five (25) for each candidate. When Annual Council
6 P a g e is held at a facility where Local delegates are divided between two facilities, the number of posters will be increased to thirty-five (35). A campaign poster shall include any poster, banner or sign posted by or for a member running for an elected position that makes a reference to the candidate and/or the position being sought. (j) Upon request, each candidate shall be given a list of the room numbers at the main facility used by NSTU delegates, alternates, official observers and guests once delegates have been accommodated. Distribution of campaign materials to rooms shall be limited to those rooms so identified. Such identification shall not allow the name of the occupant of the room to be determined. Standing Order 9. General Campaign Passive Campaigning Guidelines Active And With respect to all elections, the following definitions shall apply: (a) Active campaigning shall be considered any display or action that involves the presentation of partisan information in a manner that is difficult for a group of delegates to avoid. Examples of such active campaigning include the display of campaign posters, the shouting of campaign slogans, shouting out in support of a candidate other than during the normal address to delegates, distributing materials throughout Council chambers including the placing of campaign materials anywhere within Council chambers prior to, during or following a Council session, and demonstrations in support of a given candidate. (b) Passive campaigning shall be considered any display or action that is observable only by people in the immediate vicinity of the campaign material and involves no explicit action to promote or advance those materials at the time at which the material is seen or heard. Examples of such passive campaigning include the use of writing materials containing references to a candidate, the wearing of campaign clothing, buttons or ornaments, and the presence of a single copy of a candidate s campaign literature at the delegate s seat and table spot. (c) A candidate or representative of the candidate is permitted to place up to one (1) item per delegate per session at the tables in Council chambers prior to the start of the session. This would replace campaign material distribution at other times. A candidate would still be permitted to greet delegates as they enter Council chambers. (d) In the event that campaigning for any other NSTU election takes place during Council, the guidelines for the Council Committee election campaigns applicable to the conduct of the campaign during Council, shall apply. (e) Active campaigning for election to a position not related to the structure of the NSTU is prohibited. G. BANK OF DAYS INFORMATION The current Provincial Agreement, Article 31.07 provides for release days for provincial NSTU business. These days have been allocated to the Standing Committees and to some ad hoc Committees that arise as a result of Council resolutions. There are no days available for release for delegates to Council. This is the same procedure that has been followed in previous years for Annual Council. This information has been posted to the NSTU Website, under: The NSTU Structure Annual Council link: