History

The Retired Teachers of Ontario/Les enseignantes et enseignants retraités de l’Ontario (RTO/ERO) began as The Superannuated Teachers of Ontario (STO), which was formally created on March 13 and 14, 1968 during the organization’s first meeting of Senate, RTO/ERO’s governing body.

The organization was made possible by a committee of superannuated (retired) teachers, working under the auspices of the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF), who were seeking a more equitable assessment by the provincial government of the pensions received by them and to organize a retired organization to make this happen.
 

The birth of the organization is documented by its first president, Art McAdam, in his piece “The Birth of STO/ERO” (PDF) and in this excerpt from a 1988 interview in English with Dr. Robert Lamb, STO/ERO historian.

The organization changed its name to RTO/ERO in 1998 to better reflect the change in popular and government language. The government of Ontario folded such organizations as the Superannuation Commission into the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and the Teachers’ Superannuation Act became the Teachers’ Pension Act.

The First Four Decades

A four-part history of RTO/ERO’s first four decades was published in the organization’s magazine Renaissance in 2008 and can be downloaded in PDF format in English or French.

• Series introduction: A Brief Glimpse at our Beginnings and The Birth of STO/ERO
• 1968-1978: A decade of firsts
• 1978-1988: Second to none
• 1988-1998: First rate in our third decade
• 1998-2008: Moving fourth

RTO/ERO’s early history is also captured in the following PDF documents available only in English:

• The First Generation: The Superannuated Teachers of Ontario 1968-1988 by Dr. Robert Lamb, District 24, Scarborough & East York
• STO/ERO Book of Memories: 1968-1993 compiled by Mae Hill, Past President

A History of Leadership

As described in the governance section of our site, RTO/ERO is governed by its members, through semi-annual meetings of Senate, which includes at least two representatives from each of RTO/ERO’s 48 Districts. The Senate annually elects a Provincial Executive, which meets monthly to run the organization between Senate meetings. The Provincial Executive is led by a President.

Although governed by its members, RTO/ERO has always relied on staff, including a Chief Executive Officer in the position of Secretary Treasurer and later Executive Director to handle the business side of the organization, as well as to advocate for the organization. The original position of Secretary-Treasurer was changed to Executive Director when the organization was incorporated on May 20, 1986.

A slideshow (PDF) produced in English for RTO/ERO’s 40th anniversary commemorates the men and women who have served this organization as our Presidents and Secretary-Treasurers/Executive Directors.