Our legacy

The RTO/ERO Charitable Foundation

Giving of ourselves to others, now and in the future

The RTO/ERO Legacy

The birth of STO/ERO in 1968 was an historic effort by a group of farsighted retirees and the Ontario Teachers' Federation to ensure that retired teachers were not left behind in the changes being made to the Canada Pension Plan and to the formula for computing teachers’ pensions. Their historic victories to ensure fair pensions for all teachers in Ontario is still felt today.

• Our founding members were visionaries, initiating extended health and travel insurance plans within the first decade.
• In 1986, the Senate, our governing body, approved that STO/ERO urge the Ontario government to create a Ministry of Senior Citizens, to protect seniors against abuse and require more training in geriatrics and gerontology.
• Today, we have the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat, with a Minister responsible for seniors.
• Awareness of seniors’ abuse is at a new high with recent legislation targeting the treatment of seniors in nursing homes and retirement homes.
• In both Ontario and across Canada, there is a long way to go to address the needs for training in both geriatrics and gerontology.

RTO/ERO has a long history of giving to others

• With Project – Service to Others we offer grants to community organizations in Canada and abroad totaling $100,000 each year.
• We make an annual donation of $10,000, approved by Senate, to a charitable organization.
• In response to catastrophic events and natural disasters internationally, we make donations.
• More recently, we have created a program to award 25 x $1,000 scholarships annually to those pursuing studies in education.