Annual Queenston BBQ

3rd Annual Niagara OT Family BBQ Friday, September 26, 2014 Time: 4:30pm-Dusk Location: Queenston Heights Pavilion 2 (by splashpad) (Map) Free food, bouncy castle, and magician! Please RSVP to Lianne@NiagaraOT.org  

Fruit Tree Trail Project

Our Local has joined with Greening Niagara and other community partners in a project called the Fruit Tree Trail--Niagara's first urban food forest project. It will take a few years to complete, and will span the entire Green Belt of the Niagara region where fruit trees will be planted and their fruit harvested to be donated to local food banks.

We participated in tree-planting on April 26th, and planted native fruit-bearing species such as gooseberry, raspberry, blackbery, currant, hickory, pawpaw, and others.

There's more work to do, though!  There will be another planting session on May 3rd at the same location (bring a shovel if you have one), and Greening Niagara plants trees frequently enough that you can plant trees pretty much any time you want.

When: Saturday, May 3rd, 10am-12:15pm
Where:  The project is along Dick’s Creek, a tributary of the 12 Mile Creek system.
Take Oakdale Ave ST CATHARINES to Disher St.  Turn right on Disher, then turn right onto Moffat and park at end of the street. Dick's Creek info (Search "Disher St" on Google Maps and it's clear where it is).

April 28th Day of Mourning

April 28th is the National Day of Mourning for workers who have been killed, injured, or made ill on the job.

There are a variety of ceremonies in Niagara to mark the day listed on this poster.  For further information, contact Bruce Allen at 905-934-6233.

Scrabble for Literacy Tournament

Niagara Regional Literacy Council's ninth annual Scrabble for Literacy Fundraising Tournament is being held on Friday, May 2nd, 2014. We're trying to wrangle up a team (or two) of occasional teachers for this year's tournament.

The Local has sponsored the entry fee for a team again this year.  This will be our fifth year sending a team of occasional teachers to the event.  There's good food and it's always a ton of fun.

When: Friday May 2nd, 2014. Doors open at 5:00pm, dinner at 6pm, games begin 7:30pm.
Where: Holiday Inn Parkway Convention Centre, 327 Ontario Street, St. Catharines
Cost: Free to you if you join our team!  Otherwise $35 per person, $210 for a team of 6. Price includes a full hot and cold buffet dinner, door prizes, and three team Scrabble games. Silent auction and penny sale also at event.

More information: 905-687-8299 or visit www.literacyniagara.org

Poster

If you'd like to be part of a Niagara OT team, e-mail Mark@niagaraot.org.

Rally for Rights and Democracy Jan 26th!

Photo of rally:

Now is not the time to lose hope.  Rather, we have to strengthen our resolve.  A Bill 115 rally is being held on January 16th at Jim Bradley's office, from 3:00pm to 5:00pm, and at the Ontario Liberal leadership convention on January 26th.  This isn't just a fight for our contract anymore, it's a fight to keep the rights granted to us under Canada's Constitution.

Facebook event page.

PDF of event callout.

PDF of Event Flyer (En Francais)

#J26Rally on Twitter

NIAGARA BUSES (FREE) LEAVING FROM:

St. Catharines 10:30 am
CAW 199, 124 Bunting Rd.

Port Colborne, 9:45 am
USW, 87 Clarence St

Welland 10:15 am
950 E Main St (park on west side)

Fort Erie 9:45 am
194 Garrison Rd (old Zellers)

Niagara Falls 10:15 am
Casino Lot #1 off Stanley Avenue, southwest
corner of Stanley Avenue and 420 Highway

Grimsby 11:00 am
Southwest quadrant Casablanca/QEW at Gateway Niagara

To reserve a spot, please contact:
Dan Peat at 905-933-1889 or email at nrlc.clc@gmail.com
Bruce Allen at 905-934-6233 or email at ballen@cogeco.ca

Media Roundup

Thank you to everyone who participated in our strike action!  Many hands make light work, and all the people coming together to help out really proved that!  Below are some links to media coverage of the event, as well to photos available on our Facebook page.

Facebook pictures

610 CKTB: Occasional teachers picket Bradley, Hudak's offices over Bill 115

Niagara This Week: Teachers Flex their Muscles

St. Catharines Standard: Niagara Teachers Hit the Picket Line for One-Day Strike

Niagara Falls Review: Elementary Teachers in Niagara Join One Day Strike

CTV News

Bullet News Niagara: Teachers insist one-day job action wasn't about money

Niagara OT Local hosting a CLiFF screening!

The ETFO Niagara OT Local will be hosting a screening of a selection of films from the Canadian Labour International Film Festival (CLiFF), on Sunday, November 29th from 3pm - 5pm, at the ETFO office in Fonthill.  We will be screening seven short films ranging from "Dear John" about the closing of John Deere in Welland, to "Invisible Force: Women workers in Pakistan" which chronicles the story of millions of women workers in Pakistan who are unaccounted for in official figures.

Films on schedule (click here for descriptions):

Six Weeks of Solidarity,
Dear John,
Hold the Line,
Painting Red Square,
Northland: Long Journey,
Invisible Force: Women workers in Pakistan,
Just another cog in the machine

This event is open to all, so bring friends and family!

Refreshments will be provided.

For new members (or members who want to learn more) we're also hosting a Welcome to ETFO event from 1pm-3pm prior to the CLiFF screening.

DSBN Road Race - Volunteers Needed!

The annual DSBN Road Race raises funds to support the Education Foundation of Niagara and Niagara Nutrition Partners. Last year the Road Race was able to donate $5000 to each charity. Financial support for the Road Race is provided by its title sponsor Pen Financial Credit Union and other sponsors. This year the Road Race is being held on April 26th.

In addition to needing participants, the DSBN Road Race needs volunteers to make it all happen. This type of event is an ideal volunteer opportunity for occasional teachers. Instead of volunteering in a school doing things you really should be getting paid for (working in schools is our profession!), the DSBN Road Race gives you the chance to partner on an equal basis with other education workers and community members in an event focused on improving conditions for students within our schools.

To sign up to participate or to volunteer, go to the DSBN Road Race web site, and click on either the registration or volunteer page tabs to get the appropriate sign-up forms. Forms are due by April 9th, but they'll happily accept last-minute volunteers. Particularly, there's a need for course marshalls.