Marching to the Beat: March Updates & Happenings from STS Moose Jaw

Superannuated Teachers of Saskatchewan Moose Jaw Branch

Marching to the Beat: March Updates & Happenings

Message from your local branch president:

As we experience one more blast of winter, we are one the home stretch and spring will soon be here! What a wonderful short winter we have had.

Are you thinking of gardening and flowers yet? Or, perhaps, you are reading, or writing, "Spring Cleaning for the Soul." I know spring cleaning makes me feel good and it's good for mental wellness. So is digging in the dirt.

The days are getting longer and more people, and dogs, are visible on the walking trails. I carry my strap-on ice picks everywhere because the season of ice is upon us.

While on a recent trip to Winnipeg, I had the good fortune to meet Cyd! Cyd is a French Mastiff who is a therapy dog at a teen drop-in centre in Winnipeg. He is also a tv star, from the re-make of Turner and Hooch. Large as he appears, he is shy and quiet and very aware of who is in need of comfort. Personally, I think pets are the greatest companions for seniors, for exercise, a listening ear, and for unconditional love.

Cyd is a French Mastiff therapy dog who stars in a remake of Turner & Hooch. Lookin’ good Cyd!

Enjoy St. Patrick's Day. Let's hope March departs like a lamb.

Yours kindly,

Our next luncheon will be on March 20. RSVP Now!

Circle March 20th on your calendar, and RSVP now.

Meeting starts: 10:30 am

Program: When Loss Hits Home, presented by Della Ferguson.

Noon: Luncheon Turkey Dinner, catered by Charlotte's.

Cost: $10.00 per STS member and spouse. $20.00 for non-members

Where: Masonic Hall, 1755 Main St. N. S6J 1L6, Moose Jaw, SK

Please RSVP by clicking the link below, or contact Rosalie Marcil (306-691-0696, marcilr@sasktel.net). RSVP at your earliest convenience, and no later than March 14.

Click here to RSVP for March 20th Luncheon

ACER-CART: A National Voice of Retired Teachers

Did you know that ACER-CART is the National Voice of Retired Teachers? It is a bilingual association of Members representing over 160,000 retired teachers from Canada's ten provinces and Yukon Territory.

Saskatchewan Superannuated Teachers is a member of this organization. The purpose of ACER-CART is to advocate for its members as a voice on the National scene. ACER-CART promotes the welfare of Retired Teachers as well as promotes and supports public education.

Read the latest letter on how Pharmacare affects us all, from Bill Barryman, President of ACER-CART. Here is his letter

Dear ACER-CART Colleagues,

Since 2016 one of the consistent priorities for ACER-CART has been the request for the implementation of a National Pharmacare Program. I hope this document provides answers as to why Canada needs the program and how it will benefit our members and seniors.

Canada is the only developed country in the world with a universal health care program that does not include a universal prescription drug plan. We have the third-highest prescription drug costs in the world after the United States and Switzerland. Canada has widely varying prescription drug coverage and uneven access to prescription drugs. Canadians often pay different rates for the same medication, depending on where they live. The idea of a national funded prescription drug program was recommended as the second half of the universal health care program in the Royal Commission on Health Care report in 1964.

Canada is not benefiting from the current system, but pharmaceutical and private insurance companies are. Pharmaceutical companies charge higher prices for commonly used drugs because they are selling to many different buyers. Private insurance companies benefit by charging employers, unions, and employees to administer private drug insurance plans.

In a study entitled Pharmacare 2020: The Future of Drug Coverage in Canada, it was revealed that New Zealand’s national drug program allows it to lower prices by bargaining with drug companies for the whole country. An example of cost savings is the brand name of anti-cholesterol drug Lipitor. For a year’s supply in New Zealand, the cost would be $15 versus a minimum of $811 in Canada. A year’s supply of the generic version of Lipitor would cost $140 in Canada, more than nine times greater than the New Zealand price tag.

We need a National Pharmacare Program that covers all Canadians! One in five Canadians pays out of pocket for their medications, either because they do not have a prescription plan, or their plan does not cover the full cost of the prescriptions they need. It is estimated that one in ten Canadians do not fill prescriptions because they can’t afford them.

The Pharmacare 2020 study indicated that the combined purchasing power of a National Pharmacare Program would save $4 billion to $11 billion a year in prescriptions. Further, by using evidence and information systems to guide drug coverage and prescribing, there would be a saving of $5 billion a year to reduce the problems of overuse, underuse, and misuse.

It is now our responsibility to lobby Members of Parliament, Members of our Provincial Legislature, and the Federal Minister of Health to inform them of the tremendous cost savings of a universal, single payer, comprehensive, accessible, portable, and national public drug plan.

The Supply and Confidence Agreement between the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party states that both parties will continue to progress towards a universal, National Pharmacare Program by introducing legislation entitled the Canada Pharmacare Act with a National Drug Agency to develop a national formulary of essential medicines and bulk purchasing of medications by the end of 2023. The National Drug Agency was established on December 18, 2023, and the legislation for the Canada Pharmacare Act is expected before March 1, 2024.

ACER-CART is soliciting your help in completing the New Mode software by adding your name and e-mail address to the embedded short letter or you may create a personal letter. With the click of a button, the program will send the information to the politicians from your region.

On behalf of ACER-CART, I thank you in advance for participating in our National Pharmacare Program initiative.

Yours sincerely,

Bill Berryman

President ACER-CART

Add Your Voice in the letter-writing campaign, check out this link: https://acer-cart.org/national-pharmacare/

Keep the pictures coming!

Have you checked out our website recently? The main page has been updated and features a beautiful picture compliments of Lori McNaughton. For anyone else interested in sending us a picture — you don’t have to be a professional by any means, everyone can participate — check out our photography contribution page. Go to the Community tab on our website and scroll down to Submit a cover picture, or click here to be redirected.

Offer your perspective

Your thoughts and feedback mean a lot to us! As we progress with our website and monthly newsletters (twice a month), we're eager to hear your suggestions for what you'd like to see on the site. Our platform is a fantastic way to connect and build a community.

Do you have a group you'd like to share with fellow members? Whether it's a club, team, reading group, gardening club, or anything else that piques your interest, we'd love to know. Reach out to us and share what's happening; we'll do our best to feature it on the website and in our newsletters. Contact us.

In the meantime, content you can currently interact with includes:

Recipe Corner: We’ve been getting a few recipes and are publishing them as they come in. Check out Dalelene Yelland’s Apple French Toast, and Arlene Wuschke’s Crock Pot Potato Chowder.
Memorials. "Teachers plant seeds that grow forever". Click here to check out the memorial section.

Do you have a friend who isn't getting the newsletter?

Stay in the loop and join us in reaching out to Superannuates who might be missing out on our Newsletter.

If you know someone not receiving this Newsletter or want to guide someone to sign up, it's easy! Visit our website at https://www.stsmoosejaw.com/newsletter and sign-up in a matter of seconds. With plenty of exciting plans ahead, make sure to encourage others to tune in for updates. Let's keep everyone informed!

50 Epic Adventures Sale: book by March 5

One tour operator I love to book for clients is Exodus Adventure Travels. To celebrate their 50th anniversary they are having a sale on cultural holidays, walking holidays, and cycling holidays. But you must book by March 5. The promo is 15% off tours, and I work with direct access to their booking platform, so let’s get you booked!

Did you know?

Group sizes are between 12 and 16 people, with a mix of nationalities from English-speaking countries.
The absolute average age on tours is 53, but the ideal client is “young at heart” with age spectrum of 35–80 years.
Half of the travellers are solo. Solo travellers can choose to be matched with another traveller of the same gender, or pay a nominal single supplement for their own room. You decide!
Exodus has been awarded Conde Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards for two years in a row.
This promo is for trips from now until the end of the 2024. What do you want to do this year? Let’s make it happen!

Here is a rundown of what’s on offer, broken down into cultural discovery, cycling and hiking. If anything piques your interest, contact me, for a copy of the detailed tour itinerary, available dates, and I can even look at a specific departure and tell you the demographics of other travellers (age/ gender) so you can find the vibe that’s right for you.

Prices are tour only, per person, and CAD. Most have departures once or twice per month. Enquire for further details.

Cultural Discovery

Highlights of the Amalfi Coast - 8 days - was $2850/ now from $2565

Treasures of Sicily - 9 days - was $3420/ now $2910

Highlights of Ancient Greece - 9 days - was $3420/ now from $3080

Sicily Food Adventure - 8 days - was $3705/ now from $3515

Discover the Baltics - 12 days - was $3230/ now from $2755

Sicily Grand Tour - 15 days - was $5890/ now from $5015

Highlights of Portugal - 8 days - was $3510/ now from $3165

Iceland Explorer - 10 days - was $5888/ now from $5605

Highlights of Albania - 10 days - was $2280/ now from $2055

Dubrovnik & the Dalmatian Coast - 8 days - was $3038/ now from $2735

Iceland Northern Lights - 5 days - was $3515/ now from $2985

Finnish Wilderness Week - 8 days - was $4370/ now from $3935

Carpathian Walking & Bears - 8 days - $2470/ now from $2225

Cycling Trips

Cycling in Sardinia - 8 days - was $3875/ now from $3290

Cycle the Balkans - 15 days - was $4750/ now from $4275

Tuscany: Cycle Siena & Chianti - 8 days - was $3800/ now from $3420

Cycle Cilento & the Amalfi Coast - 8 days - was $3495/ now from $3155

Cycling in Sicily - 8 days - was $3420/ now from $3080

Cycle the Baltics - 11 days - was $3230/ now from $3080

Cycle Champagne & Burgundy - Premium - 7 days - was $7600/ now from $6460

Cycling Puglia & Matera - 8 days - was $3418/ now from $3250

Porto to Lisbon Atlantic Ride - 8 days - was $3045/ now from $2745

Cycle the Coastal Portuguese Camino - 8 days - was $3990/ now from $3590

Walking & Hiking

Walking the Amalfi Coast - 8 days - was $2755/ now from $2490

Mont Blanc Highlights - 8 days - was $3515/ now from $2985

Rome, Assisi & Magical Umbria - Premium - 8 days - was $5130/ now from $4620

Classic Dolomites - Premium - 8 days - was $3800/ now from $3610

Walk the Prosecco Hills & Hidden Venice - 8 days - was $2943/ now from $2795

Walks of the Cinque Terre and Portofino - 8 days - was $2755/ now from $2490

Walking in Andalusia - 8 days - was $2660/ now from $2395

Croatia: Islands & Mountains - 8 days - was $3230/ now from $2910

Tuscany Walks & Chianti Wines - 8 days - was $3320/ now from $2995

Walking on the Greek Islands - 8 days - was $2850/ now from $2565

Walking in Puglia & Matera - 8 days - was $2555/ now from $2310

Tour du Mont Blanc Hotel Trek - 15 days - was $6460/ now from $5815

Highlights of the Dolomites - 8 days - was $2815/ now from $2680

Camino de Santiago Trek - 9 days - was $2750/ now from $2480

Tour du Mont Blanc Camping Trek - 15 days - was $3990/ now from $3590

Tour du Mont Blanc Week - 8 days - was $3800/ now $3230

Portugal: Walking & Wine Premium Adventure - 8 days - was $4560/ now $4105

Mountains & Villages of Corsica - 8 days - was $2375/ now from $2150

Walking the Picos de Europa - 8 days - was $2175/ now from $1990

Mountains & Villages of Evia - 8 days - was $2850/ now from $2720

Walking in Tuscany - 8 days - was $2658/ now from $2395

Walking in Cappadocia - 8 days - was $2660/ now from $2260

Click here to request info on any of these departures, including rates, dates and availability on 2024 departures!

Missed Michelle’s Galapagos talk? Click on the image to see a recording, or visit www.destinationwhatever.com/galapagos

Upcoming Zoom travel talks you might be interested in:

Newfoundland & Labrador. Mon. March 4 at 6pm. Click here.
The Amazon Jungle. Wed. March 13 at 630pm. Click here.
The Netherlands. Mon. March 25 at 6pm. Click here.