Spring General MeetingDistrict 50 Atlantic June 14, 2023

The Spring General Meeting for District 50 Atlantic was held June 14^th, 2023 at the Hyatt Moncton. President Bill Otto welcomed about 40 members to a lunch meeting.

A special presentation on Cybersecurity was given by Lori Hunter. This General Meeting felt a little like a new beginning for the district after the restrictions we all endured due to Covid, but we know that people are still wary of getting together in larger groups.

This certainly is one way to get to know members and find out who lives close to you. If you have received your latest newsletter, you will see a list of geo-captains and the description of their roles. It is important that you give your local geo-captain your contact information so that local social events. Please do this as soon as possible. We want to build our community and develop the friendships and connections to live our best possible lives. Coffee, bridge, hikes, museum tours, potlucks, wine and cheese, strolls along the trails, photography workshops, knit nights are just some of the ideas other Districts offer. Check the latest newsletter and you will see how we can increase our membership in District 50—our travel insurance is excellent and may entice other educational workers, university staff, custodians, bus drivers, to join RTOERO.

Because our district is geographically large, a goal is that annual meetings are held on a rotating basis in each of the four provinces. Other meetings have been held in Halifax, Wolfville NS, Cardigan PEI, and this one in Moncton NB. Our next General Meeting will be held in Newfoundland with times to be announced.

Bill introduced the Executive and by the end of the meeting, the position of second Vice President was filled. We are looking for a Political Action Representative and someone to coordinate a team of Goodwill helpers for writing cards. Please contact Bill Otto at [email protected] if you can be of help. Bill’s phone number is 902-293-9750.

Pam Hunter, past president, and District 50 Rep for the National Board of RTOERO was presented with a photograph of Lunenberg as a token of appreciation for her work in setting up and being the first President.

A key point that Lori Hunter made about cybersecurity is that cons and scams are created to succeed. We need to be vigilant about not clicking on any links in unsolicited emails, and by hovering over the email address you can often see that the email is not from a reputable bank, or business, but from a scammer’s account. Delete without clicking on any links. Lori also gave us advice about making our passwords as long as possible, perhaps a phrase or sentence that is meaningful to you and can include the often-required punctuation and upper case letter. Remember, scammers prey upon your kindness, and willingness to help, so in phonecalls, you might correct something they say, which gives them more information.  Check our website as we frequently post tips to help protect you online and from unsolicited phone calls.

As RTOERO members you have access to the Learning Management System on this website.  All you need is your Member ID #, and your postal code. Remember to keep RTOERO updated with your most recent address. There are videos created by Lori and her team to keep us informed on specific software, and she is open for suggestions for more videos. There are videos on cybersecurity, governance, diversity and inclusion, and volunteering.

Lolita Bruneau, RTOERO Health Benefits Rep updated us on the new name to be released for our health benefits program: ENTENTE. New booklets will be arriving in the newest Renaissance release. She reminded us that we have 6 months, not 1 year to send in all submissions for reimbursements for medical and dental.

A variety of luncheon choices made our social time very enjoyable. Many thanks to Adele (last photo) for choosing a beautiful selection of locally made gifts for our raffle.  If you weren’t at this meeting, please plan to go to one soon! We would love to meet you!