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  • Members

    Members of the BCTF ultimately determine the decisions and directions of the BCTF in two very important ways:

    1. Members through locals elect delegates to the BCTF Annual General Meeting. The Annual General Meeting makes key decisions for the organization and elects the Executive Committee.
    2. Members through locals elect Local Representatives which make up the Representative Assembly. The Representative Assembly has key decision making responsibilities.
  • Locals

    Locals have the responsibility for acting on behalf of members regarding local matters. Members in locals elect their local president and executive which guide the affairs of the local.

  • Annual General Meeting

    The Annual General Meeting is comprised of delegates and Local Representatives elected by members through locals, and the 12 members of the Executive Committee. There are approximately 670 voting delegates at an Annual General Meeting. The Annual General Meeting elects the Executive Committee, determines the fee, approves any changes to the by-laws, establishes priorities for the next year, and makes the significant policy decisions of the Federation.

  • Constitution and by-laws

    The constitution and by-laws establish the rules by which the organization is run. The by-laws establish the division of responsibilities among the major decision-making bodies and spell out what each level of decision making is authorized to do. The by-laws of the BCTF have to be followed by all bodies of the organization, including the Annual General Meeting. Only the Annual General Meeting can amend the by-laws, and only then with a 75% majority of delegates voting in favour. The by-laws are found in Part 2 of this guide and spell out in more detail the role of each of the decision-making bodies.

  • Representative Assembly

    The Representative Assembly meets three times a year and has the specific responsibilities of approving a budget and electing the Judicial Council and Committee of Ombudspersons. The Representative Assembly also makes policy and procedure decisions for the Federation.

  • Executive Committee

    The Executive Committee of the BCTF is elected by the Annual General Meeting and consists of 13 members. Of the 13 members, 3 of them, the President, First Vice-President, and Second Vice-President, serve in a full-time capacity. There are 10 Members-at-Large with one position designated for a member who identifies as Aboriginal, one designated for a member who identifies as a person of colour, and one designated for a member who identifies as 2SLGBTQIA+. The immediate Past-President serves in a one-year term on the Executive Committee and, in those years, increases the Executive Committee to 14 members.

    The Executive Committee has overall responsibility for the running of the Federation. It meets monthly with additional meetings as necessary. The Executive Committee is the employer of BCTF staff and determines what work will be done in any given year. The Executive Committee also has responsibility for the creation and appointment of any advisory committees or task forces.


  • President

    The President of the Federation has responsibility for overall supervision of the affairs of the organization in between meetings of the Executive Committee.

  • President

    Clint Johnston image
    Clint Johnston
  • First Vice-President

    Carole Gordon image
    Carole Gordon
  • Second Vice-President

    Robin Tosczak image
    Robin Tosczak

Members-at-Large

  • Jelana Bighorn image
    Jelana Bighorn
    Member-at-Large
  • BrendaCelesta-web
    Brenda Celesta
    Member-at-Large (Designated position – Aboriginal)
  • Mariah Franzmann image
    Mariah Franzmann
    Member-at-Large
  • Rick Kumar
    Rick Kumar
    Member-at-Large
  • HallanMtatiro-web
    Hallan Mtatiro
    Member-at-Large (Designated position—member of colour)
  • ChrisPerrier-Evely-web
    Chris Perrier-Evely
    Member-at-Large (Designated position—2SLGBTQIA+)
  • Marilyn Ricketts-Lindsay
    Marilyn Ricketts-Lindsay
    Member-at-Large
  • TrevanaSpilchen-web
    Trevana Spilchen
    Member-at-Large
  • Katherine Trepanier image
    Katherine Trepanier
    Member-at-Large
  • Winona Waldron image
    Winona Waldron
    Member-at-Large
  • Executive Director

    The Executive Director by virtue of the by-laws has overall responsibility for the conduct and organization of staff and for the overall assignment of work. The Executive Director is responsible directly to the Executive Committee and on a day-to-day basis consults with the President.

  • Excluded Staff

    There are six excluded staff who undertake management oversight and human resources functions.

  • Legal Services Division

    The lawyers and paralegals in the Legal Services Division work to protect and enhance the legal rights of the union and its members. Advocacy and support is provided through legal advice and training to locals, representation of the union during the grievance arbitration process, and representation of members through the Federation’s legal aid program. They also represent the Federation and its locals in Labour Relations Board, Human Rights Tribunal and court matters.

  • Communications and Campaigns Division

    The Communications and Campaigns division coordinates the BCTF’s outspoken advocacy on news and issues in education. They practice positivity in media relations, with respect for the work journalists do. They employ leading edge digital tools and strategies to communicate with our members and locals. They engage in active community and labour outreach, creating strong connections with parents, the public, and the union movement. They publish Teacher magazine five times a year, as well as a broad range of classroom resources. They coordinate public opinion research, advertising campaigns, and political action. They are also responsible for the BCTF’s governance structures, organizing the Annual General Meeting and Representative Assemblies.

  • Income Security Division

    The Income Security Division has responsibility for the Salary Indemnity Plan, Health and Wellness Program (rehabilitation) and the Living with Balance (preventative) program. Co-ordinates the pensions program, provides information for members and fulfills the Federation’s obligations related to the Teacher Pension Plan. The Division also handles Workers’ Compensation appeals for members.


  • Information, Research, and International Solidarity Division

    The Information, Research, and International Solidarity (IRIS) Division of the BCTF carries out and provides access to research that support the leadership priorities and key objectives of the BCTF in bargaining, education policy, professional practice, and social justice. Their work is guided by the vision of supporting and strengthening teacher unions as agents of change and defenders of universal, democratic and quality public education. They advocate for the development of educational policy, school programs and classroom practice based on teacher knowledges and experiences. International solidarity, particularly in the Americas, focuses on long-term relationships that are mutually respectful and co-operative in determining the nature of projects.

  • Professional and Social Issues Division

    The professional and Social Issues Division has responsibility for a wide range of professional matters such as curriculum, education policy, professional development, teacher education, teacher inquiry, mentorship and peer support. Co-ordinates the Provincial Specialist Associations (PSAs), the Social Justice Program, Aboriginal Education Program, French Programs and Services, programs for teachers teaching on call, for teachers new to teaching and for adult educators, organizes leadership training—Summer Conference, Federation Leadership Institute, and Facilitators’ Institute Training. The Training Department which is a component of PSID, offers an extensive teacher workshop program. Administers the Code of Ethics and co-ordinates the work of the Internal Mediation Service.

  • Field Service Division

    The Field Service Division supports locals in bargaining, contract implementation and defence of member rights, assists locals with Federation campaigns and province-wide actions, advances the broad range of Federation services and programs in professional, health and safety, social justice, communications and outreach, etc., with local members and leadership.


  • Finance and Administrative Services Division

    The Finance and Administrative Services Division provides relevant, reliable, and timely financial and administrative support to stakeholders. They maximize treasury management strategies, safeguard the assets of the BCTF, and ensure a strong internal control environment with procedures set out in the Members’ Guide to the BCTF. They maintain the BCTF’s accounting systems and provide accounting services to the provincial specialist associations, Salary Indemnity Plan, and the BCTF Assistance Society. They also provide support to the programs, locals, and staff of the Federation through our strong membership system and information technology department.

  • Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Office

    The Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Office was created in recognition of structural and systemic discrimination within society and our organization. This office works toward dismantling systemic racism within the BCTF and to achieve racial justice across the Federation’s structures, practices, and policies. Through the Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Office, the BCTF has both the opportunity and the responsibility to go beyond responding to incidents of racism and dive into the deeper work of foundational change.

 
AGM Meeting

2024–25 Leadership Priorities

The following priorities were adopted by the 108th Annual General Meeting

  • Provide opportunities so a diversity of members including early career teachers can connect and engage in advocacy, professional development, and collective action.
  • Fight for a bargaining structure that represents locals and advances members’ needs.
  • Directly pressure government to solve the teacher shortage.
  • Fight for working and learning conditions in which teachers’ workload issues and students’ social, emotional, and academic needs can be met.
  • Work within the Federation and collaborate with education partners, other unions, and the broader community to advance justice, truth and reconciliation, anti-racism, and anti-oppression in the face of environmental, social, and political forces.
  • Advancing the role of public education and the union as a catalyst for change in the climate emergency.