1953
The Northwest Territories Teachers' Association (NWTTA)
formed by 63 teachers who attended the
first NWT Teachers’ Convention
in Fort Smith Click Here to view a 1953 newspaper article about the first convention together with a 50th Anniversay message from NWTTA President, David Murphy First NWTTA election results:
~ President - Norm McCowan Sr. (served 6 years until 1959)
~ Vice-President - Mr. J.F. Maguire
~ Secretary - Sister May Olive Sarrasin
~ Treasurer - A.J. Kerr First year facts:
~ Annual Membership Fees- $4.00
~ Benefits included a $2.50 pin
~Two Association magazines published; paid for mostly through advertising
(cost approx. $500.00 each)
~ Five new members recruited during 1953 Did you know...
Northwest Territories teachers were regulated by the Civil Servants' Association of Canada and were employed by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. NWTTA sought to have teachers included in the salary increases
awarded to the other civil servants.
~Increments for teachers were very low and the Association recommended that these be increased to $200.00 per year over a maximum of 6 years. NWTTA also worked to have other 1954 regulations changed such as the one stating: teachers who resigned after two years of service, with the normal six weeks holidays, are required to take leave on approximately May 15th in order to have the resignation effective June 30th - the problem - this left the classroom without a teacher for the last six weeks of the school term! 1959/1960
Regional groups formed similar to the eight NWTTA regions of present day. 1959-1961
President - Don Hepburn (Inuvik)
(elected for a second term 1960-1961)
Note: Up until 2000, NWTTA Presidents (and the other Central Executive Members) were elected by delegates each spring at the Annual Meeting of Central Councilors (AMCC) and not by the general membership 1960-1961
~ Eastern Arctic organized and became part of the NWTTA
~ Small circulating professional library formed
~ Small Regional conferences held where delegated discussed and dealt with problems in an effort to improve the quality of education in the North 1961-1965
President - Norm McCowan Sr. (Hay River) 1965-1967
President - John Scott
~ Held many meetings
~ Teachers bargained with a component of other civil servants in Ottawa July 1965
NWTTA became an affiliate of the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) 1967-1970
President - James Maher (Inuvik) 1969-1970
NWTTA bargained as a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada Until the completion of the 1969-70 Territorial Agreement 1970-1972
President - Robert Jenkins
Secretary - Doris Gemeroy
~ Central Council saw it necessary to have the President operate
out of Yellowknife for purposes of consulting with Government officials
and members of the School Boards
~ The first Yellowknife office of the NWTTA operated out of Doris Gemeroy's apartment 1970
NWTTA gained the right to bargain directly with the Commissioner of the NWT 1971
NWTTA office moved to rented space
(after operating for a year in the secretary's apartment) 1972-1974
President - Phil Caswell
Executive Secretary - Al Goller (appointed in April)
Note: Al Goller pioneered many successes for the NWTTA from 1972-1975; he was presented with a life-time membership at the 1977 AMCC
NWTTA hosted the Canadian Teachers' Federation Annual General Meeting 1972
Decision to appoint an Executive Secretary made at this year's
Annual Meeting of Central Councilors (AMCC) 1974-1975
President and Professional Development Officer - Brendan Dunphy
Brendon was the first fulltime President and Professional Development Officer paid for by money bargained for this purpose from the NWTTA Professional Improvement Fund. 1975-1976
President and Professional Development Officer - Ernie Comerford
(first Eastern Arctic NWTTA member to hold this position) Executive Secretary - Winston Nettleton
Winston's strength in the areas of collective bargaining, teacher welfare and general administrative skills supported the NWTTA's efforts in these areas 1976-1979
President and Professional Development Officer - Al Wolitski October 27, 1976
Thanks to eight years of efforts by the NWTTA. a landmark decision by the Territorial Counci saw the approval of the
ACT RESPECTING THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES TEACHERS' ASSOCIATION
which gave the NWTTA:
~ Exclusive bargaining rights for all NWT teachers including Principals
and Vice-Principals; and
~ Rights to govern and discipline its own members 1979-1980
First full-time President - Ann Davies
Professional Development Officer - Dick Hall 1980-1984
First NWTTA President elected for a two-year term - Christopher R. Reid
(re-elected for 1982-1984)
Professional Development Officer - Carole Lane April 1980
Executive Director - Mr. Blake Lyons
Blake's strong background in Labour Relations and professional negotiation contributed much to the NWTTA's ever-growing strength until he retired in 1999. 1984-1988
President - Allan McDonald (elected; served two terms) 1988-1992
President - John Rouble
(first term elected by acclamation; re-elected for second term) July 13, 1990
Allan McDonald, former NWTTA President, elected President Designate
of the Canadian Teachers' Federation
Allan was the first CTF President from the Northwest Territories 1992
First AMCC held in the Eastern Arctic was hosted in Iqaluit 1992-1996
President - Jim Gilbert
(first term elected by acclamation; re-elected for second term) 1996-2000
President - Pat Thomas (elected; served two terms)
Pat was a member of the Government of the Northwest Territories' bargaining unit and taught in Fort McPherson and Hay River. Challenges faced by President Thomas were in the labour relations area. These were resolved either at the table, by court action or by work stoppage. March 1997
Special ballot held by the NWTTA membership to decide on the NWTTA's future in response to the historic decision to divide the Northwest Territories April 1997
In preparation for the upcoming division of the Northwest Territories into two distinct jurisdictions - the NWT and Nunavut, NWTTA members voted to divide the NWTTA into two organizations:
1. Northwest Territories Teachers’ Association (West)
2. Federation of Nunavut Teachers (East) January 1998
NWTTA launched pilot Public Relations campaign in Yellowknife with the support of its partners Northern News Services Limited and First Air:
NWTTA Thank You for Making a Difference (TYFMAD) ~ TYFMAD 4-week campaign developed as a proactive response to much
negative press about teachers
~ TYFMAD designed by Yellowknife educator and NWTTA Public Relations/Communications volunteer, Gayla Meredith, with the goal
of increasing public awareness about the positve contributions
NWT educators make in the lives of their students
~ Students asked to submit entries thanking their teachers
for making a difference
~ Original entries returned to the educators they were written
about during NWT Education Week
~ Yellowknife educator Amanda Mallon's name drawn from amongst
29 entries to win a First Air flight for two to any First Air destination
(Note: by 2010 close to 16,000 messages of thanks would reach NWT teachers)
~ Partners agree to support the launch of an NWT-wide campaign in 1999 April 1, 1999
The Northwest Territories separated into the two territories of Nunavut (East) and the Northwest Territories (West) June 1, 1999
Executive Director hired - Dave Roebuck
Dave brought his strong background in Labour Relations, Collective Bargaining, Professional Negotiation and Administrative Skills to his new role with the NWTTA. January 2000
President Pat Thomas led the first NWT public sector strike.
Althougth a difficult time for NWT teachers, NWTTA members showed resolve and grit by demanding the employer address their issues. During her time in office, President Thomas:
~ Ensured two viable teacher associations were created as a result of NWT division in 1999 (one in the Northwest Territories and one in Nunavut)
~ Maintained a relationship of respect with the employers of NWT teachers
~ Focused on proactive Public Relations with and for teachers,
with parents and other partners in education
~ Advocated for the membership to ensure the rights of members
were protected and defined In this first year after NWT division and the creation of Nunavut, the Federation of Nunavut Teachers joined the NWTTA with its 3rd annual
Thank You for Making a Difference (TYFMAD) campaign
which now evolved into a Pan-Northern initiative. 2000-2004
First-ever Territorial-wide election saw David Murphy elected President (elected first term; acclaimed second term) Before accepting his new postion, David taught for the Yellowknife Catholic School Board. Note: Prior to this 2000 election, all members of Central Executive,
including the NWTTA President, were elected by delegates at the
Annual Meeting of Central Councilors (AMCC) each spring. President Murphy’s work significantly improved things for the membership by ensuring that the NWTTA provided strong and effective representation to members and represented members in a highly ethical and professional manner. 2000/2004 Office Staff:
Executive Director - Dave Roebuck
Central Professional Improvement Coordinator - Shirley Bibby
Office Secretary - Nicole Ash 2004-2008
President - Amanda Mallon
(elected first term; acclaimed second term)
Positive change in a number of areas resulted during the four years
of President Mallon’s leadership, including:
~ Revision and updating of Communication strategies
~ Expansion of the NWTTA website saw improved service to members with interactive forms and links to teacher information and resources
~ Growth of the NWTTA newsletter, with input from members, saw the newsletter printed in colour and paid for with income from advertisers
~ Great strides made in Safe School Strategies. The annual School Lockdown Plans survey revealed significant progress over the past four years in NWT schools in their efforts to create and practice strategies that work for them. Another survey
in the spring of 2008 entitled “How Safe Are Our Educators?” gathered useful
information from NWTTA members that will prove to be very useful
for the Association in further work in this area.
~ Annual meetings of The Northern Teachers’ Council (NTC), comprised of the
presidents and executive directors of the Yukon Teachers’ Association (YTA),
the Nunavut Teachers’ Association (NTA) and the NWTTA, saw the three northern organizations work together on a number of shared initiatives,
particularly in terms of Safe Schools. In the spring of 2008, the NTC launched
a joint poster campaign based on the 2007 NTA campaign “Keep Learning Safe’. Summer 2005
First full-time Professional Development Coordinator hired - Colleen Eckert Colleen immediately set to work improving services to members. As a result of Colleen's efforts, statistics revealed a significant increase in NWTTA members accessing PD services. Planning began in earnest for the 2009 (first-ever) Territorial Teachers' Conference entitled “Our Students, Our North, Our Successes” July 2007
NWTTA President Mallon elected as one of the four Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) Vice Presidents June 2008
NWTTA hosted the CTF Annual Presidents’ meeting in Yellowknife 2008-2012
President - David Reid (acclaimed for two consecutive terms)
David, a long-time northern educator, taught at Samuel Hearne Secondary School in Inuvik early in his career before becoming school principal. He lived in Inuvik with his family for more than 25 years before moving to Hay River, where he served as Vice Principal at Diamond Jeness Secondary School prior to taking on his role as NWTTA President. February 16-18, 2009
First-ever territorial-wide NWTTA Teachers' Territorial Conference held in Yellowknife after 4 years of meetings, planning and organization. Attended by 900 delegates, this successful PD opportunity sponsored by partnerships among the NWTTA, the GNWT Department of Education, Culture and Employment, First Air and First Student Canada. The conference was organized by NWTTA Professional Development Coordinator, Colleen Eckert who brought the long-held vision to life with her dedicated Conference Team of NWTTA member-volunteers. This dynamic NWTTA Teachers' Conference offered NWT educators:
~ 64 Exhibitors and booths
~ An Education Panel Discussion
~ 2 Keynotes
~ 5 Plenaries
~ 144 Regular Sessions/Workshops February 18, 2009 - 4:30 PM
NWTTA members rallied at the NWT Legislative Assembly in support of a public outcry to challenge the Government of the Northwest Territories and the Honourable Michael Milltenberger's efforts to move forward with NWT Board Reform in the absense of public consultation with stakeholders. April 2009
First full-time NWTTA Coordinator - Member Services hired - Gayla Meredith
to begin work in mid August under a 2-year secondment agreement with Yellowknife Education District No.1. This agreement was further extended by one year (2011-2012).
Gayla brought with her a background that included 10 years of classroom teaching and 3 years as a Communications Officer - both for YK1, numerous years of volunteer communications work for the NWTTA and her experience writing and publishing an information book on the Canadian diamond industry. March 2010 Central Executive Election Results
Term of Office begins July 1, 2010
President - David Reid, Yellowknife (acclaimed for another 2-year Term); Vice President - Shane Brewster, Inuvik (1-year Term); Secretar/Treasurer - Fraser Oliver, Yellowknife (acclaimed; 1-year Term); Member-at-Large - Marnie Villeneuve, Fort Smith (1-year Term) March 2011 Central Executive Election Results
Term of Office begins July 1, 2011
Vice President - Shane Brewster, Inuvik (1-year Term); Secretary/Treasurer - Fraser Oliver, Yellowknife (acclaimed; 1-year Term); Member-at-Large - Marnie Villeneuve, Fort Smith (1-year Term); No election held for President David Reid, of Yellowknife who continues in his 2-year term of office. July 2011
Construction begins on two new offices for the NWTTA building. March 2012 Central Executive Election Results
Term of Office begins July 1, 2012
(all member-elected positions now 2-year terms)
President – Gayla Meredith, Yellowknife; Vice President - Fraser Oliver, Yellowknife; Secretary/Treasurer - Marnie Villeneuve, Fort Smith; Member-at-Large – Robbie Craig, Behchoko
Chronological List of NWTTA Presidents - Past to Present
Note: Dates signify term in office (July 1 to June 30) - 1953-1959 Norman McCowan Sr.
- 1959-1961 Don W. Hepburn
- 1961-1965 Norman McCowan Sr.
- 1965-1967 John Scott
- 1967-1970 James Maher
- 1970-1972 Robert Jenkins
- 1972-1974 Philip J. Caswell
- 1974-1975 Brendan Dunphy
- 1975-1976 Ernest Comerford
- 1976-1979 Al Wolitski
- 1979-1980 Ann Davies
- 1980-1984 Christopher Reid
- 1984-1988 Allan McDonald
- 1988-1992 John Rouble
- 1992-1996 Jim Gilbert
- 1996-2000 Patricia Thomas
- 2000-2004 David Murphy
- 2004-2008 Amanda Mallon
- 2008-Present David Reid
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