Our Story...

Your ARM/MRA Chapter 25 - Core Group Executive

What is ARM/MRA?

In 1996, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF/FEESO) established a new type of membership specifically for Active Retired Members (ARM)/Membres Retraités Actifs (MRA). For a $50 annual fee, ARM/MRA allows retired members to remain actively involved politically and socially with their colleagues. The fee is charged by OSSTF/FEESO each January. If you join ARM/MRA mid-year, the fee is waived until the following January.

Chapter

Each chapter is required to have an Executive of at least four members consisting of a President, Secretary, Treasurer (or Secretary/Treasurer), and one other member.

Chapter 25 has chosen to operate with a Core Group Executive. This means we are served by a dedicated team of volunteers who meet approximately five times each year to guide the activities and direction of the Chapter.

For the 2025–2026 year, the following members have generously volunteered their time to serve on the Chapter 25 Executive:

• Cathy Bailey

• Bruce Baker

• Jeff Barber

• Cheryl Cavell

• Terry Gamble

• Judy Miller

• Clare O'Connell Noon

• Les Robinson

• Norma Sharkey

• Dina van den Hanenberg

During Chapter 25's third year, the District Presidents of District 27 (Limestone), District 28 (Renfrew), and District 26 (Upper Canada) recognized that, because of the geography of their districts, it would be difficult to establish separate ARM/MRA Chapters. To ensure retired members in those districts could enjoy the benefits of local ARM/MRA membership, they agreed to join with District 25 (Ottawa-Carleton) to form what is now Chapter 25, representing members across Limestone, Ottawa-Carleton, Renfrew, and Upper Canada.

​

Today, our Core Group continues to reflect that regional partnership. Bruce Baker represents the Limestone area, Jeff Barber represents Renfrew and the Upper Ottawa Valley, and Dina van den Hanenberg and Norma Sharkey provide leadership and support across the Upper Canada region. We are also fortunate to have Executive members representing both the former Carleton Board of Education and the former Ottawa Board of Education, ensuring a broad range of perspectives and experiences in serving our members.