“The Voice of Edmonton Retired Teachers”
In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, and Beatlemania was launched with the release of “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. There was a lot going on because that was also when ERTA was born!
Since its inception, the Retired Teachers of Edmonton (and since 1963 renamed the Edmonton Retired Teachers Association or ERTA) have been instrumental in lobbying the provincial government, seeking increases in pensions, as well as the development of a supportive health and benefit plan.
Previously, a teachers’ Pension Plan had been established in 1939 with equal contributions to the plan made by active teachers and the provincial government. The first pension cheque was received by a retired teacher in 1940, a very conservative sum in those days.
In the early 1950’s, a group of retired teachers in Edmonton had been meeting informally to pursue social interests, but later became focused on concerns over low pensions, medical insurance and hospital care. Their meetings eventually resulted in the formation of the Retired Teachers of Edmonton on November 14th, 1960.
At that time, Ben Hager presided at a meeting of the Retired Teachers of Edmonton to discuss the contents of a letter received from James Laing, president of the fledgeling group in Calgary, advising his colleagues in Edmonton of the intent of retired teachers residing in Calgary to formally organize to address the pension and medical insurance concerns the two groups shared.
In an exchange of letters between the Calgary and Edmonton associations, they pursued the idea of a permanent retired teachers organization with the primary objective being the overall welfare of all retired teachers in Alberta, and the need to speak with one voice on their behalf. The sentiment of a unified voice is still paramount today.
A visionary woman, Lillian Parnell, began writing letters (by hand in those days) to the 461 retired teachers in the province, encouraging them to join, for a $1 membership fee, the Retired Teachers of Alberta (RTA). The Edmonton committee paid the initial postage costs.
Soon after, a committee of retired teachers living in Edmonton began to lobby the provincial government, seeking an increase in pension income for those teachers who retired before 1948.
Pensions were very meagre at the time with retirees receiving only $65/mo. That’s about $850 in today’s dollars. (2025) As a result of the lobby, $65 increased to $110.
Our organization was getting stronger! Insurance was next. When an insurance group had been chosen in response to health care issues, RTA was required to recruit 75% of retired teachers (1500) in order to launch the plan. But the result of the letter writing only achieved 52%. Lillian then wrote 288 more letters! By 1962, the retired teachers’ medical plan was finally achieved. Primarily as a result of James Laing’s encouragement and Lillian Parnell’s letter-writing campaign, the 75% quota had been reached!
The Edmonton Retired Teachers’ Association (ERTA) is a charter branch of the Alberta Retired Teachers’ Association (ARTA). Both organizations were organized in 1963. The histories of both associations are closely interwoven.
The Retired Teachers of Alberta sprang from the union of the Retired Teachers of Edmonton, the Alberta Retired Teachers Association – Calgary Branch, the Retired Teachers Association (Lethbridge) and retirees in Medicine Hat. The title was later changed to ARTA. The charter that incorporated the Alberta Retired Teachers Association as a non-profit society under the Societies Act was issued on November 14, 1963.
The ARTA Health and Wellness Benefit Plan was launched, effective September 5, 1995, with an open enrollment for a limited time to get the plan established. It has grown from the 900 retired teachers that joined initially to over 30,000 education, public and private sector members who are plan policy-holders today! (2025) ARTA became self-insured on April 8, 2008, self-administered on January 1, 2021, and ARTARx, ARTA’s member-owned pharmacy, opened on February 1 2023!
ERTA members now meet for a luncheon four times a year. We also organize a variety of activities such as theatre outings, tours, wine tastings, and annual conferences; with plans for even more events of interest to our members. Newsletters are sent to all members quarterly.
Visionaries played a pivotal role in the establishment of ERTA and ARTA. Their commitment to the original concept has had a significant impact on how the association has evolved. The welfare of retired teachers was their primary concern, as was providing an influential voice locally and provincially along with the promotion of fellowship with other retired teachers.
Today, ARTA’s branches number 18 all over Alberta, as well as one in British Columbia.
We will forever be indebted to these people of vision for their hard work in setting the foundations of our present day organization.
To learn more about ARTA, visit www.arta.net