The Retired Teachers of Ontario/Les enseignantes et enseignants retraités de l’Ontario (RTO/ERO) began as The Superannuated Teachers of Ontario (STO), which was formally created on March 13 and 14, 1968 during the organization’s first meeting of Senate, RTO/ERO’s governing body.
The organization was made possible by a committee of superannuated (retired) teachers, working under the auspices of the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF), who were seeking a more equitable assessment by the provincial government of the pensions received by them and to organize a retired organization to make this happen.
The birth of the organization is documented by its first president, Art McAdam, in his piece “The Birth of STO/ERO” (PDF) and in this excerpt from a 1988 interview in English with Dr. Robert Lamb, STO/ERO historian.
The organization changed its name to RTO/ERO in 1998 to better reflect the change in popular and government language. The government of Ontario folded such organizations as the Superannuation Commission into the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and the Teachers’ Superannuation Act became the Teachers’ Pension Act.
The First Four Decades
A four-part history of RTO/ERO’s first four decades was published in the organization’s magazine Renaissance in 2008 and can be downloaded in PDF format in English or French.
- Series introduction: A Brief Glimpse at our Beginnings and The Birth of STO/ERO
- 1968-1978: A decade of firsts
- 1978-1988: Second to none
- 1988-1998: First rate in our third decade
- 1998-2008: Moving fourth
RTO/ERO’s early history is also captured in the following PDF document (available only in English):
- The First Generation: The Superannuated Teachers of Ontario 1968-1988 by Dr. Robert Lamb, District 24, Scarborough & East York
A History of our Districts
Find out more about the history of RTO/ERO's districts in the PDF version of the History of our Districts.
A History of Leadership
A slideshow (PDF) produced in English for RTO/ERO’s 40th anniversary commemorates the men and women who have served this organization as our Presidents and Secretary-Treasurers/Executive Directors.
Contact Us
If you are seeking material about RTO/ERO and its history, including past publications or photos, please contact a member of the communications department at our Provincial Office.
Commemorative Booklet (available for download)
Click the image to download and view the RTO/ERO 50th Anniversary commemorative booklet.