OTBU

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact the OTBU/UNION  

Email: julia.mccrea@d13.osstf.ca

Phone: 289-356-6979 

 Member Communications and Contact List   

• OTBU UPDATE Newsletters are sent regularly to OTBU members on the OTBU/union contact list.

• OTBU Member Contact List: Send an email message from your personal non-school board email to julia.mccrea@d13.osstf.ca indicating you are a secondary occasional teacher employed by DDSB currently and ask to be added to the list. If you are newly hired please add phone and mailing address information.  

Salary  

• Daily Occasional Teacher Supply rate for 2024-2025 is $279.30 per day.

• Salary grid pay rate as per the teacher’s Qualifications Evaluation Council of Ontario (QECO) Category Rating and years of experience is paid to teachers in an extended or long term occasional assignment of 10 days or longer if appropriate documentation submitted to DDSB Human Resources by annual deadlines and verified.

• Other Teaching Experience Related Trade and/ or Professional Experience Increases Salary Grid Placement: Teachers can be increasing their experience steps on the salary grid by submitting required documentation to the DDSB Human Resource department. It will be paid if submitted by the required deadlines and verified by DDSB.

AMPA Delegates 2025

Julia McCrea, Art Hanke and Natasha Sajo will be representing D13 OTBU at the next AMPA in March 2025. 

Benefits: See section 70 of the Central Collective Agreement 2022-2026

• ELHT Plan

OTBU Members within an LTO Occasional assignment of 90 calendar days or more can join the OSSTF benefits plan. If a teacher has back-to-back assignments or if the gap between assignments is less than nine (9) calendar days, the LTOs will be considered a continuation of the initial assignment in order to meet the 90-calendar day or longer eligibility. Eligibility is as of or retroactive to the first day in the assignment.

• Pay in Lieu of Benefits Plan

All Occasional Teachers who have worked at least 90 days in the secondary panel in the prior school year will be advised by DDSB Human Resources in August of each year of their eligibility to participate in the Benefits for Daily Occasional Teachers reimbursement plan for the subsequent year. The teacher must enroll in a benefit plan and submit a statement of annual costs of plan premiums to be paid for their selected plan to DDSB Human Resources by the deadline specified in August and submit quarterly verification of the plan. The DDSB will pay up to 50% of the annual premium up to the maximum specified by collective agreement ( $3218.60 in 2024-2025).

Benefits questions can be directed to the OTBU District 13 President Julia McCrea: julia.mccrea@d13.osstf.ca or ELHT or DDSB Human Resource Associates.

Retention Requirement - Staying on the List - Secondary Occasional Teacher Roster

• 20 days/assignments

Teachers who wish to remain on the Secondary Occasional Teachers List are now required to work a minimum of twenty days/assignments, This is to be interpreted as in any panel or any role with the DDSB.  Towards the end of each school year, the Board reviews the Roster to ensure that teachers are eligible to remain in the coming year. In addition to remaining a member in good standing of the OCT, there are three conditions that each teacher must meet in order to maintain their position on the DDSB Secondary Occasional Teacher Roster. These are: Maintain OCT membership including completion of the Sexual Abuse Prevention Program, complete the DDSB Supply Renewal form, and Annual or Current Offence Declaration forms by annual DDSB deadlines prior to end of school each May/June.

Extended and Long Term Occasional (LTO) Teaching Assignments

• Extended Occasional Teaching Assignment: 10 days

Teachers in extended teaching assignments are paid on the salary grid as of the 10th day of an assignment retroactive to the start date of the assignment.

• Long Term Occasional (LTO) Teaching Assignment: 30 days

DDSB is required to post and interview for positions where it is known that the absent teacher will be away for 30 days or more. Teachers in long term teaching assignments are paid on the salary grid as of the10th day of an assignment retroactive to the start date of the assignment. A teacher in an assignment that starts as daily, is extended to 30 days or more is in a rolling LTO assignment. The teacher can request for the assignment to be declared an LTO as of the 30 th day if notice of this is not received from DDSB human resources. See the local collective agreement section L.6.03 for more information.

Members in Distress – OSSTF/FEESO Benevolent Fund

The Provincial Benevolent Council receives, and reviews applications to provide assistance to active members who find themselves in extreme financial need due to: (a) prolonged illness; (b) accident; or (c) extreme emergency. More details can be found on the Benevolent Council page under the USEFUL INFORMATION menu on the District 13 OSSTF website.

Employment Insurance (E.I.)

Each 1.0 full teaching day you work is considered 8 hours of work, whether day to day, extended, or LTO by DDSB and is reported to Service Canada as required.

The number of hours required to qualify for employment insurance varies according to the unemployment rate in a region. Similarly, the number of hours accumulated determines the eligible number of weeks of EI Benefits. Click here to use the EI postal code search tool to confirm the number of hours required in each area.

School Boards send ROEs (Record of Employment) directly to EI for all teachers. Teachers can see them by logging onto their Service Canada account. They will be transferred after the last OT pay of the year, the third week in July. They are all transferred at the same time regardless of when your last day worked was.

Click here to review the information on Service Canada's EI main page before beginning an EI application.  For help and information, visit your local Service Canada office, or contact them at 1-800-206-7218.

Click here to go to the online EI Application site. 

Hiring

• Simplication

All hiring is being done through Apply to Education’s new Simplication website

• DDSB Hiring Guidelines

Since the provincial government repealed Regulation 274, each School Board has created their own hiring policies, in keeping with Policy/Program Memorandum (PPM) 165, available at www.ontario.ca. The DDSB Hiring Guidelines can be found on the DDSB Website in Spark, at  spark.ddsb.ca.

Professional Learning

OSSTF/FEESO offers opportunities for professional learning in addition to that provided by DDSB.

• New Paid PD in 2024-2025

The OTBU negotiated a 0.5 half day of paid professional development for eligible teachers who worked at least 80 days in the prior school year with DDSB. This will take place on the Board wide PD Day on March 31, 2025.

• Provincial Educational Services Workshops

These workshops are being offered evenings online by the OTBU in the current school year. Watch UPDATE Newsletters for registration information.

• Union Training Academy

Provincial OSSTF offers regular Online webinars for persons interested in becoming more involved and skilled at union work. Contact the OTBU/UNION for more information.

• Conference and Workshops

OSSTF/FEESO and other education and labour organizations offer opportunities or funding to attend as delegates/ alternates based on member application and specific funding criteria. Contact the OTBU for more information in relation to your interests.

• New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP)

Occasional teachers working their first two LTO contracts of 90 consecutive days are eligible to participate in the New Teacher Induction Program.  This program offers access to professional development opportunities as well as a mentor. Information on the NTIP program is on DDSB Spark using the following pages:

• NTIP
• Getting on Board

In particular, look for the document titled NTIP Resource Handbook. Page 5 of this document includes a flowchart showing eligibility for NTIP. To access pages posted on the Portal you will need to login using your computer username and password.

DDSB Procedure 5127: Management Process for Risk-of-Injury (Ri) Behaviours

This Board Procedure outlines the requirements and expectations for schools and staff regarding the management and documentation necessary for students with Risk-of-Injury (RI) Behaviours. Included are requirements to notify occasional staff as well. Of importance see section 8, Notification of RI Behaviours and Staff Absence. The document is on the DDSB staff website.

School Information

The following information may be useful: Area maps