McMaster Parking Services is moving to building T32 Room 106 (building adjacent to the McMaster Children's Centre).  The E.T. Clarke office location will be closed starting Friday, October 11 and will reopen on Tuesday, October 22 at its new location in T32. 

Drivers are encouraged to update account information, purchase term permits or pay tickets online. The Campus Store parking office in the basement of Gilmour Hall (GH B101) will remain open during the closure for the move of the ETC-102 office to T32-106. All parking related services are available at this location.

In-person Lost and Found services will not be available during this time. Any inquiries may be directed to seclost@mcmaster.ca or 905-525-9140 extension 24281.

Additional information on the move is available at https://parking.mcmaster.ca/documents/move_2019.pdf

CURAC has joined with seven other national retiree organizations to engage in a non-partisan role in the current federal election campaign which ends on the formal voting day (October 21). 

The goal is ensure that the following issues are on the public agenda: a national pharmacare program, post-retirement income security, and the general issue of a national strategy for seniors. This is intended to assist members to participate in the campaign if they wish to do so. You can find the article on the Vibrant Voices campaign at https://www.curac.ca/newsletters/curacarucc-nl/nl-summer2019/vibrant-voices-advocating-for-retirees/.

Vibrant Voices has developed a few questions for each of the three priority issues that may be useful in all-candidates meetings, in letters to candidates, or when engaging with candidates or volunteer canvassers at the door. For a fuller briefing on each issue, see information sheets at  https://www.rto-ero.org/sites/default/files/vibrant-voices-lp/fact-sheet/Vibrant_Voices-info-sheets.pdf .

For those who wish to connect with other advocates working at the local level, please follow these links:

• The Provincial Contact List of the National Federal Association of Retirees (NAFR)
• The District Contact List of the Retired Teachers of Ontario (RTO)

Prioritize Pharmacare Questions

1. How will your party implement a universal, public, comprehensive, accessible and portable pharmacare program?
2. What timeline does your party propose for the implementation of a universal, public pharmacare program?
3. How will your party ensure that federal and provincial governments work together effectively to implement universal, public pharmacare?
4. How will your party ensure a comprehensive, quality, evidence-based formulary, so that Canadian’s can access the medications they need to maintain and improve their health?

Make Retirement Income More Secure Questions

1. What is your party’s retirement income security plan for seniors now and for future generations?
2. How will you ensure employees and retirees with defined benefit pensions are protected if their employer goes bankrupt?
3. How will your party support defined benefit pension plans?
4. In 2016, the federal government introduced Bill C-27, legislation that would allow employers to cut accrued or earned defined benefit pensions. What is your party’s position on this legislation and this approach?

Implement A National Seniors Strategy Questions

1. How will your party implement a National Seniors Strategy that addresses health care infrastructure, caregiver support, home care, long-term care and age-friendly communities?
2. How will your party ensure that quality, safe and adequately funded home, community and long-term care options are available to meet the needs of our aging population?
3. How will your party recognize and support unpaid caregivers who play a vital role in our health care systems?
4. How will your party support health care and personal support professionals to better meet the growing need for geriatric expertise in Canada?

McMaster signed the Okanagan Charter in 2017.

This Charter is an International Charter for Health Promoting Universities & Colleges. The purpose of the Okanagan Charter is to provide guidance and inspiration by providing a framework to promote the importance of health and well-being on higher education institutions.

The new McMaster Okanagan website https://okanagan.mcmaster.ca launched yesterday.

It is a resource for all members of McMaster community to help locate existing resources, programs, research and educational opportunities in health and well-being.

Please direct question or comments to okanagan@mcmaster.ca

More info: https://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/articles/mcmaster-answers-global-call-to-promote-health-of-people-places-planet

CURAC's Post-Conference Newsletter (Summer Edition) has been published. A printer-friendly PDF version is available here, and an easy-to-read web version, where you can open and print individual articles, is available here. Previous editions of the Newsletter are archived here.

The highlights of the Summer Edition include:

The expert presentations at the annual conference were both entertaining and enlightening, and the Newsletter includes brief reports on several of the talks:

Speaking of newsletters, CURAC's new affinity partner, TripMerchant, recently published its first newsletter designed for CURAC members. You can read great articles on travel, such as the current one about Colombia, by Ryan Micucki and Tom MacLean, and learn about many upcoming tours and discounts. Those who have subscribed will have received an email informing them about the newsletter. CURAC members can subscribe by visiting the TripMerchant website, which can be accessed from the CURAC site.

MURA member librarians and library TMG retirees:

This message is being forwarded to you from CURAC, the College and University Retiree Associations of Canada.

To CURAC/ARUCC member associations:

Our friends at Academics Without Borders have asked us to share the following volunteer opportunity with you.

Academics Without Borders is looking for a librarian to go to the University of Central Asia (in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) on a project to assist its library staff to fully utilize the Integrated Library Management Software “OCLC WMS Worldshare”. The staff need expert support and training from an experienced systems librarian in order to obtain full understanding and competence in the use of the software. The full listing for this volunteer opportunity can be found here: https://www.awb-usf.org/library-science-at-university-of-central-asia/. We welcome both current and retired faculty and staff members to apply.

Deadline for Applications:  November 12, 2019

Please direct any questions to:

Mindy Gordon
Executive Officer & Board Secretary
Academics Without Borders/Universitaires sans frontières
mgordon@awb-usf.org

Do you want to meet new people of all ages? Are you interested in sharing your story? Do you want to participate in casual social gatherings? 

Starting this September, the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA), together with Residence Life Services at McMaster University, will begin offering intergenerational social programming on campus. This programming will give older adults and undergraduate students in residence the opportunity to socialize, build new relationships, and learn more about each other. 

For more information, please contact Allison Ward at warda2@mcmaster.ca or 905-525-9140 ext. 21428.

Please note that MIRA will reimburse participants for parking expenses for the length of the program (e.g. 2 hour passes).