The federation recently held its annual meeting in Toronto. Honorary life memberships, the federation’s highest form of recognition, are given to members who have retired from the education profession and who have given outstanding service to the federation.
Ms. Burkett began her teaching career in 1978 at Moosonee Public School where she taught Grade 4. The majority of her teaching career was spent at New Liskeard Public School teaching in the primary and junior divisions, core French and library.
The educator served the Temiskaming Women Teachers’ Association in many capacities during her career, beginning in 1981 as Key Teacher, Status of Women Chair, vice president and president. She continued to serve ETFO as president of the Ontario North East Teacher Local.
At the provincial level, Ms. Burkett served as chair of ETFO’s Status of Women Committee from 1998 to 2001. She was elected to the provincial executive in 2001 where she served as an executive member for four years and as vice-president from 2005 to 2009. She was a member of the task force to study the restructuring of school boards and the Member Survey Task Force.
As ETFO’s vice-president, Ms. Burkett was able to focus on issues of equity and social justice, to support strong collective bargaining and foster environmental responsibility.
She joined women from around the world during the 2000 World March of Women in New York City, attended Education International in Berlin in 2007, was a delegate at the 53rd session of the United Nation’s Commission on the Status of Women, and was a participant in the Governor General’s Leadership Program in 2008.
“As president of the teacher local in Ontario North East, Barb was instrumental in helping to build a strong local that spanned most of North-eastern Ontario,” said ETFO President Sam Hammond. “As a member of the provincial executive, she worked to advance the rights of women and girls in Ontario and throughout the world.”
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario represents 76,000 elementary public school teachers and education workers across the province and is the largest teacher federation in Canada.
