In their March 2022 shareholder meeting, the BC Teachers Federation, voted to divest their $37.8 billion pension fund from fossil fuels by 2028.
This is exciting. Our BC teachers - the people that spend all day with our kids and understand the calamitous impact climate change is having on their future - decided to walk the talk and make sure their earnings are part of the solution, not the problem. In shedding their pension fund of all fossil fuel holdings, they are joining a growing number of universities, institutions, governments and individuals who want their savings to be used for smart, financial sound investments in line with their values.
Now they need our support. While the motion to divest was passed in 2022, and reaffirmed in 2023, action has been slow. Parent voices can help nudge the executive to follow through on the decision with concrete actions.
Here are three ways you can help BC teachers to keep this issue in the spotlight.
1. Got 5 mins and a phone?
A friendly phone call to your local BCTF rep will go a long way. You could say something like "Hi, I'm a parent in your school district. I heard that BCTF is divesting from fossil fuels. That's fantastic. Can I get an update on your progress so far?". That should be enough to keep the focus on this issue. You can find the phone number of your local representative here. If you prefer, you can also send a personal email asking about progress, though phone calls often stand out more.
2. Got just 30 seconds to click+send?
You can send a quick email to your union rep through these automatic email tools put together by Stand.Earth. You may want to personalize the letter to make it clear you are a parent and not a teacher.
To learn more about the BC Teachers Federation divestment initiative see bctfdivestnow.com or see this news article.
On behalf of BC teachers, thank you for taking action.
