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Louis Robitaille
Executive Staff Officer – Research, Governance, and Policy
lrobitaille@staff.nstu.ca

Annual Council

Policy Review 2027

NSTU Policy Procedures Booklet • English | French

NSTU Policy Review Comment Sheet – Fillable PDF

NSTU Guidebook Excerpt

Section VI – General

POLICY Section VI – General

1. Appropriate Online Cyberconduct

Electronic communication and online activity are prevalent in our education system and the community-at-large. As such, the NSTU holds the following beliefs in regards to cyberconduct:

    1. Appropriate cyberconduct is the ethical, legal, and positive manner in which we conduct ourselves online and is part of ensuring a safe learning and working environment for our educational sites.
    2. Inappropriate cyberconduct should be discouraged and acted upon swiftly and decisively.
    3. Education is an essential part of promoting appropriate cyberconduct.
    4. Ensuring appropriate cyberconduct is a shared responsibility between educational stakeholders, government departments and agencies, and the community-at-large.

Reference: Resolution 2008-NB1, Reaffirmed 2009-104, Amended 2015-66, 2018-73, Reaffirmed January 2021

2. Commercialism in Schools

The NSTU believes that, in all but the most limited cases, Public Schools should be free of commercial enterprises, including but not limited to advertising, franchising, and for-profit businesses. As such, the NSTU believes:

    1. access to students must only occur with proof of sound educational objectives;
    2. commercial advertising aimed at children should be banned on Public School properties and school buses;
    3. commercial enterprise must not exploit students as a captive audience;
    4. sponsorship agreements must be consistent with sound educational values;
    5. sponsorship acknowledgement should only be made in appropriate ways; and,
    6. commercially sponsored classroom and curricular materials should be clearly marked as such.

Reference: Resolution 2019-45, Reaffirmed January 2021

3. Designation of Staff Rooms

The NSTU believes that educational site staff rooms should be designated for use of staff, according to the wishes of the educational site staff.

Reference: Resolution 2001-111, Reaffirmed 2004-89, 2009-85, January 2015, Amended 2021-95

4. Ethical Purchasing

The NSTU believes in the values of fair trade, environmental sustainability, and ethical principles. As such, the NSTU encourages its Members to, and wherever reasonably possible will, purchase goods and services that come from suppliers/producers which:

    1. follow labour standards which include, but are not limited to:
      1. compensating with fair wages and benefits,
      2. practicing equal pay for work of equal value,
      3. excluding child or forced labour,
      4. complying with local and national health and safety standards,
      5. complying with local and national human rights, discrimination, harassment and abuse regulations,
      6. allowing for freedom of association;
    2. follow environmental sustainability standards which include, but are not limited to:
      1. complying with local and national environment laws and regulations,
      2. incorporating high quality renewable or recyclable materials that can be repaired, reused, or upgraded as required,
      3. minimizing single-use items,
      4. minimizing toxicity of air, water, and soil, and
      5. minimizing its effect on climate change;
    3. are Nova Scotian or Canadian; and,
    4. are unionized.

Reference: Resolution 2002-119, Amended 2004-79, 2007-40, 2010-16, Reaffirmed January 2016, Amended 2019-8, 2021-98

5. Freedom of Association and the Right to Strike

The NSTU firmly believes in the freedom of association and the right of collective bargaining as guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The NSTU vehemently opposes strike-breaking methodologies, including but not necessarily limited to:

    1. legislated contracts or legislated wage and benefit packages;
    2. back-to-work legislation;
    3. legislation classifying workers as essential services; and,
    4. the use of replacement workers during a legal strike.

Reference: Resolution 2001-112, Reaffirmed 2004-93, Amended 2009-101, Reaffirmed January 2015, Amended 2015-64, 2021-103

6. Internal to the NSTU – Occupational Health and Safety

    1. Health and safety in the workplace is a shared responsibility.
    2. The NSTU, as an employer, is responsible for protecting its employees by ensuring a safe workplace, free from occupational health and safety hazards.
    3. Employees are responsible to work safely and to report hazardous conditions to their supervisor.
    4. Occupational hazards include, but are not limited to:
      1. situations which may cause an immediate acute illness or injury;
      2. situations where prolonged exposure may cause a progressive illness or injury; and,
      3. environments which may aggravate existing ailments.
    5. Employees who become ill or are injured due to occupational hazards in the workplace shall receive the full support of the NSTU.
    6. The NSTU, shall establish and maintain procedures in keeping with the Occupational Health and Safety Act to ensure incidents of workplace injury and illness are mitigated (as much as possible), reported, documented, and dealt with efficiently and effectively.

Reference: Resolution 2010-42, Reaffirmed January 2015, Amended 2019-61, Reaffirmed January 2021

7. Internal to the NSTU – Respectful Workplace

    1. The NSTU, as an employer as well as a Member organization, has a responsibility to ensure a safe work environment free from abuse/harassment. Abuse and harassment include, but are not limited to:
      1. physical, verbal, emotional, and mental abuse;
      2. sexual harassment;
      3. bullying, including cyberbullying; and,
      4. intimidation.
    2. The NSTU shall recognize that employees and/or Members may experience abuse/harassment by fellow staff and/or Members.
    3. NSTU employees or Members subjected to abuse/harassment shall receive the full support of the NSTU.
    4. The NSTU, in accordance with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act, shall establish and maintain procedures to ensure incidents of abuse/harassment are mitigated (as much as possible), reported, documented, and dealt with efficiently and effectively.

Reference: Resolution 2001-108, Amended 2004-92, 2009-98, Reaffirmed January 2015, Amended 2019-62, Reaffirmed January 2021

8. International Peace

Peace is not merely the absence of war. To be genuine and lasting, peace must be shared equally by all the peoples of the world. Attaining international peace is inextricably tied to respecting individual human rights, creating an equitable international economic order, obtaining gender-equity in educational rights, and protecting the environment. Further, the NSTU holds the following beliefs:

    1. violence and abuse of power must never be used to solve conflicts;
    2. children have the right to live, grow, and develop in a world free of war and the aftermath of armed conflict;
    3. children must never be used as child soldiers; and,
    4. education and health care must be fundamental rights of all people of the world.

Reference: Resolution 2023-46

9. Medicare

The NSTU believes that health care is an essential component of social services that should be provided to all Nova Scotians permitting them to fully participate in society. The fundamentals of a publicly funded, high quality, universal, broadbased, accessible, inclusive medicare system helps to promote healthy living, addresses child and family poverty, reduces barriers of inclusion, and enhances economic growth. Moreover, healthy children are better equipped to learn, and healthy teachers have greater fortitude to endure their challenging vocation.

Reference: Reaffirmed 1999-70, Amended 2002-122, 2004-82, 2009-89, 2015-61, 2021-97

10. National Unity

The NSTU supports the concept of national unity.

Reference: Resolution 2001-109, Reaffirmed 2004-83, 2009-90, January 2015, January 2021

11. Networking with Francophone Teachers Associations/Organizations

The NSTU recognizes the importance of communication with other Canadian Francophone teachers’ associations as well as the Francophone Services division of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation.

Reference: Resolution 2001-107, Amended 2004-91, 2009-97, Reaffirmed January 2015, Amended 2021-99

12. Persons with Disabilities

The NSTU, in recognition of its support for the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act, acknowledges the definition of physical and mental disabilities as given in the Act. Further, the NSTU believes that it is incumbent upon its Members to model appropriate practices that demonstrate respect for the abilities of persons with disabilities.

Reference: Resolution 2001-104, Amended 2004-84, Reaffirmed 2009-91, January 2015, Amended 2021-100

13. Physical Necessities be Made Available

There are certain minimal physical necessities which all Members must have available in their workplaces i.e., staff and gender-neutral washrooms.

Reference: Resolution 2000-101, Reaffirmed 2004-85, 2009-92, Amended 2015-62, Reaffirmed January 2021

14. Pornography

    1. The NSTU is opposed to the downloading, importation, manufacture, distribution, sale, broadcast, or public display of child pornography, in any form.
    2. NSTU Members should not access pornographic material, in any form at any time:
      1. using employer provided technology or access; or,
      2. at work sites.

Reference: Resolution 2001-110, Amended 2004-86, 2009-93, 2015-63, Reaffirmed January 2021

15. Small Community Schools

The NSTU recognizes the vital importance of small community schools and supports their continued operation.

Reference: Resolution 2001-102, Reaffirmed 2004-77, Amended 2009-84, Reaffirmed January 2015, Amended 2021-93

16. Unceded Territory Recognition

The NSTU recognizes that we live and work on unceded Mi’kmaq territory, that we are privileged to be together in Mi’kma’ki, that we are all treaty people, and that we wish to acknowledge this relationship.

Reference: Resolution 2017-55, Reaffirmed January 2021


Contact Us
Louis Robitaille
Executive Staff Officer – Research, Governance, and Policy
lrobitaille@staff.nstu.ca
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