Clint Johnston acclaimed President of BC Teachers’ Federation

CLINT Johnston was on Tuesday acclaimed as President of the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) and its 49,000 members at the Federation’s 2022 Annual General Meeting.

Johnston has spent the past six years in Vice President positions on the BCTF Executive Committee, as well as one year as a member-at-large. He is currently serving as one of the Federation’s lead negotiators in this round of collective bargaining, and has previous experience bargaining at the local and national levels.

Prior to his provincial union work, he served as President of the Chilliwack Teachers’ Association for three years. Nationally, Johnston has served multiple consecutive terms as a Vice President of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) since he was first elected at the 2017 CTF Annual General Meeting.

Johnston turned to a career in education after losing a hand in a devastating workplace accident at the age of 23. He holds bachelor’s degrees in Human Kinetics and Education from the University of British Columbia. He spent the first five years of his teaching career in England before returning home to Chilliwack to work in a variety of elementary teaching roles for the next several years before being elected to his local executive.

Johnston and his wife, Holly, have five children—three of whom are still in BC’s K–12 public education system.

As he moves into the role of BCTF President, one of Johnston’s personal priorities is to continue raising awareness about BC’s critical teacher shortage and taking the necessary steps to address this pervasive issue that disproportionately affects students with diverse learning needs.

Johnston will take over from sitting president Teri Mooring when her third one-year term comes to an end on June 30. The BCTF has a long-standing practice that presidents serve for a maximum of three years, although they must seek re-election each year.