Treasurer - Michel Derikx
Michel Derikx began his 30-plus-year teaching career in 1989.
A married father of three, Michel met his wife Patricia during the days of political protest against the Mike Harris government. He has been a continuous member of the Provincial Executive for the past six years and is serving a third consecutive term as Provincial Treasurer.
After graduating with an Honours B.A. (Double Major Political Science and History) from York University, Michel moved to Québec where he obtained his teaching certification from Université Laval. He has also earned a B. Ed from York University and an M. Ed from OISE that focused on curriculum development.
Michel became involved in the Association and teachers’ rights early in his teaching career as a member of the Dufferin-Peel Elementary Unit. First working as an Association Representative, and then moving onto a variety of committees, he was honoured to serve the Unit from 1997 to 2000 as Grievance and Teacher Welfare Officer, and Chief Negotiator.
Michel has taught in all elementary divisions, in a variety of classroom and non-classroom roles. He currently works in the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board as an FSL and Planning Time teacher. He has served the local Hamilton-Wentworth Unit on committees, as well as on the Unit Executive as a Councillor, Second Vice-President, and First Vice-President, before being elected to the Provincial Executive in 2015.
Alongside his responsibilities on provincial committees, and as Provincial Treasurer, Michel proudly serves OECTA as a member of the CTF Advisory Committee on Human Rights and Diversity, as well as a member of the OFL Persons with a Disability Committee.
Michel relishes the opportunity to travel, especially in his mother’s native Belgium, his father’s homeland of the Netherlands, and his wife’s beloved Ireland. Michel is an active member of Canadian Martyrs Parish in Hamilton. He is also an avid produce gardener, having been raised on a farm, and enjoys riding his Yamaha Seca II motorcycle.