FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto, June 24, 2024—The Editors’ Association of Canada (Editors Canada) has announced that Berna Ozunal (she/her) of Ottawa, Ontario, is the recipient of the 2024 Lee d’Anjou Volunteer of the Year Award.
Ozunal was the driving force behind the 2024 edition of Editors Canada’s Professional Editorial Standards Editors Canada recognized the need to revise the Standards to adequately reflect the diverse nature of editing work and the many sectors that editors now work in. It was imperative that editors in Canada see their work reflected in the Standards and that they and their clients can meaningfully use the Standards. It was also important to make sure they aligned with other related releases, such as the ISO plain language standard.
It’s no surprise that Ozunal took on this bold challenge. Time and time again she has shown her dedication to the editing profession, serving as vice-chair of Editors Toronto in 2012 and holding several national roles within Editors Canada. This includes multiple terms on the national executive council where she oversaw publications, webinars, professional certification and standards. She earned her Certified Professional Editor credential in 2018.
Leading the team that did the hard work on updating Professional Editorial Standards, she built an open, productive process, which Editors Canada can now use to keep the Standards up to date. And by taking on this monumental task, she has given editors across the country Standards that they can see themselves in and that they can truly apply to their work.
The 2024 edition of Professional Editorial Standards is available as a free download from Editors Canada.
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About Editors Canada
Lee d’Anjou is a founding member of the Freelance Editors’ Association of Canada and remains a guiding force in the association now known as Editors Canada. She is a champion of professional standards of editing, a pioneer of the association’s certification program, and one of the association’s most recognized and outstanding volunteers.
Additional information about the President’s Award for Volunteer Service and the Lee d’Anjou Volunteer of the Year Award can be found on the Editors Canada website.
Editors Canada began in 1979 as the Freelance Editors’ Association of Canada to promote and maintain high standards of editing. In 1994, the word “Freelance” was dropped to reflect the association’s expanding focus to serve both freelance and in-house editors. As Canada’s only national editorial association, it is the hub for 1,300 members and affiliates, both salaried and freelance, who work in the corporate, technical, government, not-for-profit and publishing sectors. The association’s professional development programs and services include professional certification, an annual conference, seminars, webinars, and networking with other associations. Editors Canada has four regional branches: British Columbia; Toronto; Ottawa–Gatineau; and Quebec, as well as smaller branches (called twigs) in Atlantic Canada, Barrie, Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton-Halton, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph and Manitoba.
Media contact
Michelle Ou (she/elle)
Senior Communications Manager
Editors Canada
communications@editors.ca