Laura Edlund

Now offering writing, editing, plain language, presentation, workshop, ghostwriting, and consultation services and working as a Patient Education Specialist at UHN (University Health Network, in Toronto) as a casual contractor to edit plain language materials. 

For governments, non-governmental organizations, non-profits, professionals (health professionals, lawyers, teachers and instructors, and others), book publishers and other organizations,  businesses, and individuals, I provide a wide range of services to meet the specific needs of each client and their audience. I focus on plain language, education, and stories.

To find out more about my services and their benefits for you, please see my web site, my blog on that site, and LinkedIn posts as well as this profile.

To each project, I bring the experience of working freelance, in business, and on staff in large and small organizations. And I take ongoing professional development seriously—for example, by presenting the Accessibility Standards Canada national plain language standard (released on October 13, 2025) to others,  serving on the technical committee for that standard from 2020 to 2025,  and taking online courses at Simon Fraser University.

Clients and employers (past and present) include UHN (University Health Network), TVO, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the federal government, Scholastic Canada, the Ottawa Light Rail Transit Commission, the Red Hill Valley Parkway commission, Pearson Canada, the Insurance Institute of Canada, Inhabit Education, Kativik Ilisarniliriniq (the school board of Nunavik, Inuit territory in northern Quebec), GoodMinds, JUMP Math, Oxford University Press, the Art Canada Institute, Nelson, Ivey Publishing at the Ivey Business School in the University of Western Ontario, various provincial departments and agencies, nonprofits, corporations, and individual authors.

My specialties include:

– helping subject matter experts present their knowledge with clarity and focus for their intended audiences and to meet their objectives

– editing text to make it understandable and useful for intended audiences

– developing and editing standards, and writing and editing to meet standards

– fact-checking

– editing multiple-author manuscripts to develop a clear, cohesive, consistent publication

– writing, structural editing, and stylistic editing for plain language, accessibility, and sensitivity

– writing, editing, and planning for publications in multiple languages

– working with large teams and multiple reviews for complex publications (e.g., legal and technical subjects)

– evaluating manuscripts (fiction and nonfiction, for adults and for teens and children) in development for their authors and for publishers

– research, writing, and editing for memoirs, biography, and other nonfiction

– working with text and visuals to improve reader and user experiences

– consulting about best practices and efficient ways to meet client goals and audience needs

I am a member of Editors Canada and PLAIN (Plain Language Association International); use the ASC-3-1:2025 Plain language standard and the ISO 24495-1 Plain language Part 1: Governing principles and guidelines in my work; have passed the Editors Canada certification exams for excellence in Structural Editing and Stylistic Editing; and draw on my extensive experience and formal education (University of Toronto, BA English Literature; Centennial College, Book Editing and Design program; Simon Fraser University, Plain Language program). 

New and repeat clients, please get in touch so that we can book time to work together to meet your goals.  (updated: May 27, 2026)