EAC: National e-news update, June 19, 2009

News, events, tips and updates for members of the Editors’ Association of Canada

In this issue:

1. 30^th ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE: Down in history!
2. 2009 AGM: EAC members vote to increase membership fees
3. ELECTIONS: New national executive council and national committees
4. ACTIVE VOICE: Read the latest issue online
5. BRANCH NEWS: Saskatoon branch renamed
6. ONLINE DIRECTORY OF EDITORS: Renew your listing today
7. CONNECT WITH MEMBERS: Activate your Membership List profile
8. WEBSITE NEWS: EAC podcasts
9. PROMOTE YOURSELF: Updated member website logo
10. GROUP BENEFITS: Where to find the information you’re looking for

---

1. 30^th ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE: Down in history!

The 30^th anniversary conference went down in the books as the most attended conference in EAC history. Almost 350 people came from as far away as New Zealand to attend the conference or conference-related events, such as the Toronto branch’s popular pre-conference workshops, the 30^th anniversary welcome reception and the Tom Fairley Award banquet.

From June 5 to 7, editors and other communications professionals gathered together at the 89 Chestnut Conference Centre in downtown Toronto for a record-breaking weekend of exciting career advancement opportunities, networking and fun.

Whether you were a zombie-enthusiast, a networking newbie or an entrepreneur looking for the best business practices, the 30^th anniversary conference had something for everyone. 

• We rang in EAC’s anniversary year with a fun slideshow and hit tunes from the last 30 years at the conference welcome reception.
• Author and screenwriter Tony Burgess introduced the zombie flick Pontypool and took part in a Q&A session after the screening.
• Nora Young set a forward-looking tone for the conference with her keynote address on social media and changes in information and communication.
• The dynamic sessions ranged from copy editing to Word shortcuts, textbooks to kids’ books, sexing the language to information architecture, and making Japanese paper to making connections.
• We shopped ’til we dropped at the Exclamation Mart, the conference vendor fair, where we bought chocolates, jewellery and other editing essentials.
• We heard from major publishers, associations and cultural institutions, such as HarperCollins Canada, Random House Canada, ECW Press, McClelland & Stewart, BookNet Canada, Access Copyright, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Power Plant at Harbourfront.
• We congratulated the newest certified editors and Canada’s first Certified Professional Editors.
• Melva McLean graciously accepted the 2008 Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence.
• We also celebrated 25 years of editorial excellence in Canada by unveiling a commemorative 25^th anniversary Tom Fairley Award poster.
• Pier Giorgio Di Cicco paid tribute to editors during his banquet address. He also insisted he isn’t funny. (We laughed.)
• Nancy Flight shared her cherished memories of Claudette Reed Upton-Keeley when she announced the new scholarship named in Claudette’s honour. The Claudette Upton Scholarship will be awarded to a promising EAC student editor for the first time in 2010.
• James Harbeck and Anna Olivier presented the best of the bad as we recognized the winners of this year’s Oops Awards.
• We explored the future of EAC at the closing plenary. The panellists envisioned our association expanding its branch/twig structure and forming strategic alliances with the companies we work with, sister organizations and editors across the globe.

The 30^th anniversary conference was one of EAC’s best yet. Thanks to all of the volunteers, presenters and attendees who helped to make the conference a huge success. We hope to see you in Montreal for Conference 2010.
 
Lost and found

Did you lose a pair of sunglasses at the 89 Chestnut Conference Centre? Eagle-eyed conference attendees spotted one orphaned pair of sunglasses in the Giovanni Room (where the annual general meeting was held) and another on the Experience Toronto table. If these are your glasses, please contact the national office.

---

2. 2009 AGM: EAC members vote to increase membership fees

EAC members voted on a number of substantive motions at the annual general meeting (AGM) in Toronto on June 6. The motion to raise the annual membership fee to $250 plus GST for voting and qualifying members and $125 plus GST for student and emeritus members as of the EAC AGM of 2010 passed by a vote of 73 to 69 (with two abstentions and one spoiled ballot).

Members voted against the motions to allow student and emeritus members to list in the Online Directory of Editors by votes of 130 to 14 and 127 to 17, respectively (both votes with one abstention).

Weren’t able to make it to the AGM? You can read the agenda and supporting documentation on the 2009 AGM page. EAC members can expect to see draft minutes of the meeting on the website this summer.

---

3. ELECTIONS: New national executive council and national committees

The 2009–10 national executive council took office on June 7. Here’s who EAC members elected at the 2009 AGM.

President: Michelle Boulton, SK (formerly vice-president and SK branch representative)
Vice-president: Greg Ioannou, TO (formerly treasurer)
Secretary: Mary Anne Carswell, TO (returning for a second term)
Treasurer: Sheila Mahoney, TO (new to the position)
Member-at-large: Barbara K. Adamski, BC (returning to the position after a year away)
Member-at-large: Debra Roppolo, TO (new to the position)

The executive council also includes the following members who are not elected at the AGM:

Past president: Moira White, NCR (formerly president)
BC branch representative: Theresa Best (new to the position)
PP branch representative: Arden Ogg (new to the position)
SK branch representative: Kelly Fournel (new to the position)
TO branch representative: Ken Weinberg (returning for a second term)
NCR branch representative: Beverly Ensom (returning for a third term)
QAC branch representative: Nancy Holland (new to the position)

Most of the association’s project and development work is done by national committees of members. The following members were elected to committee positions at the AGM:

Francophone Affairs Committee chair: Anna Olivier, QAC (returning for a second term)
List Monitor: Julia Cochrane, QAC (new to the position)
Marketing and Public Relations Committee chair: Anita Jenkins, PP (new to the position)
Membership Committee chair: Raphaël Thierrin, NCR (new to the position)
Member Communication Committee chair: Faith Gildenhuys, BC (returning for a second term)
Newsletter Committee co-chairs: Cheryl Hannah, BC (returning for a second term) and Wilf Popoff, SK (returning for a fourth term)
Online Job Tools Committee chair: Alan Yoshioka, TO (returning for a second term)
Publications Committee chair: Peter Midgley, PP (returning for a second term)
Training and Development Committee chair: Perry Millar, SK (new to the position)

The following committee chairs were announced at the AGM and appointed at the subsequent meeting of the national executive council on June 8, 2009:

Certification Steering Committee chair: Barbara Tomlin, BC (returning for a second term)
Conference Committee co-chairs: Jacqueline Dinsmore, QAC (returning for a second term) and Lysane Jacques, QAC (new to the position)
Forum Monitor: Joanne Haskins, TO (returning for a second term)
Mediator: Michael Benedict, TO (new to the position)
Professional Standards Committee chair: Jan Walter, TO (new to the position)
Website Committee chair: Ken Weinberg, TO (returning for a third term)
External Liaison Committee chair: Carolyn L Burke, EAC executive director (returning for a second term)
Human Resources Committee chair: Michelle Boulton, EAC president  (new to the position)
Nominating Committee chair: Moira White, EAC past president (new to the position)

The national executive council also appointed the following representatives to external organizations:

EAC’s director and delegate to the Book and Periodical Council: Stephanie Fysh, TO (returning for a seventh term)
EAC’s delegate to the Book and Periodical Council: Carolyn L Burke (returning for a second term)
EAC’s delegate to Cultural Human Resources Council: Karen Virag, PP (returning for a third term)
EAC’s delegate on behalf of CHRC to The Alliance of Sector Council’s Working Group on Standards, Certification and Accreditation: Carolyn L Burke (new position)
EAC’s chair and delegate to the Freedom of Expression Committee: Marg Anne Morrison, TO (returning for a sixth term)
EAC’s delegate to the Freedom of Expression Committee: Helena Aalto (new position)

Volunteering is a benefit of membership and it’s the backbone of the association. Consider enriching your EAC experience by joining one of the association’s national committees today. Email the committee chairs for more information.

Images from the 30^th anniversary conference

Welcome reception

The Exclamation Mart

Sessions

Awards

---

TIP: You’ll need Adobe Reader to read Active Voice.
Your software configuration will determine how PDF files are handled. For example, when you click on a PDF link, the document may open within your web browser or it may automatically download to your hard drive. To override your default settings and choose how to handle a file, either right-click (PC) or control-click (Mac) on the PDF link. Then select your preference from the pop-up menu.

Wanted: hot designer for Active Voice/Voix active
Because our newsletter serves vital functions that set it apart from other forms of marketing or advertising, we need our best people on the production team. If you can provide engaging graphic design and layout to draw readers into the magazine and keep their attention, we want to talk to you.
 
AV/VA is a 20-page newsletter that is published three times per year. The current template is in Adobe InDesign CS3. The ideal candidate would be proficient with the Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop and Acrobat). Each issue will involve 20–30 hours of volunteer time.
 
Are you up for the challenge? Do you want to showcase your talents for your colleagues in EAC and the rest of the editing community? Do you want to add AV/VA to your design portfolio? Please get in touch by emailing us at active_voice@editors.ca.

---

5. BRANCH NEWS: Saskatoon branch renamed

The Saskatoon branch is now the Saskatchewan branch! In an email vote held in May, 21 of 31 members voted to change the name of the branch from Saskatoon to Saskatchewan.

The branch was almost exclusively made up of Saskatoon members when it was established in 2005. The demographics of the branch are changing, with 25% of the current branch membership represented by members outside of Saskatoon (and 16% of membership in Regina alone). This inclusive name change will help the branch foster the development of smaller groups throughout Saskatchewan.

---

6. ONLINE DIRECTORY OF EDITORS: Renew your listing today

Don’t lose your listing in the Online Directory of Editors (ODE)! All listings are up for renewal on June 30, 2009. Public access to ODE listings that have not been paid for by July 1 will be turned off on July 6. Visit Your online directory listing in the Members’ Area to renew your listing today.

On May 1, all members were emailed detailed instructions to renew or purchase an ODE listing. If you did not receive your email instructions, if you’re unsure of your membership renewal date or if you need help accessing your Online Profile account, please contact Lianne Zwarenstein.

---

7. CONNECT WITH MEMBERS: Activate your Membership List profile today

EAC’s new Membership List is here! Have you activated your Membership List profile yet? Don’t delay! Activate your profile to start connecting with your fellow members today.

Visit the Membership List FAQ for step-by-step activation instructions.

Remember, the Membership List is an opt-in service for EAC members. There is no cost for members to search or be included in the Membership List. The Membership List is only accessible to EAC members, not to the public.

---

8. WEBSITE NEWS: EAC podcasts

Ever wish you could attend a branch meeting to take part in the educational program but are either too far away or too busy? Fear not! Some of our branches audio record their programs and distribute the mp3 files using podcasting.

For more information, visit www.editors.ca/bb/viewtopic.php?p=3392.

---

9. PROMOTE YOURSELF: Updated member website logo

---

10. GROUP BENEFITS: Where to find the information you’re looking for

EAC members are eligible to participate in a group package that covers disability insurance, health and dental, travel health, term life, critical care, long-term care, home medical equipment and eyewear. For more information, visit www.mediabenefits.com/eac.

---

The EAC national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.