News, events, tips and updates for members of the Editors’ Association of Canada
In this issue:
1. CONFERENCE 2013: Voices of distinction on the East Coast
2. AGM 2013: EAC awards honorary life membership to founding member
3. ELECTIONS 2013: New national executive council and national committees
4. MEMBER NEWS: A round of applause!
5. EAC CERTIFICATION: Mark your calendar
6. PROMOTE YOURSELF: Speaker’s list and member website logo
7. WEBSITE: Server changes in store
8. NATIONAL OFFICE: Staff changes
1. CONFERENCE 2013: Voices of distinction on the East Coast
That’s a wrap! Conference 2013 is down in history as EAC’s first conference east of the St. Lawrence! Close to 200 participants and speakers joined us in Halifax for Between the Lines, a conference packed with east-coast hospitality and charm.
From June 7 to 9, editors, writers and communications professionals from across the country gathered at the Lord Nelson Hotel for a weekend of professional development, networking opportunities and (most importantly) fun!
Post-tropical storm Andrea may have kept us indoors for most of the weekend, but Conference 2013 had something for everyone.
- We officially kicked the conference off with a bang at the Friday-night reception. A fiddler kept us tapping our toes while we mingled over wine, cheese and other regional delicacies.
- Broadcasting legend Robert MacNeil opened Saturday with a keynote address about his career, growing up in Halifax, the English language, grammar and, of course, editors. A consummate storyteller with a distinct baritone voice, Mr. MacNeil kept the audience rapt with attention.
- The terrific sessions ranged from creating a small-business website to an introduction to the Mi’kmaw language, the new rules of Canadian copyright and editing social media.
- We congratulated the newest Certified Professional Editors and certified editors.
- It was a banquet dinner unlike any other! Diners were delighted as a bagpiper led a procession of servers carrying steamed lobsters on platters—how’s that for east-coast splendour?
- Catharine Chen accepted the Claudette Upton Scholarship.
- Greg Ioannou introduced the President’s Awards for Volunteer Service and the Lee d’Anjou Volunteer of the Year Award. A news release to announce the recipients will be issued soon.
- Sandy Newton was named as the winner of the 2012 Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence. Finalists Catherine Plear and Adele Simmons were also congratulated for their outstanding achievements.
- James Harbeck and Nancy Foran presented the best of the bad as we recognized the winners of this year’s Oops Awards.
- The Black Rum Band closed the banquet with a foot-stomping, ukulele-driven, singalong tune. Bandmates Daphne Davey, Jacquie Dinsmore, Nancy Holland, Moira Langton, Valerie Mansour, Elizabeth MacDonald, Patricia MacDonald, Adele Simmons and Carolyn Wilker ensured that everyone in attendance will be singing about editing, indexing, rum and blueberry pie for weeks to come.
- Author Donna Morrissey, another distinct east-coast voice, closed the conference with a hilarious address about accents and language.
Thanks to our partners at the Indexing Society of Canada, as well as all of the sponsors, volunteers, speakers and attendees who helped to make our first Atlantic Canada conference a huge success. We hope to see you in Toronto for Conference 2014, tentatively themed Tracking Change: e-Merging Methods and Markets. Conference 2014 will take place June 6 to 8 at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute.
Conference 2013 in media
A few of our conference speakers and members took part in some high-profile interviews.
CBC Maritime Noon interview with donalee Moulton and Karen Virag (interview starts at 16:25)
CTV Atlantic interview with keynote speaker Robert MacNeil
Conference 2013 in photos
To see more pics from Conference 2013, visit EAC’s Flickr page.
2. AGM 2013: EAC awards honorary life membership to founding member
There was a very touching surprise motion at this year’s annual general meeting (AGM) to grant honorary life membership to EAC president Greg Ioannou. Seven members tried to second the motion, which was moved by another founding member, Lee d’Anjou. The motion carried with a standing ovation. Greg, who describes himself as the first member of the association, was visibly emotional as he accepted the honour. Congratulations, Greg!
Report from the Governance Task Force
In May the governance task force prepared a report to open discussion with members about the options available to the association in preparation for compliance with the new Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act (the “Act”). Download the
EAC 2012–2014 Governance Task Force Interim Report to Members (22.82 KB)(PDF, 23 KB).
At the AGM, professional standards chair Lynne Massey gave members a presentation of the report and the requirements of the Act. Federally incorporated not-for-profit organizations, such as EAC, must transition to the new rules or face dissolution. The task force will gather member feedback and draft a final report in the lead-up to a request for members to approve the redrafted bylaw and redrafted policies at the 2014 AGM.
Weren’t able to make it to the AGM? You can read the agenda and supporting documentation on the 2013 AGM page. The motions to approve the 2012 AGM minutes, the annual report and the auditor’s report carried. Members can expect to see draft minutes of the meeting on the EAC website in the coming weeks.
3. ELECTIONS: New national executive council and national committees
The 2013–14 national executive council will take office on September 3. Here’s who EAC members elected at the 2013 AGM.
President: Jacqueline Dinsmore (QAC)
Vice-president: Danielle Arbuckle (TO–HH)
Secretary: Randee Holmes (TO)
Treasurer: David Johansen (QAC)
Director, Professional Standards: Moira White (NCR)
Director, Training and Development: Ken Weinberg (TO)
Director, Communications: Michelle van der Merwe (BC)
Director, Publications: Karen Virag (PP)
Director, Francophone Affairs: Marie-Christine Payette (QAC)
Director, Volunteer Relations: Gael Spivak (NCR)
The national executive council also has three voting members who are not elected at the AGM.
Past President: Greg Ioannou (TO)
The directors of branches and twigs (west and east) are selected by the members in their respective regions.
Director, Branches and Twigs (west): Lesley Cameron (BC) or Arden Ogg (PP) *
Director, Branches and Twigs (east): Julia Cochrane (NST) (acclaimed)
*An online regional vote for the director, branches and twigs (west) position will take place later this month. If you are a voting, emeritus or honorary life member in the British Columbia, Prairie Provinces or Saskatchewan branch, you will receive a plain-text email from communications@editors.ca the week of June 24. This email will contain your unique SurveyMonkey voting link. Your unique voting link can only be issued once so be sure to check your junk mail folder as well and add communications@editors.ca to your list of safe senders.
Most of the association’s project and development work is done by national committees of members. The following members were appointed at the meeting of the national executive council on June 7.
Agrément/Principes: Sandra Gravel (QAC)
Francophone Affairs: No candidate
Marketing and Public Relations: Tina Dealwis (TO)
Member Services: No candidate
Volunteer Management: No candidate
Newsletter (editor-in-chief): Carole Sigouin (NCR)
Publications: Elizabeth Macfie (NCR) and Anne Louise Mahoney (NCR)
Training and Development: Emily Dockrill Jones (KWG)
Certification Steering: Anne Brennan (BC) and Janice Dyer (HH)
Conference: Emily Dockrill Jones (KWG) and Nancy Foran (TO)
Professional Standards: Lynne Massey (TO)
Member Communication: Susan Chambers (BC)
External Liaison: Carolyn L Burke
Human Resources: Jacqueline Dinsmore (QAC)
Nominating: Greg Ioannou (TO)
The national executive council also appointed the following national volunteer positions.
Mediator: Michael Benedict (TO)
Forum (Interactive Voice) Monitor: Joanne Haskins (TO)
List Monitor: Nancy Wills (KEG)
4. MEMBER NEWS: A round of applause!
Toronto branch member Kerry Fast recently co-edited a multidisciplinary compilation of essays and creative writing, titled Mothering Mennonite. The book marks the first scholarly attempt to incorporate religious groundings in interpretations of motherhood. Fast is a freelance editor, writer and researcher, and has published both academically and creatively. Her writings have appeared in The Journal of Mennonite Studies and Rhubarb. Published by Demeter Press, Mothering Mennonite can be purchased online at demeterpress.org. There will be a book launch at McNally Robinson Booksellers in Winnipeg on June 24 at 7:00 p.m., with plans for a second in Toronto this September.
Saskatchewan branch member Don Ward was recently nominated for a Saskatchewan Book Award for his 2012 publication The Weeping Chair. Don is a former recipient of the CBC Literary Awards in the short story category and his winning story, “Badger,” is included in this collection of short stories, published by Thistledown Press and available through most e-book retailers.
Do you have a recent achievement? Let EAC help tell the world about it on EAC’s Member News page. If you have member news to share, contact the member news coordinator, Kerri Niblett.
5. EAC CERTIFICATION: Mark your calendar!
EAC’s Copy Editing and Stylistic Editing certification tests will be offered on Saturday, November 16 in various cities across the country.
The fee for EAC members is $425 to write one test or $800 to write both tests. Registration opens on July 22.
Gather your materials!
Each Certification Study Guide contains a practice test with answer keys and studying tips. Each volume of Meeting Professional Editorial Standards contains editing exercises and solutions. Together, these resources will get you off to a good start at studying for EAC Certification.
Order the Certification Study Guides.
Order Meeting Professional Editorial Standards.
Get started!
Begin preparing early and follow a study plan. Whether you work alone or join a study group, set time aside on a regular basis to work through the study materials.
Consider your breadth and depth of experience, as well as where you are in your career. This process can help you discover what you like, what you’re good at and what you need to work on.
Even if you decide not to take any exams this year, working through the study materials is a valuable professional development exercise. And it can be fun.
Learn more about EAC Certification.
Volunteer EAC Certification communications project manager wanted
If you like planning, have good leadership and organizational skills, and are marketing savvy, here’s an opportunity to build your resume while having fun at the same time! The marketing and public relations committee is looking for a communications project manager to lead our certification marketing efforts. EAC Certification is one of the association’s most important endeavours, and we want to get the word out to editors across the country. You will be responsible for assigning copywriting tasks, such as e-blasts, press releases and other communications to a team of copywriters, helping to develop a marketing strategy, and liaising with EAC’s social media manager.
If you’re interested in this great career-building opportunity, please contact EAC’s marketing and public relations chair, Tina Dealwis.
6. PROMOTE YOURSELF: Speaker’s list and member website logo
Join EAC’s Speakers List
EAC’s speakers are members who will speak about EAC and the editing profession at meetings of associations and groups, at colleges and universities, and at career fairs in their community.
View the speakers list.
Want to join the speakers list? If you have a flair for public speaking and you enjoy talking to a variety of audiences about EAC and/or what editors do, please contact marketing and public relations committee chair, Tina Dealwis.
Identify yourself as a public speaker in the Online Directory of Editors
If you have a listing in EAC’s Online Directory of Editors (ODE), make sure you let searchers know you’re an experienced public speaker. Edit your Online Profile by checking the “I am an experienced public speaker, available to talk to groups and associations about editors and editing” box.
Not listed in the ODE? Learn more about purchasing your own listing in the official advertising directory of association members.
2013–14 member website logo now available
The 2013–14 member website logo is now available for download. As a current member of the association you are invited to promote your professional affiliation with EAC on your business or personal website with this specially designed logo. Please refer to the EAC website for information on appropriate use and to download the logo files.
7. WEBSITE: Server changes in store
If you use any of EAC’s web services (including the website, the ODE, lists and @editors.ca email addresses), you may have noticed an increase in server downtime in the last few weeks. About a month ago the company that hosts EAC’s web services was acquired by a large, Canadian telecommunications company. Since the acquisition we have experienced disruptions in service that have not been adequately addressed by our new host.
The national office is aware of the impact these service outages are having on the users of EAC’s web services. We apologize for the inconvenience. Finding a new host is a priority for the national office this summer.
8. NATIONAL OFFICE: Staff changes
Helena Aalto, EAC’s professional development coordinator, has left the association to pursue other opportunities. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Helena for all her hard work on behalf of the association and wish her every success in the future.
EAC is currently recruiting a full-time member relations coordinator to provide national office staff support for the annual conference and branches and twigs. For more information about the job description, qualifications and expectations, please refer to EAC careers.
Please note that as a matter of policy, national office staff may not hold membership in the association.
The EAC national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.