News, events, tips and updates from Editors Canada
In this issue:
- WEBINARS: Give the gift of learning this holiday season!
- EDITORS CANADA CONFERENCE: Registration is open!
- ACADEMIC EDITING: Upcoming events
- MEMBER RESOURCES: Changes to the Canadian Press resources we offer
- MEMBER BENEFIT: Access over 500 Oxford titles through the Editors Canada website
- HAVE YOUR SAY: Membership consultation on the Strategic Plan
- TOM FAIRLEY AWARD: Submit your nomination
- KAREN VIRAG AWARD: Tell us about the editing heroes in your community
- MEMBER NEWS: A round of applause!
- NATIONAL OFFICE: Holiday closure
- NEC: Notes from your national executive council
1. WEBINARS: Give the gift of learning this holiday season!
Looking for a holiday gift that will make a lasting impact? An Editors Canada webinar recording is a great choice for anyone who’s interested in expanding their editing or writing skills and opportunities. We offer sessions on:
- Editing and AI
- Marketing and business skills
- Conscious and inclusive language
- Specialized areas like fact-checking, indexing and editing horror fiction
- And much more!
Find the perfect gift on our webinars page!
Plus, explore an online certificate program in 2026 at SFU
Join our friends at Simon Fraser University Continuing Studies in January for a free info session to explore their online certificate programs for professional communicators. RSVP to save your spot:
- January 6: Public Relations Certificate Info Session
- January 8: Plain Language Certificate Info Session
- January 12: Technical Communication Certificate Info Session
- January 13: Editing Certificate Info Session
2. EDITORS CANADA CONFERENCE: Registration is open!
Registration is now open for Editors26! Visit the conference website to secure your spot.
The conference will take place May 21 to 23, 2026, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Dalhousie University’s downtown campus. The theme of Editors26 is Editing in the Age of Misinformation.
Early-bird discounts on registration fees are available until March 6, 2026.
- Editors Canada members: $449 (regular price $499)
- Partner organization members: $449 (regular price $499)
- Visit the 2026 conference website for a full list of our partner organizations.
- Students: $259
- Proof of student status is required to complete registration.
- Non-members: $649 (regular price $699)
Call for proposals
The deadline to submit proposals for conference sessions is January 9, 2026. Sessions may be offered in English, French or both. Sessions will be one hour long, including time for introductions, breakout discussions or other activities, and Q&A. Conference registration is free for speakers!
To apply, please fill out and submit a session proposal form. Email info@editors.ca with any questions about submitting a proposal.
Get involved
Are you interested in helping to organize the next Editors Canada conference? Email info@editors.ca with the subject line “Conference Volunteer.” Volunteer opportunities are only available to members of Editors Canada.
3. ACADEMIC EDITING: Upcoming events
Looking for a reason to dive into a new book this winter? Check out our 2026 Academic Editing book club lineup for some inspiration! Our events are a great way to connect with fellow academic editors, writers and educators to learn new approaches and exchange insights that will advance your work and professional growth.
- February: The Copy Editor’s (Life)Style Guide – Maintaining Your Joy (and Sanity) in a Rapidly Changing Profession by Jamaal Pittman
- April: The Grant Writing Guide – A Road Map for Scholars by Betty Lai
- June: They Say / I Say by Gerald Graff & Cathy Birkenstein
- September: Make Your Manuscript Work: A Guide to Developmental Editing for Scholarly Writers by Laura Portwood-Stacer
- November: Academic Writing as if Readers Matter by Leonard Cassuto
4. MEMBER RESOURCES: Changes to the Canadian Press resources we offer
As reported in the 2026 fee freeze announcement on December 10, 2025, the national executive council has made the difficult decision not to renew Editors Canada’s subscription to The Canadian Press Stylebook and Caps and Spelling. Access to these services through the Editors Canada website will end on January 9, 2026.
The Canadian Press’s Guide de rédaction en ligne will continue to be included with Editors Canada membership.
5. MEMBER BENEFIT: Access over 500 Oxford titles through the Editors Canada website
Oxford Reference Online is one of the world’s most trusted reference products, featuring the contents of Oxford University Press’s Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopedias. And it’s available at no additional charge via the Editors Canada website.
Visit the member resources section of our website to start using the Oxford Reference Online Premium Collection at no additional charge.
Looking for other benefits of membership? Check out the Editors Canada member resources and member services pages.
Need help logging into the website?
Visit the member portal and click the “Click here if you forgot your password” link.
Looking for tips for using the Editors Canada website? Here are some of the most common issues and workarounds.
6. HAVE YOUR SAY: Membership consultation on the Strategic Plan
Following member concerns about the draft strategic plan that was presented at the 2025 annual general meeting (AGM) in June, we’ve begun a member consultation on the draft plan.
Deadline: February 27, 2026
As a start, we will gather up all the comments on the draft strategic plan and review and collate them. We’ll then report back to members about what we heard.
We’re aiming to have the draft finalized in time to be voted on at the 2026 AGM.
We’d like to thank members, our professional staff and student affiliates for being part of this consultation. We are excited to see where the discussion leads.
National Executive Council
Editors Canada
7. TOM FAIRLEY AWARD: Submit your nomination
It’s our time to shine
Editing might be an invisible art, but that doesn’t mean great editors should hide in the shadows. Help us shine a spotlight on editing excellence by submitting a nomination for the 2026 Tom Fairley Award.
The $2,000 grand prize will be presented to the winner at Editors Canada’s national conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on May 22, 2026. In recognition of their outstanding editorial performance, the finalists will also receive cash awards of $500 each. These cash prizes are made possible by Editors Canada and its generous donors.
The deadline to submit your completed nomination form is January 30, 2026.
Please spread this message far and wide. Nominees don’t have to be members of Editors Canada and self-nominations are encouraged.
For complete nomination instructions and other information about the award, visit the Tom Fairley Award page.
More than books
Editors know that the fine art of editing extends beyond books and print media. While the Tom Fairley Award has been awarded to many outstanding book editors since it was created in 1983, we encourage nominations for a variety of written projects. Whether it’s a magazine, a corporate or government report, software documentation or a book, we want to hear about it. When it comes to editing, the variety of material is limitless!
8. KAREN VIRAG AWARD: Tell us about the editing heroes in your community
We are now accepting nominations for the 2026 Karen Virag Award. This award was created in memory of long-time association member Karen Virag, and in recognition of Karen’s many contributions to the profession. The Karen Virag Award recognizes the efforts of an editor or an organization to raise the profile of editing in their community.
The award will be presented at Editors Canada’s national conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on May 22, 2026. A cash award of $400 is made possible by Editors Canada and its generous donors.
The deadline for nominations is March 6, 2026. Visit the Karen Virag Award page for more information.
9. MEMBER NEWS: A round of applause!
Editors Ottawa–Gatineau member Berna Ozunal is pleased to announce that the George Brown College Editing Clinic is accepting requests from groups in need of professional editing support. Eligible groups include Canadian nonprofits and post-secondary student groups working on internal projects and/or special initiatives that benefit community partners. The Editing Clinic offers high-quality editorial support while giving George Brown College editing students valuable real-world experience. Visit the George Brown Continuing Education website to download the project intake form. Email Berna for more information.
Editors Canada Member News is where we share information about members and affiliates who win awards, publish books and make their mark in other important ways.
Do you have an achievement you’d like to share? Are you excited about a new project or opportunity that has come your way? Let us tell the world all about it! Please send your stories to the member news coordinator.
10. NATIONAL OFFICE: Holiday closure
The national office will close for the holidays on December 24, 2025, and will reopen on January 5, 2026.
Best wishes for a happy holiday season. See you in 2026!
11. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
The national executive council (NEC) met on November 30, 2025. The highlights of this meeting will be shared in the January e-news update. This was our last meeting of 2025.
NEC meetings will resume in January. The winter/spring schedule is set. As always, we welcome members to join us at any of these meetings.
- January 11, 2026, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., EST
- February 14, 2026, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., EST
- March 22, 2026, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., EDT
- April 26, 2026, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., EDT
- May 31, 2026, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., EDT
- June 14, 2026, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., EDT
On behalf of the NEC, I wish everyone a lovely holiday season and a fantastic start to the new year.
Kaitlin Littlechild
President
The national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.