National e-news update, January 29, 2026

News, events, tips and updates from Editors Canada

As we step into a new year filled with fresh goals and new opportunities, it’s the perfect time to take stock of the resources that can help you move your career forward. Your Editors Canada membership is more than a line on your resumé—it’s a powerful tool kit to support your professional growth, expand your network and keep you at the forefront of our profession. In the months ahead, make the most of the Editors Canada benefits and services available to you, from learning and leadership opportunities to connections that can open doors and spark new ideas. This year, let your membership work for you as you invest in your future and take the next meaningful steps in your career.

In this issue:

1. DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS: Online learning, books and more
2. STAY CONNECTED: Network with other editors
3. BOOST YOUR RESUMÉ: Get involved
4. GET NOTICED: Stand out from the crowd
5. GET HIRED: Find work in 2026
6. SAVE MONEY: Take advantage of Editors Canada discounts
7. PROTECT YOURSELF: Get exclusive resources to protect your business
8. NEC: Notes from your national executive council

---

1. DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS: Online learning, books and more

New year, new skills!

Start off 2026 with professional development that will help you make the most of your year! Members get 40% off on all Editors Canada webinars and recordings. Check out some of our upcoming brand-new sessions:

• February 2: How to Edit Winning STEM Proposals (Julie Stauffer)
• February 11: Content Marketing for Academic Editors (Letitia Henville)
• February 17: Intermediate Alt-text: Lessons from the Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernist Dance (Allison Peacock)
• February 24: Algorithms, AI, & You: The Editor’s Role in the Age of Mis/Disinformation (Emily Faubert)
• February 26: Introduction to Fine-Tuning Your Systems and Processes (Katie Chambers)
• April 16: Parcours vers la communication accessible: comprendre, rédiger, transformer (Julie Hutsebaut)

See our webinars page to get started!

Plus, spring training from SFU

Join our friends at Simon Fraser University Continuing Studies this spring for a variety of flexible online courses for professional communicators. Register now to save your spot in courses including:

• Ethics and Legal Issues in Writing and Publishing
• Copy Editing
• Plain Language Principles
• Freelancing for Editors
• Content Creation and Storytelling in PR

Belonging to Editors Canada means you can attend any branch or twig meeting around the country. Check out the national events calendar to find out what’s happening!

Coffee Chat

February 10 at 11:30 a.m., PST / 2:30 p.m., EST

Let’s get together and talk about how we manage our taxes. How do you organize your documents? Which ones do you need to have? What do you include in your business expenses? Do you use an accountant or other service—and if so, how did you find them?

We will have separate break out rooms for discussing taxes in Canada and the United States.

Register now.

Book Club

February 24 at 4:30 p.m., PST / 7:30 p.m., EDT

The Academic Editing book club will meet in February to discuss The Copy Editor’s (Life)Style Guide – Maintaining Your Joy (and Sanity) in a Rapidly Changing Profession. This event will be hosted by Alicia Chantal of Fresh Look Edit and feature an author Q&A with Jamaal Pittman! Join us to learn more about the book, ask questions, and connect with fellow editors and writers.

Register now.

You can read more about the book in our recent post in The Editors’ Weekly.

Make launching your career a little easier. The Career Builder provides a roadmap for would-be editors, students and novice editors to improve their chances of successfully launching their editing careers.

Experienced editors created this five-page PDF to help guide new and would-be editors to create a personalized career-development action plan. It provides valuable information the creators wish they had when they started their careers.

Download the Career Builder for free now.

The John Eerkes-Medrano Mentorship Program offers a one-on-one mentor-mentee relationship available exclusively to Editors Canada members and student affiliates.

Mentorship is a method of offering professional development opportunities in a “community of sharing.” Mentors help other members of their profession to enhance their knowledge, skills, attitudes and values in a flexible, responsive and transformational environment. Coaching and confidence-building are important features of mentorship.

Learn more about the John Eerkes-Medrano Mentorship Program.

Wondering how equity relates to our work with language? We have a web page for equity, diversity and inclusion resources, as well as a volunteer-compiled list of editing resources related to inclusivity.

Whether you’re en route to becoming a certified editor or you’re brushing up on your skills, having the best resources is key. Editors Canada publications will help you on the path to excellence.

Professional Editorial Standards

Professional Editorial Standards clarify what is expected of English-language editors in Canada. Learn what criteria are recommended for knowledge, skills and practice.

Download your free copy of Professional Editorial Standards today.

NEW: Professional Editorial Standards survey

The standards committee has created a survey to gather member feedback about the 2024 edition of Professional Editorial Standards and to inform Editors Canada about what members hope to see in future editions of the Standards.

Take the survey now.

Deadline: February 27, 2026

Edit Like a Pro

Based on Professional Editorial Standards, the Edit Like a Pro series allows editors to assess and practise their skills on their own time. These books give hands-on editing practice, sample answers and expert commentary on each of four types of editing: proofreading, structural editing, stylistic editing and copy editing.

The first two volumes, Edit Like a Pro: Proofreading and Edit Like a Pro: Structural Editing, are now available. The Stylistic Editing and Copy Editing volumes will follow.

Looking for savings? We’ve got a bundle discount and additional savings for Editors Canada members and student affiliates!

Get your copies of Edit Like a Pro today.

From Contact to Contract: How Editors Get Clients to Work With Them

[Cover of From Contact to Contract: How Editors Get Clients to Work With Them by Editors Canada, edited by Karin Cather]

From Contact to Contract: How Editors Get Clients to Work With Them offers pearls of wisdom from a group of respected editors who have over two centuries of experience between them. Whether you’re new to the editing business or have a solid client base, finding and contracting work is always of interest. This is one book you’ll refer to again and again.

Editing Canadian English and Editorial Niches

What do expert editors from Editors Canada and beyond say about Canadianization, spelling, the editor’s legal and ethical responsibilities, copyright, bilingual text and more? Find out in Editing Canadian English, 3^rd edition. It’s a reference guide you can depend on.

The ebook contains all of Editing Canadian English and the companion volume, Editorial Niches.

Certification Test Preparation Guides

If you want to be ready for Editors Canada Professional Certification, you’ll need the most current prep tools available. Editors Canada’s Test Preparation Guides are the go-to resources for anyone who wants to become a certified editor.

The Test Preparation Guides are available for purchase directly from Editors Canada.

Principes directeurs en révision professionnelle

These French-language editorial standards are a tool for anyone just starting in the field and for established editors. They’re also a reference for anyone who hires editors.

Download Principes directeurs en révision professionnelle for free now.

---

2. STAY CONNECTED: Network with other editors

The Editors’ Vine and la Vigne des réviseurs

For those who don’t know, the Editors’ Vine was established in 2020 in response to member requests for an online meeting to complement in-person twig and branch meetings. The world is a different place today, but the Vine continues.

Topics are varied: emergency planning to AI, website design to plain language, and everything in between. We try to include information of relevance to all types of editors.

If you would like to be added to the mailing list to receive notice of each month’s meeting, please send an email to vine@editors.ca.

If you’re interested in participating in our monthly French-language online meeting, la Vigne des réviseurs, please contact Badou Bousso.

Editors Canada Google Groups

We’re pleased to offer Google Groups exclusively for Editors Canada members and student affiliates to connect.

• Editors Canada Forum
• Food Editors
• Forum francophone de Réviseurs Canada

Subscribers participate in courteous and respectful discussion by email, a web interface, or both.

Visit the Editors Canada Google Groups page to learn more about each forum and to join today.

Editors Canada Discord server

Editors Canada’s interactive Discord server is an app that runs independently of any social media. Fun events will be taking place over the course of the year, so you’ll have many opportunities to rub virtual elbows with your editing friends at Editors Canada—and to make some new ones!

Visit our Discord page to join the conversation today.

Facebook

Our members-only Facebook groups are private places where we can talk, share information, and ask and answer questions about editing and whatever else people want to discuss.

• English members-only Facebook group
• French members-only Facebook group

We also have a student affiliates Facebook group to support the next generation of editors.

Are you an in-house editor? Join the Editors Canada in-house editors Facebook group today.

Of course, you can also like and follow the official Editors Canada Facebook page.

Bluesky

Get the latest Editors Canada news by following us Bluesky @editorscanada.bsky.social.

Instagram

We’re on Instagram, too! Follow @EditorsCanada.

LinkedIn

Looking for Editors Canada on LinkedIn? Follow our company page.

YouTube

Looking for expert videos on editing? Visit the Editors Canada YouTube channel to subscribe for free webinars, our Meet an Editor series and past Editors Canada conference sessions!

Have you ever attended an editing conference? If not, 2026 is the year to check off that goal on your list!

Editors26 is less than five months away!

Happy 2026, editors! We hope you had a relaxing holiday (or caught up on a few end-of-year projects). Maybe you even got your ticket for the upcoming Editors Canada conference in May! If that’s still on your to-do list, 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.

Thank you to everyone who submitted session proposals. Speakers will be notified on February 8 if their session proposal has been accepted.

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)

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. BOOST YOUR RESUMÉ: Get involved

Want to stand above other contenders? Consider volunteering for Editors Canada. Volunteering has many benefits for the association, and it can be beneficial to your career as well. Engaged members and affiliates work with influential members of the publishing and communication industries, learn new skills (at any experience level), expand their portfolios and enhance their career options.

VolunteerConnect

If you want to volunteer for Editors Canada, check out VolunteerConnect, our resource for matching volunteers to tasks. You can use this searchable tool to

• find opportunities of interest to you
• list yourself as a potential volunteer

Volunteering lets you give back to your organization, but you also receive so much in return: experience, skills, contacts, friendships and a wonderful sense of accomplishment. Volunteer today!

---

4. GET NOTICED: Stand out from the crowd

Make 2026 the year you join the ranks of editors certified by our landmark professional certification program. Certified editors benefit from official recognition of their high level of knowledge and skill, and a marketing advantage.

Visit the Professional Certification section of our website for more information on preparing for the exams.

Are you a recent graduate or new editor ready to launch your editing career? Wondering how to let employers know you’ve got what it takes?

Editors Canada Editing Essentials is a test to assess knowledge of the basics of editing and to provide a qualification for entry-level editors.

Unlike Editors Canada Professional Certification, which recognizes highly experienced editors who have achieved a level of excellence in their craft, Editing Essentials is intended for editors at the beginning of their careers.

Editing Essentials is a timed, multiple-choice test that’s offered online. Take the test anywhere, anytime. There are no membership, education or experience prerequisites.

Pass the Editing Essentials test and you’ll receive an official letter from Editors Canada confirming you’ve earned the Editors Canada Editing Essentials qualification. It’s that simple!

Learn more about Editing Essentials, including how to take the test now.

Are you looking for a byline on a national platform and published pieces for your portfolio?

The Editors’ Weekly and l’Hebdomadaire des réviseurs, the official blogs of Editors Canada, have room for new authors. We welcome one-off opinions, mini-series or regular (monthly or bimonthly) series. If you have your own blog you can cross-post to it, and you can link to your own website and social media accounts. You do the writing, and Editors Canada will do the promoting through its social media channels.

Interested? Submit your proposals to the managing editors:

The Editors’ Weekly: Zanne Klingenberg
L’Hebdomadaire des réviseurs: Gaby Balan

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.

Each year, Editors Canada presents several awards recognizing excellence in editing and service to the organization.

Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence

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 Tom Fairley Award is presented annually to an exceptional editor who played a significant role in the success of a project completed in English or French. The editor must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident

The 2026 award recognizes an outstanding editor on a project published in the 2025 calendar year.

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.

Karen Virag Award

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.

Claudette Upton Scholarship

The applications period for the 2026 Claudette Upton Scholarship is now open. This annual national award of $1,000 recognizes a promising student affiliate from Editors Canada.

The deadline for applications is March 6, 2026.

If you’re a student affiliate, or if you know someone who should be, visit the Claudette Upton Scholarship page for more information.

Equity Fellowship

This annual fellowship is designed to support editors who have traditionally been excluded by the publishing and editing industries, including editors who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of colour), 2SLGBTQIA+, neurodivergent and disabled.

The Equity Fellowship provides the following to up to three successful applicants each year:

• membership in Editors Canada for one year;
• registration for the annual conference or the congrès des langagiers et langagières (in French only) of Editors Canada;
• three Editors Canada webinars;
• one copy of the book Editing Canadian English (and Editorial Niches);
• one copy of the ebook From Contact to Contract;
• one copy of each of the four Certification Test Preparation Guides; and
• a listing in the Editors Canada Online Directory of Editors for one year.

Each fellowship is valued at $1,250.

The deadline for applications is March 6, 2026. Visit the Equity Fellowship page for more information.

President’s Award for Volunteer Service

The President’s Award recognizes outstanding service by member and affiliate volunteers to the organization, at the branch, twig or national level. From among the nominations received for the President’s Award, one volunteer is selected to receive the Lee d’Anjou Volunteer of the Year Award.

The deadline for nominations is March 6, 2026. Visit the President’s Award page for more information.

Want to promote yourself as a member or affiliate of the association? Download the Editors Canada member logo or student affiliate logo for your website, business card and other promotional material.

---

5. GET HIRED: Find work in 2026

Looking for work? Editors Canada offers members and affiliates a number of services that can help with your job search.

Online Directory of Editors (ODE)

The Online Directory of Editors is one of the most popular services Editors Canada offers. A listing in the ODE is a benefit available only to Editors Canada members for an annual fee of $80. Many members with an ODE listing generate enough income from their listing to pay for their membership and the listing itself many times over. Visit our Findjoo member portal to purchase a listing and create or edit your profile today.

National Job Board

The National Job Board is where you’ll find notices of full-time, part-time, contract and freelance opportunities.

Posting on the National Job Board is free!

If you know someone who’s hiring an editor, invite them to post their job ad on our National Job Board and reach editors across Canada. It’s free!

Networking

Networking is one of the greatest benefits of membership. Editors will often subcontract work to or recommend a colleague if they can’t take a job. Get involved in the association and get to know your fellow members: attend online meetings, volunteer, and sign up for the association Google Groups and Facebook groups. The bigger your network, the better your chances of finding job opportunities.

Don’t forget, networking isn’t just for freelancers. In-house editors need to network to stay on top of their game, too. Learn more about Editors Canada benefits for in-house editors.

---

6. SAVE MONEY: Take advantage of Editors Canada discounts

Did you know belonging to Editors Canada gives you access to discounts on many of the resources editors use most?

Access to The Chicago Manual of Style Online (CMOS Online) is included with Editors Canada membership!

Ready to check out this reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers and publishers? Visit the member resources section of our website to start using CMOS Online now.

A personal subscription to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Online costs US$100/year, but you can access it via the Editors Canada website at no additional charge.

Ready to start using this renowned resource? All you need is your editors.ca member login. Visit the member resources section of our website to start using the OED Online now.

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.

Did you know that the Canadian Press’s Guide de rédaction en ligne is included with Editors Canada membership? All you need is your editors.ca member login.

Visit the member resources section of our website to start using this Canadian Press tool at no additional charge now.

Looking for savings on products like PerfectIt, University of Chicago Press titles, scholarly journals and registration for partner conferences? Editors Canada is pleased to offer many great discounts to members and affiliates.

Visit the member services section of our website to take advantage of exclusive discounts.

---

7. PROTECT YOURSELF: Get exclusive resources to protect your business

A contract can protect both you and your client. These tools are invaluable for establishing your legal relationship with a client. Editors Canada offers a free Agreement Template for Editing Services that you can tailor to suit your needs.

In academia, papers and theses are one way to test the ability of students, especially graduate students, to use written words for communicating ideas and arguments. Yet students sometimes ask editors to provide a full gamut of editorial services.

What are the ethics of editing student academic papers? If you work in this field, you owe it to yourself and your client to read Editors Canada’s Guidelines for Ethical Editing of Student Texts.

Did you know that Editors Canada members have access to affordable professional liability through APOLLO Insurance? Through APOLLO, you will have access to the best rates for your business insurance, including coverage for:

• Errors and Omissions (E&O) up to $2 million
• Privacy Breach up to $2 million
• Optional Commercial General Liability (CGL) up to $5 million
• Contents coverage up to $100,000
• Free legal advice

Visit APOLLO’s site for Editors Canada members to get a free custom quote.

This product is available in all Canadian provinces and territories, except Quebec. Editors Canada will continue to look for a product for members in Quebec.

Are you having a conflict with a client over your services? Experiencing difficulty resolving a dispute with another member?

Free mediation support is available to members of Editors Canada and their clients who wish to resolve an issue with the help of a neutral third-party mediator. Contact our mediator, Monica Gill, for information.

---

8. NEC: Notes from your national executive council

I hope you all had a restorative and rejuvenating holiday season and are ready for a fabulous 2026!

The first national executive council (NEC) meeting of 2026 was on January 11. A summary of the meeting will be included in the February e-news update. The next NEC meeting will be on February 15, 2026.

At our November meeting, we discussed ongoing work, including projects, professional development, and progress on gathering feedback on the strategic plan. One highlight of the November meeting was a discussion of the significance of Canadian English. As you may have seen, Editors Canada, along with other key individuals, was in the news in mid-December after a letter to the Prime Minister on Canadian English was picked up by national and international news outlets.

I look forward to another exciting year at Editors Canada!

Kaitlin Littlechild
President

---

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