News, events, tips and updates from Editors Canada
In this issue:
1. CERTIFICATION: Enhance your career
2. VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH: David Hedley
3. GET INVOLVED: Volunteer opportunities to boost your resumé
4. CONFERENCE 2016: What’s your conference wish list?
5. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
6. MEMBER NEWS: Promote yourself
1. CERTIFICATION: Enhance your career
Looking for a career boost? Register for this fall’s Editors’ Association of Canada (Editors Canada) certification exams.
Exam date: Saturday, November 14
Exams offered: Copy editing and stylistic editing (proofreading and structural editing will be offered again in 2016)
Locations: Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax
If you have several years of full-time experience as an editor, you’ve already worked toward a high level of expertise. Editors Canada certification will help employers and clients recognize you for the excellence you bring to your work.
Employers are taking notice
“I have an ongoing contract with a provincial government department. The people I met with to discuss the work had never heard of editorial certification, but they were interested in what CPE meant and asked about it. When I described it to them, they were very excited, and I got the work on the spot,” says Jeanne McKane, CPE. “Six months later, when they were looking to add another couple of editors to their roster, they revised their standard job posting to include Editors Canada certification as a desired qualification.”
The association sets the standards for professional editing in Canada, and our certification program is the first of its kind in the world because it tests for excellence. Register now, and make this the year you add your name to the list of trail-blazing certified editors.
2. VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH: David Hedley
David Hedley volunteers for the Calgary twig, where he describes his role as “generalist.” He has a broad range of skills to offer the group. His 30 years in the newspaper business encompassed stints as a writer, photographer, editor, page designer and web producer. “Having a broad skill set has made a huge difference to my career more times than I can count,” says David.
There’s always more to learn: in mid-life, David obtained a master’s degree in professional communications. Now he’s the managing editor of UToday, the daily newsletter at the University of Calgary. “I thought it would be cool to have a job helping to tell the world about research taking place at a university. My dream worked out!”
In June 2015, he attended the Calgary twig’s inaugural social gathering and the Editing Goes Global conference. Numbers at the Calgary event exceeded expectations and organizers were encouraged by the support. “I love being part of a group of people working toward a common goal,” David says. The conference confirmed for him that he’d “landed in the right place: Editors Canada.”
David likes to dictate notes to himself on his smartphone while walking his dog Fiddes early in the morning.
The volunteer of the month highlights the dedicated people who keep Editors Canada going. Volunteers are the backbone of the association. We are grateful for the many members and affiliates who answer the call when help is needed. Visit the Members’ Area for more information about actively participating in the association.
3. GET INVOLVED: Volunteer opportunities to boost your resumé
Are you looking for valuable experience and accomplishments to highlight on your CV? Here are some opportunities that are available.
Call for articles for the Language Portal of Canada
Want to see your name on a byline on a website with a national audience? Want a published piece for your portfolio?
Since 2011, Editors Canada has contributed four articles a year to the Language Portal of Canada, a federal government website that showcases Canadian expertise in the area of language. Articles submitted have included the role of the editor; editing, translating, and bilingualism; Cree language facts for editors of English and French; and editing measurements. Visit the Language Portal to see the Editors Canada submissions to date.
We’re looking for pitches for articles of 500 words on the theme of editing. Here are some ideas: editing US (or international) versus Canadian English; editing international French versus Canadian French; and how diagramming sentences can help you be a good editor. Have another idea for a Language Portal article? Please contact Lisa Ng.
Volunteer of the month profile writer
Looking for a way to expand your professional network and have your writing read and appreciated by members from coast to coast? The volunteer management committee is seeking volunteer(s) to write the volunteer of the month profiles, which are featured in the monthly e-news updates and on the website. All work is done electronically, so there are no geographic limitations to this opportunity! Please contact the committee chair to find out more.
Website beta testers
We are hard at work on a new association website. We anticipate being ready to launch the new website in late 2015, but before then we need volunteers to test the development site for core functionality and user experience. Beta testing is expected to begin in October and will continue to the new website launch. If you’re interested in being one of the new website beta testers, please contact Michelle Ou.
4. CONFERENCE 2016: What’s your conference wish list?
It’s Conference 2016 wish list time! Conference speaker co-coordinators Wendy Barron and Mike Culbertson would like to know: who and what do you want to hear, see and learn next year in Vancouver? (Conference dates and venue to be announced soon.)
To help you brainstorm, Wendy and Mike ask:
- What sessions did you miss at the 2015 conference that you’d like to have repeated?
- Who would you like to see as a speaker, either at a learning session or as a keynote?
- What gaps in knowledge or professional development would you like to be able to fill?
- If you’re on the fence about attending, what would tip you over into can’t miss that?
- What sessions do you think would be useful to other editors?
Any suggestions or questions can be directed to the speaker coordinators.
Thinking about sharing your own expertise and knowledge with the assembled editorial masses? An official call for speakers will be sent to members in the early fall.
Lastly, we are still on the lookout for volunteers for a variety of areas and capacities, both in the lead-up to the conference and during the conference weekend itself. Many tasks can be done remotely, so volunteers from across the country are welcome. If interested, please contact conference co-chairs Amy Haagsma and Lynn Slobogian to learn about how you can get involved!
5. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
The council plans to keep in touch with members via the monthly e-news update, among other channels of communication. Here are some recent highlights:
At its June 2015 meeting, the national executive council appointed the following 2015–16 national committee chairs and other national positions:
| Active Voice | Brooke Smith |
| agrément | Sandra Gravel |
| awards | Tamra Ross |
| certification | Anne Brennan and Jeanne McKane |
| conference | Amy Haagsma and Lynn Slobogian |
| forum monitor | Joanne Haskins |
| francophone affairs | Sandra Gravel |
| list monitor | Nancy Wills |
| mediator | Michael Benedict |
| professional standards | Michelle Boulton and Moira White |
| training and development | Sue Easun |
| volunteer management | Nancy Foran (in July) |
We thank these members for their willingness to serve!
Several positions remain open and will be filled soon. A new committee, communications and marketing, will be created (replacing the marketing and public relations and member communication committees) to keep information flowing to members throughout the year. If you are interested in joining this committee, please contact Michelle van der Merwe.
After a difficult financial year in 2014–15, the association’s financial picture is gradually improving, thanks to a successful 2015 conference and a revised budget forecast.
We look forward to serving you and working with our new executive director, Patrick Banville, in the year ahead. We’ll be meeting September 19–20 in Montreal—we invite you to join the conversation on Twitter at #EditorsNEC (English) and #ReviseursCAN (French).
Happy September, everyone!
6. MEMBER NEWS: Promote yourself
Do you have an achievement you’d like to share? Are you excited about a new project or opportunity that has come your way? We’d love to hear from you! Please send your stories to the member news coordinator. Each item will be posted on our website and will be included in the Editors Canada e-news updates.
The national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.