Annual general meeting 2021

Call to meeting—AGM 2021

All members are called to attend the annual general meeting (AGM) of the Editors’ Association of Canada (Editors Canada). The purpose of the meeting is to conduct the annual business of the association.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 AGM will take place online using the Zoom platform.

Please note this year the AGM will not take place during the same weekend as the Editors Canada conference.

Date:

Saturday, June 26, 2021

Time:

3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (EDT)

Location:

Online (Zoom)

Simultaneous interpretation

Editors Canada is a bilingual association and we are committed to providing access to the AGM in French for those who require interpretation. However, this service is rarely used and, as the cost to provide it is significant, we offer interpretation upon request only. If you require simultaneous interpretation for the AGM, please email secretary@editors.ca no later than Tuesday, June 1, 2021.

Member registration

You must register ahead of time to attend the AGM on Zoom.

Registration: Registration is now closed.

Registration closes: Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. (EDT)

• Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email that contains a unique URL to access the AGM (which takes place on Saturday, June 26, 2021) on Zoom.
• You will also receive an automatically generated reminder email the day before the meeting.
• Only one person can use each unique URL. This URL has been personalized for you. Please do not share it. If another person uses your unique URL before you, you will not be able to log into the meeting.
• Although Zoom provides a call-in option for meetings, please do not use this option as it will not allow you to participate in the voting procedures.

Student affiliate registration

Student affiliates are allowed to attend the AGM, but they are not permitted to vote. Because we can’t prevent an online participant from voting on Zoom, students who wish to attend this year’s AGM must do so by phone. Please note that Zoom does not offer a Canadian toll-free number to join meetings and webinars, so long distance charges may apply. See Zoom’s international dial-in numbers.

If you are a student affiliate who would like to call in to hear this year’s AGM, please email communications@editors.ca by Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. (EDT).

Voting procedures

Only members of the association are eligible to vote. Student affiliates are not permitted to vote. If you are a member, you may cast your votes in 1 of 2 ways:

1. Vote on Zoom

Members attending the AGM via Zoom can vote using the online polling system.

2. Vote by proxy

Members who cannot attend may authorize another member to vote on their behalf by giving that member a signed proxy. To do so,

a) download and complete the proxy form (for association members only) and
b) send it to the member you wish to empower to vote on your behalf.

Your chosen proxy holder must be a member and must register the signed proxy by sending it to the national secretary by Thursday, June 24, 2021

If you wish, you may appoint the national secretary as your proxy holder. To do this, email your signed proxy to secretary@editors.ca by Thursday, June 24, 2021.

A note on electing directors

The federal legislation that governs not-for-profits requires that directors be elected, as directors, at a meeting of members. The directors are then to decide, by a vote among themselves, who takes which role on the national executive council. Members do not run for a particular position.

The nominating committee solicits for particular positions, with the caveat that the national executive council discusses and votes on the positions after the AGM.

Rules of order

The national executive council has created a guide to help members and the chair with the rules most likely to be needed at AGMs.

The Editors Canada bylaw states that meetings will be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order (section 3.09). Various policies and procedures/guidelines may also come into play at an AGM.

While many association members are friends or colleagues, the AGM is a formal meeting. In order to have a successful meeting, the business of the AGM is conducted through motions.

Download the Rules of Order Guide for the Editors’ Association of Canada Annual General Meetings.

Agenda

1. Call to order
2. Parliamentarian
3. Approval of agenda
4. Approval of 2020 draft annual general meeting minutes
5. Approval of the 2020 annual report 
6. Financial report
7. Approval of the 2020 auditors’ report 
8. Substantive motion submitted by a member: That we revise the Confidentiality section of the Honorary Life Membership Procedures
9. Substantive motion submitted by a member: That we make the outlined revisions (called resolutions) to the Affiliate Procedures
10. Substantive motion submitted by a member: That we make the outlined revisions (called resolutions) to the Branch and Twig Policy
11. Substantive motion submitted by a member: That we make the outlined revisions (called resolutions) to the Branch and Twig Procedures
12. Substantive motion submitted by a member: That we make the outlined revisions (called resolutions) to the Confidentiality Policy
13. Substantive motion submitted by a member: That we make the outlined revisions (called resolutions) to the Confidentiality Procedures
14. Substantive motion submitted by a member: That we make the outlined revisions (called resolutions) to the Consultation Policy
15. Substantive motion submitted by a member: That we make the outlined revisions (called resolutions) to the Membership Procedures
16. Motions from the floor
17. Appointments and elections
18. President’s Awards
19. Certification
20. Other business
21. Adjournment

Details of election candidates, along with other supporting documents and any changes to the agenda, are posted in the members’ area of the Editors Canada website.

The deadline for members to submit substantive motions for the AGM was Friday, April 30, 2021, as advised in the Monday, March 15, 2021, email to members. Substantive motions from the floor are not permitted, as members need time to think about and discuss them, and members who are not at the meeting cannot vote on them. Nominations from the floor for positions on the national executive are allowed. Motions on matters such as thanking a member or committee or awarding a surprise honour are also allowed.

MOTION

MOVED

That the following sentence be deleted from the Confidentiality section of the Honorary Life Membership Procedures: “The nominee must give their approval for the nomination before the evaluation process begins and must be informed of the evaluation process.”
AND 
That the next sentence be revised to read as follows: “All discussions of the evaluation committee are private and protected, so that members of the committee can speak freely and address all their concerns.”

Mover:                 Seconder:

Purpose

The purpose of the motion is twofold: to remove the requirement that the nominee approve their nomination and to clarify the sentence about committee discussions. 

Rationale

The requirement for an honorary life membership nominee to approve their nomination presents concerns: 

• If the nomination does not meet the requirements of the rubric and hence fails, there would be hurt or embarrassment for the nominee, nominators and committee members—the very opposite of the nomination’s intent. 
• The nominee’s awareness puts pressure on the evaluation committee to approve the nomination to avoid hurting the nominee.
• This pressure, in turn, undermines the reason for changing the procedure, which was to make the approval of the nomination evidence-based through the use of a rubric.
• Some nominees may be unable to approve their nomination, due to, for example, illness, but they and their families might nevertheless consider the nomination an honour.
• Further, and importantly, past honorees have stated that this unexpected honour from their peers at an AGM has been profoundly moving; prior notification of nomination would have considerably weakened those feelings. 

Background

The approval requirement was included for three main reasons: 

• It could influence the nominee’s decision whether to attend the AGM.
• It would constitute permission to have the nominee’s actions and character discussed in detail by up to a dozen people (which could otherwise be seen as creepy).
• It would give the nominee the option of declining the honour (some people are genuinely so shy or private that such an honour and surprise in public could be unwelcome and troubling).

Countering these reasons are the following points:

• Individuals nominated for this honour tend to have been very active members, and the award is given at an AGM when it is likely that the person will be in attendance.
• It is more creepy to be rejected for the honour after a person has given permission to be nominated and had their actions and character discussed by at least a dozen people.
• The likelihood of someone being hurt or embarrassed if they know they have been nominated but the nomination was rejected is much higher than the likelihood of someone being embarrassed at the AGM by a surprise announcement that they have received this honour. 
• If the nominee is of such nature that an AGM announcement might be troubling, it is likely that the nominators or other supporters would know this about the individual, and the person could be privately notified and asked if they would like to be honoured at the AGM (the usual procedure) or would like something more low key. 

This notice is posted by Heather Ebbs to give members advance notice of this motion.

Motion 1: I move that we make the following revisions (called resolutions) to the Affiliate Procedures

Resolution 1.1

I move that we add criteria for proof of student status to the student affiliate section of the Affiliate Procedures. 

Add this text:
“Students must provide proof of student status. This can be any document showing the name of the educational institution, their name and a date (including the year), such as

• a tuition receipt,
• program registration, 
• a signed letter or email from a professor, or
• an unofficial transcript.”

Supporting statement:
Without these criteria written in a procedure, the office often has to ask the national executive council for guidance.

(Note to Gael: if this passes, also ask the office to make any needed changes to the website.)

Resolution 1.2

I move that we add text to the Affiliate Procedures on who is eligible for student affiliate status. 

Add this text.
“For the purposes of deciding who is eligible to be a student affiliate, students are defined as anyone enrolled part-time in an editing or editing-related post-secondary program or in full-time post-secondary studies in any discipline. Editors Canada will also allow the student affiliate status for anyone applying for it within three months of completing one of these programs.

“People who are working and taking supplementary courses for professional development do not qualify as students.”

Supporting statement:
Without these criteria written in a procedure, the office often has to ask the national executive council for guidance. There have been endless discussions about it. This will help the office interpret eligibility. 

Adding the three months after completion of a program will bring us new people who would not normally join an association. Some Editors Canada members who are teachers have noted that their students don’t even think to join a professional association until they finish their program. They’re short of money after finishing school, so bringing them in then, and giving them the chance to be affiliates, will help us to increase membership over the long term.

Resolution 1.3

I move that we remove this text from the Affiliate Procedures. It appears in 8 spots in the procedure document.
“Affiliates receive a free subscription to Active Voice / La Voix active.“

Supporting statement:
The association is no longer publishing Active Voice/ La Voix active.

Resolution 1.4

I move that we remove this text about publications from the Affiliate Procedures.
“Affiliate student status includes access to the following member benefits: …member discounts on publications” 

Supporting statement:
The national executive council is likely going to change how it sets up discounts for publications, as a better business model. This is from a lengthy NEC discussion in 2020. “Moving forward, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to have a set policy that association-developed publications be priced according to development costs (as per real world publishing) and members pay that price (or slightly lower), and non-members pay a premium price.”

Resolution 1.5

I move that we update this section of the Affiliate Procedures by removing some of the outdated benefits of being a student affiliate:

“Affiliate student status includes access to the following member benefits:

•  free subscription to Active Voice / La Voix active
•  member discounts on seminars, courses, conference
•  member discounts on publications
•  free attendance at branch/twig meetings
•  ODE listing, if purchased (such a listing will indicate affiliate student status)”

And replace it with this:
“Affiliate student status includes access to all the same benefits as members, with the following exceptions.

“Voting and elected positions

• Student affiliates cannot vote in branch and national level elections.         
• Student affiliates cannot hold elected positions of directors or branch executive members as described in the bylaw..    

“Services
Student affiliates do not have access to the following services:

• use of an @editors.ca email address     
• access to insurance packages
• access to the Editors Canada mediator

“Student affiliates have access to the following services with restrictions:

•  A listing in the directory, if purchased, must indicate affiliate student status.”

Supporting statement:
Student affiliate benefits change from time to time. Because changes to this procedure require a motion going to members and a member vote at a national annual general meeting, it’s more efficient to just refer to the discount generically. 

I did not refer to the directory as the Online Directory of Editors or the ODE because the name may change when a website update is done. Calling something an online version is awfully quaint in 2021.

Resolution 1.6

I move that we expand this text in the Affiliate Procedures to allow student affiliates into more leadership roles:
“Affiliate students are also allowed to volunteer for the association, a benefit that is not permitted to other affiliates.”

Add this text.
“including in leadership positions in branches and twigs, and national committees, except for where prohibited by the Editors Canada bylaw.”

Supporting statement:
There is no reason to keep student affiliates from leadership roles. They have good ideas, they care about the association, and they can keep Editors Canada vibrant with new ideas. And many of our students affiliates are coming to editing as a second or third career (so they do have plenty of experience that could benefit the association).  The bylaw says that only members can hold the positions of branch chair, treasurer, secretary and marketing/public relations.

Note that other affiliates include associations, organizations and employers, as per the Affiliate Policy. Student affiliates are the only affiliates who may volunteer.

This notice is posted by Gael Spivak to give members advance notice of this motion.

Motion 2: I move that we make the following revisions (called resolutions) to the Branch and Twig Policy

Resolution 2.1

I move that we  remove the term “twig coordinators” from the Branch and Twig Policy and refer to them as “twig co-chairs.” The term “twig coordinators” occurs several times in the document.

Supporting statement:
It will make communications easier. Right now we have to write and say “branch chairs and twig coordinators.” Using “branch and twig chairs” would be so much easier for everyone. And there is no reason to distinguish between the roles by calling one “chair” and one “coordinator.” The main difference in their roles is that the branches manage their bank accounts while twigs have the office to do that. But even then, the branch treasurers do most of that work, not the branch chairs.

Resolution 2.2

I move that we update this section of the Branch and Twig Policy.

“Branch officers, who are appointed under section 6.01(f) of Bylaw No. 1 (2014), submit quarterly and annual financial reports to the national executive council on behalf of their branches.”

By changing it to this:
“Branch officers, who are appointed under section 6.01(f) of Bylaw No. 1 (2014), must submit the following:

• reports and financial reports as required by the national executive council (NEC) 
• annual financial reports to the NEC.”

Supporting statement:
The national executive council does not require quarterly reports anymore. Updating the text to be more flexible will mean that the number of reports required can change if needed.

This notice is posted by Gael Spivak to give members advance notice of this motion.

Motion 3: I move that we make the following revisions (called resolutions) to the  Branch and Twig Procedures

Resolution 3.1

I move that we remove the term “twig coordinators” from the Branch and Twig Procedures and refer to them as “twig co-chairs” in the Branch and Twig Procedures. The term “twig coordinators” occurs several times in the document.

Supporting statement:
It will make communications easier. Right now we have to write and say “branch chairs and twig coordinators.” Using “branch and twig chairs” would be so much easier for everyone. And there is no reason to distinguish between the roles by calling one “chair” and one “coordinator.” The main difference in their roles is that the branches manage their bank accounts while twigs have the office to do that. But even then, the branch treasurers do most of that work, not the branch chairs.

Resolution 3.2

I move that we expand the qualifications for twig coordinators in each place it appears in the Branch and Twig Procedures, to allow student affiliates into more leadership roles.

We can change this text 
“The coordinators must be members of the association” 
to this
“The twig chairs must be members or student affiliates of the association.” 

Supporting statement:
There is no reason to keep student affiliates from leadership roles. They have good ideas, they care about the association, and they can keep Editors Canada vibrant with new ideas. And many of our students affiliates are coming to editing as a second or third career (so they do have plenty of experience that could benefit the association).  This change will not affect core branch executive roles because the bylaw says that only members can hold the positions of branch chair, treasurer, secretary and marketing/public relations.

Resolution 3.3

I move that we update this section of the Branch and Twig Procedures.

“Through the regional directors of branches and twigs, each branch and twig must submit  

• a quarterly report of its activities, including a financial report, to the national executive council, and 
• an annual report to the membership to be included in the annual report of the association.”

By changing it to this:
“Through the regional directors of branches and twigs, each branch and twig must submit  

• reports and financial reports as required by the national executive council (NEC) 
• annual financial reports to the NEC.”

Supporting statement:
The national executive council does not require quarterly reports anymore. Updating the text to be more flexible will mean that the number of reports required can change if needed.

Resolution 3.4

I move that we update this section of the Branch and Twig Procedures by 

• changing “EAC” to “Editors Canada members or student affiliates”
• removing “or by default to the parent branch.”

“When a branch or twig is dissolved, each of its members chooses which other branch or twig to join. After all debts (if any) are paid, the money follows the EAC members in good standing to whatever branch or twig they choose, or by default to the parent branch.”

Supporting statement:
These changes will update inaccurate text in the procedure.

• EAC is no longer the short form of the association’s legal name. 
• This rule would apply to student affiliates but they were not included in the original.
• There is no such thing as a parent branch. It is not a term that occurs in any other association documents except for this one. Members and student affiliates choose what branch or twig they want to belong to when they join the association (and they can change that when they renew or at any other time).

This notice is posted by Gael Spivak to give members advance notice of this motion.

Motion 4: I move that we make the following revisions (called resolutions) to the Confidentiality Policy

Resolution 4.1

I move that we remove this line from the Confidentiality Policy:
“personal information as defined in the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act”

And replace it with this:
“personal information as defined in the Editors Canada privacy policy and guidelines.”

Supporting statement:
As a not-for-profit corporation, Editors Canada is not bound by that federal legislation or by provincial privacy laws, so we should not be referring to the legislation in our governance documents. Note that the new Privacy Policy and Privacy Guidelines follow the same privacy principles as found in the legislation.

Resolution 4.2

I move that we remove this line from the Confidentiality Policy:
“Editors Canada will comply with all relevant provisions of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act with respect to collecting, using, storing and disposing of confidential information.”

And replace it with this:
“Editors Canada will follow the privacy principles defined in its Privacy Policy and Privacy Guidelines when collecting, using, storing and disposing of confidential information.”

Supporting statement:
As a not-for-profit corporation, Editors Canada is not bound by that federal legislation or by provincial privacy laws, so we should not be referring to the legislation in our governance documents

This notice is posted by Gael Spivak to give members advance notice of this motion.

Motion 5: I move that we make the following revisions (called resolutions) to the Confidentiality Procedures

Resolution 5.1

I move that in the Confidentiality Procedures, we change all references of “twig coordinators” to “twig co-chairs.”

Supporting statement:
It will make communications easier. Right now we have to write and say “branch chairs and twig coordinators.” Using “branch and twig chairs” would be so much easier for everyone. And there is no reason to distinguish between the roles by calling one “chair” and one “coordinator.” The main difference in their roles is that the branches manage their bank accounts while twigs have the office to do that. But even then, the branch treasurers do most of that work, not the branch chairs.

Resolution 5.2

I move that in the Confidentiality Procedures,  we change this “at” to “by”:
Change this text: “NEC in camera minutes are securely stored at the national office, separate from regular meeting minutes” 
To this: “NEC in camera minutes are securely stored by the national office, separate from regular meeting minutes”

Supporting statement:
The in camera minutes are not physically stored at the office; they are stored electronically, by the office.

This notice is posted by Gael Spivak to give members advance notice of this motion.

Motion 6: I move that we make the following revisions (called resolutions) to the Consultation Policy

Resolution 6.1

I move that in the Consultation Policy we change all references of “twig coordinators” to “twig co-chairs.”

Supporting statement:
It will make communications easier. Right now we have to write and say “branch chairs and twig coordinators.” Using “branch and twig chairs” would be so much easier for everyone. And there is no reason to distinguish between the roles by calling one “chair” and one “coordinator.” The main difference in their roles is that the branches manage their bank accounts while twigs have the office to do that. But even then, the branch treasurers do most of that work, not the branch chairs.

This notice is posted by Gael Spivak to give members advance notice of this motion.

Motion 7: I move that we make the following revisions (called resolutions) to the Membership Procedures

Resolution 7.1

I move that we update this section of the Membership Procedures to remove this text:
“(Replacing Rules and Regulations No. 3: Membership Categories in the Association, October 2006)”

Supporting statement:
It no longer matters that this procedure document replaced something from 15 years ago.

Resolution 7.2

I move that we update this section of the Membership Procedures to add twig-level votes to the second bullet.
Rights of membership include the following:

• free or discounted attendance at member meetings
• voting (in branch-level or national-level votes) 

Supporting statement:
The right of members to vote on twig-level votes in their own twigs should be added to this list to protect those member rights. Members of a twig should not have fewer rights than members of a branch.

Resolution 7.3

I move that we update this section of the Membership Procedures by remove the various benefits of membership:

“Benefits of membership include the following (additional fees may apply):…” [it goes on to list several benefits, many of which are no longer applicable.]

And replace it with “Membership provides access to various services, benefits and discounts, as listed on the Editors Canada website.”
https://www.editors.ca/join/benefits-membership
 (The link can be updated without a member vote.)

Supporting statement:
Member benefits change from time to time. Because changes to this procedure require a motion going to members and a member vote at a national annual general meeting, it’s more efficient to just refer to these benefits generically. The URL can be updated if it changes, without going to a member vote.

This notice is posted by Gael Spivak to give members advance notice of this motion.

Want to know more about the Editors Canada members who have put their names forward for the 2021–22 national executive council (NEC)? Here’s where you’ll learn more about the nominees. The new NEC will be elected at our annual general meeting (AGM) on June 26, 2021. The new NEC term will run from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022.

Here are the NEC members who will stay on, as they have one year remaining in their term. (Members are elected for a two-year term.)

Suzanne (Sue) Bowness

Editors Toronto
I am a Toronto-based writer/editor and have written for publications from The Globe and Mail to University Affairs magazine. Since 2002, I have provided editorial services to corporate clients through my business, CodeWord Communications (www.codeword.ca). I hold a PhD in English from the University of Ottawa and wrote my dissertation on the history of Canadian magazines. I teach writing part-time in the Professional Writing and Communications program, which I helped to develop at Humber College in Toronto. I am a long-time member of Editors Canada and was a long-time volunteer with the Professional Writers Association of Canada.

Heather Buzila

Editors Edmonton
I began my editing career in 2007 and am a certified copy editor and stylistic editor with Editors Canada. I currently work at Athabasca University in Edmonton, where I edit materials for online courses in humanities and social sciences. I’ve also edited fiction and nonfiction book manuscripts, professional development modules for the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta, and website materials for diverse organizations.

Anne Godlewski

Editors Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph
I have been an editor for 15 years, initially working in-house and freelancing since 2013. Most of my experience has been in the fields of science and technology. Soon after I started editing, I joined Editors Canada and have since served as web coordinator for a national conference and twig chair for Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph.

Off duty, I enjoy fermenting things like milk, vegetables, and flowers. I’ve also been known to make herbal teas from plants I gather along my walks.

Breanne MacDonald

Editors Hamilton-Halton
I am a graduate of Ryerson University’s publishing program and have been an in-house editor (with some freelance work on the side) since 2010. I am currently a technical editor at ASCENT, working primarily on engineering software training materials. I received the President’s Award in 2015 and have been an active member of Editors Canada at both the local and national levels. I have served on the national executive council since 2015 and have been involved with the conference committee in some capacity since 2014.

Candidates for two years

Marcia Allyn Luke

Editors Toronto
I have an Honours Bachelor in English (University of Guelph) and a postgraduate Publishing Certificate (Ryerson University). I am currently completing a Master of Professional Education (Western University). I have 15 years’ experience in educational publishing, including acquisitions, editorial, management, marketing, and sales positions, providing a unique, holistic perspective. I have been teaching and developing curriculum since 2017, including the following courses: Introductory Communications and Conspiracy Theories (Critical Thinking) at Fleming College, College English at George Brown College, and Professional Writing at Humber College. I have contributed to a #1 International Bestseller, Silent Grief, Healing, & Hope.

Arija Berzitis

Editors Toronto
I am a former associate editor and typesetter and currently proofreader in financial documents. I have a degree in English Language and Literature and am a native speaker of English (my parents emigrated from Latvia to England and then Canada following the Second World War). My schooling from kindergarten took place in Canada and although I finished my Hon. B.A. many years ago, I am currently working on the Publishing Certificate at Ryerson. I have had freelance copy editing experience in journals for about 10–15 years now. I was recently a technical editor for the Canadian journal TESL Canada from the University of Western Ontario. This involved editing references and their citations. However, I have also copy edited scientific and highly technical journals from the United States as well, including in such fields as humanities, social sciences, philosophy, futures, management, ultrasound, and medical and education. A current project includes copy editing a memoire written by a first-time writer, something I’m not used to but enjoying very much for the complete about-face from my usual activities.

Maria Frank

Editors Edmonton
Since beginning my editing career in 2008, I have edited government documents, K–12 study materials, fiction and nonfiction manuscripts, and corporate communications. I currently work for Athabasca University and edit primarily content for undergraduate- and graduate-level business courses.

I am an editor because I am passionate about language and the power of the word, particularly in the evolution of language to reflect societal values. I see the values of equality and inclusivity reflected in Editors Canada communications, conference sessions, and webinars, and if elected to the NEC, I would strive to uphold and further these values.

Kaitlin Littlechild

Editors Nova Scotia
I am both a freelance editor and writer and work as a communications and marketing specialist for an environmental consulting firm. I frequently edit works written by Indigenous authors and works written about Indigenous Peoples. I commonly edit (and occasionally write) in the areas of business communication, health, public health, biology, environmental issues, and marketing pieces of all types.

When (if) I have spare time, I can be found outside enjoying all that New Brunswick has to offer—beautiful beaches, waterfall hikes, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, camping. There is always something to explore with my kids and dogs.

Leah Morrigan

Editors Toronto
I am new member of Editors Canada this year. I’m a writer and have published in a variety of places from the Hill Times (Parliament Hill) to the Canadian Medical Post to my own men’s image column in a UK gentleman’s magazine. As a professional editor, I have sat on professional and community boards and spent 10 years as the in-house editor and contributing writer at a provincially funded not-for-profit. As a non-fiction freelance editor, I have waded into legal tech, academic writing, and natural and social sciences—because variety is the spice of life!

Blazej Szpakowicz

Editors British Columbia
A former academic with a PhD in history, I’ve worked as an editor for four years, specializing in academic and fiction editing. As a member of the Editors British Columbia, I’ve participated in Vancouver-based branch meetings and seminars. I’ve also served on the Editors Canada training and development committee since 2017, helping run the successful ongoing webinar program. If elected, I shall help guide the further development of this program and ensure it offers a wide range of ongoing professional development, in both French and English, to all Editors Canada members across Canada, regardless of location, background, or expertise.