EAC: National e-news update, June 19, 2009

1. 30^th ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE: Down in history!
The 30^th anniversary conference went down in the books as the most attended conference in EAC history. Almost 350 people came from as far away as New Zealand to attend the conference or conference-related events, such as the Toronto branch's popular pre-conference workshops, the 30^th anniversary welcome reception and the Tom Fairley Award banquet.

From June 5 to 7, editors and other communications professionals gathered together at the 89 Chestnut Conference Centre in downtown Toronto for a record-breaking weekend of exciting career advancement opportunities, networking and fun.

Whether you were a zombie-enthusiast, a networking newbie or an entrepreneur looking for the best business practices, the 30^th anniversary conference had something for everyone. 

• We rang in EAC's anniversary year with a fun slideshow and hit tunes from the last 30 years at the conference welcome reception.
• Author and screenwriter Tony Burgess introduced the zombie flick Pontypool and took part in a Q&A session after the screening.
• Nora Young set a forward-looking tone for the conference with her keynote address on social media and changes in information and communication.
• The dynamic sessions ranged from copy editing to Word shortcuts, textbooks to kids' books, sexing the language to information architecture, and making Japanese paper to making connections.
• We shopped 'til we dropped at the Exclamation Mart, the conference vendor fair, where we bought chocolates, jewellery and other editing essentials.
• We heard from major publishers, associations and cultural institutions, such as HarperCollins Canada, Random House Canada, ECW Press, McClelland & Stewart, BookNet Canada, Access Copyright, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Power Plant at Harbourfront.
• We congratulated the newest certified editors and Canada's first Certified Professional Editors.
• Melva McLean graciously accepted the 2008 Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence.
• We also celebrated 25 years of editorial excellence in Canada by unveiling a commemorative 25^th anniversary Tom Fairley Award poster.
• Pier Giorgio Di Cicco paid tribute to editors during his banquet address. He also insisted he isn't funny. (We laughed.)
• Nancy Flight shared her cherished memories of Claudette Reed Upton-Keeley when she announced the new scholarship named in Claudette's honour. The Claudette Upton Scholarship will be awarded to a promising EAC student editor for the first time in 2010.
• James Harbeck and Anna Olivier presented the best of the bad as we recognized the winners of this year's Oops Awards.
• We explored the future of EAC at the closing plenary. The panellists envisioned our association expanding its branch/twig structure and forming strategic alliances with the companies we work with, sister organizations and editors across the globe.

The 30^th anniversary conference was one of EAC's best yet. Thanks to all of the volunteers, presenters and attendees who helped to make the conference a huge success. We hope to see you in Montreal for Conference 2010.
 
Lost and found
Did you lose a pair of sunglasses at the 89 Chestnut Conference Centre? Eagle-eyed conference attendees spotted one orphaned pair of sunglasses in the Giovanni Room (where the annual general meeting was held) and another on the Experience Toronto table. If these are your glasses, please contact the national office.

2. 2009 AGM: EAC members vote to increase membership fees
EAC members voted on a number of substantive motions at the annual general meeting (AGM) in Toronto on June 6. The motion to raise the annual membership fee to $250 plus GST for voting and qualifying members and $125 plus GST for student and emeritus members as of the EAC AGM of 2010 passed by a vote of 73 to 69 (with two abstentions and one spoiled ballot).

Members voted against the motions to allow student and emeritus members to list in the Online Directory of Editors by votes of 130 to 14 and 127 to 17, respectively (both votes with one abstention).

Weren't able to make it to the AGM? You can read the agenda and supporting documentation on the 2009 AGM page. EAC members can expect to see draft minutes of the meeting on the website this summer.

3. ELECTIONS: New national executive council and national committees
The 2009–10 national executive council took office on June 7. Here's who EAC members elected at the 2009 AGM.

President: Michelle Boulton, SK (formerly vice-president and SK branch representative)
Vice-president: Greg Ioannou, TO (formerly treasurer)
Secretary: Mary Anne Carswell, TO (returning for a second term)
Treasurer: Sheila Mahoney, TO (new to the position)
Member-at-large: Barbara K. Adamski, BC (returning to the position after a year away)
Member-at-large: Debra Roppolo, TO (new to the position)

The executive council also includes the following members who are not elected at the AGM:

Past president: Moira White, NCR (formerly president)
BC branch representative: Theresa Best (new to the position)
PP branch representative: Arden Ogg (new to the position)
SK branch representative: Kelly Fournel (new to the position)
TO branch representative: Ken Weinberg (returning for a second term)
NCR branch representative: Beverly Ensom (returning for a third term)
QAC branch representative: Nancy Holland (new to the position)

Most of the association's project and development work is done by national committees of members. The following members were elected to committee positions at the AGM:

Francophone Affairs Committee chair: Anna Olivier, QAC (returning for a second term)
List Monitor: Julia Cochrane, QAC (new to the position)
Marketing and Public Relations Committee chair: Anita Jenkins, PP (new to the position)
Membership Committee chair: Raphaël Thierrin, NCR (new to the position)
Member Communication Committee chair: Faith Gildenhuys, BC (returning for a second term)
Newsletter Committee co-chairs: Cheryl Hannah, BC (returning for a second term) and Wilf Popoff, SK (returning for a fourth term)
Online Job Tools Committee chair: Alan Yoshioka, TO (returning for a second term)
Publications Committee chair: Peter Midgley, PP (returning for a second term)
Training and Development Committee chair: Perry Millar, SK (new to the position)

The following committee chairs were announced at the AGM and appointed at the subsequent meeting of the national executive council on June 8, 2009:

Certification Steering Committee chair: Barbara Tomlin, BC (returning for a second term)
Conference Committee co-chairs: Jacqueline Dinsmore, QAC (returning for a second term) and Lysane Jacques, QAC (new to the position)
Forum Monitor: Joanne Haskins, TO (returning for a second term)
Mediator: Michael Benedict, TO (new to the position)
Professional Standards Committee chair: Jan Walter, TO (new to the position)
Website Committee chair: Ken Weinberg, TO (returning for a third term)
External Liaison Committee chair: Carolyn L Burke, EAC executive director (returning for a second term)
Human Resources Committee chair: Michelle Boulton, EAC president  (new to the position)
Nominating Committee chair: Moira White, EAC past president (new to the position)

The national executive council also appointed the following representatives to external organizations:

EAC's director and delegate to the Book and Periodical Council: Stephanie Fysh, TO (returning for a seventh term)
EAC's delegate to the Book and Periodical Council: Carolyn L Burke (returning for a second term)
EAC's delegate to Cultural Human Resources Council: Karen Virag, PP (returning for a third term)
EAC's delegate on behalf of CHRC to The Alliance of Sector Council's Working Group on Standards, Certification and Accreditation: Carolyn L Burke (new position)
EAC's chair and delegate to the Freedom of Expression Committee: Marg Anne Morrison, TO (returning for a sixth term)
EAC's delegate to the Freedom of Expression Committee: Helena Aalto (new position)

Volunteering is a benefit of membership and it's the backbone of the association. Consider enriching your EAC experience by joining one of the association's national committees today. Email the committee chairs for more information.

Images from the 30^th anniversary conference

Welcome reception

Moira White, Georgina Montgomery, Heather Ebbs

Sue Earl, Sheila Whittaker

Helena Aalto, Jacquie Dinsmore, John Green

The Exclamation Mart

Shoppers flood the conference vendor fair

Sessions

A record number of attendees

...and many thought-provoking discussions

Awards

The newest certified editors are recognized at the AGM

Anne Louise Mahoney and Ann-Marie Metten, two of Canada's first Certified Professional Editors (not pictured: Janice Dyer and Kristina Lundberg)

Photo credit: Andrew Metten

Maureen Nicholson presents Melva McLean with the 2008 Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence

25^th anniversary Tom Fairley Award poster

The latest issue of Active Voice is now available on the EAC website. In the summer issue:

• Readers' corner
• Present at the creation
• L'ACR en français
• Editor, Editors, Editor's or Editors' Association
• Riding (or driving) the green wave to Conference 2009
• Touring Toronto: an insider's guide
• Des soupers qui mènent loin
• Congrès anniversaire 2009
• Hand me a pink slip, please
• The French fit
• L'indexation
• Overheard on EAC's email forum
• I haven't had time to proof this
• Classifieds

TIP: Visit the EAC website to download the latest issue of Active Voice—no password required! Past issues are available in the Members' Area of the website.

The national office is pleased to announce that the 2009–10 member website logo is now available. 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 Member website logo guidelines for more information on appropriate use and to acquire the logo files.