ACTRA Montreal Award Winners

ACTRA Montreal’s performance awards celebration took place virtually on September 14, 2021. The 2021 ACTRA Montreal Award of Excellence was presented to Caroline Dhavernas. For three decades, Caroline has moved effortlessly from comedy to drama, both in English and French, captivating audiences everywhere with poise and her fearless performances.

Gemini- and Canadian Screen Award-nominee Kaniehtiio Horn was presented with the Walter Massey Breakthrough Artist Award. Warona Setschwaelo was presented with the Victor Knight Community Builder Award for her mentorship and activism on behalf of Montreal’s emerging performers.

Julie Tamiko Manning, ACTRA Montreal’s 2021 Woman of the Year, was recognized for her achievements in advocacy and the arts. Life memberships were presented to Past Presidents Don Jordan and Cary Lawrence.

The ACTRA Montreal Awards show was hosted by ACTRA Montreal President Simon Peacock. Click here for the complete list of 2021 award recipients, and here to (re)watch the virtual awards. actramontreal.ca

2021 Canadian Screen Award Winners

Canadian Screen Awards Photography by George Pimentel

Schitt’s Creek led the television honours at the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards with eight wins for its sixth and final season, including Best Comedy Series and Best Direction, Comedy for Andrew Cividino and ACTRA member Daniel Levy. This was also the sixth consecutive win for Catherine O’Hara in the Best Lead Actress, Comedy category and for Emily Hampshire, who has been recognized in a supporting role in every season of the acclaimed CBC show. The cast of Kim’s Convenience also collected multiple awards including Amanda Brugel’s win for Best Guest Performance, Comedy; Andrew Phung for Best Supporting Actor, Comedy; and Paul Sun-Hyung Lee in the Best Lead Actor, Comedy category.

Ottawa’s Melanie Scrofano was crowned the winner of the Cogeco Fund Audience Choice Award and was also recognized with a nomination for Best Lead Actress, Drama Series for the fourth season of Wynonna Earp. Hamza Haq collected the Best Lead Actor, Drama Series award for his work in Transplant. Film honours were led by Jeff Barnaby’s Blood Quantum with seven Canadian Screen Awards, including Michael Greyeyes in the Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role category. 

The Canadian Academy also recognized the late Christopher Plummer with the Best Supporting Actor, Drama award for his role in Departure. Bit Playas won the Best Web Program or Series, Fiction award;  the Best Children’s or Youth Fiction Program or Series went to Odd Squad Mobile Unit; and the award for Best Pre-School Program or Series was won by PAW Patrol.

Click here for the complete list of 2021 Canadian Screen Award nominees and winners, and here to (re)watch the virtual awards. academy.ca

Lisa Hurd honoured with 2021 ACTRA Newfoundland Award of Excellence

Lisa Hurd was honoured with the 2021 ACTRA Newfoundland Award of Excellence at a special event hosted by ACTRA Newfoundland/Labrador for Canadian performers and special guests.

“We thank Lisa Hurd for her contributions to our entertainment industry in Canada and for her ongoing commitment and dedication to our union,” said Ruth Lawrence, ACTRA Newfoundland/Labrador President. “Lisa is a gifted and accomplished actor. She is incredibly generous, as an artist, an ACTRA member, friend, and mother. For many, Lisa was part of the arts community who warmly embraced young artists over many decades. She understood from personal experience about landing on unfamiliar ground and she instinctively welcomed others with her signature tenderness and compassion. Her grace and gentle manner endeared her to all who have encountered her and her great talents over the years. ACTRA NL is delighted to honour her life’s passion and work.”

Lisa has been heard coast-to-coast for many years on the CBC in countless radio dramas in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s. She has had roles in the TV series, Little Men (1998), the short film, My Father’s Hands (1999), and the TV mini-series, The Judge (2001). Lisa has toured Canada performing in the one-woman play, Dance Like a Butterfly, by Montreal playwright Aviva Ravel.

Past recipients of this prestigious award include accomplished Canadian performers Andy Jones, Mary Walsh, Chris Brookes, Paul O’Neill, Greg Malone, Cathy Jones and Bob Joy. The presentation of the 2021 ACTRA Newfoundland Award of Excellence to Lisa Hurd took place at the BIS Club in St. John’s, NL, on October 6, 2021.

Alberta’s 2021 Rosie Award Winners

Presented by the Alberta Media Production Industries Association (AMPIA), the annual Rosie Awards celebrate excellence and outstanding achievement of Alberta-based productions and film workers who reside in Alberta. Jann Arden won the award for Best Performance by an Alberta Actress for her title role in the series Jann. Stafford Perry won the award for Best Performance by an Alberta Actor for his role in the series Tribal. A special congratulations to Sally Bishop who won the inaugural Best Stunt Performance Award for her work in Let Him Go. In the director category, Julian Black Antelope picked up the unscripted under 30-minute honours for The Secret History of: The Wild West, “Bear Medicine.” Sally Bishop and Julian Black Antelope are both ACTRA Alberta Councillors. This year, winners were announced in an online event on September 25, 2021, in partnership with the Calgary International Film Festival. The awards ceremony can be (re)watched here and the full list of winners viewed here. ampia.org

Keith Martin Gordey
ACTRA National Vice President

The jury is still out on whether the first thing I noticed when I met Tom Jackson was his strong presence or how tall he was. I don’t know if presence is an acquired thing or innate, but when we began that first exchange, I felt compelled to listen to what he had to say. As the conversation continued, the third thing I noticed about Tom was that he felt, looked and sounded like an elder, someone with wisdom to share, but what he had to share could easily take the form of a call to action. His poignant music video Lost Souls, released on Canada’s inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, is one such call to action. He asks you to watch the video, reflect on its message, then call someone and tell them you love them and suggest they do the same.

Celebrated actor, recording artist, author, philanthropist and activist Tom Jackson is extraordinarily passionate about creating change. His acting career includes countless marquee TV roles on hit shows such as North of 60, Shining Time Station, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Law & Order, Outlander and Cardinal. Movie roles include Cold Pursuit, Deadfall, Mee-Shee: The Water Giant and Grizzly Falls. A bass-baritone voice for food banks, the disenfranchised and the traumatized and an Ambassador for the Canadian Red Cross, he is Canada’s go-to ‘minstrel with a mission’ and Renaissance man.  As a Companion of the Order of Canada, both a Juno and Gemini Humanitarian Award-winner, 11-time honorary degree recipient, and a proud bearer of the 2014 Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Tom humbly marches into boardrooms or shelters ready to dispense a hug and mobilize others into action.

But what was his first step on a journey that has drawn so much recognition and changed so many lives?

Once upon a time, Tom was living in a crawlspace in downtown Toronto, addicted to drugs; a time he refers to as his “crazies.” One day he received a visit from a stranger. The stranger said to him, “I’m going to send you an angel and if you help that angel, I’m going to help you.”

Tom asked, “Is it going to have wings?”

“Nope.  And that angel is going to be worse off than you.”

So, Tom went off looking for an angel. What he discovered were a lot of angels worse off than him who all needed help. So he went to Council Fire^[1] and told them, “I need to help people!” They asked him to put food hampers together. Something he was no good at. But he could sing. So, he called some friends, and they held a concert. While it may not have raised much money, it raised awareness instead. Following the concert, a lot of people showed up bringing food to Council Fire, enough to help fill 500 hampers.

And that was the beginning of Tom Jackson’s annual Huron Carole (HC) concert, a seasonal music tradition that has toured from coast-to-coast-to-coast.

Now in its 34th year, The Huron Carole has raised $230 million in funds and in-kind value for food banks, women’s shelters, mental health programs and many other initiatives and it continues to be a profound catalyst for creating community and bringing family together.

This year’s theme, Angels Without Wings, pays tribute to all the angels around us. “Sometimes they’re invisible – just like you and me when we need help. So, if you’re down and out and need help, find someone who needs it more than you. You’ll feel much better.”

Enjoy Christmas classics, road stories, fables, original music, and dad jokes that can only be told by Tom Jackson. Tom McKillip leads the band again as we welcome HC alumni musicians Phil Hall, John Thiel and Keith Floen. Keeping everyone in time is drummer Joe McIntyre and be ready for blues vocalist Samantha King to take things up a notch.

Check out the trailer and get your first dose of the magic for this year’s holiday season.

One of the beneficiaries of this year’s Huron Carole is CSARN (Canadian Senior Artists Resource Network). 

CSARN is a worthy, under-utilized organization with so much to offer our senior ACTRA Members who desire to keep creating; to continue developing the skills and talents we have spent a lifetime perfecting. Of ACTRA’s nearly 28,000 Members, over one-quarter of us are over age 55. Apart from being professional performers, many are artists in other disciplines, be it writing, dance, music, sculpture, painting, directing, etc., so the value of CSARN is evident. 

It is not surprising over the years many ACTRA Members and Permittees have been integral to the growth of CSARN: its first Artistic Advisor, Martha Henry; Honorary Board Member, Gordon Pinsent; current Advisory Council Members Peggy Baker, Laurie Brown, Rita Shelton Deverell, Douglas Gibson, Evelyn Hart, Brenda Hoffert, Paul Hoffert, Jani Lauzon, Ranee Lee, Guy Maddin, Sheila McCarthy, R.H. Thomson and Mary Walsh; Special Advisor, David Ferry; and Board Members Tom Jackson, dTaborah Johnson  and Dan Lyon. Also on the Board are Garry Neil, former National Executive Director of ACTRA, David Hope, Executive Director of The AFC (formerly the Actors’ Fund of Canada), and Bob Underwood, Past President and CEO of AFBS.

So, what does CSARN have to offer? I think that’s best summed up in the phrase, “Maintaining Creativity,” the name of their annual conference. This year’s conference wraps on November 1 with a discussion on Ageism and the Other-isms in the Arts with videographer Richard Fung, author and journalist Elizabeth Renzetti, poet/playwright/essayist Charles C. Smith, and actor Mary Walsh. If you are quick, you might be able to take it in.

I encourage you to read CSARN’s Vision Statement and for more information visit csarn.ca. By booking a ticket to this year’s Huron Carole “Angels Without Wings”, you will be helping support CSARN, a worthy organization there for the benefit of the over 7,100 ACTRA Members who are 55 plus.

Consider making The Huron Carole a part of your holiday festivities this winter or give it as a gift to family and friends. You will get more out of it than you can imagine.

Footnote: [1] Council Fire (Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre) is an Indigenous agency serving the downtown Toronto community and is committed to their health, safety and well-being.

Recording artist to some, celebrated actor and author to others, philanthropist to most – Tom Jackson is extraordinarily passionate about creating change. A bass-baritone voice for food banks, the disenfranchised, the traumatized, and an Ambassador for the Canadian Red Cross, he is Canada’s go-to ‘minstrel with a mission’ and renaissance man. As a Companion of the Order of Canada, Juno and Gemini Humanitarian Award winner, eleven-time honorary degree recipient, and a proud bearer of the 2014 Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement, he humbly marches into boardrooms or shelters ready to dispense a hug and mobilize others into action. Twitter: @tomjacksonca; Facebook:  @tomjacksononline; Instagram: @tomjacksononline; website: tomjackson.ca

Keith Martin Gordey
ACTRA National Vice President

Opening Act: Scene 1, Take 1

Keith: Congrats and commiserations on your election as ACTRA National President. You’re a few months in, how’s it going?

Eleanor: It was very fast out of the gate. But after the first week, I started to find my feet. I had the good fortune of spending two days in Toronto, meeting people and talking in-person because we’re usually only meeting virtually on Zoom due to COVID. What’s missing from Zoom are the impromptu chats in between meetings. So, it’s exciting, lots of work, and I am loving it.

KMG: What’s been the biggest surprise and what’s been the steepest learning curve?

EN: There’s a lot to know in full detail all at once. That’s been the steepest learning curve. But so far, so good. I know a lot of it. There are some complicated issues that now I’ve delved into more deeply. I suppose the biggest surprise is, as a result of COVID and just natural timing, a lot of staff have retired across the country. It is sad to see some of our valued friends and colleagues go. At the same time these changes have brought about something unexpected — an excitement about working with new people. So, I’m feeling optimistic. And I think it’s going to bring about something fresh and interesting. As we carry on into this new century.

KMG: We’re a federated union with nine branches of wildly varying sizes, one with half the membership, and different demands and challenges in each. How does the National President make all that work?

EN: It’s a challenge. Each President before me has done their part in making connections across the country. Marie [Kelly, National Executive Director] and I have discussed this a lot. When I’ve spoken with ACTRA Branch Presidents and National Councillors across the country, there are so many different feelings about their connection to ACTRA National. I have started sitting in on Branch Council meetings to connect, discuss, talk, and hear what people have to say across the country. And to see what we can bring from what we’re hearing across the country to the National level to continue to unify us.

KMG: One of the main things ACTRA does well is our work in public policy. When the federal election was called, Bill C-10 [an Act to amend the Broadcasting Act] died. Where does that leave ACTRA and our industry?

EN: We’re not going to drop the much-needed changes to the Broadcasting Act that were included in Bill C-10. This is our opportunity to improve on those changes. We’re only going to make the next draft of the legislation better and clearer. Because we want Canadian content protected and to have foreign streaming services, like Netflix and Disney+ and such, contribute to the Canada Media Fund, just like any other broadcaster. As I get the opportunity to connect with the Branches across the country, we can find out how we can go to Parliament or our local areas to lobby for what our union and industry need.

KMG: One of the most successful lobbying efforts ACTRA has ever been involved in was around the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).

EN: The emergency benefits made a huge difference in many people’s lives, especially independent contractors. ACTRA fought hard to extend eligibility rules to arts and culture workers so they could apply for and receive this benefit. We were fortunate to be included during this global health and economic crisis. I know within our membership how grateful people were to receive the CERB. It was really quite phenomenal to see the activism that helped us achieve this, a large part thanks to David Sparrow, ACTRA National’s Past President.

KMG: What about you? How did you end up in this business?

EN: I went to theatre school. I have very supportive parents who love the arts and performance, which enabled me to feel very free within that world. And before I graduated, I was cast in Are You Afraid of the Dark? — my first ACTRA credit! And then, over the years, I became interested in being very active in both my unions. I started off in CAEA (Canadian Actors‘ Equity Association) on Council and eventually shifted over to ACTRA. And I never left. When I had the opportunity to join ACTRA’s National Council, well, I was pretty darn inspired by everybody around the table. I wanted to take it to the next level. And here I am having the opportunity to do so.

KMG: You chair our National Women’s Committee, which is a pretty vibrant committee. What have you learned from that experience?

EN: We have very strong women across the country who are a force to be reckoned with. Everybody on this Committee has inspired me. We’re still dealing with inequities and it’s a struggle to be heard. It has been incredible to listen to the dialogue from all the different women sharing this struggle and bringing to the table so many different ways that we could tackle it and be fiercer and stronger. As we come up against an industry bias, we’re finding new ways to take more control of our equity.

KMG: I will attest to the fierceness of ACTRA women–a wonderful thing. I understand you were involved in the Montreal Honours Committee. Where did that lead you?

EN: I was the chair of our Honours Committee and helped run all of our award celebrations, Performance Awards one year, Honours Awards the next. I also created the Casting Standards Committee, which hears from casting directors, our agents and our membership to create a three-way dialogue. I’m especially proud that other ACTRA Branches across the country want to develop their own Casting Standards Committee because of what was started in Montreal. When we dialogue together, we start to get on the same page.

KMG: What’s been your experience with auditioning in the COVID environment?

EN: The whole self-tape thing has been hard on so many people, having to purchase the equipment, getting everything perfect. So many Zoom workshops out there, interviewing casting directors across the country, in L.A. and New York. And, in the same breath as they say “we understand,” they also say “if your lighting, background, or microphone aren’t right, you’ll lose your spot for consideration for a role.” Not only that, but performers are expected to be on call 24-7, which means we never get a break. I feel like a number. I’m expected to jump every time. I really hope we can get back to where our profession is respected. There’s some messaging about what’s happening to us performers that’s not getting back up to the top. We need to communicate it. And we will, we’ll get there.

KMG: The thing I really miss the most is feedback in the auditioning room.

EN: Absolutely. Not only is there no feedback, performers are not even sure if their audition tapes are being viewed. Also, an appointment time for your audition is completely different than a deadline to submit a self-tape. When I had to be at my audition the next day, I would have time to prepare in advance, and then wake up and go to the audition. When we’re making our own movies at home, it’s the setup, coordinating with the readers, and scheduling around other responsibilities, if you have children, other jobs, etc. Then creating, watching, uploading and editing your takes and sending it off to your agent. It’s just been a huge added pressure to what we already do, which is already so stressful in so many ways.

KMG: What do you think, as President, are your greatest strengths?

EN: I’m a team player. I’m not afraid to speak my mind. I’m passionate about what we do. I’m empathetic and I listen. And I am so determined to make the right change – when it comes to health and safety, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) issues, harassment-free work zones, bringing in intimacy coordinators – everything across the board. I have a deep passion for working very hard. I have a strong sense of fairness — to always look out for other people. It’s an incredible opportunity to be in this position. I don’t take it for granted. And I’m open to anybody needing to contact me. I’m here to listen.

KMG: You were at the last FIA (International Federation of Actors) Congress. What were your impressions?

EN: That was an incredible, inspirational conference where I felt really connected to other artists around the world. We have universal concerns and issues that are worrisome. But when you hear these are shared with other artists around the world, it strengthens us to find ways to make change. And it’s an honour that we’re part of it. FIA’s Past President Ferne Downey (who is also a Past President of ACTRA) did an incredible job of connecting performers around the world.

KMG: Right. Gabrielle Carteris, who recently became SAG-AFTRA’s Past President after their convention earlier this month, was elected President of FIA at the Congress this past spring. I have great hopes for her.

EN: Absolutely. And she has a deep passion for all of the things I’ve already covered, such as health and safety on our sets.

KMG: Is there anything we need to know about you that I haven’t asked?

EN: I suppose I would like to summarize our conversation by saying how excited I am about all this newness. I recently had an opportunity to think and reflect about my position and what really rang true to me is how we don’t talk enough about the fact that we’re in a new century. How do we define what this new century is going to represent? And new generations? I feel we’re still living in the past a little bit. We have such an opportunity in this new century and that really, really excites me, this turnover and newness. Our union is incredible. It’s almost 80 years old. There is a strong foundation that is set and I’m very excited to see where it’s going to take us. So that’s what I’m really looking forward to.

Keith Martin Gordey is the Vice President of ACTRA National and Treasurer and Past President of UBCP/ACTRA. He is a Director on the board of CSARN (the Canadian Senior Artists Resource Network) and serves on the board of the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Foundation of British Columbia. Keith is a Past President of Western Gold Theatre and a Past President of PAL Vancouver. Keith’s extensive film and television career includes roles on Stargate SG-1, Cold Squad, The Watchmen, Supernatural and The Order.

Eleanor Noble is the National President of ACTRA. She is also Vice President of ACTRA Montreal and Chair of the ACTRA National Women’s Committee. Eleanor is actively committed to creating safe sets across Canada and broadening diversity in all aspects of our industry. She is the creator of the Casting Standards Committee in Montreal, which works with industry partners to improve the casting process. Eleanor oversaw the adaptation of ACTRA National’s guide for Best Practices for Scenes Involving Nudity, Intimacy, Simulated Sex and Sexual Violence. Eleanor’s screen credits include Incendo’s Seasoned with Love, CBC’s Detectives, I.D.’s Fatal Vows and APTN’s Mohawk Girls. Her voice performance credits include the popular series Arthur, Disney’s Trulli Tales, Netflix’s Maggie & Bianca: Fashion Friends and video games such as Assassin’s Creed, Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia. Eleanor is a graduate of the Professional Theatre Program (The Dome) at Dawson College in Montreal.

It’s 4:00 a.m. and I’ve just hit the snooze button on my alarm for the last time. Call-time is at 5:00 a.m. and I’ve spent most of the night prepping my hair and my lines. I’m exhausted.

In my trailer, I’ve set up a “makeshift” hair and makeup station loaded with my own personal products and tools. It’s a mess, but with quick and shaky hands I organize the table as best as I can. Coffee, breakfast and water on one side, script and sides on the other, and hair products and makeup down the middle.

As I make my way to the hair trailer, I take a deep breath and say, “God, I hope they know what they’re doing in there.” It only takes a second before I realize they do not. The showcased lineup of hair products and tools is enough for me to know this.  

Once again, I’m thankful I started prepping my hair the night before and that my trailer was stocked with my own goods.

I play it cool. I look at my lines hoping to fool the other actors sitting in chairs beside me. They seem so relaxed. Calm. Unbothered. Sauntering in and plopping themselves into chairs with wet hair. Some of them hadn’t even shaved yet, sporting a full beard, uncoloured roots and in need of a haircut.

Ah to dream. I thought about how I could not even imagine some of my fellow Black male actors coming to work without going to the barbershop on their own dime the night before. And wet hair? Forget it. The peace. The confidence. The fact that it was free. I envied it. 

Here I was exhausted and full of anxiety. Not to mention the cost of buying products and tools, if I was being honest… I really had no business using, I learned on the job. Like most of us do. 

What would become of my head of hair on this project? Would I receive the ol’ fluff fluff pass? The old gentle tap on the shoulder only to be passed on with a smile and a, “You look great with what you’ve done already.” In a way, I was secretly counting on it. That way I could get back to my trailer to get myself together so I didn’t look crazy on camera. Maybe if there was time… I’d even get to look at my lines.

There is a small but very obvious dark scar on my forehead. It’s only detectable in certain light and with the right makeup it’s barely noticeable. But I notice it. I see it in the mirror every time I get myself together to start my day. I don’t think too much about it, but I know it’s there. The scar is a small but stark reminder of the anxiety and misfortune of a Black actress attempting to do her own hair in her trailer. Hot tools, early mornings combined with untrained actors pretending to be hairstylists can be a dangerous thing.

My name is Vinessa Antoine and I’m an actress. I’m on a show called Diggstown on the CBC. The one thing I didn’t train for, but I wish I had, was how to do hair for film and television. 

Not just hair… afro-textured hair, wigs, weaves, braids and everything in between. I get asked all the time to give advice to young Black people about starting out in the business. I always say, “Learn your craft, know who you are, get a mentor… and learn how to do your own damn hair.”

Over the last 20 years of working as an actor in film and television, I’ve had the honour of creating with some of the most talented people.

After spending the last three years working with some really great people, my anxiety and hot curling iron accidents are behind me now. Why? Because I have an amazing Black showrunner and amazing producers from all backgrounds championing for this type of inclusion.

That’s what it’s going to take to make changes in this area of our industry. But make no mistake about it, from our friends all the way in the U.K., to our U.S. neighbours just south of the boarder, to right here in “multicultural” Canada, we have a major gap to fill in the hair and makeup department. 

The lack of accredited hair and makeup professionals with a skill for taking care of Black performers has resulted in a situation where Black series regulars have had to learn to style their own hair and/or apply their own makeup. This, in and of itself, creates a double standard in our industry.

A hair stylist who has spent their career working in a Black hair salon will likely have a vastly superior knowledge of Black hair than a typical hair stylist on a film set. It’s time for the unions and production companies to start changing how key hair and makeup departments are hired and how they are accessed.

I believe if you are working in the hair and makeup department on a film or television set, you should be able to work on all types of people and be able to prove you are capable of doing so. There is too much education out there and people who are willing to learn for this problem to continue. 

After all, if we can’t do it for someone who is number one on the call sheet, then what are we really doing?

Vinessa Antoine made TV history in 2018 as the first Black Canadian woman to lead a prime-time Canadian drama on network television and to be ‘number one’ on the call sheet. She left her role as Jordan Ashford in the American soap opera General Hospital to play Marcie Diggs in the Halifax-shot CBC series Diggstown, currently in its third season. In 2021, Vinessa received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Actress in a Drama Series and won the ACTRA Maritimes Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Lead or Featured Female Role for her work on Diggstown.

Marie Kelly
ACTRA National Executive Director

It’s been a blockbuster year for film, television and commercial production with most of Canada seeing record levels. Thanks to the excellent health and safety protocols being observed by everyone on set, studios, broadcasters and streaming services have been able to boost their production volume to meet audience demand for new content during the pandemic.

Across the country, the news is good. In Ontario, ACTRA Ottawa is currently booked up with Movie of the Week (MOW) work into 2022 while ACTRA Toronto reports film, television and digital media production volumes are higher now than they were pre-pandemic. While not quite back to pre-pandemic levels, production in Montreal has certainly bounced back with a strong mix of series, feature films, and video game projects. Manitoba performers are experiencing one of their best years. ACTRA Manitoba had a slow start at the beginning of the year and has since seen production shoot up in volume. Alberta is on track to having the best year in its history with a mix of Canadian and U.S. series as well as some smaller independent productions. Atlantic Canada has also been bursting at the seams with production this year. Newfoundland and Labrador has had multiple series shooting simultaneously and Nova Scotia has had both U.S. and Canadian series filming all over the province. UBCP/ACTRA is also enjoying another stellar year with series and MOWs dominating the local scene.

Our industry has helped support Canada’s economy through a difficult year. With on-set protocols changing daily or weekly to meet varying public health restrictions, I would like to thank our ACTRA Branch leaders and staff who have been heavily involved with provincial legislators to develop new industry health and safety guidelines to keep Canadian performers safe and our industry rolling. Thank you to all our members across the country for doing your part to help make this happen.

While we are happy to report these high levels of production, we are preparing ourselves for our upcoming Independent Production Agreement (IPA) bargaining this November when we will renegotiate this important agreement with the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) and the Association québécoise de la production médiatique (AQPM). The current IPA expires December 31, 2021, and covers the engagement of performers in all film, television and digital media production in Canada (except in British Columbia, which operates under a separate collective agreement negotiated by UBCP/ACTRA).

We are planning for every scenario. Producers will likely lament over the cost of keeping our sets open and safe. But what they will not say is, as they have been racing to keep up with demand while we have all been self-isolating at home and craving new content, producers have been saving massive amounts of money by downloading auditions onto our members’ backs.

Some members like the flexibility of self-taping their auditions, while others prefer Zoom or in-person auditions. But even if you are a performer who prefers self-taping your auditions, these new work challenges and expenses have been downloaded onto ACTRA members. No matter what our future holds for auditioning, this important area of our work as professional performers needs to be addressed.

Studios have a lot of power, with teams of people tasked with cutting corners to increase their bottom line. Creators must share the victories of our screen industry whenever and wherever possible. The pandemic, combined with the dramatically changing entertainment industry, makes it more important than ever to stay connected with our sibling performer unions across the globe. This past spring at the 22nd FIA (International Federation of Actors) World Congress, I was honoured to be elected to serve on the FIA Executive Committee in the role of Vice-President. I look forward to continuing ACTRA’s long-standing presence serving and representing Canada on FIA’s Executive Committee as well as the work our union does in partnership with FIA to advance the rights of performers worldwide. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank ACTRA National’s Past President Ferne Downey who stepped down from her role as FIA President at this year’s Congress. I look forward to building on the significant work Ferne has done to protect and promote the rights of performers.

In this global industry where change happens quickly, it’s shocking to know how far behind our Canadian industry is on a number of critical issues. We are hearing more and more reports of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) performers doing their own hair and makeup because of a lack of qualified crew who are only trained to style white performers. This past September, ACTRA’s National Diversity, Equity and Inclusion survey revealed 43 per cent of BIPOC performers bring their own hair and makeup products to set while 32 per cent stated they have to go off-set (at their own expense) to get their hair and makeup done. This is unacceptable.

Vinessa Antoine does a great job tackling this serious issue in her ACTRA Magazine story, Championing inclusion on our film & TV sets. Vinessa made Canadian television history in 2019 when she became the first Black Canadian woman to lead a prime-time Canadian drama on a national television network and the first Black Canadian woman to be ‘Number One’ on a call sheet. On behalf of our union, I thank Vinessa for bravely sharing these challenges with us.

Unequal treatment of performers on sets across the country will not be tolerated. No performer should ever walk onto a set and feel as though their hair texture or skin tone is a burden. In recent months, broadcasters, producers and media giants expressed their support of BIPOC creators and storytelling. They are being called out in Hollywood and we are calling them out here in Canada.

Our National Commercial Agreement is also up for renewal this year. We are going back to the table with the Joint Broadcasting Committee soon — to get a fair and reasonable deal for our members. 

With this being such an important year for us in bargaining, please remember ACTRA members have more than a voice – together, we have power, we have influence, and we can make change.

Our negotiations will require a show of strength from ACTRA members. We are seeking improvements that reflect where we are in 2021 with respect to how people are treated on- and off-set. We know the people we sit across from at the bargaining table can be tough. When we reach out for your support, we need to know you are with us. If engagers start crying poor (even though this is false), we must be ready to have each other’s backs every step of the way from coast-to-coast-to-coast.

On behalf of ACTRA, I would like to welcome our new National President Eleanor Noble. Eleanor is dedicated to serving ACTRA members across this country, and committed to protecting performers’ rights, strengthening our working conditions through collective bargaining and advocacy, and taking action to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. I encourage you to learn more about Eleanor in the “Getting to Know Your President” Q&A with ACTRA National Vice President Keith Martin Gordey and Eleanor’s first “President’s Message” in this fall issue of ACTRA Magazine. I would also like to thank David Sparrow on behalf of our members for his dedication and hard work throughout his two terms as our National President. We are thankful David will continue to serve our union as a National Councillor and as Past President.

Finally, I am happy to report ACTRA Performers’ Rights Society (PRS) has been working harder than ever to ensure residual income is received by performers. ACTRA PRS collected 30 per cent more and distributed 50 per cent more Use fees in the first five months of the 2020/21 fiscal year compared to the same period in 2019/20 before the pandemic. To find out more about Use fees and how they work, please watch our recent Use fees webinar produced by ACTRA PRS in partnership with UBCP/ACTRA and ACTRA Toronto.

Whether it’s our strong focus on bargaining, better safety protections for our members on set, distributing Use fees, our on-going work with elected officials, or our diversity and inclusion efforts to create a more equitable screen industry, we must use our collective power to make life better for all our members. It’s our solidarity as a union that gives us the power to negotiate for fair treatment and renumeration and safe and respectful working conditions.

And we do this together.

In solidarity,

Marie Kelly

Eleanor Noble
ACTRA National President

It has been an honour and an incredible four months so far — taking on the vast responsibility of representing 27,000-plus ACTRA members across Canada. As we continue to navigate our way through ever-changing COVID-19 protocols to keep our industry open, ongoing negotiations of our collective agreements as well as the day-to-day operations of our union, I would like to acknowledge our dedicated staff both at the National and Branch level. It gives me great pride to work alongside them to achieve our common goals. As well, I am inspired by the scope of talent of our membership and what we stand for, and I want the world to know!

One way we will achieve our goals is through our ACTRA Member Census. I am proud our union has conducted our first-ever nationwide anonymous Census. The information we gather through the Census will have an enormous impact on the strategic decisions made by our union for years to come. It will help us improve the working lives of Canadian performers. And it will influence ACTRA’s collective bargaining objectives, public policy work, diversity and inclusion efforts, and help our union deliver better services to all of us. I thank all Members who participated in such an important initiative and especially the members of ACTRA’s National Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee for their time and input in shaping the Census.

Soon after the completion of the Census, our federal government held a snap election that resulted in… well, not much of a difference. However, ACTRA will continue to work diligently and will hold the Liberal Party of Canada to account in meeting their election commitments to our industry. We hope our elected representatives will put their differences aside and work together to create real change for Canadians. Directly from the Liberal’s platform, ACTRA’s top priority will be, “within the first 100 days, reintroduce legislation to reform the Broadcasting Act to ensure foreign web giants contribute to the creation and promotion of Canadian stories and music.” Legislation requiring foreign web giants, like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, to contribute to the creation of Canadian content will help strengthen our domestic production industry and generate more jobs for Canadian creators.

On October 14, I was thrilled to attend an amazing virtual celebration hosted by ACTRA National for Andrea Menard, ACTRA’s 2021 Woman of the Year. Andrea invited very inspiring panelists who shared stories about their successes and struggles. Please take the time to watch this amazing discussion. Congratulations again to Andrea Menard for this recognition.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge our Past President, David Sparrow.

David accomplished an enormous amount for our membership under extraordinary circumstances in the four years he served as National President of ACTRA. We wouldn’t be where we are today without David’s fierce dedication and leadership. Here are just some of the highlights of his work.

Pre-COVID, David committed much of his time travelling the country to mark and celebrate ACTRA’s 75th anniversary, attending awards, galas and AGMs to speak about the importance of solidarity and our union.

David successfully led negotiations for the last National Commercial Agreement (NCA), Independent Production Agreement (IPA), Ubisoft and Game On collective agreements. He made recommendations to the federal government to strengthen the cultural exemption in the Canada-USA-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA, replacing NAFTA) in terms of protecting Canadian culture and our cultural industries. He worked on, lobbied for and promoted Bill C-10 (An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act) to Keep Canada on our Screens. David launched ACTRA’s first fully digital edition of ACTRA Magazine as well as ACTRA’s refreshed National, ACTRA Performers’ Rights Society (PRS) and Branch websites. He also successfully worked with ACTRA’s National Constitution Committee to improve our union’s National governance structure.

David vigorously fought for change related to #MeToo and Black Lives Matter issues and movements that resulted in the creation of an industry-wide Code of Conduct that now has over 100 signatories — and counting — committed to preventing and responding to workplace harassment and discrimination in all its forms. He collaborated with the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) in jointly launching the bilingual HAVEN Helpline and advocated for it to include anti-racism support – HAVEN: Harassment, Anti-racism and Violence Emergency Network, available 24/7 to members.

And when the unimaginable happened, a global pandemic that shut down the world, David immediately took action to manage COVID-19’s insidious attack and crisis on our union and industry, collaborating with our sibling unions and other self-employed artists to be included in the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and pushed hard against the CERB clawback and won! As a result, performers across this country have been eligible to apply for and receive financial support to help them keep food on the table and a roof over their head.

And if these accomplishments weren’t enough, David was key in hiring Marie Kelly, ACTRA’s National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, ensuring a smooth and seamless transition of National leadership.

On behalf of ACTRA Members from coast-to-coast-to-coast, I would like to thank David Sparrow for his hard work and dedication. We are a stronger union because of him.

We are early in a new century, a new decade, and a new era, adding new members, new staff, and new leadership. Together, we are growing and strengthening our union. These are exciting times!

For updates on ongoing and upcoming negotiations of our collective agreements, I encourage you to read Marie Kelly’s NED article, Bargaining in Focus.

In solidarity,

Eleanor Noble
ACTRA National President