The Canadian Farm Writers' Federation annual meeting in Edmonton is just wrapping up and if attendees heard about anything these last few days, it was IFAJ - the International Federation of Agriculture Journalists.
It wasn't the only topic of discussion, but 18 CFWF members attended the IFAJ congress in Fort Worth, Texas last month. Many of us were at the CFWF meeting in Edmonton. As well IFAJ President Mike Wilson attended CFWF. So it was top of mind!
I attended as the recipient of the CFWF/Monsanto bursary. The $2,500 prize is awarded each year to a CFWF member who applies to CFWF -- independent judges review the application and use a point system to mark categories of the application.
more later,
Allison
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Class action suit settled
From PWAC
CTVglobemedia announced earlier this week that they have agreed to pay $11 million to settle the class action suit launched 13 years ago by Heather Robertson on behalf of thousands of freelance writers claiming their work was reproduced electronically without proper permission or compensation.
"The Professional Writers Association of Canada is thrilled with the news of the settlement. This has been a long ongoing process and we appreciate Heather Robertson taking the lead role in the battle for the protection of writers' rights," said PWAC President, Tanya Gulliver. "As freelancers we want to be fairly compensated for the work that we do, and want to ensure that publishers recognize the value of our work. This settlement, stemming from the Supreme Court decision in 2006 that supported our position that freelancers own control of their work unless otherwise agreed upon, is historic and a great achievement for the freelance writing industry."
PWAC and Ms. Robertson, a founding member of PWAC, are optimistic that the settlement will expedite a positive outcome in other pending lawsuits and set a precedent protecting creators' intellectual property rights and ensure fair compensation for digital exploitation of their work.
Ms. Robertson would also like to thank PWAC and the many individual members who have vocally supported her over the years and provided financial assistance to help cover her legal costs.
Ms. Robertson and her legal representatives will be publishing a full version of the settlement and a notice to claimants in the Globe and Mail and the National Post on Saturday.
CTVglobemedia announced earlier this week that they have agreed to pay $11 million to settle the class action suit launched 13 years ago by Heather Robertson on behalf of thousands of freelance writers claiming their work was reproduced electronically without proper permission or compensation.
"The Professional Writers Association of Canada is thrilled with the news of the settlement. This has been a long ongoing process and we appreciate Heather Robertson taking the lead role in the battle for the protection of writers' rights," said PWAC President, Tanya Gulliver. "As freelancers we want to be fairly compensated for the work that we do, and want to ensure that publishers recognize the value of our work. This settlement, stemming from the Supreme Court decision in 2006 that supported our position that freelancers own control of their work unless otherwise agreed upon, is historic and a great achievement for the freelance writing industry."
PWAC and Ms. Robertson, a founding member of PWAC, are optimistic that the settlement will expedite a positive outcome in other pending lawsuits and set a precedent protecting creators' intellectual property rights and ensure fair compensation for digital exploitation of their work.
Ms. Robertson would also like to thank PWAC and the many individual members who have vocally supported her over the years and provided financial assistance to help cover her legal costs.
Ms. Robertson and her legal representatives will be publishing a full version of the settlement and a notice to claimants in the Globe and Mail and the National Post on Saturday.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Earth Day
My daughter is an Eco Kid at her school. She's not much into sports, so I was thrilled when she joined the environmental club. They meet once a week, discuss ways to make the school greener and, from the sounds of her accounts of the meetings, share a lot of giggles. Shouldn't every Grade 4 event be like that?
To mark Earth Day, the Eco Kids and their faculty advisor organized a fair at the school, transforming the gym into a trade show and inviting local businesses to show off their green wares. I went in on Tuesday night to help set up. One of the booths was a spin-the-wheel trivia game for the students -- spin the wheel, answer a trivia question and, if you get the answer right, win a prize.
Thumbing through environmental trivia cards, I was truly disheartened that the game shed such a negative light on farming and made agriculture producers out to be ecological villains.
Lots of questions bashing genetic research, fertilizer use and pest controls. One questions asked: "what tools do farmers use that damages the earth?" (Answer: farm machinery, since it compacts the soil and therefore destroys vital nutrients.) No mention of drought resistant crops, no-till practices or pest resistant crops.
As you’ll read in this week's edition of AgriSuccess Express, out later today by email, we have a story about the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and other industry practices that continues to promote the good things producers are doing to care for the earth.
However, we need to ensure that each of us at an individual level is also doing what we can to share the news, so local schools, neighbours and our communities know that producers are the original stewards of the land.
To mark Earth Day, the Eco Kids and their faculty advisor organized a fair at the school, transforming the gym into a trade show and inviting local businesses to show off their green wares. I went in on Tuesday night to help set up. One of the booths was a spin-the-wheel trivia game for the students -- spin the wheel, answer a trivia question and, if you get the answer right, win a prize.
Thumbing through environmental trivia cards, I was truly disheartened that the game shed such a negative light on farming and made agriculture producers out to be ecological villains.
Lots of questions bashing genetic research, fertilizer use and pest controls. One questions asked: "what tools do farmers use that damages the earth?" (Answer: farm machinery, since it compacts the soil and therefore destroys vital nutrients.) No mention of drought resistant crops, no-till practices or pest resistant crops.
As you’ll read in this week's edition of AgriSuccess Express, out later today by email, we have a story about the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and other industry practices that continues to promote the good things producers are doing to care for the earth.
However, we need to ensure that each of us at an individual level is also doing what we can to share the news, so local schools, neighbours and our communities know that producers are the original stewards of the land.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Atlantic journalist wins international bursary
A past-president of the CFWF will represent Canadian farm writers at the 2009 International Federation of Agriculture Journalists congress in Texas this summer. Self-employed communications consultant and writer Allison Finnamore is the winner of the CFWF International Bursary. The bursary, sponsored by Monsanto, reimburses up to $2,500 of the winner’s costs to attend the congress.
A graduate of New Brunswick Community College, Finnamore began her career as a reporter in Grand Falls. That was followed by reporting for The New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal and The Fredericton Daily Gleaner.
Her freelance career has seen her work appear in many agriculture and specialty publications across Canada including: Farm Focus of Atlantic Canada, Country Guide, Nova Scotia Business Journal, Top Crop Manager, The Milk Producer, Canadian Poultry Magazine, Fruit and Vegetable Magazine, Country Life in BC, Farmers’ Independent Weekly, Manitoba Co-Operative, Canadian Cattlemen, Canola Guide, Farming A Journal of Northeast Agriculture, Atlantic Construction Journal and The Carleton Victoria Advertiser.
Today, she is the Editor of the weekly Farm Credit Canada AgriSuccess Express and Associate Editor of the bi-monthly AgriSuccess Journal. She also does contract communications work with business and government.
In addition, she has been a tireless contributor to the CFWF in leadership and volunteer positions. She spent five years as a board member representing the Eastern Canadian Farm Writers’ Association (ECFWA) and a year as CFWF President in 2004-05. She’s worked to organize national CFWF conferences, find judges for annual award competitions, and sponsors for events. She says she’s committed to welcoming international visitors to Canada when the Congress is held in Guelph in 2011.
“My volunteer work with CFWF and my freelance business offer me a broad understanding of agriculture throughout the country. The conference being held in the United States, a country with which Canadian agriculture has experienced many challenges and shares many commonalities (BSE, COOL, trade, farm labour, organics), heightens my interest. I relish the chance to be in the heart of American agriculture writers, editors and farmers. I am excited about the trip and look forward to sharing the Canadian experience with fellow conference attendees. I fully expect to stir interest and enthusiasm for attending IFAJ in Canada in 2011,” says Finnamore.
Finnamore says she’ll share her learnings with all who are interested through her already established blog and social networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
“I believe there are many more potential CFWF members in Atlantic Canada who may be drawn into the organization when they hear about my experience.”
A graduate of New Brunswick Community College, Finnamore began her career as a reporter in Grand Falls. That was followed by reporting for The New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal and The Fredericton Daily Gleaner.
Her freelance career has seen her work appear in many agriculture and specialty publications across Canada including: Farm Focus of Atlantic Canada, Country Guide, Nova Scotia Business Journal, Top Crop Manager, The Milk Producer, Canadian Poultry Magazine, Fruit and Vegetable Magazine, Country Life in BC, Farmers’ Independent Weekly, Manitoba Co-Operative, Canadian Cattlemen, Canola Guide, Farming A Journal of Northeast Agriculture, Atlantic Construction Journal and The Carleton Victoria Advertiser.
Today, she is the Editor of the weekly Farm Credit Canada AgriSuccess Express and Associate Editor of the bi-monthly AgriSuccess Journal. She also does contract communications work with business and government.
In addition, she has been a tireless contributor to the CFWF in leadership and volunteer positions. She spent five years as a board member representing the Eastern Canadian Farm Writers’ Association (ECFWA) and a year as CFWF President in 2004-05. She’s worked to organize national CFWF conferences, find judges for annual award competitions, and sponsors for events. She says she’s committed to welcoming international visitors to Canada when the Congress is held in Guelph in 2011.
“My volunteer work with CFWF and my freelance business offer me a broad understanding of agriculture throughout the country. The conference being held in the United States, a country with which Canadian agriculture has experienced many challenges and shares many commonalities (BSE, COOL, trade, farm labour, organics), heightens my interest. I relish the chance to be in the heart of American agriculture writers, editors and farmers. I am excited about the trip and look forward to sharing the Canadian experience with fellow conference attendees. I fully expect to stir interest and enthusiasm for attending IFAJ in Canada in 2011,” says Finnamore.
Finnamore says she’ll share her learnings with all who are interested through her already established blog and social networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
“I believe there are many more potential CFWF members in Atlantic Canada who may be drawn into the organization when they hear about my experience.”
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Canada's Worst Driver makes Moncton casting call
Help to Make Moncton Roads Safer!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto, Ontario (March 2, 2009) - The record-breaking Discovery Channel series Canada’s Worst Driver is on a mission to make Moncton streets less dangerous by rehabilitating the worst drivers in the city. But finding these drivers isn’t easy, so Proper Television, the company behind the show, is enlisting the help of Moncton residents. People in the area are being asked to put forth their Canada’s Worst Driver nomination for the fifth season of the hit show.
To submit a nomination, email driver@propertelevision.com or call 1-866-598-2591.
Every single nomination from the Moncton area will be reviewed immediately. Producers have scheduled a trip to Moncton early in April to meet with the worst of the worst. Final selections for the program will take place shortly after. Drivers bad enough to make the cut will earn a coveted spot at the nation’s most intense training hub, the Driver’s Rehabilitation Centre.
The idea of the program is to resolve the serious and dangerous behaviour of these drivers through a series of challenges based on core driving skills. As each driver shows improvement, they graduate back onto real roads. At the end, one of the eight candidates will be crowned with the dubious title of Canada’s Worst Driver.
“At the end of the show, someone will be given the title of ‘Canada’s Worst Driver’ but more importantly, a handful of the country’s worst drivers will be exposed to skills that they can use in everyday situations,” says Andrew Younghusband, host and writer.
Why would anyone want to put themselves forward for such a title? The training is unlike any driver’s training in the world. The challenges and courses have been designed to improve the driver’s core driving skills by mimicking real life situations on a grand scale.
“The training is truly extraordinary, especially when it comes to helping those who need a more than just a refresher course behind the wheel,” says Guy O’Sullivan, Executive Producer of Canada’s Worst Driver. “Whether it’s a relative, neighbour, colleague or friend, we have the resources to help.“
To give the bad driver in your life an opportunity to learn from the country’s best at a state of the art driver’s rehabilitation centre, email driver@propertelevision.com or call 1-866-598-2591. Filming is slated for June 2009.
For more information and to view past episodes of Canada’s Worst Driver, you can visit www.worstdriver.ca.
Interviews and high resolution stills available upon request
Canada’s Worst Driver is produced by Proper Television, a Toronto based indie headed up by ex-BBC director Guy O’Sullivan. Proper specializes in factual entertainment and specialist factual programming, and has been named among the Realscreen Global 100 indies for 2008.
Media Contact – high resolution stills, information and interviews:
Meredith Veats, Proper Television Inc.
Telephone 416-598-2500 x224 Fax 416-598-2550 Email meredith@propertelevision.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Toronto, Ontario (March 2, 2009) - The record-breaking Discovery Channel series Canada’s Worst Driver is on a mission to make Moncton streets less dangerous by rehabilitating the worst drivers in the city. But finding these drivers isn’t easy, so Proper Television, the company behind the show, is enlisting the help of Moncton residents. People in the area are being asked to put forth their Canada’s Worst Driver nomination for the fifth season of the hit show.
To submit a nomination, email driver@propertelevision.com or call 1-866-598-2591.
Every single nomination from the Moncton area will be reviewed immediately. Producers have scheduled a trip to Moncton early in April to meet with the worst of the worst. Final selections for the program will take place shortly after. Drivers bad enough to make the cut will earn a coveted spot at the nation’s most intense training hub, the Driver’s Rehabilitation Centre.
The idea of the program is to resolve the serious and dangerous behaviour of these drivers through a series of challenges based on core driving skills. As each driver shows improvement, they graduate back onto real roads. At the end, one of the eight candidates will be crowned with the dubious title of Canada’s Worst Driver.
“At the end of the show, someone will be given the title of ‘Canada’s Worst Driver’ but more importantly, a handful of the country’s worst drivers will be exposed to skills that they can use in everyday situations,” says Andrew Younghusband, host and writer.
Why would anyone want to put themselves forward for such a title? The training is unlike any driver’s training in the world. The challenges and courses have been designed to improve the driver’s core driving skills by mimicking real life situations on a grand scale.
“The training is truly extraordinary, especially when it comes to helping those who need a more than just a refresher course behind the wheel,” says Guy O’Sullivan, Executive Producer of Canada’s Worst Driver. “Whether it’s a relative, neighbour, colleague or friend, we have the resources to help.“
To give the bad driver in your life an opportunity to learn from the country’s best at a state of the art driver’s rehabilitation centre, email driver@propertelevision.com or call 1-866-598-2591. Filming is slated for June 2009.
For more information and to view past episodes of Canada’s Worst Driver, you can visit www.worstdriver.ca.
Interviews and high resolution stills available upon request
Canada’s Worst Driver is produced by Proper Television, a Toronto based indie headed up by ex-BBC director Guy O’Sullivan. Proper specializes in factual entertainment and specialist factual programming, and has been named among the Realscreen Global 100 indies for 2008.
Media Contact – high resolution stills, information and interviews:
Meredith Veats, Proper Television Inc.
Telephone 416-598-2500 x224 Fax 416-598-2550 Email meredith@propertelevision.com
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Feb. 12 is Food Freedom Day
On Feb. 12, the average Canadian will have enough income to pay his or her individual grocery bill for the entire year.
In observing Food Freedom Day, farmers across the country will celebrate their role in providing consumers with one of the safest and most affordable food supplies in the world.
Food Freedom Day is occurring slightly later in 2009 due to the recent rise in the price of food. This bucks the trend of recent years, where the disposable income of Canadians rose significantly faster than the cost of food. However, thanks to farmers, Canadians still get the best deal in the western world for their food dollar.
In many parts of the world, the cost of food is significantly higher. Member countries within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), on average, spend 8.3 per cent more of their disposable income on food than Canadians. Australians spend 12.7 per cent more, the Japanese spend 35.7 per cent more and Mexicans spend over 125 per cent more of their disposable income on food than Canadians.
In 2008, while prices in some agriculture commodities soared, Canadian farmers continued to take only a very small percentage of the consumers' food dollar at the grocery store.
In 2005, a grain farmer received $0.07 for the corn in a box of Kellogg's Corn Flakes and $0.11 for the wheat in a loaf of bread. Even with a doubling in the price of commodities, those costs would then become 14 cents and 22 cents, certainly not justifying the significant retail mark-ups which many consumers complained about.
Given the processed nature of many consumer foods, it is far more likely that an increase in the cost of energy played a much larger role in the retail price increase.
Canadians continued to receive high quality food produced at the highest food safety and environmental standards. To ensure that consumers are able to identify Canadian food products and support our agriculture sector, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture will continue to advocate for effective ingredient-based 'Product of Canada' guidelines that are both informative to the consumer and practical to the agri-food industry.
For more information Food Freedom Day calculations is here
More Food Freedom Day facts are here .
In observing Food Freedom Day, farmers across the country will celebrate their role in providing consumers with one of the safest and most affordable food supplies in the world.
Food Freedom Day is occurring slightly later in 2009 due to the recent rise in the price of food. This bucks the trend of recent years, where the disposable income of Canadians rose significantly faster than the cost of food. However, thanks to farmers, Canadians still get the best deal in the western world for their food dollar.
In many parts of the world, the cost of food is significantly higher. Member countries within the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), on average, spend 8.3 per cent more of their disposable income on food than Canadians. Australians spend 12.7 per cent more, the Japanese spend 35.7 per cent more and Mexicans spend over 125 per cent more of their disposable income on food than Canadians.
In 2008, while prices in some agriculture commodities soared, Canadian farmers continued to take only a very small percentage of the consumers' food dollar at the grocery store.
In 2005, a grain farmer received $0.07 for the corn in a box of Kellogg's Corn Flakes and $0.11 for the wheat in a loaf of bread. Even with a doubling in the price of commodities, those costs would then become 14 cents and 22 cents, certainly not justifying the significant retail mark-ups which many consumers complained about.
Given the processed nature of many consumer foods, it is far more likely that an increase in the cost of energy played a much larger role in the retail price increase.
Canadians continued to receive high quality food produced at the highest food safety and environmental standards. To ensure that consumers are able to identify Canadian food products and support our agriculture sector, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture will continue to advocate for effective ingredient-based 'Product of Canada' guidelines that are both informative to the consumer and practical to the agri-food industry.
For more information Food Freedom Day calculations is here
More Food Freedom Day facts are here .
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Words to live by
"Interestingly, koi, when put in a fish bowl, will only grow up to three inches. When this same fish is placed in a large tank, it will grow to about nine inches long. In a pond koi can reach lengths of eighteen inches. Amazingly, when placed in a lake, koi can grow to three feet long. The metaphor is obvious. You are limited by how you see the world." -- Vince Poscente
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