01 C Celebrating 60 years: 4

Celebrating 60 years: THE ACTRA STORY This special issue of InterACTRA celebrates ACTRA’s 60th Anniversary – 60 years of great performances, 60 years of fighting for Canadian culture, and 60 years of advances in protecting performers. From a handful of brave and determined radio performers in the ‘40s to a strong 21,000-member union today, this is our story.

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CONGRATULATES

60 YEARS

ALLIANCE ATLANTISPROUDLY

OF AWARD-WINNINGPERFORMANCES

ON

Celebrating 60 yearsof working together

to protect and promote Canadian talent401-366 Adelaide St.W., Toronto, ON M5V 1R9 Ph: 416.979.7907 / 1.800.567.9974 • F: 416.979.9273E: [email protected] • W: www.wgc.ca

1943-2003 • actra • celebrating 60 years 1

SPECIAL 60th ANNIVERSARY ISSUE 2003VOLUME 9, ISSUE 3

InterACTRA is the official publication of ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema,Television and Radio Artists), a Canadian unionof performers affiliated to the Canadian LabourCongress and the International Federation ofActors. ACTRA is a member of CALM (Canadian Association of Labour Media).InterACTRA is free of charge to all ACTRAMembers.

EDITOR: Dan MacDonald

EDITORIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE:Thor Bishopric, Stephen Waddell, Brian Gromoff, David Macniven, Kim Hume, Joanne Deer

CONTRIBUTERS: Steve Adams, DeborahAllen, William B. Davis, Randy Birch,Jennifer Blaney, Heather Blom, GriffithBrewer, Dave Broadfoot, Mike Burns,Marlene Cahill, Vernon Chapman, DonChevrier, Tim Christison, Joy Corion, ChrisCornish, Dennis Corrie, Wendy Crewson,Sharon Davidson, Ferne Downey, DonDudar, Randy Duniz, Paul Falzone, LubaGoy, Jack Gray, Richard Hardacre, MattHolland, John Holmes, Dakota House, MelHurtig, William Hutt, Karen Ivany, MollyJohnson, John Juliani, Juliette, SharonKilley, Victor Knight, Patricia Lanca, JaneLuk, Bill Luxton, Rob Macklin, MaureenMacDonald, Dan Mackenzie, BruceMacLeod, John Mallett, Lynda MasonGreen, Walter Massey, Jennifer McLaren,Mavor Moore, Garry Neil, Wayne Nicklas,Peter Partridge, Gordon Pinsent, GaryPlaxton, Alice Poyser, Kelly Ricard, RitaRidgway, Sheila Roberts, Sandi Ross, MagRuffman, Howard Ryshpan, Sam Sarkar,Austin Schatz, Taylor Shannon Baruchel,William Shatner, Paul Siren, Steve Smith,Sonja Smits, Thom Tapley, Carol Taverner,Lorraine Thomson, R.H. Thomson, GaryVermeir, Mercedes Watson, CarolWhiteman, Megan Davis WilliamsDESIGN: Joss Maclennan DesignTIMELINE OBJECT PHOTOS: Carol RacicotPrinted in Canada by union labour at ThistlePrinting

All contents are copyright ©2003 ACTRA. Allrights are reserved and contents, in whole or inpart, may not be reprinted without permission.The points of view expressed do notnecessarily represent those of ACTRA.

Please return any undelivered mail to:ACTRA, 300-625 Church StreetToronto, ON M4Y 2G1PHONE 1-800-387-3516 or (416) 489-1311FAX (416) 489-8076

www.actra.ca [email protected]

Publications Mail Agreement #40069134

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celebrating 60 years • actra • 1943-20032

Contents

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Thor Bishopric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Stephen Waddell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

THE ACTRA STORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

ACTRA NEWFOUNDLAND/LABRADOR John Holmes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

ACTRA MARITIMES Deborah Allen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

ACTRA MONTREAL Matt Holland, Gary Plaxton, Victor Knight,

Walter Massey, Griffith Brewer, Kelly Ricard and Howard Ryshpan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

ACTRA OTTAWA Bill Luxton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

ACTRA TORONTO Ferne Downey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

ACTRA MANITOBA Alice Poyser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

ACTRA SASKATCHEWAN Sheila Roberts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

ACTRA EDMONTON Sharon Killey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

ACTRA CALGARY Dennis Corrie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

UBCP/ACTRA Bruce MacLeod, Sam Sarkar, Steve Adams, Peter Partridge and John Juliani . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

NUTS AND BOLTS AND BIG IDEAS Garry Neil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

RECOGNIZING DIVERSITY Sandi Ross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

DIGITAL MEDIA Thom Tapley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

ACTRA PRS Mercedes Watson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

ACTRA 60TH ANNIVERSARY HONOUREES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

THE ACTRA AWARDS Lorraine Thomson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

BRAGGING RIGHTS: FACE TO FACE WITH TALENT Ferne Downey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

ARTISTS AS LOBBYISTS Megan Davis Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

STRONG CULTURE REQUIRED Mel Hurtig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

JANE MALLETT AND THE ACTORS’ FUND John Mallett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

MEMORIES OF THE SIXTIES AND SEVENTIES Vern Chapman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

MEMORIES OF ACTRA MONTREAL Victor Knight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

OUR INTERNATIONAL ROLE WITH FIA Paul Siren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

THE PERFORMING ARTS LODGES OF CANADA Dan MacDonald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

60TH ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS FROM THE INDUSTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

A SALUTE TO ACTRA STAFF Karen Ivany and Bruce H. MacLeod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

HONOUR ROLL OF ACTRA PRESIDENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

To all the members ofACTRA who, along withdedicated staff, worked tobuild this strong voice forCanada’s artists; to thosepast pioneers whose sixdecades of self-sacrificeand steadfast adherenceto principles of solidarity,fairness and artisticfreedom are proudlypresented and gratefullyacknowledged herein;and to today’s ‘pioneers-in-training’, whosepresent dedication andaccomplishments will be viewed with similarpride and gratitude onour 100th Anniversary,this special issue ofInterACTRA is dedicated.

theACTRAstory


My warmest greetings to everyone celebrating the 60th anniversaryof the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists. Havingbeen a long-standing member of ACTRA, I am proud to congratulate thisorganization for its championing of Canadian culture and home-grownproductions.

Through the media, you are expanding people’s understanding of theworld and developing possibilities for our differing views of human affairs.Artists have a special obligation to reflect modern society. They provide atexture and description of the lives that we cannot live but know are livedaround us. In this, ACTRA has served Canada well, and this is what we havecome to expect of cinema, radio and television arts.

You must continue to pursue that which gives expression to theCanadian spirit, as well as that which gives to our dreams creativity, insightand relevance – for each and every one of us as Canadians.

Adrienne Clarkson


Throughout 2003, in meetings and celebrationsacross the country, I’ve spoken with dozens of

members about our dear organization. The occasion ofACTRA’s 60th Anniversary has brought a flood ofreminiscences, and an outpouring of pride. Throughthe wonderful stories our members have told, and ourextensive library of material in the form of newslet-ters, press clippings, collective agreements and record-ed interviews with members, The ACTRA Story hasemerged as an exciting narrative. For 60 years,Canadian artists have been the heroes of this story; it’sa tale of passion and perseverance.

There were compelling reasons for performers tocome together in a national organization way back in1943. As you’ll learn in these pages, we first united inthe early ‘40s in local organizations that were destinedto come together as one. Performers were brave andstrong back then. They knew they had to stick togetherif they hoped to earn more than a couple of dollars a day.They had to organize their ranks one member at a time.

Notes from meetings six decades ago remark thatmembers had to approach non-members at each radiorecording session and ask them to join the society. Ifthe non-member refused, our forebears had toapproach the CBC producer and persuade him – pro-ducers were only ‘hims’ back then – not to hire saidperformer until he or she became a member of thesociety. Can any one of us imagine doing that todayeach time we report to set? That’s why we have aunion – the union does the organizing and protectsour professional work environment for us. Still, ourcollective strength depends on the commitment ofevery individual member. And today, with over21,000 members, ACTRA is more powerful andbetter resourced than ever before.

ACTRA has a dramatic history – one worth tellingand remembering. How we got started is impressive –the fact that we’re still at it is a triumph. We cametogether during World War II. We’ve weathered astring of acronyms, a long, drawn-out break-up withour writers and broadcast journalists, a break-up and amake-up with our British Columbia members, variousinternal scandals and lawsuits. But through it all, ourmembers’ passion and artistry have inspired ACTRAto adapt, just as we’ve adapted in our working lives.

Something feels special about ACTRA these days.I’ve been a member for over 30 years. Many of myfriends and loved ones are members. While ACTRAhas always felt like a family, this year it’s especially so.There’s a deeper sense of history, gratitude and pride.The pioneers who built our union and grew it into oneof Canada’s most distinguished institutions havegiven us a great gift. We must all foster and cherish itfor at least the next 60 years. We owe it to them andwe owe it to each other. Happy Anniversary ACTRA!

Thor BishopricACTRA’s National President

P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S A G E

Celebrating our ACTRA family

Thor Bishopric isserving his third termas ACTRA’sNational President.

ThorBishopric in his earlydays as an ACTRAmember.

thetheACTRAACTRAstory


My first day at ACTRA. A dedicated band of peo-ple in a compact suite of offices. Bhoop Singh

was there, as was Rita Ridgway, Natasha Gromoff andMargaret Collier. Also, the man who had recentlysuccessfully encouraged dramatic change in the orga-nization’s outlook, Paul Siren, was there. Paul’s con-siderable trade union experience, breadth of vision,tireless efforts to reinstate fiscal responsibility, com-bined with patience and foresight, added spice to theACTRA mix.

As his Assistant General Secretary, I learned muchfrom Paul, especially how to conduct successful col-lective bargaining negotiations, and the importanceof international ties in an industry growing moreglobal. His contribution to the success of theInternational Federation of Actors (FIA), where hewas instrumental in generating cordial relationsbetween Cold War antagonists the USA and USSR,is legendary.

We weathered many challenges in a rapidly chang-ing industry. ACTRA responded. From our first‘industrial action’ in the 1970s, the Goldrush Folliesdispute through the federal Capital Cost Allowanceof the ‘70s and ‘80s, to the persistent pursuit of Usepayments and strengthened payment structure andenforcement via collective bargaining, we demon-strated that a unified ACTRA membership couldachieve significant goals.

After 12 years, I left to work for the Screen ActorsGuild, returning, in 1992, to an ACTRA in turmoil.Many B.C. members had joined UBCP; ACTRAWriters Guild was separating to form the Writers’Guild of Canada; and our ACTRA Media Guild lostits jurisdiction at the CBC. The next four years were

tumultuous and difficult. In March 1993, the organi-zation formally restructured as a federation of localunions, i.e. a decentralized national organization. The1996 Kelleher Agreement provided a roadmap toresolving the ACTRA/UBCP conflict, allowingACTRA to focus on furtherance of collective bar-gaining and public policy initiatives.

During the 1990s, with our focus concentrated onthe improvement of terms and conditions in nationalcollective agreements, ACTRA once again assumedits rightful leadership role in public policy advocacy –a role inadequately pursued over the previous 10years. We’ve focused attention on the recognition ofthe film and television industry’s significance, and ourmembers’ contribution to Canada’s culture and eco-nomic prosperity. We fostered provisions ensuringroles for Canadian performers in Canadian produc-tion. In 1995, following approval of our first nationalstrike mandate, we introduced ‘Distributors’ GrossRevenue’ into the IPA to replace the ‘net receipts’formula, a watershed achievement.

Together we can achieve anything. ACTRA’spublic policy initiatives – lobby activities in Ottawa,coalition-building in support of reinstatement offunding and a growing number of other political ini-tiatives, demonstrate our commitment to achievingpublic and governmental support for the Canadianentertainment industry. ACTRA’s unity of purpose –exemplified by strong strike mandates and a profes-sional approach to collective bargaining – assuresimprovements in our collective agreements that con-tinue to have a significant impact on the professionallife of Canadian performers.

Stephen Waddell isACTRA’s NationalExecutive Director.

André Leduc

N A T I O N A L E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R ’ S M E S S A G E

Celebrating strength through unity

thetheACTRAACTRAstory


This is the story of ACTRA. It is a rolling tale ofachievement by a remarkable group of people who,

with a bred-in-the-bone Canadian independence andfeistiness, insisted that the story of this land must betold of and by the people of this land. Bold words. Butperformers are for the most part, bold people, and it isthe people of ACTRA whose volunteerism and com-mitment to their craft have made this union strong.

Sixty years is a long time in the history of anyunion, but perhaps the fact that this organization wasbuilt for and by performers makes it appear, at least atfirst glance, even more remarkable. As performers, wespend many of our days competing against one anoth-er. But when the auditions are over, we have provedourselves to be a collective bunch, willing to sacrificethe good of the individual for the good of the whole.That ACTRA has endured is testimony to the perse-verance of our members. While the players havechanged, there has always been a new cast waiting inthe wings, ready to lend their energy and vision toreinforcing and renewing our union.

It hasn’t always been easy. The challenges thatbrought our founders together in 1943 are essentiallythe same ones we face in 2003: ensuring Canadianperformers have the opportunity to tell Canadian sto-ries; fighting for creative empowerment and fair treat-ment; responding to the needs and aspirations of ourdiverse membership. As performers, we know there isalways room for improvement and sometimes we havehad to deliver again and again and again. But like thebest performers – ACTRA’s delivery has only becomestronger and more firmly rooted each time.“They must

be more than a union.”

– Jim O’Neil, Secretary-TreasurerCAW (1994)

T H E A C T R A S T O R Y

60 years of passion and perseverance

theACTRAstory

Had the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation not existed in1943, ACTRA would not be celebrating 60 years – andprobably not exist in its present form. Our developmentfollowed Canada’s national broadcaster’s development.As ‘Mother Corp’ brought the wonders of radio, and latertelevision, to all Canadians wherever they lived in thisgiant country of ours, ACTRA was there, establishingbranches to serve the artists being nurtured, encouragedand fed by the CBC.

Our relationship, turbulent at times, has been more thansymbiotic. We’re family! Like all families, we’ve had oursquabbles but we support each other when the going getstough. Some suggest Old Mum CBC should be privatized.We totally disagree, as do a growing majority of Canadianswho believe in a strong public broadcasting system. Withthem, ACTRA members acknowledge the debt we owe theCBC and celebrate the legacy of excellence we continue tocreate together. Thanks Mum!

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1 Radio drama in the1940S: John Drainie, Jack Mather and FrankPeddie in Jake & TheKid.

2 Tommy Tweed, one ofour founding members.

3 Ken Dalziel, Blain Mathe,Jimmy Namaro, JoeNiosi, Eddie Allen, LloydEdwards, Les Foster,Barry Wood, Bert Niosi,Kathleen Stokes andBobby Gimby in TheHappy Gang.

Thank you Mum

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1941 Radio ArtistsSocieties formed inMontreal and Toronto.

1943 ACRA (Associationof Canadian Radio Artists)formed when artists groupsin Montreal, Toronto,Vancouver and Winnipegform a loose nationalcoalition.

1943 American Federationof Labour grants a charterto the Radio Artists Union

No. 23502.

1945/46 First collectiveagreement (one page)covering work in radio.

1951 Massey/LevesqueRoyal Commission on Arts and Sciences reportreleased – leading tocreation of CanadaCouncil and NFB. One of Canada’s mostsignificant reports onCanadian culture.

Canadian performers were already household nameswhen war broke out in 1939. Their voices were

welcomed into living rooms across the country asCBC radio broadcast live, daily episodes of locallywritten, acted and produced drama. Attentive audi-ences lived through the latest heroic flight of aLancaster bomber in Calling “L” For Lankey, laughedat the antics of The Happy Gang while bolting downlunch before returning to war work, worried alongwith Jake and the Kid about the problems of growingup on the Prairies, and commiserated on the latestbaking success or failure of Ma Perkins.

As the war intensified, pioneering talents such asJohn Drainie, Bud Knapp, Jane Mallett, TommyTweed, Lorne Greene and Ruth Springford liberatedthe thirsty imaginations of audiences across a growingtrans-Canada network. They wove stories thatinstilled pride and offered comfort during the anxiousdays of war, especially to those concerned for lovedones overseas.

As radio’s reach grew during the ‘40s, so did theneed for educational material for use in the class-rooms of the nation through The Schools Broadcasts,

and to share know-how to farming communitiesthrough daily, local doses of The Farm Broadcast.

Work opportunities for performers and writers wereexploding, but the paycheques didn’t follow suit. Thecreators of this invaluable work lived a hand-to-mouth existence spending many hours, writing, per-forming and often directing these dramatic offerings,all for the princely sum of, perhaps, $15 a show.Commercials were recorded in bulk, often 13 in a rowat 50¢ apiece. Actors were lucky to see $6.50 for two-and-a-half days work on a series of ads that often ranfor as long as four years.

Determined to make a living with their creativegifts, several Toronto-based artists decided thereshould be a more professional approach to this actingbusiness and organized the first ‘union style’ collectivein 1941, the Radio Artists of Toronto Society(RATS). Meetings were held in secret, and the groupwas happy to offically adopt the term ‘society’, know-ing well the panic that would ensue if the word‘union’ made the rounds. Overcoming disbelief fromCBC management and nervousness from some partsof the acting community, RATS persevered, winning

“We were all so veryenthusiastic,and so very,very naïve.”

– Jean Tweed, Founding member

We’re here and we’re staying

Photo courtesy Terry Tweed

1943 -1953

theACTRAstory

1 One of our foundingmembers, Jean Tweed.

2 A RATS dinner in the‘40s.

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1952 ACRA members arethe first faces on televisionwhen Canadian TV(CBC) is launched inMontreal and Toronto.

1952 ACRA withdrawsfrom AFL – merges withUDA and writers tobecome Canadian Councilof Authors and Artists(CCAA).

1957 The Actors’ Fund of Canada started by five

prominent actors, eachkicking in a one dollar bill:Jane Mallett, DonaldDavis, Barbara Hamilton,Douglas Rain and DennisSweeting.

1958 Branch establishedin Ottawa.

1959 Producers’ strikeagainst CBC/Radio-Canada in Montreal. UDA leaves CCAA.

1959 Genesis ofperformers’ insurance plan,that later becomes theActra Fraternal BenefitSociety (AFBS).

1959 Board of BroadcastGovernors begins hearingson Canadian contentregulations.

1960 CCAA battles CBC in fight for writers’agreement.


better fees and more civilized working conditions.Radio singers had also formed a collective, and in

1943, they merged their group with RATS. Thesingers argued that there was little dignity in beingaffiliated with rodents, and so it was decided that theywould move forward as the Association of CanadianRadio Artists (ACRA). While the actors and singerswere very clear on what they wanted in terms of ratesand working conditions, they were not confidentabout their ability to bargain collectively withengagers. So, following a raucous meeting thatattracted every artist in town, ACRA members votedto become affiliated with the American Federation ofLabour.

Meanwhile, performers across the country weresetting up local AFL-affiliated groups and demand-ing better working conditions. There was the RadioArtists of Montreal Society (RAMS – mammalswere popular in the ‘40s) as well as organizations inWinnipeg and Vancouver. As these independentgroups began to swap information, it became clearthat if there was strength in numbers, there wouldbe greater strength in larger numbers. In 1943, theregional societies came together to form the firstnational council. Three years later, Len Petersonsuccessfully convinced ACRA that radio writers

too, should join their ranks. The growing coalition won progressively better

wages and working conditions for the membersthroughout the decade, eventually drawing up thevery first collective agreement covering performersin Canada. The agreement was one-page long, andwas kept in place by members who were asked totake six-month stints as volunteer stewards. Whenthey weren’t busy with their own gigs, stewardswould visit studios and check in with their col-leagues to make sure they were getting the treatmentdue to them under the negotiated agreement.

This agreement represented the first efforts bycreators to establish a distinctly Canadian approachand a national standard for working conditions andrates. A young Patrick Watson joined ACRA andsaw his fee on the daily series, Kootenay Kid, tripled!The rise from $1 per show to $3 per episode finallyenabled him to get that bike he had been hankeringafter.

The promotion, increase and protection of per-formers’ and writers’ rights in radio continued to beACRA’s mission into the ‘50s, when a new and differ-ent creature blustered onto the scene, changing thebusiness, culture, and the nature of communicationsforever: television.

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rchives of Canada

Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster horsing around with a TV camera. The Wayne and Shuster Hour started on CBCtelevision in 1954.

1943 -1953

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1 One of the earlymembers of ACRA,and founder of TheActors’ Fund, JaneMallett.

2 One of ourfounding members,Lorne Greene, onradio in the 1940s.

3 Johnny Wayne andFrank Shuster’sshow started outon radio (1940S).

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1960 CCAA withdrawsCanadian LabourCongress (CLC)affiliation in protest overCLC’s allowing Frenchunions that had leftCCAA to affiliate.

1963 ACTRA Branchestablished in Edmonton.

1963 CCAA becomesAssociation of CanadianTelevision and Radio

Artists (ACTRA). Newconstitution accepted.

Television didn’t enter the scene timidly. It chargedits way to the top in popular entertainment, terri-

fying some performers and spooking moviemakerswho did their best to prevent this jerky, snow-filled,expensive medium from succeeding. But succeed itdid and we were there from the start as our membersfaces were the first to flicker across the airwaves.Montreal’s CBFT-TV sent out its first signals onSeptember 6, 1952. Two days later, Toronto’s stationwent on air, displaying a reversed CBC logo (theslide had been placed in backwards) followed by liveweatherman Percy Saltzman.

Performers looked upon TV with a mix of awe andintimidation. While some ran for the familiarity ofthe stage and radio, most threw themselves into thecreative challenges posed by the new medium.

The Biz was jumping and Canada was at the cen-tre of the action. We became a world leader in tele-vision both technically and artistically. Canadiantechnicians devised revolutionary innovations, pro-ducing the best studio cameras and operators in theworld. Performers were bolstered by worldwide

acclaim for their work at the new Stratford Festival,and earned a reputation for providing a perfect bridgebetween the classic British stiff-upper-lip and theAmericanized let-it-all-hang-out Stanislavskyapproach. Canadian actors were deservedly lookedupon as second-to-none in handling any style ofdrama.

As thrilling as TV was, it was widely agreed thataggressive strategies would be required to tame thisnew beast. ACRA withdrew from the AFL and band-ed together with their Francophone compatriots at

Hitting our marks in the new medium

“We are very lucky to have among ourselvespeople who are willing to devote, some ofthem as much as half of their time to theinterests of the artists for the only satisfactionof succeeding in organizing a strong union.”

– CCAA President, Bernard Hogue, address to CCAA AGM,June 14, 1954

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ACTRA’s 1963 Film Agreement

Gordon Pinsent inQuentin Durgens, MP, the ‘60s series shot in Ottawa and Toronto.

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theACTRAstory

Copies of ACTRA’sNewsmagazinefrom the 1960s.

1 Dan MacDonald and IrisKrangle in the NFB film IslandRomance (1954).

2 Beth Morris as Maggie andJack Mathers as Mr. McGarrityin Maggie Muggins, achildren’s show first on radio,then TV from 1947 to 1962.Maggie Muggins was thecreation of Fredericton-bornteacher, writer and storytellerMary Grannan.

3 Laddie Dennis duringrehearsal for live TVcommercials forWestinghouse (1956).

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Photo courtesy Gordon Pinsent


1964 Political andfinancial crisis at ACTRA.Lawyer Bora Laskin, wholater became Chief Justiceof the Supreme Court ofCanada, brought in to investigate chargesmade against officers.Process prompts hiring ofGeneral Secretary PaulSiren to turn ACTRAaround.

1964 Membershipqualification systemintroduced via workpermits.

1965 ACTRAbranch formed inNewfoundland/Labrador.

1965 Americanizationbegins: The World ofNature, wildly popularMontreal show withEnglish and Frenchspeaking actors is cancelled.

Replaced with WildKingdom from the U.S.

1966 ACTRA re-afilliates with CLC.

1966 IndependentProducers’ Associationformed in order tonegotiate with ACTRA.

1967 CanadianFilm DevelopmentCorporation (nowTelefilm) created.

the Union des Artistes (UDA). Of course, whatwould another merger be without another namechange? So it was that ACRA emerged as theCanadian Council of Authors and Artists (CCAA)in 1952. No longer tied to the AFL, the nationalorganization was able to have one national agree-ment, and since Toronto’s agreements were the mostadvanced at the time, they were adopted across thecountry.

Canada’s position on top of the TV productionworld came under threat in the mid-‘50s with theintroduction of a newer and even more expensivetechnology: colour. It was clear that an injection ofresources would be needed to keep pace with the newtechnological developments. Artists backed theCBC’s pleas for more funding to help it maintain itspre-eminent position as a producer of world-qualityprogramming. Ottawa hesitated, and finally, to gener-al dismay, failed to provide the investment that wasneeded to stay at the fore. Reluctantly, many creatorsaccepted foreign offers. Britain was the first in line –snapping up many talented performers, writers anddirectors who would become instrumental in expand-ing the BBC and creating the Independent TelevisionNetwork (ITV).

Television had given artists a new avenue throughwhich they could explore their creative passions.However, its arrival had also brought the seeds of acrop of challenges that would become familiar: thefight for Canadian programming on our airwaves,industrial and economic complications and internalrifts as we struggled to accommodate the creative andoccupational demands of our increasingly diversemembership.

In 1959, the first of what would be a number ofchallenges to ACRA’s solidarity reared its head duringa strike by producers against the CBC/Radio-Canadain Quebec. Francophone members of the union sup-ported the producers; English-speaking members didnot. This split added to divisions that eventually ledto the Francophone associations – Union des Artistes,Société des Auteurs, Société des Artistes – withdraw-ing from the CCAA.

In 1961, the Toronto branch refused to ratify theTV Commercial Schedule. This national/local divi-sion prompted a re-examination of the structure andconstitution of the CCAA and ultimately, led to theformation of a new national organizaton in 1963: theAssociation of Canadian Television and Radio Artists(ACTRA). ACTRA was finally (re) born.

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1 Bob Homme started out asThe Friendly Giant on radioin 1953 in Madison,Wisconsin. Homme, Rustythe Rooster and Jerome theGiraffe, moved to Canada in1958.

2 Cross Canada Hit Parade inthe 1950s: Phyllis Marshall,Wally Koster and JoyceHahn.

3 Another of the CBC FarmBroadcasts in the 1950s, The Craigs, with FrankPeddie, Alice Hill, GraceWebster and James Doohan.

Covers from ACTRA’s member magazines in 1965 and 1967.

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1967 ACTRA branchesestablished in Calgary andSaskatchewan.

1968 CanadianBroadcasting Actintroduced, leading to CRTC’s Canadiancontent rules.

1968 ACTRA’s inauguralJohn Drainie Awardpresented to Esse Ljungh,W.O Mitchell, JeanMurray, Tommy Tweed.

Armed with collective agreements inherited fromthe CCAA, a brand new constitution, its own

offices and experienced staff, ACTRA was ready tofocus on its formidable external challenges.

First up, ACTRA had to negotiate new collectiveagreements with a growing field of players. A deal wasnegotiated with CBC, still almost the only game intown, and others put in place with the National FilmBoard and a few independent producers, such asCrawley Films in Ottawa. The Canadian TelevisionNetwork (CTV) had come into existence and wastaking tentative steps to produce television dramas,and educational television was gaining in importancenationwide.

Television’s viewing hours were rapidly increasingto fill a demand and more independent filmmakerswere stumbling toward production. However, promis-es by licence-seeking commercial TV operators toproduce and air scads of Canadian content provedfalse as the number of imported programmes andimported stars exploded. For the first time, foreignprogrammes eclipsed Canadian content and

American performers increasingly usurped Canadiantalent. Even Canadian producers were being sold onthe idea that foreign ‘stars’ were necessary to promoteforeign sales, the implication being that Canada couldproduce no stars of its own. Plus ça change!Something had to be done.

ACTRA celebrated New Year’s Day, 1965, with thefortuitous acquisition of Paul Siren, a man with astrong labour union background, as GeneralSecretary. With Paul’s leadership and the activeinvolvement of a membership eager to affirm its

On with the show

“We are not given a significant opportunity to express ourselves. We ask this not as aprivilege, but as a right. We don’t want handouts, we want to be given an opportunity tocontribute our talents to the benefit of ourcountry.”

– Editorial, ACTRA newsmagazine, 1967

ACTRA’s 1969Commercial Radio agreement.

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theACTRAstory

1 Gordon Sinclair,Betty Kennedy,Fred Davis andPierre Berton onFront PageChallenge. Top:1980s; bottom:1960s.

2 A scene from CBC’s GeneralMotors Productionof Power of Proxy(1961) with LaddieDennis, LeslieNielsen and BudKnapp.

ACTRAscope, October 1969

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Casey and Finnegan (puppeteer, ACTRA member Judith Lawrence) and Mr. Dressup (Ernie Coombs), from Mr. Dressup. Mr. Dressup began pulling costumesout of the tickle trunk in 1967.

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1969 U.S.-based FamousPlayers proposes to skiparound rules on foreignownership by setting up‘Canadian’ company.

1970 ACTRA meets with Federal Minister of Manpower andImmigration AllanMacEachen requestingCanadian authoritiesrestrict entry of American performersworking here equal

to those placed on Canadians working there.

1970 First edition ofACTRA’s Face To FaceWith Talent catalogue.

1970 Canadian federal tax department brings in ruling defining actors as self-employed.

1970 ACTRA membersget work on Canada’s

first educational channel,opened in Ontario, nowknown as TVOntario.

1970 Don Shebib’sseminal Canadian feature,Goin’ Down the Road,released.

1971 CBC’s epic Jalnaseries underway.

1971 CTV airs firsttelevision series withFamous Jury Trials.

position of importance in Canada’s cultural mosaic,ACTRA embarked on the expansion and consolida-tion of services to members and reached out to thoseinterested in Canadianizing an industry that seemedto have no interest in being Canadian.

By the end of the ‘60s it seemed that ACTRA mem-bers were fighting a constant battle for professionalrespect with everyone from foreign producers, to theirown media, “Talent – that’s what lacking,” blared a1968 Toronto Star headline. Foreign programmingdominated the TV schedules, the CBC was hiringAmerican writers and ad agencies were using NewYork voices to sell Canadian beer. Sound familiar?

No matter. The Centennial and hugely successfulExpo ‘67 in Montreal had whipped up a wave of con-fidence and pride that rippled through the artisticcommunity from sea to sea to sea and ACTRA’s cul-tural sovereignty stance finally found a sympatheticear when young upstart Pierre Elliot Trudeau succeed-ed Lester B. Pearson as Prime Minister in 1968.Funding for the arts increased, individual artistsreceived encouragement, venues were constructedand an enlightened age of culture was, once again,anticipated.

In 1970, ACTRA members took matters into theirown hands and proudly put their talents on displaywith Face to Face, the first catalogue of Canadian tal-ent. The volume blew the horns of more than 1,100members – a 400-page retort to producers who stillbleated about not being able to find homegrown stars.

Canadian creators never wavered in their convic-tion that there was nothing we could not do, and doextremely well. Despite the frustrations and the chal-lenges of being a professional performer, ACTRA’sranks continued to swell. Performers didn’t let theobstacles chase them away from building careers asprofessional artists.

An impenetrable spirit of accomplishment andpride was palpable in 1972 when ACTRA held itsfirst-annual awards night. The packed ballroom atToronto’s Park Plaza Horel tucked into a $15-a-platedinner and cheered as Graham Spry was presentedwith the John Drainie Award and emcee PierreBerton took the Gordon Sinclair Award. GenevièveBujold was filming Kamourska and was unable toaccept her Earle Grey Award in person. Stars? We hadan entire constellation.

“ACTRA, my union... you hold a very dear place in my heart.”

– Adrienne Clarkson,1982

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theACTRAstory

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Johnny Wayne, Sylvia (“Julie, don’t go!”) Lennick andFrank Shuster in a scene from their television skit Rinsethe Blood Off My Toga, their well-known satire of JuliusCaesar.

Photo courtesy Don Shebib

1 Adrienne Clarkson, host of the CBC’s Take 30 in the 1960S.

2 Director Don Shebibgoing over the script ofGoin’ Down the Road(l-r) Doug McGrath andPaul Bradley.

3 Linda Goranson andGordon Pinsent inGordon’s film The Rowdyman (1972).

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Photo courtesy Gordon Pinsent


1971 Actors grapple with new technology –FIA holds first conferenceto discuss ‘cassette tapeproblem’.

1971 Long-runningDon Messer’s Jubilee keepsgaining in popularity.Naturally, it’s cancelled.

1972 First ACTRAAwards held in Toronto:Geneviève Bujold winsEarle Grey Award,

Pierre Berton takes homeGordon Sinclair Award,Graham Spry receives John Drainie Award.

1973 CRTC announces a100% Canadian quota forradio commercials. Badluck that announcementwas made on Friday 13th.

1973 ACTRA formulatesall-encompassing Policy forthe Seventies, “that workcreated, produced and

performed by Canadians,in all media, shouldbecome the regular andaccustomed expectation ofall Canadian audiences.”

1973 First collectiveagreement secured withCityTV.

1974 Agents file ‘restraint of trade’ charges againstACTRA under TheCombines Act. RCMPseize documents from

ACTRA offices. Nocharges laid, files returned.

ACTRAcontinued to ride a wave of opti-mism into the ‘70s. Our union was

stronger than ever. We now had our own nationallytelevised awards, 10 branch offices, a leading role inthe International Federation of Actors (FIA) andmembership was exploding. ACTRA entered the newdecade swinging with its all-encompassing agenda,Policy for the ‘70s and strong collective agreementswith the CBC, CTV and Global.

As Canada joined with others in signing theHelsinki Accord on human rights and freedoms,ACTRA was busy laying the groundwork for status ofthe artist legislation through our position of influencein FIA. It would be almost two decades longer beforewe could boot Ottawa into enacting legislation defin-ing some legal status for artists engaged by federalinstitutions.

Unwavering in our belief in our talent, performersincreased the number and intensity of meetings withgovernment bigwigs, but in spite of our legitimatecomplaints, authorities continued to provide onlymore lip service. Performers again took control of thesituation, devising a work permit system that vetted

non-Canadian artists entering Canada. While it gotthe nod from the government, it proved less thaneffective as producers creatively sidestepped its appli-cation. Performers found little support from the CBCwho commissioned productions whose intent was toimport foreigners for most leads, leaving Canadians topick up the crumbs. All this while promoting theirnew slogan: ‘Bringing Canadians Together!’

Telling our own stories

“Canadian performers are not prepared to be treated as second class citizens –second class actors – in their own country,and specifically they will not accept thistreatment by those in charge of Canada’snational broadcasting system… Themembers of ACTRA have decided to fight.”

– ACTRA Press Release, The Canadian BroadcastingCorporation, December 30, 1976

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theACTRAstory

1 Dan MacDonald andPaisley Maxwell inStrange Paradise.

2 Don Messer’s Jubileeout of CBC Halifax.

ACTRAscope reports on cuts to the CBC. The NFB Agreement.

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1974 ACTRA influencesintroduction of CAVCOpoint system to determine‘Canadianess’ ofproductions.

1974 Reciprocalagreement signed withUnion des Artistes allowsindividual members toconsolidate theirretirement plans.

1975 First of destructivebudget cuts at CBC.

1975 Secretary of Stateintroduces federalgovernment film incentive:Capital Cost Allowance.CCA allows wealthyinvestors to write off entireinvestment in film projectsin one year – dentists,doctors and lawyers begininvesting in movies –fortunately, few of themhave been seen.

1975 Anger over increasein use of non-Canadianperformers comes to ahead. Work permit systemproposed with permits tobe approved by ACTRA.

1975 Actra FraternalBenefit Societyincorporated with Bhoop Singh as Secretary.

1975 ACTRA protestsAmerican lead for NellieMcClung production. CBC cancels show. Later revived to muchsuccess with CanadianKate Reid in lead role.

1976 ACTRA member-ship reaches 4,500 –doubled in 10 years.

1977 Paul Siren appointedto UNESCO Committeeon Status of the Artist –

process leads to 1980UNESCO declaration.

Patience was wearing thin, and ultimately, ran outwhen the CBC attempted to cast an American as suf-fragette Nellie McClung, a very Canadian hero.Performers blew their collective top, and for the firsttime – ACTRA refused to sign a work permit for theimported lead. With cries of outrage againstACTRA’s interference, the CBC cancelled the pro-duction. It was shortly resurrected and with our ownbrilliant Kate Reid in the lead, became an irrefutablehit. With Canadian talent and all!

However, it seemed the CBC still hadn’t balancedthe equation: if they combined Canadian talent withCanadian stories, Canadians would watch. Instead,between 1974 and 1977, the CBC used imported tal-ent to fill more than 28 principal roles. It wasn’t longbefore the CBC faced the ire of performers once againover their casting for a production called GoldrushFollies. ACTRA had readily agreed to the interna-tionally renowned British entertainer Harry Secombetaking the lead, but the CBC wanted more, morenon-Canadians. The overwhelming sense that thiswas make-or-break time pulled ACTRA memberstogether in a display of collective force. Seventy-fiveACTRA members walked off set, bringing the pro-duction to a halt. With the support of our sisterunions, the ranks of protestors swelled. ACTRA won.

The experience gained in that intense struggle wasa turning point in ACTRA’s evolving awareness thatindustrial action may be necessary at times. A strikeor withdrawal of services is extreme but tends to con-centrate attention. Members emerged from it withrenewed confidence in our collective strength, ourability to change unfair, unacceptable policies andprotect our cultural sovereignty. A policy was pro-claimed announcing our determination to have theopportunity to tell our own stories, in our own words,and in our own way on our TV and movies screens. Itcarries on today.

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“A policy wasproclaimedannouncing ourdeterminationto... tell our ownstories, and inour own words.”

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theACTRAstory

1 Karen Black, Tom Berengerand Marilyn Lightstone inRobert Lantos’ In Praise of Older Women (1978).

2 Bruno Gerussi as Nick Adonidas in The Beachcombers(1972-1989).

3 The Royal Canadian AirFarce started out on radio.Roger Abbott, DaveBroadfoot, John Morgan,Don Ferguson and LubaGoy doing their thing in the 1970s.

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ACTRA’s Global Agreement.

ACTRA’s logo, 1970s.


1977 CBC hires morenon-Canadians overACTRA protests. Set of CBC’s Goldrush Folliesshut down. ACTRA’s first-ever ‘industrial action’ and test of work-permit system. CBCcollective agreementamended to provideACTRA influence in engagement of non-Canadians.

1980 Knowledge Networkestablished as BritishColumbia’s publiceducational televisionservice.

1983 ACTRAPerformers’ Rights Societyincorporated to pursue Use Fees for performers.

During the mid-‘70s, the membership became angered bya growing and insulting trend to import non-Canadian per-formers for productions on our television screens.Particularly in the case of the CBC, ACTRA saw no justifica-tion and protested that local actors were being disrespect-ed and abused. More and more leads were being import-ed, with secondary roles often going to the imports aswell, and ACTRA members being relegated to supportingand bit-player status. The CBC dismissed our protests outof hand.

ACTRA claimed the right to refuse to issue work permits tonon-Canadian performers, and took the bold step of pre-venting a number of major stars from working in Canadiantelevision. The likes of Kathleen Beddoes, Brian Bedford,Ian Cuthbertson, Melvin Douglas and Maggie Smith wereamong those affected by ACTRA’s actions. A major con-frontation was building to a head. It erupted in 1977 dur-ing a production called The Goldrush Follies.

This CBC musical/variety show headlined Welsh singer/comedian, Harry Secombe, who ACTRA had accepted (hewas already a member of ACTRA Ottawa), along with

Canadians Maureen Forrester and magician DougHenning. However, CBC insisted that other roles be givento non-Canadians. When ACTRA refused to issue any fur-ther permits, and suggested a boycott would ensue, CBCcalled our bluff and blatantly hired additional foreignersanyway.

A picket line was mounted and production was brought toa standstill. Meanwhile, negotiations to renew an agree-ment – already 16 months out of date – broke off. The mem-bership was divided on the issue and solidarity became aconcern. Anger and frustration had been building over anumber of years as actors saw choice roles going toimported – and in some cases, questionable – talent.

The CBC finally did bend a little, undertaking to cast for-eigners only if a Canadian performer was not available.

The Goldrush experience spurred ACTRA to renew ourfight for the right of Canadian performers to play leadingand challenging roles through the improved work permitprovisions of our collective agreements. The productionwas a critical example of the disrespect thatmotivated ACTRA to fight producers for the right to estab-lish a system of work permits now in all our collectiveagreements and a precursor to our highly-successful workopportunities project.

theACTRAstory

ACTRA shuts it down: Goldrush Follies

1 ACTRA member MordecaiRichler on the set of thefilm based on his novel,The Apprenticeship ofDuddy Kravitz (1974).

2 Ruth Springford withKate Reid as NellieMcClung (1978). Theshow got off the groundafter CBC agreed to castCanadian Kate Reid inthe leading role.

3 Bill Murray and ChrisMakepeace in Meatballs(1979).

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Song and Dance: 50 ACTRA performers, along with members from the DGC, CanadianFilm Editors Guild, Association of Canadian Film Craftspeople and the Association desprofessionels du cinéma du Québec volunteered their services for a film shot in Torontoto be shown at the Festival of Festivals’ Trade Forum (1980).


1984 ACTRA undergoesanother restructuring.Changes name from‘Association’ to ‘Alliance’of Canadian Cinema,Television and RadioArtists. Divided into threeguilds – Performers Guild,Writers Guild and Guild of Broadcast Journalistsand Researchers.

1986 Paul Siren retires.Garry Neil becomesACTRA’s General Secretary.

1987 ACTRA and otherarts organizations opposeFree Trade Agreement. FTA goes ahead anyway, butincludes cultural exemptionsought by arts groups.

1988 ACTRA supportsNABET in strike atCFTO-TV, CTV’s flagshipstation in Toronto.

1988 Dale Goldhawkforced to resign ACTRAPresidency – CBCdemands he stop opposingfree trade in role asACTRA President or giveup job as journalist host ofCBC’s Cross CountryCheckup. ACTRA fightsback for freedom of speech,

The battle with the CBC had been won, but thewar was far from over. Casting in CBC produc-

tions became a moot point as the Corp’s outputslowed to a trickle as massive cutbacks to fundingcontinued to take their toll.

As the ‘80s unfolded, commercialization(Americanization), worried ACTRA, particularlywith growing industry acceptance of the U.S. habit ofconsidering us their domestic market. ACTRA mem-bers were increasingly marginalized, with smallerroles and fewer opportunities in their own country,now dubbed Hollywood North, exacerbating tensionsbetween ACTRA and other craft unions and withinACTRA itself.

Unrest within the ACTRA ranks had surfaced aswe struggled to support the passion and creative aspi-rations of our diverse membership. In a 1983 referen-dum, members voted for structural changes, launch-ing the organization upon what Paul Siren referred toas a “new and bold experience.” The ‘Association’evolved into an ‘Alliance’ of three autonomousguilds: ACTRA Writers Guild, ACTRA Guild ofBroadcast Journalists and Researchers and ACTRA

Performers Guild. While the organization devolved around creative

lines, geographical cracks also appeared as talk ofindependence surfaced in Toronto and B.C. A break-away group was set on organizing a separate performerunion in Vancouver, which eventually would morphinto the Union of B.C. Performers. The stage was setfor a major confrontation.

Since its inception, ACTRA had undergone seri-ous restructuring every 10 years or so to accommo-date our growth and members’ needs. The overhaulthat took place in the early ‘90s was the most seriousyet. Bitterly fought battles from entrenched positionsresulted in a fractious organization from St. John’s toVancouver. It was clear that members across thecountry wanted a more hands-on approach withtheir union. How political decisions were made, andby whom, were the crucial issues to be settled.

The silver lining on these dark clouds was the dra-matic increase in member involvement. Everyone hadan opinion (or two or three) and was given ampleopportunity to express it. And express it they did: attown hall meetings, special restructuring meetings,

Expansion of influence, membership, brings growing pains

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1983 -1993

theACTRAstory

1 SCTV: (l-r) Joe Flahertyas Guy Caballero, JohnCandy as Johnny LaRue,Catherine O’Hara asLola Heatherton, JuulHaalmeyer, WardrobeDesigner Extraordinaire,Andrea Martin as EdithPrickley, Eugene Levy asGus Gustofferson andMartin Short as Ed Grimley.

2 Megan Follows as Anne Shirley andRichard Farnsworth asMatthew Cuthbert inAnne of Green Gables.

ACTRA’s late-‘80s logo.

Coffee mug for ACTRA Award finalists in the 1980s.

ACTRA’s CBC Agreementfor television writers.

1 2


takes CBC to CanadaLabour Relations Board.

1988 Push to amendCanada’s 65-year-oldCopyright Act led byACTRA, UDA and AFM.

1989 Performers’ RightsDay marked.

1989 Saskatchewan’spublic educational andcultural broadcaster,Saskatchewan

CommunicationsNetwork (SCN)Corporation created by government ofSaskatachewan.

1989 Costly Price-Waterhouse Reportsuggests ACTRA’s structure is “convolutedand unwieldy.”

1990 ACTRA’s ‘diversity’talent catalogue, Into theMainstream, launched.

1990 A group of B.C.performers vote to establish the Union of B.C. Performers, a unionseparate from ACTRA in B.C.

1991 Garry Neil resigns asGeneral Secretary, to takeeffect January 1, 1992.

1991 ACTRA agrees toformation of Writers’ Guildof Canada within Allianceumbrella.

small groups in private homes and in raucous gather-ings in the stuffy boardrooms of ACTRA. Across thecountry, debate centred on the need to return controlof the organization to the members. The mantra‘member-run organization’ was adopted along withthe image of the ‘upside-down pyramid’ to describehow decisions should emanate from the membership,not be imposed from the top. As a result, more andmore performers rolled up their sleeves and dug in,injecting their energy and artistry into ACTRA’sactivities.

A hard-fought referendum squeaked through, lead-ing to a new constitution that diffused power to thebranches, enabling them to respond to regionalneeds. Meanwhile, writers pursued their autonomyand set up the Writers Guild of Canada as a separate

organization in 1991, though it would take until 1995to work out an arrangement for the ACTRA WritersGuild to leave the Alliance.

Throughout these changes, ACTRA’s membersused their passion, imaginations, and flair for commu-nicating to fight feverishly on a range of politicalissues that threatened to silence their creative voices:the looming menace of free trade, obscenity laws thatendangered artistic freedom, outdated copyright laws,and devastating cuts to the CBC. ACTRA’s campaignagainst free trade became a personal fight in 1988when the CBC forced journalist Dale Goldhawk tochoose between his ACTRA Presidency and his day-job as host of Cross Country Checkup. The presidencybecame ‘vacant in protest’ as ACTRA took the mat-ter to court in yet another political challenge, thistime for freedom of speech. ACTRA emerged victori-ous seven years later with a Supreme Court ruling inour favour.

ACTRA’s vigilance played a role in two importantcultural victories: The Federal Status of the Artist Actwas finally passed in 1992 and our artists’ fight hadachieved a cultural exemption in the Free TradeAgreement. These wins ensured that there would stillbe a thriving Canadian cultural community withartists at its vibrant heart.

The CommercialAgreement, 1990-92.

“Canada is a country in the making. Canada is a song that must be sung by its talentedartists. A nation that lacks the capacity tohear its own heartbeat or take its own pulsecannot know how sick it might be.”

– Harry Rasky, ACTRAscope, September 1985

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ACTRAscope, Summer 1989.

1983 -1993

theACTRAstory

1 Sarah Polley and JackieBurroughs in Road toAvonlea (1989/90).

2 First a CBC award-winningmovie (1986), 9B was made into a series withRobert Wisden (centre), (l-r) Vincent Murray, MishuVellani, Chris Owens andRachael Crawford.

3 The Kids In The Hall: (front): Scott Thompson,Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch,(rear): Kevin MacDonaldand Mark McKinney.

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1991 Controversialrestructuring referendum

narrowly approved bynational membership,paving way to local branch autonomy.

1992 Stephen Waddellreturns to ACTRA from SAG as NationalExecutive Director.

1992 ACTRAinstrumental in havingCharter of Rights for WomenPerformers adopted at FIACongress in Montreal.

1992 Federal Status of theArtist Act passed by Houseof Commons.

1993 Members acceptconstitution and by-lawsgoverning restructuredorganization. Branchesbecome autonomous.

1993 Performing ArtsLodges of Canada opensfirst residence, Pal Place,in Toronto.

“No Canadian law has ever givenfreelancers the right to cometogether as aunion, but that did not stop ourpioneering ACTRAmembers.”

– Dale Goldhawk, ACTRAscope, 1988

theACTRAstory

Political activism has been within ACTRA’s DNA since itsfounding. One manifestation of this is the Dale Goldhawkcase. The events, from the 1988 federal election to thehearing before the Supreme Court of Canada in 1994,demonstrate ACTRA’s commitment to promoting govern-ment policies that benefit performing artists and to takinga firm stand against corrosive policies like free trade thatthreaten Canadian cultural interests.

ACTRA’s policy regarding the U.S.-Canada Free TradeAgreement (FTA) had been clearly set out by PresidentGoldhawk in an article in a 1988 edition of ACTRAscope:that the terms of the FTA jeopardized the economic andsocial interests of artists who work in Canada's culturalindustries. "Despite Communications Minister FloraMacDonald’s brave words that ‘Canada’s right to deter-mine our own culture would be respected in every degree’in a free trade deal... that will not happen..." since Canadawould not be able to develop new cultural policies withoutthe express approval of the U.S.

At the time, Goldhawk was the host of CBC’s Cross CountryCheckup. When columnist Charles Lynch lambastedGoldhawk for not disclosing his position with ACTRA andaccused him of abusing his position as a CBC journalist,the ACTRAscope article and Goldhawk’s presidencybecame controversial. The Lynch piece generated a wide-ranging debate about the nature and role of journalistsand public broadcasters. Goldhawk’s professionalism wasnever challenged, the performance of his journalisticduties never impugned.

The CBC felt that Goldhawk had violated its journalismpolicy which, among other things, required objectivity.Goldhawk was given an ultimatum: he could resign theACTRA Presidency or resign as a CBC journalist. He

resigned his Presidency under protest.

ACTRA filed a complaint with the Canada Labour RelationsBoard (CLRB). The highlight of the ensuing lengthy hear-ing was the enlightening testimony of ACTRA’s witnesses:the distinguished journalists Anne Medina and RobertFulford. By a majority decision, issued on Dec. 20, 1990,the Board held that there was a violation of the CanadaLabour Code when Goldhawk was forced to choosebetween his positions as CBC host and as President ofACTRA.

The Board specified that Goldhawk was engaged in lawfulunion activity. It found that the CBC's ultimatum constitut-ed a violation of the Code.

The CBC challenged this decision at the Federal Court ofAppeal, but the Court upheld the rulings of the CLRB.

The CBC then appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada.By 1994, ACTRA no longer represented the freelance jour-nalists at the CBC who were now included within the bar-gaining unit represented by the Canadian Media Guild(CMG). To its credit, the CMG agreed to work cooperative-ly with ACTRA.

ACTRA successfully defended the rulings made by theCLRB and the Court did not grant the CBC request that theCLRB decision be quashed. The Goldhawk case hasbecome one of the leading cases cited when employers inthe public sector seek to circumscribe statements by theiremployees.

– Paul Falzone is ACTRA’s legal counsel. Since 1982 he hashad the pleasure of working with the dedicated officersand administrators at ACTRA.

The Goldhawk Case: a union’s right to free speechby Paul Falzone

ACTRAscope,Winter/Spring 1993.

ACTRA t-shirtfrom FIACongress inMontreal, 1992.


1993 UBCP createsGeneral Welfare Trust,insurance and retirementplans for UBCP members.

1993 CAW/ACTRAresolution regarding acomprehensive culturalpolicy for Canada adoptedby CLC.

1994 UBCP affiliates withTeamsters Canada.

1994 Apprentice categoryadded to membership.

1995 Reorganization ofbargaining units at CBCleads to representation

vote. Canadian WireServices Guild, now theCanadian Media Guild,takes over representationof ACTRA Media Guildmembers.

1995 ACTRA receivesfirst-ever strike mandatefrom members andsuccessfully negotiateswatershed IPA.

1995 ACTRA wins‘Goldhawk vs. CBC’

case at Supreme Court of Canada.

1996 UBCP and ACTRAadopt Kelleher Agreement,requiring UBCP to dropTeamsters affiliation,ending West Coasthostilities. UBCP becomes UBCP/ACTRA.

1997 ACTRA’s onlinetalent catalogue, Face-To-Face Online, launched.

1997 Women in theDirector’s Chair Workshopfounded with ACTRA’shelp.

The restructuring of the ‘80s gave way to a strongerand more confident ACTRA, grounded in the

guiding principles of ‘Strength, Vision, and Unity’.Performers had created a more responsible andresponsive organization that could focus on its raisond’être: the pursuit of collective actions designed tobenefit all. At least that was the plan. Continuedefforts to regain unity on the west coast would distractACTRA for a while longer.

ACTRA and UBCP engaged in a tumultuous andcostly five-year battle for jurisdiction over performersin B.C. Performers were caught in the middle as pro-ducers greedily rubbed their hands at the idea of per-formers fighting their way to the bottom of the feescale.

In 1994 UBCP joined the Teamsters, letting theAmerican international loose on ACTRA, disruptingVancouver meetings and film sets, and attemptingjurisdictional challenges in Alberta, Nova Scotia,Toronto and elsewhere. Anticipating such a move,ACTRA had struck up a friendship with the

Canadian Auto Workers’ Union, hoping for theirclout if needed. The CAW was instrumental in con-vincing the Teamsters to back off attacks on our juris-diction. After the signing of several agreements,accords and declarations that were ignored, UBCPand ACTRA sought out B.C. lawyer, StephenKelleher, to mediate a settlement. The KelleherAgreement recommended that UBCP become theB.C. branch of ACTRA in 1996 and, finally, anuneasy peace was restored. Reconciling the collectiveagreement in B.C. with the nationally negotiatedIndependent Production Agreement (IPA) remainsone of ACTRA’s key objectives in healing the rift.

Relieved of internal strife, ACTRA stepped up thepush for better contracts, especially under the most-used agreement, the IPA. We fought for aDistributors’ Gross Revenue model of back-end

ACTRA re-invented asperformer powerhouse

“The past couple of years have beenchallenging... But we have not only survivedthese challenges, we have grown stronger as a result.”

– Thor Bishopric, InterACTRA, December 2000

1993 -2003

theACTRAstory

1 The Associates: (l to r) Tamara Hickeyas Robyn Parsons,Jennie Raymond as Amy Kassan andDemore Barnes asBenjamin Hardaway.

2 David Cubitt as JackLarkin, Sonja Smits asSally Ross, Bruce Grayas Adam Cunninghamin the series Traders(1996-2000).

3 Vik Sahay as Dala, and Jeanie Calleja asMary-E in Our Hero.

Photo courtesy Alliance A

tlantis Com

munications Inc.


tlantis Com

munications Inc.

© C

BC

2001 All rights reserved

The Into the Mainstreamtalent catalogue promotesnon-traditional casting.

Face to Face with Talent catalogue, 1997- 98.

21 3

1997 Nova Scotia commitsto soundstage promotion atACTRA’s urging.

1998 Planning andPriorities Meeting definesMission Statement andessential services tomembers.

1998 AboriginalCommittee established atACTRA to study items ofimportance to First Nation,Inuit and Métis peoples.

1998 Canada’s Walk ofFame inaugurated inToronto.

1999 ACTRA squelchesSAG’s move to tie FIApolitical power to amountof dues paid, at executivemeeting in Budapest.

1999 Second strikemandate from membersbolsters ACTRA’s IPAnegotiations. $500-a-dayperformer rate thresholdreached.

2000 Current ACTRAlogo introduced.

ACTRA’s logo, late ‘90s.


monies, and many producers were shocked at thestrength of the members’ commitment. For the firsttime, national strike votes resulted in overwhelmingendorsements of negotiating positions.

Issues affecting the creative needs of members con-tinued to be paramount: innovative contracts weredevised for entry-level filmmaking and the establish-ment of a distinctive Canadian film industry wasencouraged. Talent catalogues went digital and even-tually interactively onto the web. Contacts were fos-tered through international alliances and gatherings.In 1994, an Apprentice category was added to

ACTRA’s membership; Extras would also get theirown category in 2001.

In 1995, restructuring at the CBC led to a decisionto consolidate the unions at Mother Corp. ACTRAput in a well-funded effort to keep jurisdiction of thejournalists working at the CBC but the vote wentagainst us.

So ACTRA was an Alliance of one – the ACTRAPerformers Guild (APG). ACTRA had come full-circle, returning to its performing roots. Later theAPG moniker would be dropped and ACTRAassumed the acronym we had been part of since 1963.

Photo courtesy Alberta Film

works Inc.

InterACTRA, Fall 2001.

1993 -2003

theACTRAstory

Photo courtesy Television Bureau of C

anada

Photo courtesy Salter Street Films /an A

lliance Atlantis C

ompany

© C

BC

2003 All rights reserved

1 Greg Thomey, Cathy Jones, MaryWalsh and Rick Mercer of This HourHas 22 Minutes.

2 An American In Canada: Rick Robertsas Jake with Sugith Varughese asAftab, the spiritual owner of thedonut shop where Jake finds badcoffee and profound wisdom (2003).

3 Gordon Tootoosis as Albert, TraceyCook as Sarah, Tantoo Cardinal asBetty, Tina Keeper as Michelle andTom Jackson as Peter in North of 60.

4 Jeff Douglas in Molson Breweries’I AM CANADIAN commercial.

InterACTRA, September 1999.

21

3 4

Current ACTRA logo.


2000 Yonge Streetheadquarters sold. ACTRAmoves to Church Street.

2001 ACTRA assertsjurisdiction for ‘cashextras’. CAPPRT finds infavour of ACTRA overCMG. CMG withdraws.

2001 ACTRA Extracategory established.

2001 Years of work leadsto comprehensive roadmapfor ACTRA’s operations –the ACTRA Plan.

2001 Bold redesign ofACTRA’s websitelaunched, linking directlyto ACTRA’s online talentcatalogue, Face-to-FaceOnline.

2002 ACTRA’s first-everpolicy conference reignitesACTRA’s Canadianculture activism,launching Campaign forCanadian Programming.

2003 ACTRA’smembership reaches21,000.

2003 ACTRA celebrates60th Anniversary 1943-2003.

In our 60th year, we stand more powerful and unifiedthan ever. ACTRA proudly marks this anniversary as a

21,000-strong sophisticated organization, anchored onsolid financial footings. We have revived the ACTRAAwards and members right across the country have ral-lied to organize a variety of celebrations in every branch,pausing to recognize the creativity of our colleagues andhonour those whose sacrifices have achieved this mile-stone.

A bold, confident strut is discernable in ACTRA’s stepthese days as we lead a vigorous industry-wide fight for adistinct Canadian culture. There is also an increasingsense that the rest of the world is opening its eyes to whatwe’ve always known: our members are pound for pound,the best performers in the world. While many of thesesame battles have been fought before, it is reassuring toknow that time and time again, we’ve won them, notonly persevering, but emerging stronger.

While maintaining our preeminent position in allelectronic media, we continue to break new ground inthe digital world. Once again, ACTRA is at the fore,already having established itself as an authority on theprotection of performers in digital media. Video games,

CD-ROMs, and the internet are new outlets throughwhich we can share our art.

Ultimately, all of ACTRA’s strength comes from, isbecause of, and is for, our fellow members. Thanks to thevolunteerism, determination and collectivism of ourmembers, ACTRA’s house stands as the essential struc-ture sheltering artists from the storms of an oft-uglyindustry. Because of the activism of individuals,Canadian performers have the expectation of safe, con-ducive work opportunities with fair compensation andbenefits.

ACTRA, in maintaining the security and protectionof our rights, allows us the freedom to do what we do best:we perform.

Looking ahead “We have weathered some wonderful years withthis union. Most of those years and thoseefforts have been well spent – all of them wellmeant. And what a highway of fantastic, talentedpeople have gone through; who have built fromthe sticks and stones of our own home-growncharacter a house for us all to live in.”

– Gordon Pinsent, ACTRA Awards, Toronto, 2003

Photo © C

BC

2002. All rights reserved

2003 &beyond

theACTRAstory

ACTRA member MartinShort being inductedinto Canada’s Walk ofFame in 2000.

ACTRA’s IndependentProduction Agreement(IPA), 2002-2003.


tlantis Com

munications Inc.

1 Trailer Park Boys starsRobb Wells, Mike Smith,John Paul Tremblay andJonathan Torrens. Shot inNova Scotia, it went intoits third season in 2003.

2 Vancouver CoronerDominic Da Vinci(Nicholas Campbell)examines a gravesite withDetective Rose Williams(Kim Hawthorne) on Da Vinci’s Inquest (2002).

21


It is a great pleasure to extend our congratulations on thisthe anniversary of your 60th year. Your pioneering spirit hascaptivated us through these past six decades. Your trademarkof innovative advocacy has served our community brilliantly.Performers around the world have benefited from your work on establishing and protecting performers’ rights.

Joe KertesDean, School of Creative & Performing Arts

Diana BelshawDirector, Acting for Film & Television

Neil DainardProducer, Acting for Film & Television

School of Creative & Performing ArtsHUMBER

www.humber.ca

CONGRATULATIONS

ACTRA ON 60 YEARS

OF GREAT CANADIAN

PERFORMANCES!

Here’s wishing you many more!

FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT THE

Under the distinguished patronage of Her Excellency, the Right

Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada

PAL is a national charitable organization offering assistance to

older, disabled or needy members and associates of Canada’s

professional performing arts community in the areas of health,

well-being and accommodation.

PAL is a successful provider of services, not simply an assisted

housing provider. Thus, establishing services to individuals right

across Canada, such as those PAL provides through Supporting

Cast, is vitally important to our entire community.

PAL is there for you and your colleagues. Share the vision.

Become a member for a mere $20 a year. Or make a tax-

deductible donation if you can.

For information about all our Chapters, you may contact us at:

PAL Canada, 110 The Esplanade, #328, Toronto ON M5E 1X9

PHONE: (416) 777-9674 • FAX: (416) 777-0427

[email protected] • www.palcanada.org

Caring for Our Own

Performing Arts Lodgesof Canada

CONGRATULATIONS TO ACTRA AND ITS MEMBERS

ON 60 YEARS OF GREAT CANADIAN FILMS

a division of


1 Shirley Newhook inthe Today Show, CBCSt. John’s (1965).

2 Andy Jones andWilliam Hurt in RareBirds (2001).

3 Janis Spence, MaryWalsh and KevinNoble in Up At Ours,on CBC St. John’s(1980).

4 Daniel Payne inRandom Passage(2002).

John Holmes hasbeen an ACTRAmember since 1965.

1

thetheACTRAACTRAstorystory


ACTRAcame to Newfoundland in 1964when CBC’s original television sta-

tion, CBNT, first went to air in St. John’s. In October,the ACTRA Office opened, run by PhilomenaDrodge who became a permanent fixture at any pro-duction in the new, but temporary television studiothat started programming on October 4th. ACTRAwas also present in the radio studio. School broad-casts, dramas, religious, and music programmes hadbeen produced in radio for years, with token pay-ments. But with CBNT telecasting and radio produc-tions now covered by ACTRA contracts, our down-town office became familiar to dozens of performers,singers, actors, writers, and broadcast journalistsapplying for membership or work permits.

This early period was probably the most productivefor CBC Television and of course for ACTRA in its40-year history in Newfoundland. When the newCBC state-of-the-art television facility opened in1965 the number of local productions remained high.Ted Russell’s Pigeon Inlet, Up at Ours, The Root Cellar,The Wonderful Grand Band, Skipper & Co., Terra NovaTheatre and other variety and dramatic series filledthe television screens and radio speakers of theprovince, providing a good source of work for localactors and writers. In addition, there were contribu-tions to network series. But as budget cuts slowlywhittled away production to almost nothing but newsand public affairs, many members dropped out ofACTRA. What had seemed the promise of regularwork became very fitful. Members just stopped payingtheir dues. Phil Drodge did her best to persuade them

to withdraw, so they could come back into the foldwithout paying initiation fees again. She also pointedout the tremendous benefits to be had from ActraFraternal, then run by the late lamented BhoopSingh. Some stayed, including the now famous Codcogroup and the crew of The Great Eastern, some soughtgreener pastures. Those involved with This Hour Has22 Minutes and Made in Canada moved to more lucra-tive production centres.

Many early members are retired now but they arestill benefiting from their membership in ACTRA.Independent filmmakers moved into the vacuum cre-ated by the lack of CBC production. They began pro-ducing feature films, television drama, and varietyspecials. Newfoundland films and filmmakers havebeen flourishing with ACTRA members, now of topprofessional stature. Many supported visiting screenstars. The earliest films such as Finding Mary Marchand Secret Nation to The Shipping News and Rare Birds,have been made under ACTRA contracts, greatlyimproved over the years.

Only two branch reps served the St. John’sACTRA in its history: the late Philomena Drodge,who left the province upon retirement, and MarleneCahill, who took her place and has continued to bealways ready and willing to help her ACTRA flockwith problems that may arise.

Newfoundland has also made its contribution tothe national ACTRA scene through the singular rep-resentation of our branch and our province by thelikes of Austin Davis, Mack Furlong, and GlennDowney.

A C T R A N E W F O U N D L A N D / L A B R A D O R

Rock solid by John Holmes

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Photo: John Holm

es

Photo courtesy CB

C St. John’s

Photo by Justin Hall, courtesy Pope Productions

Photo by Justin Hall, courtesy Passage Film

s

1 ACTRA demonstrating againsta non-union production in NewBrunswick, 2000. Then BranchPresident Andrew MacVicarand his wife, member SherryDevanney, in foreground. Bill Forbes, Larry Lefebvre,National Organizer DanMackenzie, Monetta James,Clarissa Hurley and SebastianMacLean in the background.

2 Coast Guard, a radio dramafrom CBC Halifax Studio H in the 1980s. (l to r): JohnFulton, Bill Carr, the late EdMcCurday and the late JohnBurke.

3 Anne Murray and friends inthe 1970s.

3

theACTRAACTRAstory

Deborah Allen is along-time member ofACTRA Maritimes,Branch Councillorand former BranchPresident. Her careerspans more than 30years as a performeron stage, radio, tele-vision and filmincluding the Emmy-nominated Homelessto Harvard andCBC’s MysteryProject radio seriesClean Sweep.

The tiny office on Birmingham Street, with justenough room for a desk and a place to sit and pay

your dues, stands in contrast to the modern premisesand operation of today’s ACTRA Maritimes. Firststaffed by Helen Golding, then Helen Roberts, it pro-gressed through Blowers to Spring Garden Roadunder Reps Bill Fulton, Deborah Murray and EdFrenette, serving writers and broadcast journalists aswell as performers. Under the presidencies of DavidRenton, Joan Gregson, Doug Huskilson, Sudsy Clarkand Gary Vermeir, now our present Branch Rep, theoffice expanded as its responsibilities increased.

Legendary CBC figures Hector MacFadyen andPeter Donkin produced live shows out of a studio atopThe Nova Scotia Hotel on the Halifax waterfront.Stories abound of radio listeners, country-wide, treat-ed to unusual, unexplained sounds of dock activities.At the climactic moment of one tense, live radioshow whose characters were about to expire from lackof water, a large ocean liner slipped her lines withmuch whistle hooting bringing even the cast to ashocked silence! Faith Ward particularly rememberslots of radio drama in the mid-‘60s, and fondly recallsthe ‘Herschorn Hall’ perils, where members performednetwork dramas and popular series like Rum Runners.The squeaky floor required absolute stillness, the tini-est movement ruining a take. Although radio dramaproduction continued into the late ‘80s, it graduallydeclined to occasional series like Clean Sweep and Inthe Blood, and Between the Covers, or small projects forMaritime broadcast.

In the ‘50s, members kept busy on series for educa-tional TV and on national CBC-TV programmes

such as The Don Messer Show and Singalong Jubilee aswell as almost weekly live dramatic presentations outof a former schoolroom. Later came Switchback andStreet Cents, the latter launching the career ofCouncillor Jamie Bradley.

The burgeoning independent production industryconfirmed ACTRA’s tremendous talent pool, nownumbering over 500. Members successfully lobbiedgovernment to create a film office, and were instru-mental in the Roll ‘Em study outlining the tremen-dous potential for success, given adequate governmentsupport, for local producers. The resulting system oftax incentives and investment created employmentfor hundreds of industry craftspeople. Then came thesoundstages – one in a former military base, whichbecame home to Black Harbour; another in an aban-doned downtown power plant; another in Dartmouth.

From the earliest days of Salter Street Productions,to series like This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Pit Pony;hosting big features like The Shipping News and K19:The Widowmaker and countless smaller U.S. produc-tions; leavened by plenty of award-winning home-grown features like The Hanging Garden and MarionBridge, it has been an amazing progression.

Through long-time ACTRA godfather DavidRenton’s efforts, we’ve added a PAL Halifax Chapterto our list of accomplishments. With a great posse athis side, our next big birthday party might just happenat our new lodge!

A very special thank you to the tireless staff inHalifax who do so much for our membership in allthree provinces: Gary Vermeir, Richard Hadley,Jeannine Huczel and Sandra Larson.

A C T R A M A R I T I M E S

From squeaky floors to soundstages, and still growing by Deborah Allen

1

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Photo courtesy CB

C/Sudsy C

lark.Photo courtesy C

BC

.


1 (l-r) ACTRA Montreal members Ian Devoy, Don Scanlan and WalterMassey in Compassion Circuit (1971).

2 (l-r) ACTRA Montreal members GaryPlaxton, Ovila Légaré, Peter Kastnerand Meredith McRae with VeronicaLake in Footsteps in the Snow (1966).

“The first CBC radio station, first televisionoutlet and the first forays intoradio drama in this country took place here.”


The 60-year history of ACTRA in Montreal recordsa series of firsts, beginning with the invention of

radio itself by Montrealer Reginald Fessenden. Thefirst CBC radio station, created for broadcast to theEastern Townships, first television outlet (CBMTMontreal in 1952) and the first forays into radiodrama and dubbing in this country took place here.

The Radio Actors of Montreal Society (RAMS), acounterpart to Toronto’s RATS, was born in 1941 byactors who also wrote their own material. In 1943, itbanded together with other artists in Vancouver andWinnipeg as the Association of Canadian RadioArtists (ACRA).

In the early ‘50s, a busy actor’s salary was $35 aweek, and the pay scale for script work was roughly$26 for a half-hour radio drama, $47 for an hour and$15 for a soap. And everything was directed by RupertCaplan; actor, writer, producer, director and staunchACTRA member, who, along with Tyrone Guthrie,was instrumental in ‘inventing’ radio drama in thiscountry. Never afraid to take a chance on new talent,or champion underdogs, Caplan was rewarded withpremiere rights to three posthumous Eugene O’Neillplays, including Long Day’s Journey Into Night, firstheard across Canada and the northern U.S. on theCBC. It sparked an O’Neill revival that cemented theplaywright’s place in the dramatic canon.

In those heady days, artists gainfully employed onnumerous television and radio shows, experienced anunparalleled harmony with their confreres in the

Union des Artistes. Radio-Canada/CBC joint televi-sion used both French and English actors in theircasts. Rupert Caplan also produced a daily radio soap,Laura Limited, and a weekend Bible show, In HisService. By the middle of the decade, Montreal wascontributing 18 hours a week of original dramatic andmusical programming to the network.

But the glory days clouded over when the radio andTV producers staged a lengthy strike against Radio-Canada/CBC in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. The sub-sequent restructuring saw a lot of English work relo-cate to Toronto, and the separate paths taken byACTRA and UDA became more clearly defined.

The coming decades ushered in the development ofthe feature film industry in Canada – beginning withthe National Film Board, whose head office is locatedhere – then, with the introduction of significant taxcredits, the arrival of more and more foreign produc-tions. ACTRA Montreal’s reputation for quality per-formers was established across the continent and theglobe, while contributing to the burgeoning industryhere at home. The tradition continues today.

ACTRA Montreal members increasingly work infilm, television, radio and the ever-expanding digitalmedia. The union is strong. The ACTRA Plan is inplace. Organizing efforts get results, our bargainingpositions are solid and services to members havenever been better.

ACTRA Montreal members recognize just howimportant it is to cultivate and bolster a vital, indige-nous industry that can fly in the face of culture-weak-ening public policies and political infighting thaterodes the foundation of what we’ve built over theselast six decades. Their creativity knows no bounds, forthey take pride and a wealth of inspiration from thehard-working and talented men, women and childrenwho’ve gone before them.

Happy Birthday ACTRA!

A C T R A M O N T R E A L

A series of firstsby current ACTRA Montreal President Matt Hollandwith Gary Plaxton, Victor Knight, Walter Massey,Griffith Brewer, Kelly Ricard and Howard Ryshpan.

3

4

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2

Photo courtesy Gary Plaxton

3 ACTRA Montreal staff (l-r) Steward Claire Martell, AssistantBranch Representative Micheline Russo, Assistant BranchRepresentative-Commercials, Daintry Dalton, former BranchRepresentative Arden Ryshpan, former BranchRepresentative Judith Harvey, former Branch RepresentativeVirginia Ryshpan, Steward Carmela Algeri (1996).

4 (l -r) Current Montreal Branch President Matt Holland, BradGarrett, ACTRA Montreal member Richard Jutras in CBS’Gleason (2002).


Photo courtesy Gary Plaxton

1 Willy & Floyd in 1987(Les Lye and BillLuxton).

2 Bill Luxton andMargaret Trudeau,Morning Magazine(1982).

3 Holly Larocque andpuppets in Under theUmbrella Tree.

4 Maggie Morris

Life Member BillLuxton is writing ahistory of ACTRAOttawa on its 45thAnniversary.

What do Alex Trebek, Lloyd Robertson, Rich Little,Margaret Trudeau, Peter Jennings and the

Galloping Gourmet have in common? All were mem-bers of ACTRA Ottawa early in their careers.

While ACTRA National celebrates its 60thAnniversary, the Ottawa branch can look back to itscreation in 1958. Long-time members Les Lye, MaggieMorris, Eddie Nunn and Bruce Rogers recall meetingat the Beacon Arms Hotel to organize the Ottawachapter.

Employers at that time included CBC, the NationalFilm Board and Crawley Films, which had won inter-national recognition with The Loon’s Necklace and theOscar winner The Man Who Skied Down Everest.

Bruce Rogers hosted a CBC radio series called CarteBlanche with a young announcer just down fromWinnipeg, named Lloyd Robertson. On CBOT,Maggie Morris, Les Lye and Emmet O’Grady hosted amagazine show Contact from 1958 to 1960.

Private television arrived in 1961, with CJOH TV.Managed by former CBC executives Ernie Bushnelland Stuart Griffiths, the original announce staffincluded Peter Jennings, Dave Patrick, JerryO’Flanagan and me.

While ACTRA was unrecognized by CJOH earlyon, CBC radio and TV provided work for memberswith radio drama and outdoor concerts at CampFortune. Then, on CBOT, award-winning puppeteerNoreen Young produced Pencil Box, Hi Diddle Day, andfor the Disney Channel, Under the Umbrella Tree. Morework came our way with national productions such asQuentin Durgens, MP, starring Gordon Pinsent, Pierre

Berton’s The National Dream, and Crawley Films’ TheLuck of Ginger Coffey and the RCMP series.

In 1966, CJOH became an ACTRA signatory toproduce a Harry Elton late-night soap opera called Milkand Honey. Set in a small town diner, it featured ElsaPickthorne, Bernie McManus, Flo Fancott, Aline vanDine, Bobby Dermer and Cayla Belin. Other CJOHproductions followed, including The GallopingGourmet, Celebrity Cooks with Bruno Gerussi, TheAmazing Kreskin, Anything You Can Do, starring DonHarron, and Willy & Floyd. You Can’t Do That OnTelevision featured a teenaged Alanis Morissette.

With the guidance of a series of hard-workingBranch Representatives, Ottawa’s membership grewsubstantially in the ‘70s and ‘80s with more work fromgovernment agencies, production houses and anima-tion studios.

In 1978, ACTRA Ottawa launched its ownACTRA Awards, and for 15 years, members gatheredfor a glittering evening of presentations in a wide vari-ety of categories covering radio, TV and film.

Although far smaller than Toronto, Montreal orVancouver, we have been able to attract movie produc-tion to the nation’s capital and hope there is muchmore to come. Local companies such as DistinctFeatures and Sound Venture have employed manymembers in leading roles.

We celebrate 45 years, and we build for the future.With so many talented young actors entering the pro-fession, an Apprentice programme and a series of pro-fessional development workshops have been establishedto ensure a vital presence of Ottawa in that future.

A C T R A O T T A W A

45 years and countingby Bill Luxton

21 3

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Photos courtesy CJO

H Television (C

TV

), Ottaw

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theACTRAACTRAstory


“ I’m proud of the ACTRA we’ve become –strong, vibrant,responsive and most importantly,member-driven.”


Canada is an impossible country – a federation whereregional concerns seem in perpetual conflict with

national interests. Yet many things bind us together –hating Toronto, for instance. Toronto has always beenseen as too big, too rich, too powerful and too smug.Similar sentiments have percolated within ACTRA.Yet our organization was created by artists from all overthe country who came to Hogtown in search of work.We started out as a bunch of RATS.

Toronto 1941. The CBC had set up English head-quarters in the city and locally produced radio serieslike The Happy Gang, Those Halladay Girls and AtHome With the Lennicks were changing the landscape ofthe country.

Founder Jean Tweed remembers, “The amount paidto artists… was an appallingly small sum. The amountpaid for scripts was equally picayune… A group of usgot together and decided maybe we could do some-thing.” The solution was the Radio Artists of TorontoSociety (RATS).

It began with a talented pool of Toronto performers:Alan King, Tommy and Jean Tweed, Roxana Bond andher husband Lee, Bud Knapp and Jane Mallett to hon-our but a few, and by 1943 had become a nationalunion, ACRA. But because Toronto was the centre ofradio and TV production in English Canada, Torontowas inevitably the largest, most influential branch.

Because of this, Toronto was often in the forefront ofACTRA’s campaigns and the economic force fuelingthe national organization. However, by the early ‘90s,the country had changed. Independent production,industry growth and the downsizing of the all-powerful

CBC led to stronger branches all across the countryand dissatisfaction with what many saw as Toronto’sbureaucratic stranglehold on the association.Rebellion was in the wind, and ironically, Torontomembers were ready to help lead the charge: BarryFlatman and David Ferry led the drive to restructureand re-invigorate ACTRA.

“More working actors wanted to know how deci-sions were being made, who was making them,” Davidsaid. Once elected as Toronto members on thePerformers Guild National Executive, Barry and Davidconvened an historic national meeting of 30 electedperformer councillors. Barry affectionately called it‘the human computer’. “We made our ship right again,and whole again,” said Flatman. “I’m proud of theACTRA we’ve become – strong, vibrant, responsiveand most importantly, member-driven.”

ACTRA Toronto remains as keenly committed tosecuring work opportunities as our founders and is fac-ing new pressures with united action. Productiondownturn. Funding cutbacks. CRTC bungling. SARS.Aggressive competition for service productions. Thecollapse of Canadian TV drama. We are fighting back.

We helped launch a new industry consortium, FilmOntario, which is hard at work marketing Ontario as aproduction centre. We put our industry on the agendain provincial and civic elections. Working withACTRA National and other branches, ACTRAToronto initiated the Campaign for CanadianProgramming and we are making progress. We’vereceived a commitment from Paul Martin to refund theCanadian Television Fund and a commitment fromthe CRTC to revisit its broadcast regulations, but thereis still much to achieve. As in ACTRA’s first 60 years,ACTRA Toronto continues to use its muscle to bene-fit the whole union and dedicated members fight for allCanadian performers. It is our worthy cause.

1 Ben Lennick, Director of TorontoPerformers (1984).

2 Proud current and former ACTRAToronto Presidents and formerNational Executive member DavidFerry embrace Paul Siren in 2000.(Clockwise from left): SeánMulcahy, Ferne Downey, Paul, Bob Collins, Sandi Ross, BarryFlatman, David and currentPresident Richard Hardacre.

3 Paul Bradley, Jayne Eastwood andDoug McGrath in the Canadianclassic Goin’ Down The Road(1970).

4 John Vernon and Carl Banas inWojeck.

A C T R A T O R O N T O

Fueled by actor activistsby Ferne Downey

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Photo courtesy CB

C Still Photo C

ollection.

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Photo courtesy Don Shebib


Alice Poyser is awriter and long-timemember of ACTRAManitoba.

Evelyn Anderson recalls that when ACTRA waschartered in Manitoba in 1958, “There were

about a dozen of us, mostly from Little Theatre. Itwas a shoestring operation, run out of a lawyer-mem-ber’s office. The CBC did three dramas a week, so Ialways had lots of work. So did the musicians anddancers. The school broadcasts sweetened the moneypot.”

Radio buffs still get the warm fuzzies at mention ofThe Jacksons, The Eatons Good Deed Show, and evenNorthern Messenger. Broadcast every Friday night, itbeamed messages to the north in English, French andInuktituk. It was popular with listeners in the southtoo. Like eavesdropping on a party line.

TV came to Winnipeg in 1955 and John Hirschdirected the first drama, Chekhov’s The Anniversary.With five actors all new to camera and a budget tooskimpy for enough rehearsal time, he had secret ses-sions in his basement. ACTRA never knew.

Ollie Alto remembers the perils of live TV. TheCommunity Chest Show was a one-off extravaganzawith stars such as Robert Goulet and Juliette stickingto their allotted times. But the young DaveBroadfoot, determined to finish his act, ignored theapoplectic producer. “A hook. I need a hook. I can’tget him off. That son of a gun will never work for theCBC again.”

The advent of tape didn’t take care of everything.Vic Cowie hosted a Department of Education serieson Shakespeare. The set was a replica of London’sGlobe Theatre. He opened the trap door to explain

its uses. He expected the actor below – with his firepot and bellows – to waft billows of smoke onto thestage. The actor had set his clothes on fire and wascaptured on the overhead camera making franticattempts to douse the fire in his Elizabethan cloak.

Hymm Sing was a phenomenon. Within its first sixweeks, it gathered an audience of a million, stayed onthe air for 30 years, and averaged 500 fan letters aweek. Viewers took a proprietary interest in theshow. When host Don Brown changed his hairstyle,viewers combed the Bible for verses to justify theircondemnation of the ‘Elvis’ look.

Don Williams was asked to do a choir show. Heopted for the variety look rather than the traditionalchurch thing. He cast ‘wholesome’ young people.That some of these apple-cheeked girls stole the falseeyelashes from the makeup room was a closely guard-ed secret.

Jeff Sutton is a 13-year-old ACTRA Apprentice.When he was 11, a friend said acting was an easy wayto make a lot of money. He went to an audition andgot the lead role in The Nature of Nicholas. His per-formance won Manitoba’s 1993 Blizzard Best ActorAward. Some debut. Asked where he saw himself in10 years, he said, “Hollywood.”

Mariam Bernstein says, “For the first time since Igraduated from the National Theatre School 10 yearsago, I have a sense of momentum: 10 days’ work fromMay to October this year. Used to be lucky to get twoor three days a year. Now if the Canadian fundingand the Americans keep coming…”

A C T R A M A N I T O B A

They still need a hook to get us off the stage by Alice Poyser

1

2

3

1 Jeff Sutton as Nicholas in TheNature of Nicholas (2003).

2 Stu Phillips and PeggyNeville in Red RiverJamboree.

3 Winnipeg ACTRA receptionfor members and engagers –four members lookingthrough the local talentcatalogue: Janis Dunning(standing), (l-r) JacquesLeMay, Sherry Theobald,Alixe Duncan (1980).

4 Victor Cowie

5 Mariam Bernstein

6 Evelyne Anderson

7 Olie Alto

7

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5

Photo: Allen Fraser. Photo courtesy D

omino Film

and Television International Ltd.Photo courtesy C

BC

Still Photo Collection.

theACTRAACTRAstory


1 Gordon Tootoosis as AlmightyVoice in Alien Thunder (1973). The film starred DonaldSutherland and featured the Cree Indians of Saskatchewan.

2 Arcola, Sask. became known as“Prairie Movie Town” when itserved as the location for thefilming of W.O. Mitchell’s novelWho Has Seen The Wind, starringGordon Pinsent and BrianPainchaud in 1977. A number of local actors had roles in thefilm, Kathleen Meikle, ConnieTrafiak, Linda Leith, Mike Peters,and 150 locals worked as extras.

3 Brent Butt in Corner Gas (2003).

4 Keir Dullea in Paperback Hero,filmed in Delisle, Saskatchewan(1973).

1


On a freezing January evening in 1967, a bravegroup of performers and writers – Jean Freeman

(membership #01), Steve Arsenych, Sue and KenKramer (founders of the Globe Theatre), John Buller,Pat Steel, Beattie Martin, Walter Mills, Les Crossman,Ken Mitchell, and others (including Hilda Allen firstDirector), Rhena Howard and John Chamberlain –met to form the last ACTRA Branch. They consistedof CBC Radio’s The Schools Broadcasts performers, andarts reviewers working on That’s Entertainment, a pop-ular CBC programme. One contributor remembersChristmas morning shows being bolstered by BloodyMary eye-openers to enliven the broadcast... at leastfor the participants.

Originally serviced by Winnipeg’s Eleanor Park,ACTRA Saskatchewan soon hired part-time represen-tative, Ruby Dodd, opening an office in those wonder-ful bricks of Somerset Block in Regina. I was the sec-ond, and longest-serving representative. The branchgrew rapidly with aggressive organizing, servicing andcommunity engagement. Brenda Niskala, Bill Sigginsand presently Mike Burns followed.

Despite its size, our branch was a squeaky wheelbecoming, in Rita and Rex Deverell’s words, “thescourge of the nation,” consistently agitating to securea place for individual artists in Saskatchewan and thenation. The branch has always advocated regional pro-gramming in film and broadcasting. The list of initia-tives is lengthy, including creating ‘A Committee toOccupy the New Saskatchewan CBC Building withSaskatchewan Programming by 1984’, demandingSaskatchewan-based programming. Numerous briefsand representations to CBC and governments stressed

the hiring of local artists, paying union rates, recogniz-ing the value of local artists in film and commercialprogramming. Unique agreements in education,experimental film and broadcasting, and contribu-tions to the founding of Sask. Motion PictureAssociation and SaskFilm Development Corporation,are noteworthy.

A major focus over the last 30 years has been profes-sional development. With ACTRA’s leadership,Saskatchewan Film/Video Professional DevelopmentCommittee instituted the Professional DevelopmentInitiative to address industry training needs. Talentcatalogues, organizing drives and other promotionalactions were also undertaken, with unique agreementsdesigned to support professional development situa-tions and a solid commitment to the labour move-ment, leading to early affiliation with theSaskatchewan Federation of Labour.

As initiator of the Sectoral Council for Culture,now the Human Resources Council, the branch was arecognized contributor to the Saskatchewan LabourForce Development Board. Most recently, it played akey role in establishing status of the artist legislation inthe province.

Since writers and performers had long worked coop-eratively together, ACTRA’s restructuring in the ‘80sand ‘90s made little sense to our branch. But now, as aperformer organization, we’re as active as ever.Recognizing the need for close community links,alliances were forged (and continue) under leaderssuch as Hilda Allen, John Buller, Gabe Prendergast,Ken Mitchell, Thirza Jones, David Miller, WalterMills, Rita Deverell, Kim McCaw, Wm. Dixon, JeanFreeman, Alan Bratt, Gerry Sperling, Donna Caruso,Michele Serada, Rod McIntyre, Bruce Steele, IanBlack, Mike Burns, and Chris Scott. Not all can benamed, but all are valued.

– Sheila Roberts (ex-Kuziak) was ACTRA SaskatchewanBranch Representative for 15 years, from 1974 to 1989.

A C T R A S A S K A T C H E W A N

Making strides for local artistsby Sheila Roberts

4

2 3


1 Stuart Margolin (Slim), WayneRobson (Pete), Luke Reilly (Max),Rebecca Jenkins (Daisy) and FrancisDamberger (Ivan) in Bye Bye Blues(1988).

2 Jake (Shaun Johnston) and The Kid(Ben Campbell) in Jake And The Kid,Season II (1996).

3 Edmonton ACTRA members atthe Citadel Theatre for the ‘postershoot.’ This photo appeared in TheEdmonton Journal on May 4, 1988.

4 Glyn Williams

5 The cast of Edmonton’s Channel 5’sFirst Nighter (1961): Neil Smith,Dorothy Harpell, Glyn Williams andHarry Boon.

When CBC TV signed on in Edmonton onOctober 1st, 1961, no one considered giving up a

day-job for this new television medium. ProducerArmand Baril approached Glyn Williams and asked ifhe would consider appearing in a live television seriesto be called First Nighter. Glyn, a part-time operasinger whose day job was with Imperial Oil, respondedthat he didn’t feel comfortable singing, walking andsmiling. Glyn was convinced, however, and in January1962 was learning pop material during lunch breaks. Itwasn’t long until Reg Gibson arrived from Winnipegto discuss ACTRA with Glyn and his co-star DorothyHarpell. As a result, Glyn became ACTRA Edmontonmember #00001.

CBC Television and Radio showcased Edmontonperformers, writers and journalists. Up-and-comingtalent had opportunities to hone their craft in music, variety, drama, documentary and current affairs.Tommy Banks initiated his legacy of music and varietyshows.

In 1974 Dr. Charles Allard opened the doors of ITVand in 1980 convinced the SCTV group to move fromToronto to Edmonton for a two-year stint. CFRN TVoffered up variety and the occasional drama. ACCESSTelevision/CKUA radio hired members to work oneducational programming.

In 1976, the feature Why Shoot the Teacher wasfilmed in Alberta – screenplay by James DeFelice –and was the precursor of the ‘80s boom. The first tax-payer-funded provincial agency of its kind, the AlbertaMotion Picture Development Corporation (AMPDC)was created in 1981, jumpstarting Alberta’s film and television industry. Independent production

companies sprang up and began telling Alberta stories.Anne Wheeler was busy writing and directing. In1987, the ITV Sound Stage opened its doors andbecame home to numerous feature films, MOWs andseries. The film and television industry was alive andwell in Alberta. Then, after 15 years, the Alberta gov-ernment shut down the AMPDC and the industrycame to a stop.

The industry in Edmonton has always derived itsenergy and its vision from the local community. Onthe 60th Anniversary of ACTRA we reflect on themany achievements of Edmonton Branch membersand applaud their contributions to the development ofthe film and television industry and the Edmontontheatre scene. Some of these contributions have beenrecognized in lasting ways: the Kaasa Theatre, ShoctorAlley, Tommy Banks Way, and – we can’t forget –Wayne Gretzky Drive. Some have also been namedmembers of the Order of Canada: The HonourableTommy Banks (Officer), Anne Burrows (Member),Peggy Holmes (Member), Walter Kaasa (Member),Thomas Peacocke (Member), Joseph Shoctor(Officer), Rudy Wiebe (Officer) and Holger Petersen(Member).

Glyn Williams, over coffee with another foundingmember, Colin MacLean, recently reflected on theearly days and how fortunate he felt to have beenthere at the beginning of a very exciting business.

We’ve come full circle. The Edmonton film and tel-evision community struggles along in spite of adversi-ty. The Alberta government is again a supporter of theindustry. Senator Tommy Banks conducted his last bigband concert at the Winspear Centre on March 22,2003, and members still don’t consider giving up theirday jobs.

– Sharon Killey is celebrating her 20th anniversary asACTRA Edmonton’s Branch Representative.

A C T R A E D M O N T O N

Thriving to spite our day jobsby Sharon Killey

1 3 4

5

2

Photo courtesy Nelvana/G

reat North Productions

Photo by R. V

an Schaik

Photo courtesy The E

dmonton Journal

Photo: Laddie Ponich

Photo: Douglas C

urran

theACTRAACTRAstory


1 2


The arrival of CBC radio in Calgary helped‘launch’ our branch. In 1966 when Fred Diehl

was hired to produce radio drama, he said “wedon’t want to just produce locally, we want to sendour programmes regionally and nationally.”Calgary actors rejoiced. The first season, Fred pro-duced 13 dramas for the network and at his insis-tence, six scripts were written by Albertans.

Founding member Tim Christison was our firstmember to make a living – and support three kids –within ACTRA’s jurisdiction. In 1988 Tim becamethe first and only Calgary member to win a nation-al ACTRA award for Patient’s Diary beating outArthur Black and Peter Gzowski. Dale Goldhawkcredits Tim with naming the Media Guild.

Jack Goth made his mark on the national scenewhen he and Victor Knight worked all nightreworking ACTRA’s constitution. While theytoiled away the rest of Canada was watching PierreTrudeau invoke the War Measures Act.

Peggy Goth was our branch rep for over 20years. Her memories include looking after an over-refreshed Lee Marvin, getting a kiss from PaulNewman, dealing with a contrite WilliamShatner, seeing Ron Howard at age 20 in Locusts,Helen Hunt at age 10 in Pioneer Woman andChristoper Reeves in Superman.

Linda Kupecek, former Branch President andNational Director, remembers the ‘80s: “We werea tiny branch maintaining a brave presence with-in an emerging industry that didn’t like the notion

of paying performers and writers professional rates.Those of us on the front lines took a lot of flack,but we survived, and so did the branch.”

Douglas Riske was President in the mid-‘80s.“CBC radio drama still sustained us and theAmericans helped pay the bills and taught us skillsneeded to survive.” Riske adds that, “the regionswere under scrutiny and needed defending in orderto keep the work in the community. It was a raretime to be part of a fine organization that hasserved our community and country well.”

Into the ‘90s ACTRA Calgary celebrated whenUnforgiven won the Academy Award in 1992. Itwas the first time a ‘Best Picture Winner’ had beenshot in Canada. Past President Daryl Shuttleworthremembers bestowing W.O. Mitchell with his life-time membership while he watched the Expos onTV. Daryl remembers “North of 60 nervously step-ping up to the plate with a wing and a prayer. Aone-hour drama about native life in the North?Then, Lonesome Dove and Honey I Shrunk The Kidsand Viper. With each series came opportunity forCalgary actors to improve their skills as actors.”

Immediate Past-President Randy Birch: “I amconstantly impressed by the diversity and energyof our members. It is my great pleasure to havebeen given the opportunity to build on the legacyof those who have preceded me. Thanks for thememories.”

From the Calgary Branch, Happy 60th,ACTRA!

A C T R A C A L G A R Y

Remembering the past 37 yearsby Dennis Corrie

Dennis Corrie hasserved three times as President of theCalgary Branch.

3

54

Photo courtesy Calgary H

erald


1 (l-r): ACTRA members Jack Goth, Diane Hayden, Fred Diehl (also a CBCproducer), Tim Christison and Jack Phillips, OperationsManager for CBC Calgary.

2 Jack Goth

3 William (Bill) Berry

4 Vi Powlan

5 Patricia Benedict


“ I learned that, as an actorwanting to makea difference inyour community,you must getinvolved. ”

– Steve Adams

Bruce MacLeod, ACTRA B.C.From the perspective of one fortunate to witness the beginning and participate in the develop-ment of ACTRA, it is impossible not to salute ACRA, CCAA, as well as ACTRA, those wholaboured for and benefited from its existence. The membership owes a great deal to a gentleman named Len Hayman, our first B.C. administrator and a strong woman named EllenRandells, the right Branch Rep at the right time. We owe a long-overdue thank you to earlymembers Bill and Doris Buckingham, Cathy and Jimmy Johnston, Dorothy Davies, Ted Stidder,Sally Creighton, Sam Payne, Wally Marsh, Daphne Goldrick, Roy Brinson, Graham Campbell

and John White, many who served as President of the B.C. branch. Also, many writers, performers, broadcast jour-nalists and administrators who should be acknowledged – I have already exceeded my allotted space. But, I speakfor many who, unfortunately, can no longer be heard.

Sam Sarkar, UBCP President, 1993-94I presided over the little meeting at the Arts Club on Granville Island when ACTRA and theUBCP were being courted by the ‘big boys’ of organized labour. One strong memory of that nightis that, though there were many meetings where members were unruly or uncivil, this one tookthe cake. The conduct of quite a few was, to put it mildly, deplorable. It was like sitting in frontof a mob straight out of the Old Testament. But Robert’s Rules of Order and civility carried the dayand the unruly were put in their place. There’s something valuable in that.

Steve Adams, President ACTRA B.C., 1994-95 I sit here thinking about what I learned as President of ACTRA B.C. I learned that it’s aboutprinciple, not double-speak. I learned it’s about one’s right to express, not suppress. I learnedthat to effect change, you must vote. I learned that, as an actor wanting to make a differencein your community, you must get involved. Most of all, I learned that the good people whostood by my side made it one of the richest experiences of my life. Merci. Bonjour and happyanniversary!

Peter Partridge, UBCP President, 1994-98I first became President in 1994, believing B.C. needed protective autonomy from the central-ist bureaucracy then in the ACTRA Alliance. We established a strong little union, based onthe fundamental democratic premise that we were run by performers and responsive to theirneeds.

In my second term, UBCP initiated merger negotiations with ACTRA. Our members want-ed to retain our hard-won autonomy but within one national organization. We carved out ourreturn to ACTRA through the Kelleher Agreement in 1996. I am proud that UBCP has helpedreform ACTRA into a better, more decentralized service organization run by actors for actors.

John Juliani, President UBCP, 1998-2003Looking at the past; looking at the present… Finances: I love that word – Reform. Assembling a dedicated team of consummate financialprofessionals. Benefits plans: What have we achieved? What can we improve? What sustain?Child regulations: Playing a leadership role protecting the most vulnerable. PAL in Vancouver:Answering the challenge of supporting our pioneers. CCRA: The Taxman Cometh; going tobat for performers in the income tax hotbox. Communication: www.ubcp.com’s Burning Issuesprovides answers straight from the industry’s mouth; Membership meetings where all sides can

be heard; meaningful dialogue with our National organization and sister branches. Member-friendly offices: new-comers and veterans alike find education and information, a smile and an encouraging word…

Closing the Janus TempleIn reviewing the ACTRA/UBCP years some veterans had this to say:

theACTRAACTRAstory

It is with great sadnessthat we advise thatJohn Juliani passedaway unexpectedly in August, 2003. His creativity, passionand commitment to our members and the industry across the country are dearly missed.


Happy 60th ACTRA!

from

The Canadian Conference of the Arts

Canada’s oldest and largest arts advocacy organization extends best wishes to ACTRA’s membersand staff on this momentous occasion. The CCA looks

forward to working with ACTRA and serving as the publicvoice of the cultural sector for many years to come.

For more information on the CCA, please contact us at:804 – 130 Albert Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5G4

(613) 238 3561; Fax (613) 238 [email protected]

TELEVISION


416-588-8038 [email protected]

ACTRA... you just keeplooking betterand better...

andwe’ve had fun...

doingdesignfor you...

for twentyyears.

Happy 60th!

designJJoss

maclennan


Garry Neil, a policyissues consultant for many clients inCanada’s arts andcultural communty,has been associatedwith ACTRA since1977. He wasGeneral Secretary of the Alliance from 1986 to 1992and continues toprovide policyadvice.

When the ‘Four Gentlemen of Studio A’ discussedorganizing a union at CBC radio in Toronto in

1941, they were motivated by a basic concern. Thework they did as singers was completely unregulated,without contracts, the fee and work hours determinedat the whim of the producer. The history of ACTRAis the story of how actors, singers, dancers and otherperformers joined together to tackle these basic work-place issues. Throughout, ACTRA has been a leaderin performers’ collective bargaining, with clauses thatestablished benchmarks for unions around the world.

The Radio Artists of Toronto Society (RATS)received a charter from the American Federation ofLabor in 1943. The first issue was establishing mini-mum fees and written contracts. Bernard Cowan,long-time CBC announcer (Front Page Challenge,Wayne & Shuster) and ACTRA activist, recalled theearlier arrangement for voice artists – “a dollar aholler,” he called it. Performer groups in Toronto,Montreal, Vancouver and Winnipeg organized a loosecoalition in 1943, the Association of Canadian RadioArtists (ACRA). With little precedent for negotia-tions, and not covered by labour laws, they achieved afirst collective agreement with the CBC in 1946.

Joining with francophone artists’ unions in theCanadian Council of Authors and Artists (CCAA),ACTRA’s predecessor firmly established jurisdictionin all recorded media, including an agreement (withCBC) for commercial production. In what may be theearliest such arrangement in the world, the CBC radio

agreement provided limitations on how the materialcould be used. Additional fees were due (‘step upfees’), by the beginning of the ‘50s, if a permanentrecord of the show was made, later followed by fees forrepeat or other uses. This was the birth of the residualfee.

Collective bargaining expanded quickly throughinto the next decade with the expansion of the CBCand, in 1963, the English-language groups reorganizedas ACTRA, inheriting all CBC Agreements. Earlyantagonism with the CBC had been replaced with amore cooperative relationship and ACTRA expandednationally as CBC television stations were opened.

ACTRA’s jurisdiction expanded along with thegrowth of the industry. A first agreement with com-mercial production companies and advertising agen-cies was concluded in 1958; one with the NationalFilm Board was reached in 1957. The NFB agreementcame to include Canada’s independent producers,becoming the Independent Production Agreement(IPA) also in 1957.

In the mid-‘80s, ACTRA decided the ‘fixed pay-ment’ residual formula inadequately addressed thework opportunities: new markets such as videocas-settes, in-flight television, pay and educational televi-sion and a burgeoning cable television industry. Withthe rise of more independent producers, ACTRAdecided to negotiate a royalty fee, a percentage sharedby all the performers in the work.

The first such agreement (with the CBC in 1982),

Nuts and bolts and big ideasACTRA’s policy advisor and former General SecretaryGarry Neil outlines advances made for performersthrough negotiations, all the while striving for Canadianculture on the policy front.

Photo:Lisa Sakulensky

theACTRAstory

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Photo courtesy Tom H

arvey. Copyright ©

1964 by Continental D

istributing Inc.

1

“ACTRA has been involved in all of thesubsequent debates about how to supportCanada’s film and television industry.”


1 Tom Harvey and Robert Shawin The Luck of Ginger Coffey(1964).

2 ACTRA’s IPA 1999 negotiatingteam (l-r): Chuck Shamata,Brian Gromoff, StephenWaddell, Nora Dell’Agnese(standing), Thor Bishopric(seated), Richard Hardacre,Ferne Downey, BobbyHannah and Bob Collins.

3 Charmion King on the CFTOpicket line in support ofstriking NABET workers in1988.

4 ACTRA director Ken Poguespeaking to media at aCopyright demo in 1988.

provided for 5% of sales into ‘supplemental’ markets.Later, the IPA introduced the royalty formula, in1986, but the effect was limited. It became clear thatACTRA needed it based on the distributor’s grossrevenue (DGR), rather than the producer’s share.

Through the 1980s, the importance of the variousagreements shifted dramatically away from the CBCand towards the IPA. While the CommercialAgreement remained significant, the CBCAgreement had become virtually irrelevant bydecade’s end, as CBC was hiring independent produc-ers rather than producing in-house. So, the battle toestablish DGR as the basis of the royalty fee was pri-marily fought with Canada’s burgeoning independentproduction sector. This fight was won in 1995.

Various working condition issues now surfaced –turnaround, meal provisions, requirement for nudescenes and others – causing protracted negotiationsand many months of agreement extensions. Onemajor issue was the growing use of non-Canadian per-formers, coming to a head during CBC negotiationsand leading to industrial action.

More and more foreign actors were being used,often even in secondary roles. The membershipbecame increasingly militant and ACTRA, arguingthat the permit system allowed it, began to deny workpermit applications. In 1977, ACTRA engaged in theonly industrial action in its history. Performers walkedoff the set of The Goldrush Follies when the CBC hiredyet another non-Canadian, over ACTRA’s objection.The production was halted and, amidst threats of alawsuit, the fight was ultimately successful.Agreements were changed to limit the producer’s useof non-Canadians. More importantly, the climate ofthe industry shifted as producers became far moreaware of the need for a Canadians-first policy.

Keeping culture Canadian – performersstrive for a Canadian industryPerformers work in an industry heavily reliant on gov-ernment policies and programmes. Since early days,ACTRA members have sought more involvement inthe policy process. We have been in the forefront ofefforts to adequately support the production ofCanadian stories, and to ensure the place of Canadiancreators in the industry.

When the Board of Broadcast Governors first con-sidered Canadian content rules in 1959 – for privatetelevision stations not affiliated with the CBC –members of the Canadian Council of Authors andArtists were there. Delegations regularly appearedbefore the BBG’s successor, the CRTC, arguing toimprove and expand the system. ACTRA contributedto the hearings leading to the introduction of radio’sCancon rules, the primary policy tool in the develop-ment of a Canadian music industry. ACTRA alsoplayed a key role in devising the ‘point system,’ intro-duced in 1974, to determine a ‘Canadian’ movie’s eli-giblity for Capital Cost Allowance.

On the funding side, ACTRA worked with a suc-cession of governments in the 1960s, and was a keysupporter of the 1967 decision to create the CanadianFilm Development Corporation (now TelefilmCanada). ACTRA has been involved in all of thesubsequent debates about how to support Canada’sfilm and television industry, through the period of theCCA provisions, which encouraged deal-makingrather than movie-making, to the current blendedsystem. ACTRA has consistently encouraged a mix ofpublic and private sector support combined with judi-cious use of tax credits to support domestic produc-tions, and those financed from abroad.

Photos by Paul Till

3 4

theACTRAstory

“ When I was accepted asa member of ACTRA I feltten feet tall. That’s what Icontinue to feel, pride…as a member of ACTRA.”

– the late Al Waxman

...on ACTRAAl Waxman

Maybe because I amgetting old my mostvivid memories ofACTRA aren’t aboutACTRA at all. They areabout ACRA: TheAssociation of Cana-dian Radio Artists. Iwas told when I didmy first radio gig atage 11 that the otherboy in the cast was ‘amember of the union.’

What a sense of pride I had when a few months latermy mother took me into the union office with mysheet of permits and I too became a member of theunion. And that sense of pride has only increasedover the following 54 years.


“Globalization

and trade

agreements

continue

to seriously

erode

Canada’s

ability to

implement

cultural

policy.”

ACTRA has been a key player as well in the regula-tory processes, appearing several times yearly before theCRTC, and working to improve Canada’s BroadcastingAct. Most important in this respect were ACTRA’sefforts to retain the strong provisions requiring the sys-tem to be ‘predominantly Canadian’ and the equalopportunities provision of the current Act.

Rights of ArtistsArtists’ ownership of their work, fair treatment in thetax system, and the right to freedom of expression arekey issues of concern to ACTRA. Our efforts in thesefields have led to amendments of the Copyright Act,providing sound recording performers with ‘neighbour-ing rights’, a basic right for audiovisual performers toauthorize recording of their work and to enforce exist-ing contractual provisions against third parties. Thislatter provision is unique in the world.

After a decade-long fight in the ‘70s and ‘80s,ACTRA succeeded in its efforts to limit the use of for-eign artists in Canada, to require employment author-izations when performers are engaged and to providethat immigration authorities consult with the appro-priate union before issuing an authorization to a for-eign artist.

One of the key battles over the years was the cam-paign for status of the artist led, both nationally andglobally, by ACTRA’s General Secretary, Paul Siren.Siren co-chaired Canada’s delegations to theUNESCO meetings drafting the Declaration on theStatus of the Artist adopted in Belgrade in 1980. In1986, he co-chaired a federal task force whose recom-mendations led to the adoption of Canada’s Status ofthe Artist Act in 1992.

Many of these campaigns came together in thePerformers Rights Day held on October 31, 1989.

Leading Canadian performers from ACTRA, UDAand AFM, traveled to Ottawa to urge that governmentprovide additional rights for Canada’s performers. ThePrime Minister of the day, Brian Mulroney, made acommitment in the House for “action to solve theproblems of professional performers in Canada.”

Cultural SovereigntyMulroney shortly enacted the greatest threat to per-formers – the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).Globalization and trade agreements continue to seri-ously erode Canada’s ability to implement cultural pol-icy.

A Speakers’ Bureau of leading members raised thecultural dimension of free trade as early as 1986, galva-nizing the cultural community and ultimately thenation. The FTA’s cultural exemption, while inade-quate, would not have been negotiated were it not forthese efforts.

This willingness of ACTRA members to speak onthis issue has sometimes come at great cost. ACTRAPresident Dale Goldhawk was forced to resign his pres-idency in 1988, when CBC objected to his authorshipof an ACTRAscope article raising concerns about theFTA. ACTRA ultimately won the dispute, and thistradition of activism on globalization carries on todaywith members such as R.H. Thomson representingACTRA at a number of international meetings andparliamentary committees in recent years. Also,ACTRA’s Political Action Committees are activelyspearheading a national fight for more support for cul-tural production, particularly television drama. Therehave been decades of active involvement in the publicpolicy process and, at a conference devoted entirely tothe subject in 2002, ACTRA’s policy agenda for thecoming years was firmly established.

theACTRAstory

William B. Davis ...on ACTRA Dave Broadfoot ...on ACTRA

William B. Davis and Gillian Anderson in The X-Files.

The creation of ACTRA 60 yearsago was a courageous stepforward. Once ACTRA came intobeing, Canada’s performingartists and the writers of theirwords could no longer be takenfor granted. ACTRA had put thestamp of ‘professional’ on all of

us. As beneficiaries of this 60-year-ago creation, we havemany achievements to celebrate, not the least of which,is the respect of our audience.

“ ACTRA… put the stamp of‘professional’ on all of us.”

“ What a sense of pride I had when mymother took me intothe union office...”

“TH

EX

-FILES” © Tw

entieth Century Fox Television. A

ll rights reserved.


One of the postcards from ACTRAToronto’s Cast Reality campaign.

Many conferences were held, in the late ‘70sthrough into the ‘80s, to address cultural diversi-

ty concerns in theatre, film and television in Canada.Such luminaries as Salome Bey contributed, and VeraCudjoe’s Black Theatre Canada was created. Butmeaningful support was needed for performers ofcolour, such as Ms. Bey.

In 1986 I was elected to ACTRA Toronto Counciland, being black, ‘given’ the ‘Equal Ops’ portfolio. Iwas not amused. However, through my friend, BrendaKamino’s Equal Opportunities Committee at Equity,planning started immediately.

In 1989 CAEA held an extremely successful con-ference on non-traditional casting, Talent OverTradition. I then challenged ACTRA to hold a con-ference reflecting the film industry. I had already beencollecting photos and résumés from visible and audi-ble minorities, and disabled performers. The EqualOps Committee members agreed this gave us a broad-er base and focus. We also included Italian and Jewishperformers, because conversations with agentsrevealed that these so-called ‘white ethnicities’ werehard to cast outside of stereotype.

ACTRA sponsored a non-traditional casting confer-ence in 1990. Despite best efforts we were tripped up.While the meeting venue was totally accessible, thereception was not. To top it off, the winner of our Intothe Mainstream award was The Disability Network…and they came with camera crew and reporters!

However, the Into the Mainstream talent cataloguewas launched there and quickly became an importantresource for casting directors throughout its constant-ly improving editions. Even today, people still ask forit. I used to carry a box of books at the ready in my car,and we raised support from Alliance, Atlantis, CAW,DGC, Livent, NABET, The Canadian Film Centreand all government sources.

The book included all races and abilities of thosemandated. Four editions in eight years were produced,although it increasingly became harder to raisemoney. The book worked. In 1997 I appeared in Downin the Delta, directed by Maya Angelou and starringAlfre Woodard. The producer said if they hadn’t hada copy of Into the Mainstream at the 1995 LocationsExpo, that project would not have come to Canada.I’m proud of that.

Until the final edition, Into the Mainstream was free.Some thought that it was now in direct competitionwith Face to Face, though Mainstream was notdesigned as competition; simply a tool to attract morevaried production. And, God bless her, BrendaKamino came in to work on the last edition.

In 1997, burned out, I resigned everything. At thisjuncture, I hope ACTRA will, like SAG in L.A. orNew York, devote a staff member to work fulltime onthe new positive initiatives being pursued byACTRA’s diversity advocates.

Recognizing and promoting our diversity – an ongoing challenge by Sandi Ross

Promoting our diversity continues… ACTRA has promoted diversity at the negotiating table. TheEqual Opportunity Policy, written into both the IPA and theNational Commercial Agreement, obliges producers torespect diversity in casting.

ACTRA Toronto’s diversity advocates, performers Priya Raoand Leesa Levinson, work with staff to ensure diversityinitiatives are a top priority for ACTRA. In 2001 ACTRAlaunched a ‘cast reality’ campaign to promote casting ofvisible minorities and differently-abled performers in a fullrange of roles and not just stereotypes. ACTRA TorontoPerformers is a proud sponsor of the ReelWorld FilmFestival and the Innoversity Creative Summit thatpromotes innovation and diversity in media.

Sandi Ross is aformer President ofACTRA TorontoPerformers and long-serving Councillor.

“ Into theMainstreamquickly became an importantresource forcasting directors.”

theACTRAstory


D I G I T A L M E D I A

Looking back and looking forward by Thom Tapley

Thom Tapley isACTRA’s NationalAdvisor for DigitalMedia.

“Contrary to the doomsayers, each new technology has expandedthe entertainment industry.”

theACTRAstory

In the ‘80s I had the privilege of joining a group ofpassionate, dynamic and fabulously outrageous womenwho founded the ACTRA women’s caucus. It was a veryemotional and exciting time as we fought for acknow-ledgement that specific issues faced women members.Exploitation and ‘soft core’ films were running rampant in

our struggling film industry and this group of amazing women worked hard toestablish a framework of rights and protections. That work has continued andbeen expanded upon by successive generations of fabulous and committedwomen. The friendships I made through ACTRA continue today and the memoriesof the fun we had (and we had lots) still make me smile. Thanks ACTRA!

Sonja Smits ...on ACTRA William Shatner ...on ACTRA

I’m an ACTRA member of longstanding. In fact, I’ve beenstanding long enough towant to sit down. But before Ido, I want to acknowledge theextraordinary work of ACTRA– the enormous good the

association has performed for actors – the grandbenefits that accrued to us – congratulations to all ofus on the 60th Anniversary of our union.

“ I want to acknowledge theextraordinary work of ACTRA.”

Technological change has had a huge impact on theentertainment industry and all of those who make

their lives in it. In fact, technological change has notonly been a part of the industry, it created it. After all,radio, television, and cinemas were all technologicalinnovations. Technology allows people to see andhear what is really important – the programmes.

Each introduction of new technology results inindustry instability, fear and disruption. In the early‘30s, the music industry rallied to address a new tech-nology called ‘radio.’ A group of composers contend-ed that a hotel violated their copyright by re-playinga recording of their songs on a radio in the hotellobby. The introduction of television in the ‘50sprompted predictions it would cause the extinction oflive theatre. In the ‘80s, the movie industry took onVCR manufacturers. Jack Valenti, head of theMotion Picture Association of America (MPAA),predicted that the VCR would kill the film and TVindustries. Of course, radio, cinema and televisionhave all co-existed. Contrary to the doomsayers, eachnew technology has expanded the entertainmentindustry in ways that were unimaginable at the time.

What happens to ACTRA agreements during peri-ods of technological change? Historically, new typesof content and distribution have been introducedinto ACTRA agreements with less than enviableterms for performers. Producers tend to argue thatnew media require two criteria: low up-front fees andthe right to perpetually exploit programmes withoutany additional performer compensation. Historically,producers paid an up-front payment to the performerin exchange for perpetual use. This was the case forboth radio and television and continues to hold true

for theatrically released films. In ensuing years,ACTRA worked hard to negotiate better up-frontfees and to secure access to ongoing revenues throughuse fees.

The arguments continue in current digital medianegotiations. Producers contend that a reduced basicup-front fee should provide the ability to exploit thecreative product forever, with no further compensationfor the performers. History repeats itself.

The introduction of digital technology to theentertainment industries has created the most tumul-tuous four-year period that the industry has ever seen.The music industry is a good illustration of this, andwhat takes place in the music industry is mirrored,albeit at a slower rate, in the audio-visual world.

This disruptive period has often resulted in less-favourable terms for performers. Under the strain ofchange, many unions have lowered up-front fees andallowed for perpetual use in areas such as animationand video gaming. Regrettably, this loss of perpetualrights happened in a period where production andrevenues have dramatically increased in these genres.

But all is not doom and gloom. Although techno-logical innovations have experienced tumultuousintroductions, technology has almost always expand-ed the entertainment industry, creating more, not lesswork. Technological innovation has increased, notdecreased, revenues. Instead of the end of the filmand television industries, as predicted by Jack Valenti,the home video market now accounts for nearly one-third of Hollywood’s revenues.

Two years ago, ACTRA became the first and onlyunion determined to tackle head-on the changes tak-ing place in the industry. Although it has been a

“The ACTRA women’s caucus has worked hard… and itswork has been expanded upon by successivegenerations of fabulous and committed women.”

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Performers paid! LynJackson and Garry Neilsign the first stack ofcheques collected formembers by ACTRA’snew Performers’ RightsSociety in 1984.

1943-2003 • actra • celebrating 60 years

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theACTRAstory

rocky road, ACTRA has established itself as a lead-ing authority for performers in the expanding area ofdigital media. ACTRA has maintained performerfees, using this period to evaluate the models bywhich performers share in the success, where othershave taken the route of allowing perpetual use.

Digital media will continue to have an impact on

the entire industry and ACTRA will continue to stayabreast of the rapidly changing environment, makeinformed decisions, play an active role in the deci-sion-making process, think long-term and perhapsmost importantly, learn from our own history to con-tinue to protect and improve performers’ rights in theface of technological advances.

While ACTRA’s growth can be traced from the‘40s, ACTRA Performers’ Rights Society

(ACTRA PRS) only came into being in 1983.During these 20 years, however, ACTRA PRS hasadministered ‘use fees’ to performers in the thousands,with collections growing by roughly a million dollarsa year for the past six years. In 1996, the AssistantDirector, who had a staff of only three, oftenremarked that the department was run by “luck, apencil and paper and the tenacity of the department’sstaff!”

Today, collecting over $7,000,000 and sending outmore than 20,000 cheques in its last fiscal year,ACTRA PRS has moved beyond the pencil-and-paper approach to a sophisticated, customized soft-ware programme that houses the data on the manyproductions for which we’ve successfully collectedUse Fees. It is no surprise that with a staff of 13, thedepartment still continues to struggle with the vol-ume of thousands of hours of creative programmingwork of which ACTRA’s professional membershipcan boast. We continue to draw on the assistance ofour branches across the country, our improved sys-

tems, and our tenaciousness to successfully collectmoney owed to performers.

We haven’t yet met our departmental goal of col-lecting all monies owed to all performers who haveworked under ACTRA’s numerous collective agree-ments – but we’ve taken very big steps in that direc-tion. We have developed expertise in distribution andadded staff with industry experience to increase ourclaims. We have proven that the producers and dis-tributors who said there was no money in Use Feeswere wrong – and our progress (see charts below)speaks loudly that payments to performers after pro-ductions are completed are equally as important totheir livelihood as those fees negotiated at the time ofproduction. Mercedes Watson is Director of ACTRA Performers’Rights Society.

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ACTRA PRS by Mercedes Watson


Jamie Bradley – Award of Excellence (Maritimes)

Georgie Collins – ACTRA Calgary founding membertribute

Rejean Cournoyer – ACTRA Award for OutsandingPerformance, male (Maritimes) The Event

Shawn Doyle – ACTRA Award for OutstandingPerformance, male (Toronto), The Eleventh Hour

Joyce Erickson – Life Membership (UBCP)

Jack Goth – ACTRA Calgary founding member tribute

Kay Grieve – ACTRA Calgary founding member tribute

Antony Holland – Award of Excellence (UBCP)

Andy Jones – Award of Excellence and Life Membership(Newfoundland/Labrador)

Garry Little – Life Membership (UBCP)

Bill Luxton – Lifetime Achievement Award (Ottawa)

Les Lye – Lifetime Achievement Award (Ottawa)

Leslie Nielsen – Award of Excellence (National/LosAngeles)

Ellen Page – ACTRA Award for OutstandingPerformance, female (Maritimes), Marion Bridge

Gordon Pinsent – Award of Excellence (Toronto)

William Shatner – Award of Excellence (Montreal)

Kristen Thomson – ACTRA Award for OutstandingPerformance, female (Toronto), I Shout Love

Gordon Tootoosis – Award of Excellence(Saskatchewan)

ACTRA 60th Anniversary Honourees

ACTRA’s 60thAnniversary is theperfect occasion tobring back ourACTRA Award – to bring back thepride and enthu-siasm of celebratingour own.

theACTRAstory

3 Leslie Nielsen receivingthe ACTRA Award ofExcellence at ACTRA’s 60thAnniversary celebrationsat the Canadian ConsularResidence in LA, with Thor Bishopric, ACTRANational President.

4 Georgie Collins

5 Gordon Tootoosis

6 Antony Holland

7 William Shatner

8 Joyce Erickson

9 Andy Jones

10 Kay Grieve

11 Rejean Cournoyer

12 Garry Little

1 Ellen Page in MarionBridge, winner of theACTRA Award for Out-standing Performance(Maritimes).

2 Gordon Pinsent, winnerof the 2003 ACTRAAward of Excellence(Toronto), with awardpresenter Paul Gross.

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Photo courtesy Idelwild Film

s. Photo: Nancy A

ckerman

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So it was May 8th when Ihauled my aching carcass

into my Halifax home. It wastwo weeks of insanity driving toDisney World in a van with mythree kids and 86-year-oldfather and I was looking for-ward to falling down.

Instead, I checked my 300unread emails — one of which was from ACTRAMaritimes Branch Representaive Gary Vermeir. Hesaid that I might be receiving some phone calls fromthe press because Branch Council had decided tobestow upon me the first ACTRA Maritimes Awardof Excellence.

“ ,” I replied. I was honestly floored but theflooring I received then wasn’t half of what I experi-

enced the night of the party. Two days later, the nightof our AGM, I was surprised (read floored) to find oneof my best friends, Bill Forbes. Bill had driven threehours from where he was directing a show just toembarrass and insult me in a wonderfully deprecatingspeech. I was accused of many things and most ofthem, I swear, were untrue.

I remember walking up to the stage, shaking Thor’shand, hugging Bill and then — now here’s where itgets blurry, said some stuff. I wish it hadn’t happenedso quickly, it was like driving by a picket fence, but Ihave been told since that mine was a heartfelt thankyou to my wife and family and something about actorssticking together.

I wish I could tell you more, but… I was floored.Jamie Bradley is thrilled to be the first recipient of theACTRA Maritimes Award of Excellence.

1943-2003 • actra • celebrating 60 years

theACTRAstory

13 Shawn Doyle andKristen Thomson,winners of ACTRAAwards forOutstandingPerformance(Toronto).

14 Bill Luxton andLes Lye, aka“Willy & Floyd”.

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My Award of Excellenceby Jamie Bradley

Dakota House ...on ACTRA

The overall knowledge of what is written inthe news articles (InterACTRA) as well as thesecurity and benefits of being an ACTRAmember have enabled me to feel safe andtaken care of as an actor.

Heather Blom ...on ACTRA

In many othercases, youngpeople are nottaken seriously.

With ACTRA, I never have to worry about agediscrimination. ACTRA will help me if I have aproblem, or listen to me if I have an idea. Ifeel secure when I am on set because ACTRAstaff have been generous with informationand are always watching out for us minors!

Don Chevrier ...on ACTRA

Having been an ACTRA member,(and AFTRA) for many years, I reallytreasure and value what ACTRA hasdone for me. Far back in the 1960s,ACTRA fought for member rightsand work conditions… ACTRA hasproduced the finest retirementpackage in North America! Goodjob over the years!

“With ACTRA, I neverhave to worry aboutage discrimination.”

Photo courtesy The O

ttawa C

itzien. Photo: Jean Levac

May the years ahead continue no less successfully for ACTRA and its membership

CONGRATULATIONS

From all of us at Pebblehut(416) 778-6800


Looking for more?Looking for more?

Additional copies of ACTRA’s60th Anniversary specialedition of InterACTRA areavailable for sale at ACTRABranch offices and selectbookstores across Canada.

For a location near you For a location near you call call 1-800-387-35161-800-387-3516

21,000 trained professionals

Online at www.actra.cawww.actra.ca

The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists


1 Hosts of the 1982 ACTRA Awards, Dixie Seatle and Jim Carrey.

2 Roger Abbott and Joyce Davidson with Nellies – publicity for the 1985 ACTRA Awards.

3 SCTV at the ACTRA Awards in 1978: Rick Moranis, JohnCandy, Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara.

4 Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau speaking at the 1983 ACTRA Awards.

When television began in Canada, if you owned aTV set and had service in your area, you could

see Canadian programmes and Canadian stars.Around 1962 the industry started to change.

American programming, cheaper and more profitableto air than Canadian-made programmes, began todominate. Their product arrived with plenty of ready-made promos, blurbs and stills to give to the press andbroadcasters.

In 1970, because of the erosion of Canadian con-tent, ACTRA sent some famous faces to lobbyOttawa on behalf of restoring CanCon (sound famil-iar?) and generate publicity. We received a terrificreception and we talked about finding ways to main-tain the positive attention.

Bruno Gerussi and I shared a taxi to the Ottawa air-port, and on that ride we invented what became theACTRA Awards, to be presented to writers and per-formers in television and radio. Soon, with otherboard members, Pierre Berton and Dave Higgins, Ipresented the idea to the ACTRA Board. They lovedit and supported it wholeheartedly. We were assignedthe job of “putting it together,” along with the mar-velous Margaret Collier and the invaluable ElizabethMalone. Margaret Collier and I found the sculptorBill McElcheran and our famous Nellie statue.Elizabeth named her Nellie. She is not BarbaraHamilton or Juliette!

The first annual ACTRA Awards in 1972 tookplace at the Park Plaza Hotel in Toronto and were nottelevised. There were three awards: Graham Sprytook The John Drainie Award, Pierre Berton won theGordon Sinclair and Geneviève Bujold won the EarleGrey. Our plan was to develop slowly but the eventwas such a success in the press and the industry thatwe went to television the next year.

As the proud producer and co-founder of theACTRA Awards, I have many memorable momentsincluding the reunion of The Happy Gang with BertPearl, the uniting of Juliette, Joan Fairfax, ShirleyHarmer, Phyllis Marshall, Joyce Sullivan and SylviaMurphy as The Golden Girls, and my last-minute pres-entation of an award because the female impersonatorCraig Russell would not come out of the ladies’ bath-room. You see, we did have stars and the ACTRAAwards recognized and promoted them.

Thank you once again to all who were involved,and congratulations to ACTRA for starting an awardssystem in Canada.

We do have stars: the ACTRA Awardsby Lorraine Thomson

Lorraine Thomsonco-founded theACTRA Awards, is a founder of theAFBS Oral HistoryProject, theFounding Chair ofthe AFBS Museumof CanadianBroadcasting, a former ACTRACouncillor, NationalTreasurer, Vice-President and AFBSGovernor.

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In the ‘50s and ‘60s, Canadians were the best in theworld at producing TV drama. Shows like Quentin

Durgens, MP and Wojeck ruled CBC, and CBC justruled. Canadians were in studios so much theyinvented studio cameras and created writer, producerand performer exports for American networks. OnApril 1, 1968, recognizing the need to both protectand build on the growing strength of our industry, anew Broadcasting Act was proclaimed and inDecember of that same year, ACTRA committed topublishing its first talent catalogue, soon to be calledFace to Face With Talent.

U.S. producers, woefully ignorant of the strength ofour performer base, brought all their actors withthem. “We don’t know any Canadian actors,” theycomplained. The Institute of Canadian Advertisers in1968 chimed in with, “We don’t know who is avail-able for commercials in this country.”

Now, we’re practical, resourceful people. If a lie ispresented as a fact, we don’t punch the speaker in thenose, we don’t litigate, we simply prove them wrong.The reality was, and is, Canada has fantastic actors.We fought back, not just with words, but with photo-graphs and detailed casting proof.

The Talent Promotion Committee, under actorLeslie Yeo, set the ball in motion. Soon the first vol-ume of Face to Face was on the desk of every CBC andindependent producer, film executive, and artisticdirector in the country. It became an extremely effec-tive weapon against the unnecessary importation ofperformers. The next 30 years saw ACTRA publish-ing F2F biennially, promoting the interests of per-

formers from coast to coast. ACTRA stewards still useFace to Face Online to fight for Canadian casting inservice productions.

Inspired by Face to Face, the ACTRA NationalEqual Opportunities Committee launched Into theMainstream to promote underused visible and audibleminorities, as well as disabled performers in ACTRA,and regional talent directories were also created, allproving especially useful in the ‘90s when closer coop-eration became the order of the day between ACTRAand provincial film commissioners.

In 1997, we caused quite a stir by launching ourfirst version of Face to Face Online. Beginning mod-estly, it has developed into a powerful nationalACTRA resource. Provided as a member serviceunder the ACTRA Plan, each individual maintainshis or her own portfolio. Through a fully searchabledatabase, information is centralized coherently in oneplace. A thing of beauty, flexible, it can work hand inglove with local directories like ACTRA CalgaryOnline, ACTRA Maritimes Online and CD,ACTRA Montreal and others.

Through all the growth and changes, Face to Faceremains what it has always been, a self-determinedpromotional tool for ACTRA members and an inspi-ration for other initiatives. Currently, Montreal has aproject underway regarding background casting;ACTRA Maritimes’ extensive voice-talent directoryis cross-referenced with F2F – the possibilities appearendless. Face to Face is bursting with useful potential,and poised to capitalize on its task of creating workopportunities for Canadian actors.

B R A G G I N G R I G H T S :

The Canadian way by Ferne Downey

Ferne Downey hasworked extensivelyin television and filmfor 20 years. A Past President ofACTRA Toronto,she is ACTRA’srepresentative on thePAL Board, andCo-Chair of theEntertainmentIndustry Coalition(EIC).

theACTRAstory

In 1996 I had an opportunityto buy my first house. Itcame about through anACTRA RRSP programmethat I had never paid muchattention to. ACTRA sends somany useful bits of inform-ation to its members, and Iam very glad that I noticedthis one. Well, the house

deal closed over the holidays, right betweenChristmas and New Year’s, of course. All the same,Charlie Johnson, Mitch Rose, Bhoop Singh and JaneNelson each came in over their holidays to signcheques and put the sale through, allowing me topurchase my first home. Over many years I havereceived good advice and counsel from the staff atACTRA and I very much appreciate it!

Molly Johnson ...on ACTRA

Anne Tait and ACTRA member Donald Ewer at Torontolaunch party for Face to Face with Talent, Ninth Editionin 1987.

Photo by Paul Till


Few arts organizations were on the horizon ahead ofCCA and ACTRA. Both arose when, in the artis-

tically bleak post-World War II environment,Canada’s artists began to meet and lobby for an infra-structure and policy measures to support their work.At the Kingston Conference in 1941, artists took thefirst step in a process that led Canada from a colonialcultural entity to the conscious recognition that thefederal government had responsibilities for culturalpolicies which would sustain our own national cultur-al development. In 1944, some of those same artistsprepared the Artists’ Brief Concerning Cultural Aspectsof Canadian Reconstruction for the federal government.They might be viewed as the ideological ancestors ofboth the CCA and ACTRA.

The CCA and ACTRA have collaborated onmany issues over the long lives of both organizations,speaking out in support of freedom of expression,advocating for funding for the arts, and developing

federal status of the artist legislation. Since theadvent of the Free Trade Agreement and NAFTA inthe mid-nineties the CCA and ACTRA have workedtogether to counteract the pressures these agreementsexert on our domestic cultural interests, on our verycultural sovereignty.

As the new millennium unfolds, the indigenousforms of cultural expression that we cherish inCanada are subject to even greater pressures fromglobalized markets. ACTRA has adopted an activiststance by working with its members to publicize thedecrease in Canadian drama production, by workingto promote the cultural diversity treaty and by keep-ing these issues high on the agendas of parliamentari-ans. If more arts organizations were as active andfocused as ACTRA, the future of the arts in Canadawould be assured.Megan Davis Williams is the National Director of the Canadian Conference of the Arts

A R T I S T S A S L O B B Y I S T S :

ACTRA a long-time collaborator with the Canadian Conference of the Arts by Megan Davis Williams

The budget for our pilot was $700 – that was to pay the band. Theywere a small, independent station. ACTRA was not a factor – it wasnon-union. What they wanted us to do was 13 episodes, which I wouldwrite and my wife and I would perform – and we would get $6,500,total, for all 13 episodes – for two performers and a show writer. Myfriends were saying, ‘Don’t do it, that’s ridiculous. You could work atMcDonald’s and do better.’ But I just ignored that advice, because itwasn’t coming from my wife. She felt we should do it. And we did.

So we got on TV, and out of that, I started getting freelance writingjobs for other shows, and some of them were CBC productions –Wayne and Shuster, or an Irish Rovers Special – and they wanted meto write the show. Bear in mind we’re getting $500 an episode doingeverything. Scale to write the CBC show was $3,500. I phoned tocheck. It’s one show, and all I’m going to do is write it. And they said‘That’s right. That’s $3,500.’ It was one of those things wheresomebody’s really wrong here. Either somebody is really beingoverpaid, or I’m really being underpaid. And I went with Plan Two. Inreality what happened out of that is, sure, you’re getting paid well forwhen you’re working, but you may not have another job for sixmonths.

What ACTRA provided for me was an entry level. You could actuallysustain life at the entry level, of having some kind of success inCanada. I’m absolutely convinced that would not be the case withoutACTRA, because we wanted to be on television. If they’d have said ‘it’s$200 a show,’ we would have said ‘fine.’ When you’re young, you’realways living in the future – it’s going to lead to something – and it did.It would not have led to what it led to without ACTRA setting the entrylevel. And that was pretty helpful to us.

Steve Smith ...on ACTRA

Steve Smith as Red Green.

theACTRAstory

“As the new millen-nium unfolds, theindigenous forms ofcultural expressionwe cherish inCanada are subjectto even greaterpressures fromglobalized markets.”

Photo courtesy S&S Productions

While Brian Mulroney and his unprecedented con-tinentalist government constantly assured

Canadians that culture was not on the free-trade tableand that his government was committed to safeguard-ing the cultural interests of Canadians, we now knowthere was a tacit understanding that they would act insuch a way as to avoid major U.S. complaints about,among others, the book publishing and magazineindustries and film policy. While Jean Chrétien’s infa-mous 1993 Red Book stated that “culture is the veryessence of national sovereignty and national pride,”labelling it one of the three pillars of foreign policy,we now know his massive cutbacks have wreakedhavoc, undercutting our creative abilities, dispersingour talent, abandoning our cultural independence,reducing or even eliminating support for the writtenmeans by which Canadians communicate with theirfellow citizens and the world. A prominent Canadianpublisher called the 1995 reduction of publishingindustry support “the most cynical betrayal in the his-tory of book publishing in Canada.”

Should we be surprised that the CBC is no longer aprime-time player in dramatic programming or thatGlobal TV need only pay lip service to Canadian con-tent while stuffing its schedule with cheap, “dumped”American product? Should John Manley’s reductionin support for Canadian TV production in Canada,while blatantly increasing the amount of tax dollarsavailable to American filmmakers in Canada, be soshocking? Or is this betrayal simply a further reflec-tion of Liberal priorities at the behest of the usual sus-pects, the BCNI, and the raft of other Americanizersof Canada who have so successfully fooled so manywith their scare tactics should we dare not integrate

even further into the American system?Without a strong culture a country exists in name

only. ACTRA has always been a strong fighter forCanadian sovereignty and for the promotion and pro-tection of Canadian culture. It is our artists – allartists, actors, writers, painters, dancers, whatever –who can have the greatest influence on a people. Inmy recent book, The Vanishing Country, I lamentedthe abandonment of our proud experiment in inde-pendent nation building and the steady underminingof our Canadian industrial base, and so many of oursocial and cultural institutions, and the commitmentto further integration with the U.S. by successive gov-ernments. In the film industry, we have been suppliersof some talent to the American film industry and,with the ready compliance of government, have builtan industry here largely dependent on the needs of aforeign culture, rather than our own. Surely, it’sunseemly to accept that our prime role in life is totrain workers for foreign industries.

ACTRA’s record of success and its commitment tomaintain and expand our Canadian cultural identity,lends a measure of hope to those of us who want to seeourselves reflected on our cinema and televisionscreens, who want to share a Canadian perspectivewith the people of the world. ACTRA’s history clear-ly demonstrates a readiness and ability to provide theleadership sadly lacking in many areas to ensure thatCanada’s distinct identity will not only be preserved,but enhanced and expanded with a new vigour anddetermination. There is no doubt in my mind thatACTRA can play a major role in the reestablishmentof sovereignty and respect for the wonderful heritagewe all share.


Mel Hurtig O.C.,recipient of numerousawards and severalhonourary doctorates,is one of Canada’spre-eminent national-ists. His latest book,The VanishingCountry, is already abest-seller.

“I am much moreaware of thepolitical aspects ofour business andwhat ACTRA andUBCP do on ourbehalf and why.”

Strong culture requiredby Mel Hurtig

theACTRAstory

Some of you may remember the first cluttered andnone-too-pretty CAO homepage when it arrived incyberspace in 1998. Both ACTRA Toronto and ACTRANational recognized the potential and became ourfirst corporate sponsors. UBCP followed not longafter. Sponsorships have allowed CAO to addsophisticated discussion boards and to grow to over6,800 registered members and an average of 225,000page views per month.

CAO has saved more than one neophyte actor timeand money, not to mention aggravation. But as thewebsite has grown, it has also become popular withexperienced actors looking for a community online.Cyberspace has crackled with heated debate about‘runaway’ production, SAG’s Rule One, ethics issues incasting, exploitative entry level agencies, protection

of children on set, BG performer concerns, nationaland provincial cultural policies and the ongoing effortto bring non-union work into ACTRA’s fold.

We all have learned from each other on CAO. I can saythat I am much more aware of the political aspects ofour business and what ACTRA and UBCP do on ourbehalf and why. I have learned that it’s moreimportant than ever, especially in these volatile times,to pay attention to what’s happening and to theissues that are having a substantial impact on ourlives every day.

We must all get active on our own behalf. With realinformation and understanding, we can strengthenand protect our rights as artists and our presence as acultural voice in Canada. Canada needs us. Theindustry needs us. Let’s keep talking. See you online!

Lyn Mason Green, Canadian Actor Online, www.canadianactor.com ...on ACTRA


My mother and my uncle Pat, who lived with us,tried to shame actors into being a more cohesive

force. The people who flowed through our house weremother’s choice, and they were actors – these werethe people my mother thought were worthwhile – shecalled other people “klunks.” She had a fierce loyaltyto them. She felt actors needed to be supported whennot immediately employed. She tried to get the actorsto espouse something worthwhile. The union was aconsequence of these discussions.

Once, a chunk of scenery fell on my mother whileshe was on set at the CBC. It should have been naileddown properly. Very scary and untoward. Someonethere suggested to her “you wouldn’t want to sue youremployer, would you?” That’s what it was like.

She was involved in putting on, as she would call it,“the damn benefit,” an annual fundraising event foractors, to raise money for performers who were dis-abled or unable to work. It was a really big thing formy mother, she was frustrated at the amount of timeand responsibility that fell on her shoulders – she sawactors really down, that ought not to be.

– John Mallett is Jane Mallett’s son.

“The Actors’ Fund of Canada was founded in1957 to provide assistance to colleagues who

were aging, sick or simply facing difficult times. Itstarted with five one-dollar bills, oneeach kicked in by five prominentactors – Jane Mallett, Donald Davis,Barbara Hamilton, Douglas Rain andDennis Sweeting. Within a year it hadraised $10,000 from benefit perform-ances. The fund stands as a securityfor all people in the entertainmentindustry who work on a freelance basisand do not have access to many stan-dard social benefits.”

– ACTRAscope, 1982

Jane Mallett and The Actors’ Fund by John Mallett

theACTRAstory

V O I C E O F T H EP I O N E E R

“The fund stands as a security forall people in the entertainmentindustry who work on a freelancebasis and do not have access tomany standard social benefits.”

My memory of those formative years for ACTRAhave become foggy. But as I glance through old

ACTRAscopes, the fog lifts and memories flood back.And what memories! Some pleasant: events andachievements; others unpleasant: about failures andinternal strife. Because Toronto had become the cen-tre of radio and television production in EnglishCanada, ACTRA Toronto inevitably became thelargest, most influential local with 1,795 members in1964, as compared with the second largest local,Montreal, with 394. It would be no exaggeration tosay it was the fuel that ran ACTRA. Toronto wasmost often in the forefront of ACTRA’s campaigns toobtain better funding for the CBC so that it couldproduce Canadian shows using Canadian talent. Onseveral occasions, prominent Toronto members maderepresentations to the CBC and to the CRTC regard-ing limiting the amount of foreign content and thenumber of foreign performers employed by both theCBC and independent broadcasters.

But, conversely, Toronto could also be bothersome.Once, reversing a 6-year trend of non-quorum mem-bership meetings, a large group presented a petitionsigned by 101 members urging the national board to

overturn the ratification of a new CBCAgreement. It was felt ACTRA hadcompromised too far on the issues. Onanother occasion a dissatisfied actorrallied a group of equally dissatisfiedperformers and started an Actors’Committee, independent of ACTRA.ACTRA grew alarmed but ACTRAToronto managed to persuade the dissi-dents to become an Actors’ Committeewithin ACTRA. Very soon thereafter the leader ofthis group was elected to the local Branch Council,learned about the problems and was thus able to con-tribute to ACTRA from within. Both these examplesshow membership involvement and, although some-times causing worry, it was infinitely preferable to thecomplacency too often exhibited by the Torontomembership in those days.

Twenty years of ACTRAscopes reminded me that,regrettably, the fight to create and sustain workopportunities for our members and protect their inter-ests continues. But ACTRA Toronto is still supplyingdedicated leaders, as in ACTRA’s first 30 years, tofight in our worthy cause.

Memories of the sixties and seventies by Vernon Chapman

Vernon Chapman iswriting a history ofCanadian Actors’Equity Association.

ACTRA President BruceMacLeod presenting acheque to Jane Mallett,President of the Actors’Fund of Canada in 1983.

Photo courtesy CB

C Still Photo C

ollection, Toronto and Laddie Dennis

Laddie Dennisand Don Francksin the CBC seriesUnforeseen,episode ManRunning (1960).


ACTRAMontreal was born with the RadioActors of Montreal Society

(RAMS). The francophone Union des Artistes,operating on the French network, was added to themix, a bridge made possible by the creation of ourumbrella organization, the Canadian Council ofAuthors and Artists (CCAA). The CCAA washeadquartered in Montreal, negotiating agreementswith CBC/Radio-Canada and the Association ofAdvertisers and Agencies, providing separate butequal agreements in both English and French. Thisarrangement lasted into the ‘50s. But things werechanging. TV complicated everything.

French methods and approaches were not the sameas those in English. In the early ‘50s, joint-program-ming used English and French actors. A bilingualweekly series – Je me souviens in French and Datelinein English – was made in Montreal. Another filmedseries, Radisson and Groseilliers, took a similarapproach. They were heady days and we worked welltogether. Between radio and television, an actorcould have a busy life, thanks to the negotiatedagreements that the CCAA and ACRTA created.The missing factor, of course, was a professional the-atre, although amateur theatre flourished in bothlanguages and actors cooperated in the creation oftheir own theatre companies. The first dubbing stu-dios were opened to serve TV’s growing appetite. Itseemed like heaven. It couldn’t last, and of course, itdidn’t.

In 1959 the French television producers went onstrike at Radio-Canada. CCAA advised membersthat those having contracts must honour them andcross picket lines. Montreal members were confused.Some crossed; others didn’t and were blackballed byCBC for months. Neil LeRoy, then President ofCCAA, came to Montreal to convince members.Union des Artistes refused. None crossed the picketlines. LeRoy was mugged on his way out of the city.René Lévesque became the spokesperson and leaderin this long and costly strike. It changed everything.

Union des Artistes were unforgiving in their judg-ment, and withdrew from CCAA. ACTRA andUDA signed a recognition agreement but went theirseparate ways.

Hard times ensued. The bilingual programmes dis-appeared, replaced on TV by Shoestring Theatre – adescriptive title – a weekly repertory of live dramas.But the heyday was over.

President Dennis Sweeting and Director GeneralMarcel Francq were accused by some Toronto mem-

bers of a rather unspecified malfeasance in 1964. Thelawyers had a field day. All parties, accusers andaccused, hired lawyers expecting them to be paid byACTRA. The hearing, under Bora Laskin, laterChief Justice of the Supreme Court, determined nomalfeasance had occurred but that the associationwas badly mismanaged. After all the legal bills werepaid, ACTRA was broke. Its building was sold, andwe had to start all over again.

All this coincided with a major slump in produc-tion in Canada. Canadian film producers were begin-ning to establish an industry here, but TV screenswere showing more and more American-producedshows. Programmes were being dumped by Americannetworks at rates with which no Canadian producercould compete. It became evident that this all-demanding issue had to be fought and won. ACTRAneeded new leadership. We found it in Paul Siren,largely responsible for creating the campaign forCanadian content regulations.

I had recently been elected Vice-President ofACTRA and had a number of humbling experiencesat membership meetings. One prominent writer-member inquired, “What’s it like, Victor, to be VP off—k all?” Another complained that our retirementsavings plan paid less interest than a savings accountat a bank!

At the same time, the Board of BroadcastGovernors, now replaced by the CRTC, were hold-ing hearings in Ottawa on the Canadian content forTV and radio. ACTRA and UDA were jointly pre-senting papers, cheered on by the musicians’ unionwho were not themselves participating. Severalmeetings had taken place. The TV owners, managersand lawyers had presented powerful arguments. Wewere fighting a losing battle.

The deputy chairman of the commission, Harry J.Boyle, told me bluntly that if we did not find a wayto change the flow, the TV ownership would have itsway; there would be no regulations on Canadiancontent. We needed a miracle. I said to ACTRAGeneral Secretary Paul Siren, “Telling them won’t doit. The members will have to show them.”

ACTRA commissioned a film of the membersdoing their thing. Over a hundred best-known per-formers and writers delivered it to the next hearing.None of the owners’ lawyers could compete with thatlittle gem of a film and, with the appearance of manyof Canada’s most talented and popular performers,singers, dancers, actors, comics and writers, ACTRAwas not to be denied. Management’s argument about

Memories of ACTRA Montreal and the genesis of Canadian content regulations by Victor Knight

Victor Knight is anACTRA pioneer.

theACTRAstory

“Management’sargument aboutnot having a largeenough talent poolhere was revealedfor what it was, asham.”

V O I C E O F T H E

P I O N E E R


not having a large enough talent pool here wasrevealed for what it was, a sham, a convenient lie thatdidn’t hold water. We won the battle. Regulationswere enacted favouring ACTRA’s point of view.Slowly the tide began to turn.

Now holding the office of “President of f—k all”,and responsible to correct those low-interest paymentcomplaints mentioned earlier, we reorganized ourretirement savings programme. The Actra Fraternal

Benefit Society was formed, under the Presidency ofJohn Ross and the management of Bhoop Singh. Thesociety was legally enabled to insure members. Outsideinsurance arrangements were cancelled and replacedby in-house coverage. Members’ retirement savingsfunds were removed from the previous investmenttrust company, and a new company of investmentadvisors was hired – the Fraternal fund you knowtoday was created.

theACTRAstory

It was a European actors’ initiative – British andFrench actors’ unions – that led to the formation of

the international organization, FIA, the InternationalFederation of Actors.

My first participation in FIA was a meeting inPrague, in 1967. FIA had North American represen-tation and ACTRA was elected to the executivecommittee. SAG and AFTRA attended as observers,and both affiliated with FIA shortly after.

From its inception, FIA has presented the viewsand needs of artists to international institutions suchas UNESCO and World International PropertyOrganization. FIA’s contribution is evident in thework of UNESCO and the ILO (International LabourOrganization), in the development of the Status ofthe Artist Declaration, adopted by UNESCO in1980, and in WIPO’s work in the continuing battleon residual rights and copyright for artists.

Seven years ago, Katherine Sand, then FIA’sGeneral Secretary, outlined the objectives of FIA.Her concerns centred around 1) New technology andhow it will affect performers’ working lives and rightsin their performance; 2) Live performance – howmore attention can be paid to live theatre and dance;3) Improving the work of FIA’s member organizations,through training, exchange of information and mutu-al assistance, and, 4) Getting – and keeping – per-formers’ rights through national and internationallaws, strong contracts and involvement in the admin-istration of performer rights by collection societies.

FIA has influenced Canadian policy and legisla-tion. The establishment of a federal government taskforce in 1986 to study the status of Canadian artists –Gratien Gelinas and I co-chaired the AdvisoryCommittee to the Minister of Communications, apositive experience – can be attributed to UNESCO’sproclamation on the status of the artist. With thesupport of the artists of ACTRA, Union des Artistes,Canadian Actors’ Equity and others, legislation was

adopted by parliament in 1992. The Status of the ArtistAct provides a legal premise for the recognition of col-lective agreements negotiated by guilds and unions.

No one underestimates the problems performersand unions face, whether they be legal, industrial,economic or social. However, what is certain is thatour capacity to deal with these problems is hugelyincreased if we work together. The milieu in whichthe artist works is comprised of international corpora-tions, competing producers in film and televisioninfluenced and financed by commercial advertising,remuneration, working conditions, and the continu-ing rights of the artist in the product. Compensationfor that product’s use requires collective action on anational and international scale.

Since my retirement, I have noticed continuingdevelopments in building and fortifying the legisla-tive and economic rights of artists.

Paul Siren wasGeneral Secretary of ACTRA from1965 until his retirement in 1987.He served on theFIA ExecutiveCommittee from1967 to 1986.

ACTRA takes an international role – our history with FIA by Paul Siren

ACTRA attending a FIA congress meeting in Moscow in the 1960s. (l-r): BernardChadwick, Dan MacDonald (CAEA), Don Parrish (ACTRA), Robert Rivard (UDA) andACTRA’s General Secretary Paul Siren.

V O I C E O F T H EP I O N E E R

In 1986 a number of ACTRA Performers said “Nomore!” to accepting the notion that Canada’s per-

forming arts community should be content with onlythe meanest of services in the meagrest of surround-ings in the waning years of their careers. With contri-butions from ACTRA, American Federation ofMusisicans and Equity, seed money provided neededsurveys and studies, leading to the establishment ofthe volunteer group, Supporting Cast, and finallyenabling Performing Arts Lodges of Canada to beincorporated as a national charitable organization. Itsfirst lodge, Pal Place in downtown Toronto, a non-profit complex providing 205 affordable self-con-tained units, celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2003.

As the major arts union, ACTRA’s commitment hasprovided essential proof of our community’s supportfor the work of PAL. Such support is crucial beforefundraising can be contemplated. Recent actions suchas a grant in 2003 and a study of ways to implement

ongoing financial support in subsequent budgets,along with historical, annual financial assistance byACTRA Toronto Performers – a grant of $1,000 inmemory of member Lynne Gorman, who helpedestablish Supporting Cast and gave it its name – indi-cate the truth that this community is solidly behindPAL. On the West Coast, UBCP is actively supportingPAL Vancouver’s campaign to establish a residence onthe city’s fabulous waterfront in the near future.

As a precursor to building Pal Place counterparts,the Supporting Cast model will take root in everyregion of the country where artists work and live.Already additional chapters exist in Stratford andToronto, as well as Halifax where ACTRA providesoffice and other assistance.

It is PAL’s goal that, by the year 2015, where possi-ble, lodges will exist. By 2020, each Pal Place willhave access to long-term care facilities, an undertak-ing already launched this year by PAL Toronto. It isnot just a dream, but a promise. Twenty years into themillennium, with ACTRA’s participation, affordablehousing and health care for Canada’s artists will be inplace and PAL’s pledge Caring for Our Own no longera vision, but a reality.


The Performing Arts Lodges of Canada: Caring for our own by Dan MacDonald

Dan MacDonald is President ofPerformingArts Lodges ofCanada. He wasChair of ACTRAPerformers’ Guildthrough the reorgani-zation of ACTRA in the early ‘90s, and served as its first President from1993-95.

Photo:Brian D

ennehy

V O I C E O F T H E

P I O N E E R

theACTRAstory

R.H. Thomson ...on ACTRA

I salute ACTRA for taking theinternational stage seriously.Much of Canada’s culturalpolicy must now conform withrules set by international trade

deals and unelected trade organizations, such as theWTO. ACTRA has taken up the challenge thatsovereignty means sovereignty. This is not only a fightfor our employment, it is also a fight for our nation.

“ This is not only a fight for ouremployment, it is also a fightfor our nation.”

I remember getting the ACTRA permit for the firstcommercial I ever shot – this was back in the ‘80s.Back then I still had to get six permits within two yearsto join, and I remember the pressure to really rush forit – I got my last permit with only a few days to sparebefore the two-year limit was up. There were fewer

opportunities back then for people of colour, of diverse cultural backgrounds letalone women – ACTRA eventually changed the rules to reflect the lack ofopportunities, although I think there are more opportunities today than when Istarted. Joining ACTRA was important to me. As a stage actor, the medium oftelevision and film was new for me. I didn’t want to be exploited. I felt saferknowing I had the union to protect my rights.

Jane Luk ...on ACTRA

“ I didn’t want to be exploited. I felt saferknowing I had the union to protect my rights.”

PAL Vancouver: Norman Young, PAL VP Internal, ChuckSlonecker, PAL VP External, Phil Bonane, Acting PALPresident, the late John Juliani, President of UBCP andJoy Coghill, PAL Vancouver’s Honourary President posingwith the Bayshore Gardens site in 2002.

Canada Day in the courtyard at Pal Place, Toronto.

Photo:Audrey H

ozack


C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S

ACA/ICA THE COMMERCIAL PRODUCERSThe National Commercial Agreement betweenACTRA and Canadian agencies and advertisers hasevolved over many years of growth and challenges.The relationship has been based in part on the com-mitment of the industry to the development andmaintenance of a pool of Canadian professional per-formers to support cultural development in Canada.The industry has agreed to rates and conditions thatprovide financial support for performers as they devel-op their performing skills in Canada and around theworld. Indeed the advertising industry pays a substan-tial premium to ACTRA performers to subsidize theearnings that they receive in other areas.

Agencies and advertisers take advantage of the serv-ices of ACTRA members to market their goods andservices in the highly competitive Canadian and glob-al markets that exist today. Our negotiations thereforeare characterized by the determination of ACTRA tomaximize income for its members and the insistence ofadvertisers that rates and conditions for performers bereasonable and flexible to encourage cost efficient andeffective advertising that will result in more workopportunities for Canadian performers.

The relationship between the industry and ACTRAhas been characterized by a joint commitment to workfor common goals. The industry both privately andpublicly has supported ACTRA in the face of chal-lenges to the best interests of its members. ACTRA onits part has come to recognize and respond to industryneeds for flexibility and cost effective rates and work-ing conditions. We are confident that the good faiththat has characterized our dealings in the past willenable us to continue to meet the challenges weexpect in the future.

– Ron Lund, President & CEO, Association of Canadian Advertisers

– Rupert Brendon, President & CEO, Institute of Communications and Advertising

ACTRA FRATERNALFrom the very beginning, the goal of ACTRA was toimprove the lot of its members working in radio andtelevision, and to that end an insurance plan was cre-ated in 1959 under the auspices of a Board of Trustees.From this first policy covering only Accidental Deathor Sickness, the ACTRA Insurance and RetirementPlan was born. This institution, which quickly becamea key facet of ACTRA’s services to its members, pro-vided a variety of insurance and retirement benefitstailored to the unique needs of artists in television,film and radio. In 1975, the Insurance and RetirementPlan was replaced through the creation of the Actra

Fraternal Benefit Society (AFBS). The Society wasfounded to directly insure ACTRA members, ratherthan purchasing policies from outside insurance com-panies. This arrangement allowed the Society to passon the profits that would otherwise flow to insurancecompanies to ACTRA members in the form of betterbenefits. Today, AFBS, on behalf of ACTRA andWriters Guild of Canada members, continues to pro-vide a wide range of services tailored to the uniqueneeds of artists at a reasonable cost.

In an ever-changing world, ACTRA and AFBShave remained true to their roots by focusing on theirgoal: the rights and welfare of members. Together,ACTRA and AFBS have persevered through politicaland economic upheaval, changes to the fabric ofCanadian society, and the incredible development ofthe radio, television and film industry. As a new cen-tury dawns, we look back on the lessons of our history,and forward to a bright future in the years to come.

From all of us at Actra Fraternal, congratulations!

Since ACTRA’s inception 60 years ago, AFM and ACTRA

have been running a parallel course with the goal being

our mutual efforts to obtain the best possible fees and

working conditions for our members.

That relationship has been marked with the mutualrespect which each organization has enjoyed with theother, realizing that the commonality of those whoengage our members makes the achievements of eitherorganization a better place for the other. However, ithas been one of those occasions where ACTRA andAFM have joined forces that the greatest benefitshave been achieved. We need to look no further thanthe Status of the Artist Act and revisions to theCopyright Act to include Neighboring Rights as tangi-ble proof of our joint efforts being successful.

It has been AFM’s pleasure to work with ACTRAand ACTRA PRS through Stephen Waddell andMercedes Watson during the past few years and I lookforward to combining our efforts, which have alreadybeen started, to continue to achieve milestones inother areas which will be of mutual benefit to ourrespective members.

Happy 60th Anniversary ACTRA, and we wish youcontinued success in the future!

– David J. Jandrisch,Vice President from Canada,American Federation of Musicians

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS (UNITED STATES AND CANADA)

theACTRAstory

“(Our) relationship

(with) ACTRA has

been... a joint

commitment to

work for common

goals... We are

confident that the

good faith that

has characterized

our dealings in

the past will

enable us to

continue to meet

the challenges

we expect in the

future.”



theACTRAstory

It is a great pleasure and honor to offer on behalf of the80,000 members of the American Federation ofTelevision & Radio Artists, AFL-CIO, our heartfeltgreetings and congratulations to our dear Sisters andBrothers of ACTRA as you celebrate your 60thAnniversary.In addition to the sincere bonds of Solidarity, Respectand Affection that AFTRA and ACTRA have longshared, we thank you for the exceptional level ofwarmth and hospitality that ACTRA and your superbperformers have offered us on our every visit toCanada.The challenge of building a modern, effective organi-zation of professional performers across a great nationand across many artistic disciplines is a daunting taskwe share. The collaboration of our Unions in produc-tion that spans our borders has been exemplary, and weadmire your dedication to ACTRA’s principle that theperformer's individual career is the determined focus ofall your activity.AFTRA is proud to know you as friends, and proud tostand with you as Brothers and Sisters.

– John P. Connolly, President, AFTRA

CANADA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS

The Canada Council for the Arts congratulatesACTRA on its 60th Anniversary. From the pioneer-ing efforts of Paul Siren, through the many turbulentand challenging years, ACTRA has been a stalwartdefender of Canadian artists and counts among itsmembership our most distinguished performing talent.ACTRA’s successes have made a significant contribu-tion to the security and dignity of our artists, and thewealth that is Canadian cultural expression. My col-leagues on the Board and the staff of the Canada

Council join me in wishing ACTRA continuedtriumphs in the next 60 years. Encore!

– John Hobday, C.M., Director,Canada Council for the Arts

Canadian Actors’ Equity Association is proud of thework that ACTRA has done for Canadian artists thesepast 60 years. Equity would like to congratulate allACTRA artists, past and present, for making theirassociation such a strong, visible leader in the enter-tainment industry. Your choice to work as ACTRAprofessionals in this industry reflects your commitmentto high standards of labour practices across all jurisdic-tions. We look forward to the next 60 years of profes-sional partnership with our wonderful sister organiza-tion through our reciprocal agreement, as we havesince Dec. 8, 1971. Congratulations to you all. It iswell deserved.

– Victor A. Young, President, and Susan Wallace, Executive Director, CAEA

CANADIAN AUTO WORKERSOn behalf of the 250,000 members of the Canadian AutoWorkers union, I want to express our solidarity withACTRA on the occasion of its 60th Anniversary marking itas one of the longest-standing unions in Canada.

It is a testimony to the many struggles and sacrifices byyou as members and to your leadership that you havestood the test of time in the labour movement. Worldevents coupled with globalization have demonstratedso clearly that Canada’s sovereignty, its independentrole in this hemisphere, indeed the world, is depend-ent upon maintaining our own cultural identity, andACTRA’s role has been central over the past 60 yearsas it will be in the years to come.

– Buzz Hargrove National President, CAW

Having worked in television for a number of years as amember of ACTRA, I have nothing but the greatestrespect for everyone involved with this fine organiza-tion. Therefore, it gives me great personal pleasure tocongratulate ACTRA on its 60th Anniversary, trulyan historical milestone.

In an increasingly competitive multi-channel uni-verse, it is more important than ever that we maintaina strong Canadian voice that reflects the multicultur-al and multiracial landscape of this country. As both

BEST WISHES FROM THE CHAIR OF THE CBC

CANADIAN ACTORS’ EQUITYASSOCIATION

AMERICAN FEDERATION OFTELEVISION & RADIO ARTISTS

I was on the CBC negotiatingteam for ACTRA in the earlyseventies – facing my bossesacross the table – it wasenjoyable. I was in a position toargue for things that the cast inmy show couldn’t – they were leftout in the beginning. Someoneneeds to be there from every facetof the business – from the stars to

the actors, singers – from all of ACTRA. What Iappreciate most about ACTRA – when I was older andcouldn’t work anymore – what I was so thrilled about –I had a pension. It came at a wonderful time of my life – because all of this had been put away. To allthose starting out – leave it in there and let it grow!

“Canadian

Actors’ Equity

Association is

proud of the

work that

ACTRA has

done for

Canadian

artists these

past 60 years.”

“...What I appreciatemost about ACTRA...what I was sothrilled about – Ihad a pension. Itcame at a wonderfultime of my life.”

...on ACTRAJuliette

our organizations face challenges, these can also bringabout new opportunities for the broadcasting industry.

ACTRA and CBC/Radio-Canada share a responsi-bility for protecting and promoting our unique culture,and supplying the very best in high-quality, distinc-tively Canadian programming. We at CBC/Radio-Canada deeply appreciate ACTRA’s tireless effortsand dedication in fostering new voices, ideas and tal-ents and in making them known across the countryand beyond our borders. Indeed, ACTRA plays a lead-ership role in affecting positive changes on the artisticscene and in promoting Canadian culture in a verysignificant way.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of CBC/Radio-Canada, my very best wishes and congratulations toall ACTRA members as you celebrate an excitingtime in your proud history!

– Carole Taylor, O.C., Chair, Board of DirectorsCBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is very proud of its long-standingassociation with ACTRA. Over the years, both insti-tutions have derived much benefit from closer cooper-ation and better knowledge of one another. From thebeginning we have shared similar values that havebeen our mainstay and the same desire to nourish therich diversity expressed by so many fine artistic voic-es.

Last year, ACTRA took part in celebrations mark-ing the 50th anniversary of CBC/Radio-CanadaTelevision. This provided an occasion to feature manyACTRA members. Millions of viewers celebrated theachievements of countless actors, singers, dancers,commentators, etc. – from coast to coast to coast. Thisyear, we are pleased to celebrate ACTRA’s 60thAnniversary, a very significant milestone in the cul-tural history of Canada.

ACTRA and CBC/Radio-Canada continue to workhard to overcome the many challenges facing ourindustry. We share a strong commitment to greatersupport for Canadian productions that reflect the mul-ticultural and multiracial landscape of this country.ACTRA’s leadership role has been instrumental infostering a renewed sense of pride in our country andin Canadian talent, something CBC/Radio-Canadaalso deeply believes in.

On behalf of all of us at CBC/Radio-Canada, con-gratulations to ACTRA and to its membership fortheir tremendous contribution to Canada’s broadcast-ing industry and to Canadian society, along with ourvery best wishes for the continued success of thisessential Canadian institution.

– Robert Rabinovitch, President and CEO,CBC/Radio-Canada

The CFTPA enjoys a mature collective bargainingrelationship with ACTRA. The Independent ProductionAgreement governs the terms and conditions ofperformers working in the independent sector.

While we sit on opposite sides of the bargaining table,far more drives us together than keeps us apart.

Our common goal of creating and promoting astrong production environment in Canada has lead tothe creation of low budget incentives; the IPA has alsocontributed to ACTRA’s health and insurance pro-gram. On the broader stage we’ve fought together tostabilize the CTF. We have no doubt that we will findmore common ground as we continue to share in eachothers’ success.

– Guy Mayson, Acting President & CEO, CFTPA– John Barrack, National VP Industrial Relations, CFTPA

The C.D. Howe Institute is proud to congratulate theAlliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artistsas it celebrates its 60th Anniversary. ACTRA deserves thegratitude of Canadians for its work in creating a strongand independent national cultural environment in whichour artists can thrive and produce a body of work thatenables us to understand the unique forces that combineto create a vibrant nation.

The Institute also salutes ACTRA’s sustained effortsto build a Canadian cultural industry that nurturesCanada’s homegrown talent, which is proudly featuredacross the country and around the world and which

THE C.D. HOWE INSTITUTE SALUTES ACTRA

THE CANADIAN FILM ANDTELEVISION PRODUCTIONASSOCIATION (CFTPA)

CONGRATULATIONS FROM CBC’SPRESIDENT AND CEO


...on ACTRADon Cherry

theACTRAstory


“ACTRA’s

leadership

role has been

instrumental

in fostering

a renewed

sense of pride

in our country

and in

Canadian

talent.”

“ This was like joining theHockey Hall of Fame.”

– Don Cherry, on winningthe Foster Hewitt Awardfrom ACTRA in 1983.

William Hutt ...on ACTRA

ACTRA has always been a highlysupportive and caring asso-ciation, negotiating a delicate

and workable balance between the ever-escalatingneeds of its struggling membership and the legitimateconcerns of management. Throughout my 55 years in‘the business’ I have always felt safe and secureentering any contract knowing that my union wasunfailingly at my side.

“...a highly supportive andcaring association... I havealways felt safe and secure...knowing that my union wasunfailingly at my side.”

makes a significant contribution to the Canadianeconomy.

We wish you great success in your 60th year and inall the years that follow. What more can we add thanto say: Break a Leg!

– Kevin Doyle, C.D. Howe Institute

THE CANADIAN LABOUR CONGRESSThere is a legend that claims that it was an ACTRA shopsteward composing a solidarity song for the membershipwho came up with the words: “O Canada, we stand onguard for thee!” And every Canadian is ready to believethat legend.

Since 1943, when you came into being as the firstnational organization of performers in Canada, you andyour membership have defined the nation and provid-ed the country with the soul and identity it so cherish-es today.

At 60, you are younger and stronger. There are andthere will be new challenges. You can count onCanadian working families standing by your side inyour struggles; because your victories as workers andartists always translate into more poetry and the sweet-est of harmonies in our lives.

Encore! Encore. Happy 60 and give us 60 more!

– Kenneth V. Georgetti, President, Canadian Labour Congress

THE COUNCIL OF CANADIANSCongratulations from all of us at the Council of Canadiansto all our friends at ACTRA on the occasion of your 60thAnniversary. Over the last two decades, our organizationshave collaborated many times.

We worked together to gain exemptions for culture inthe Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement and NAFTA,

and fought side-by-side to defeat the MultilateralAgreement on Investment (MAI), a proposed globalinvestment deal that would have been the death knellfor Canadian cultural programmes. We hope to con-tinue this partnership as the WTO GATS (GeneralAgreement on Trade in Services) negotiations heat up.

These are changing times. The future of NorthAmerica in a unilateral Bush-dominated world is oneof the most pressing current issues for all Canadians.For those of us who care about maintaining a distinctvoice on the northern half of the continent, these nextfew years are indeed of huge consequence. Let us takethe occasion of this special anniversary to renew ourcommitment to work together; Canada’s narrative of‘sharing for survival’ has never been more needed bythe world.

– Maude Barlow, ChairpersonCouncil of Canadians

Through the efforts of many dedicated members, ACTRAhas now reached its 60th year of activity. The InternationalFederation of Actors is proud of ACTRA; of the work theyhave done for film, television and radio performers inCanada but also of the outstanding contribution that theyhave brought to our organisation for several decades.

Trade unionism is a difficult task; it requires determi-nation, spirit of sacrifice but also an important dose ofoptimism, passion and vision. All these qualities, andmany more, have steadily motivated our colleaguesfrom ACTRA in their commitment to the performingarts.

ACTRA has always been conscious of the increas-ingly global challenges that performers face and – byaffiliating to FIA – has joined more than 100 other

THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF ACTORS (FIA)



theACTRAstory

“You and your

membership have

defined the nation

and provided the

country with the

soul and identity

it so cherishes

today.”

(Ms.) Tim Christison ...on ACTRA Luba Goy ...on ACTRA

I won an ACTRA Award in 1988 – the firstACTRA Award for the branch and the first forCBC Calgary too. That year for the first time,there were a lot of private radio winners and

nominees. ACTRA was expanding into private radio stations in some locations. Theother two finalists in the Commentary/Opinion category were Arthur Black andPeter Gzowski. Obviously the seating person didn’t expect me to win because wewere up in the rafters and going down a steep flight of stairs in a straight line,dress and stiletto heels at 80 miles an hour was not a good idea. I have alwaysthought the biggest kudo was being a finalist in the same category as those twobig guys – who were very sweet to me at the reception before the ceremony.

“I won an ACTRA Award in 1988. Goingdown a steep flight of stairs in a dressand stiletto heels at 80 miles an hourwas not a good idea.”

I remember the ACTRA Awards inthe 1970s and 1980s – it wasalways a big party – a great event,honouring people, bringing thecountry together. You got to meetall these people from across thecountry who were your heroes. Iremember life-loving BarbaraHamilton, dressed in gold lamé,on stage on a turntable at the

ACTRA Awards. What a great sense of humour shebrought to the awards, as if saying, “this proves onceand for all that I posed for the Nellie statue.” OnACTRA’s 60th Anniversary, Air Farce celebrates our 30thyear. ACTRA has taken care of us – it’s our backbone, ourstrength, our muscle – ACTRA holds us up.

Photo courtesy CB

C


unions, guilds and associations around the world,with a fierce determination to help improve labourconditions and the social and economic rights of per-formers – wherever they are and work.

We wish ACTRA all the success that their loyaltydeserves and pledge that FIA will always do its out-most to assist you, whenever our voice and the soli-darity of our members from the five continents mayhelp make a difference.

Happy birthday, ACTRA! Blow the candles withpride!

– Thomas Bolme, President, and Dominick Luquer,General Secretary, on behalf of all FIA affiliates

The NFB and ACTRA are nearly the same age, areinvolved in the same milieu, and have successfullyweathered the same good years and bad.

They have worked together forever, usually defend-ing the same causes – quality Canadian audiovisualproducts and promotion of our local talent.

Happy anniversary and many more successful yearsto an association that has proven to be a valuable andopen-minded partner.

– Jacques Bensimon, Government Film Commissionerand Chairperson, National Film Board of Canada

ACTRA and SAG have enjoyed, for many decades, one ofthe strongest relationships of any of the internationalperformer unions.

This sense of the common bond shared by performersworldwide has led over the years, to a vital presenceat each other’s negotiations, reciprocity agreements,

enforcement of each others’ rights, strike support,and the creation of a North American PerformersUnions group within FIA (now called FIANA).

During these years we have never lost sight of thecommon goal we share – which is to improve thework opportunities for all our members and to ensure,that soon, they will all enjoy the identical contractbenefits that are the right of performers when work-ing for international producers

Congratulations, ACTRA, on your 60thAnniversary and we here at SAG look forward tocontinuing and expanding on our across-the-borderfriendship.

– John McGuire, SAG Senior Advisor

TAMAC would like to congratulate ACTRA on its 60thAnniversary.

Over the years we have relied on ACTRA to set andmaintain a high industry standard for Canadian per-formers, a task particularly daunting in the currentpolitical climate. ACTRA continues to address thedaily challenges of our industry and TAMAC sup-ports it in every possible way.

The relationship between TAMAC and ACTRAhas grown steadily, with open communication beingthe key. Most recently, the ‘Rider Initiative’ sawTAMAC and ACTRA working together to developa joint strategy addressing illegal riders being issuedwith performers’ contracts. This initiative has metwith great success. TAMAC hopes to continue towork cooperatively with ACTRA on many similarfuture projects. Happy Anniversary ACTRA!

– Talent Agents and Managers Association of Canada(TAMAC)

TALENT AGENTS AND MANAGERSASSOCIATION OF CANADA

THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD

NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA

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“Happy

anniversary...

to an

association

that has proven

to be a valuable

and open-

minded

partner.”

Mavor Moore ...on ACTRA

Like almost all Canadianinstitutions, ACTRA was neces-sarily started cautiously aftermuch talk. Caution dictatedworking closely with manage-ment (CBC types being inprinciple warm, the privatesector cool), and with our U.S.colleagues (“Are you with us oragainst us?”). Many of those

involved, including me, were shameless two-timers.We worked as actors one day and producer-directorsthe next; we wrote plays and documentaries and thenreviewed them; we drove taxis, sold shirts or skirts,practiced law or medicine, and several were already

members of other unions/associations – not all ofwhich had helpful Canadian track records.

We also worked on both sides of the border. Beforeand after the start of Canadian television, Iintermittently wrote and directed documentaries forthe United Nations in New York. The whole post-warworld then seemed intent on revitalizing humanity’sartistic, educational and communications resources. Inthe present state of world affairs I need hardly add thatwhat I remember most from those early ACTRAdiscussions in Toronto is how they foreshadowed theproblems we still face, both locally and globally. ACTRAplayed then, and plays now, a more important role inCanadian and global affairs than perhaps many of itsmembers realize.

“ ACTRA playedthen, and playsnow, a moreimportant role inCanadian andglobal affairs thanperhaps many ofits membersrealize.”


En mon nom personnel et surtout au nom des 9 800membres actifs et membres stagiaires de l’Union desartistes, je tiens à vous féliciter pour votre 60e

anniversaire.Vous vous êtes toujours battus pour obtenir les

meilleures conditions possibles pour les artistes-interprètes anglophones du Canada. Nous voulions lesouligner.

Depuis 60 ans, nos deux syndicats professionnelsont su collaborer autant dans les grandes causescomme celle de l’obtention de la reconnaissance duStatut de l’artiste ou dans le cadre du combat pour ladéfense de la diversité culturelle, que dans lequotidien des artistes canadiens qui oeuvrent autantdans la langue de Molière que dans la langue deShakespeare. C’est pourquoi plusieurs de vos membressont aussi membres de l’UDA. Notre collaborationleur est essentielle.

Cet esprit de corps remarquable prend toute sadimension dans notre participation à la Fédérationinternationale des acteurs. Les règlements de la FIAsont ainsi faits qu’ils n’accordent qu’un seul vote parpays; or, nous avons toujours su fonctionner de façonconsensuelle. Notre volonté commune de défendreles intérêts supérieurs des artistes-interprètescanadiens demeure le gage de cette réussite.

La défense de la culture et des droits des artistes-interprètes n’est pas une mince affaire, nous en savonsquelque chose !

Nous savons que votre détermination est encorebien vivante et le sera sûrement encore longtemps.

– Pierre Curzi, Président de l’Union des artistes

Congratulations ACTRA on reaching this 60th Anniversarymilestone. The United Steelworkers has a special

relationship with ACTRA, since we are the union thatrepresents some of the staff who represent the artists.

ACTRA is an important member of labour’s family.Performers are often the strongest spokespeople onissues of national social importance – like Medicare.

Making a living by amusing and entertaining therest of us can often involve living on the margins.ACTRA is a lifeline, making sure that performers arenot unfairly exploited for their talents, that they havedecent pay and benefits.

Canadian performers are also fighting to make sureactors can work here in their own country. They aredemonstrating to preserve funding for Canadian pro-ductions, something the federal government wants toend.

Don’t give up that fight. All of Canada is waitingfor a happy ending.

– Lawrence McBrearty, National Director, United Steelworkers of America

ACTRA’s 60th Birthday is also a birthday for the WGC.Writers were members of the groups in Toronto,Montreal, Vancouver and elsewhere that ultimately cametogether as ACTRA, and indeed ACTRA’s first CBCagreement – in 1963 – was for ACTRA’s radio writers.

ACTRA is a product of many decades of enlightenedcooperation between Canada’s performers and writ-ers. An outstanding example of this was ACTRA’sagreement in 1991 (after, admittedly, some argument)to the formation of the Writers Guild of Canada, andlater, in 1995, to the WGC becoming independent.On this Happy 60th Birthday the cooperation con-tinues.

As Bob Hope’s famous theme song has it: Hurray for Us!

– Jack Gray, Writers Guild of Canada

WRITERS GUILD OF CANADA

UNITED STEELWORKERS OF AMERICA

UNION DES ARTISTES: 60 ANS DÉJÀ !


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Nellie, when you joined our ranks, you graced ourgatherings, enlivened our lives, altered our states –and brought us closer together than we’d ever been.

Even if there are many impressions of you, you stillhave a way of telling each of us with your beamishsaucy smile that you are truly an original.

Your steadying belief that you could easily get off theground, told us we could do the same. It was as if youwere giving a bit of ourselves back to us.

You can have your Junos, your You-knows, yourGenies, your Weenies, your Oscars and things –

There is nothing that fills the hand and delights the

eye as does yourself, when the light is right.You couldn’t have been more real to us, or have had

more spirit, more charm or pure beauty, if you’d walkedand danced among us. Even as you were, you couldhave been Prime Mistress of Canada – and we are goingto miss you, Nellie.

You were the pedestal with good reason – and now,on your much deserved sabbatical – be assured, youwill not get dusty on my mantle nor tarnish in my heart.

–Gordon Pinsent in 1986, the last time Nellies werehanded out as ACTRA Awards.

Gordon Pinsent ...on Nellie

“La défense de

la culture et des

droits des artistes-

interprètes n’est

pas une mince

affaire, nous en

savons quelque

chose!”


Through 18 years of membership, including five yearsserving as a local and National Councillor, andparticularly the last eight years producing The Women Inthe Director’s Chair (WIDC) Workshop, I’ve been inspiredby the imagination, resilience, dedication and talent of ACTRA members across the country.

Perhaps the most challenging role of my career so farhas been as an advocate for performers and womenfilmmakers, but the ongoing investment that mem-bers have made in WIDC and its mission of equitywhich is indicative of the forward-thinking, pioneer-ing spirit that has shaped ACTRA’s 60-year history,has made it all worthwhile. Here’s to our continuedcollaboration towards a future of healthy respect forperformers manifested in diverse and compelling sto-ries told on screen by diverse and talented Canadians.Happy 60th Anniversary ACTRA!

– Carol Whiteman, ACTRA member, Co-creator, TheWomen In the Director’s Chair Workshop, President &CEO, Creative Women Workshops Association and atwo-time Governor General’s Award nominee for pro-moting women’s equality in Canada.

WOMEN IN THE DIRECTOR’S CHAIR

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1 Christianne Hirtdirects KathrynKirkpatrick duringthe 1998 Women inthe Director’s Chair(WIDC) Workshop.

2 Workshop ProducerCarol Whitemanleading a session atthe 2003 Women inthe Director’s ChairWorkshop.

Photo: Don Lee

1

2

During the early ‘60s, a very difficult time in the evolu-tion of our union, it was decided that we should reor-

ganize into a national organization to be known as ACTRA.After a meeting one member went home and began the dif-ficult task of convincing her father that he should apply forthe job of General Secretary of this new entity. Thank good-ness she persevered. Paul Siren applied for the job andbecame ACTRA National’s General Secretary. Sometimelater, another gentleman by the name of Bhoop Singhapplied for the job of Assistant General Secretary, he washired and eventually given the job of setting up a neworganization which became Actra Fraternal Benefit Society(AFBS). Two others, Garry Neil and Stephen Waddell ful-filled many roles on the national staff each going on tobecome National Executive Director. We had a solid foun-dation and, with the good fortune to have unsurpassed andcommitted staff, have built our success over 60 years.

Commercial and IPA stewards work the frontlines, tire-lessly enforcing our agreements and standing up for therights of members. Through on-set visits and a myriad ofphone calls and emails, they work with members and pro-duction personnel to make sure every detail of our collectiveagreements is adhered to, taking special diligence to ensurethe welfare of minors on set. Stewards also serve as a mem-bers’ most valuable resource – answering their questions,addressing their concerns with producers, and making surewe know what our rights are.

A number of our branches run on a staff of one – coura-geous souls who juggle stewarding duties with membershipadministration, outreach and communications. BranchReps also work with their elected councils to undertake

A salute to ACTRA staffby Karen Ivany and Bruce H. MacLeod

I joined ACTRA in 1965 as the Commercial Supervisor. In thosedays, we used to get substantial general increases inminimum fees in commercial negotiations. The advertisingindustry side in negotiations was represented by Henry Ross,Art Director and Chief Negotiator from Hayhurst Advertising;Anna Repas, who was then a producer at MacLarenAdvertising; and Claude Thomson who was the industry’slawyer. Claude has continued to be the industry’s advisor upto and including this last round of negotiations. Sometimescommercial negotiations would only take three or fourevenings to conclude. I can’t remember what year it was, butsuddenly things changed big time. The industry producers feltthat their negotiating team needed more producers on it sinceACTRA seemed to be always getting its way. And since theproducers do the budgets and wanted more say indetermining performers’ rate increases, negotiations becamemore and more difficult. At that point, the big increases forperformers that we used to get were no more.

“Sometimesnegotiationswould onlytake threeevenings toconclude...but thingschanged bigtime.”

Continued next page

Rita Ridgway, ACTRA staff since 1965 ...on ACTRA

Bruce H.MacLeod wasACTRA’sNationalPresident from1982 to 1985.

Karen Ivany is a member ofACTRA Toronto.

Mag Ruffman ...on ACTRA Taylor Shannon Baruchel ...on ACTRA

One of the best ways for an ACTRA member to change thecourse of our industry is to become a producer. We knowhow we want to work, who we want to work with, andwhat stories we’d be good at telling. We can either waitfor the perfect script to come along, or we can tryproducing it ourselves. Here’s what we have to lose:Pride, because producing is hard. It requires leadership,discretion, magnanimity, focus and determination. Itrequires people skills, nerve and tenacity we may notdream we have. So if we’re willing to take some bruisingon the learning curve, here’s what we have to gain:dramatic series with roles we’re craving to play, a big-picture understanding of how the industry works, an endto whining, the beginning of careers that span manydimensions, and a level of creativity we’ll never have if weremain only performers. How hard can it be?

“ We can either waitfor the perfect scriptto come along, orwe can try producingit ourselves.”

Being a member of an organization likeACTRA means a lot to a young personsuch as me, since our position in theworld is that of just beginning to viewlife, on the macro scale, beyond justourselves and our own lives. Theconcept of a union has alwaysfascinated and amazed me, peoplecoming together for the same cause or

agenda and therein creating a forum where everyone’sopinion is welcome (to a certain extent). ACTRA reallyputs meaning into the old saying ‘united we stand,divided we fall.’ Oh yeah... and their parties rock!

62 celebrating 60 years • actra • 1943-2003

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special projects and bring local conerns to thenational agenda.

Our national staff continues to support our col-lective vision as we thrust into this new millennium.Staff still bring council ideas to life, gently guidingus into uncharted waters, making our union anindustry leader, a point of reference for other associ-ations. Focus on public policy, outreach and organ-izing ensures our ‘brand name’ is internationally rec-ognized and respected. Today, staff handle manycalls from industry players seeking ACTRA’s per-spective and input.

The nuts and bolts of sifting through talent files,(‘real’ file-cabinets overflowing with photos!),resulted in our first television commercial aboutACTRA, featuring over 100 member images, pro-moting us all! Persistent communications strategiesensuring press coverage and informed member sup-port are never-ending. ACTRA staff is quick tobuild on the momentum, forwarding concerns andinformation to MPs and scheduling meetings withpoliticians at all levels. Many story ideas and articlesfor InterACTRA are initiated and written by staffwho coordinate and oversee its production.

Countless staff hours launched our national web-site and computerized member system. Staff presen-tations at the Banff New Media Festival resulted ina published report refuting digital producer and dis-tributor claims that lower production costs necessi-tated reduced wages for artists.

Thank you to all who have worked for ACTRAover our 60 years – thank you for your dedication,commitment and hard work on our behalf.

“ ACTRA really puts meaning into the old saying ‘unitedwe stand, divided we fall’... and their parties rock!”

Wendy Crewson ...on ACTRA

We are at a critical juncture inthe survival of Canadian drama.ACTRA is in a powerful positionto encourage the entrepren-eurial nature of film andtelevision production. Theunion could help enormously inthe creation and stewardship ofa vibrant industry, whoseinterests lie in the promotion of

Canadian art and artists and inthe dissemination of Canadianideas and culture.

“ We are at a criticaljuncture in the survival of Canadian drama.”

Patrick Watson ...on ACTRA

An appreciative 13-year-old Patrick Watson after RATSnegotiations tripled his performance fee (1943).

“Thank you forgetting memy first bike!”

A salute to ACTRA staffContinued from previous page

1952 Tommy Tweed, President, Canadian Council ofAuthors and Artists (CCAA)

1953-1954 Bernard Hogue, President, CCAA

1955 Neil LeRoy, President, CCAA

1955 Louis Belanger, President, CCAA

1956-1959 Neil LeRoy, President, CCAA

1959-1963 Dennis Sweeting, President, CCAA

1963-1964 Dennis Sweeting, President, Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA)

1964-1967 Henry Comor, President, ACTRA

1968-1971 Victor Knight, President, ACTRA

1972 Reg Gibson, President, ACTRA

1973-1977 Donald Parrish, President, ACTRA

1978-1981 Jack Gray, President, ACTRA

1982-1985 Bruce MacLeod, President of Assocation ofCanadian Television and Radio Artists, andAlliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and RadioArtists

1984-1986 Lyn Jackson, Chairperson, ACTRA PerformersGuild

Michael Mercer, Chairperson, ACTRA WritersGuild

Dale Goldhawk, Chairperson, ACTRA Guild of Broadcast Journalists and Researchers

1986-1988 Gino Marrocco, President, Alliance of CanadianCinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA)

1986-1988 Seán Mulcahy, Vice-President, ACTRA PerformersGuild

Pete White, Vice-President, ACTRA Writers Guild

David Mowbray, Vice-President, ACTRA Guild ofBroadcast Journalists and Researchers

1988 Dale Goldhawk, President, ACTRA

1988-1990 Meg Hogarth, Vice-President, ACTRA PerformersGuild

Marian Fraser, Vice-President, ACTRA WritersGuild

Janet Torge, Vice-President, ACTRA Guild of Broadcast Journalists

1989 vacant, in protest

1990-1991 Meg Hogarth, President, ACTRA

1990-1991 Council of Chairpersons: Charmion King – PerformersJack Gray – WritersMitch O’Connor – Broadcast Journalists

1991 Council of Chairpersons: David Ferry – PerformersJack Gray – Writers Guild of CanadaTim Christison – ACTRA Writers GuildMitch O’Connor – Broadcast Journalists

1992-1998 Sandy Crawley, President, ACTRA

1992-1993 Council of Chairpersons: Dan MacDonald – PerformersJack Gray – Writers Guild of CanadaMark O’Neill – ACTRA Writers GuildMitch O’Connor – Broadcast Journalists

1993 Council of Chairpersons: Dan MacDonald – PerformersJack Gray – Writers Guild of CanadaMark O’Neill – ACTRA Media Guild

1993-1995 Dan MacDonald, President, ACTRA PerformersGuild

1995-1999 Brian Gromoff, President, ACTRA Performers Guild

1999-present Thor Bishopric, President, ACTRA Performers

Guild (later drops “Performers Guild” part ofname, remaining Alliance of Canadian Cinema,Television and Radio Artists – ACTRA)


1 ACTRA’s President Jack Gray organized a President’sdinner in 1981 (l-r): Jack Gray (1978-81), DennisSweeting (1963-64), Margaret Collier, Don Parrish (1973-77) and Elizabeth Malone. Absent: Victor Knight (1968-71), Reg Gibson (1972).

2 Meg Hogarth, Chairperson of ACTRA Performers Guildwith Bruce MacLeod, member of the National Executiveat a mid-term meeting in 1988.

Photo: Paul Till

21

Honour Roll of ACTRA Presidents

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Cover photos: ACTRA 60 (by row, l to r):

First row: The Nature of Nicholas. Photo courtesy Domino Filmand Television International Ltd. Photo: Allen Fraser. QuentinDurgens, MP. Photo courtesy Gordon Pinsent; SCTV at theACTRA Awards in 1978. Photo courtesy CBC Still PhotoCollection, Toronto; Goin’ Down The Road. Photo courtesy DonShebib; Anne of Green Gables. Photo courtesy SullivanEntertainment. Photo: Rob McEwan; DaVinci’s Inquest. Photo© CBC 2002. All rights reserved.

Second Row: North of 60. Photo courtesy Alberta FilmworksInc.; The Last Chapter II: The War Continues. Photo © CBC2003. All rights reserved; Road to Avonlea. Photo courtesySullivan Entertainment. Photo: Michaeline McDermott; Front PageChallenge. Photo courtesy CBC Still Photo Collection, Toronto.

Third Row: The Friendly Giant. Photo courtesy CBC Still PhotoCollection, Toronto; ‘40s dinner with RATS; Due South. Photocourtesy Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. Photo by JohnMedland; Charmion King on the picket line. Photo by Paul Till.

Fourth Row: Paperback Hero; The Kids In The Hall. Photocourtesy Broadway Video Enterprises. Photo by PatrickHarbron.

First row: 9B. Photo courtesy CBC Still PhotoCollection,Toronto; Nellie McClung. Photo courtesy CBC StillPhoto Collection, Toronto; Jake and the Kid. Photo courtesyNelvana/Great North Productions. Photo by R. Van Schaik.

Second Row: ACTRA performers at 1980 Festival of Festivalsfilm shoot; The Forest Rangers. Photo courtesy OasisInternational; An American In Canada. Photo © CBC 2003. Allrights reserved.

Third Row: Edmonton’s Channel 5 First Nighter Photo. LaddiePonich; Videodrome. FilmPlan International II, UniversalRelease © 1983 Universal City Studios Inc.; The RoyalCanadian Air Farce. Photo courtesy Royal Canadian Air Farce;North of 60. Photo courtesy Alberta Filmworks Inc.

Fourth Row: Footsteps in the Snow. Photo courtesy GaryPlaxton; The Beachcombers. Photo courtesy CBC Still PhotoCollection,Toronto; Contact. Photo courtesy CBC Still PhotoCollection,Toronto; Street Legal. Photo courtesy CBC StillPhoto Collection, Toronto. Photo: Yanka & Yolanda VanDerKolk;ACTRA at a 1960s FIA congress, Moscow. Taping the radiodrama Coast Guard. Photo courtesy CBC/Sudsy Clark.

ACTRA National Office625 Church Street, Suite 300Toronto ON M4Y 2G1TEL: (416) 489-1311TOLL FREE: 1-800-387-3516FAX: (416) 489-8076EMAIL: [email protected]

ACTRA Performers’Rights Society625 Church Street, Suite 300Toronto ON M4Y 2G1TEL: (416) 489-1311FAX: (416) 489-1040EMAIL: [email protected]: [email protected] (Neighbouring Rights)www.actra.ca

Union of B.C. Performers300-856 Homer StreetVancouver BC V6B 2W5TEL: (604) 689-0727FAX: (604) 689-1145EMAIL: [email protected]

ACTRA Calgary(Western Regional Office)Mount Royal Place1414 – 8th Street SW, #260Calgary AB T2R 1J6TEL: (403) 228-3123FAX: (403) 228-3299EMAIL: [email protected]

ACTRA Edmonton10324 – 82 Avenue, #302Edmonton AB T6E 1Z8TEL: (780) 433-4090FAX: (780) 433-4099EMAIL: [email protected]

ACTRA Saskatchewan1808 Smith Street, Suite 212Regina SK S4P 2N4TEL: (306) 757-0885FAX: (306) 359-0044EMAIL: [email protected]/sask

ACTRA Manitoba203 – 245 McDermot Ave.Winnipeg MB R3B 0S7TEL: (204) 339-9750FAX: (204) 947-5664EMAIL: [email protected]/winnipeg

ACTRA Toronto Performers625 Church Street, Suite 200Toronto ON M4Y 2G1TEL: (416) 928-2278FAX: (416) 928-2852EMAIL: [email protected]

ACTRA OttawaThe Arts Court2 Daly Avenue, Room 170Ottawa ON K1N 6E2TEL: (613) 565-2168FAX: (613) 565-4367EMAIL: [email protected]

ACTRA Montreal(Eastern Regional Office)1450 City Councillors St., Ste 530Montreal QC H3A 2E6TEL: (514) 844-3318FAX: (514) 844-2068EMAIL: [email protected]

ACTRA Maritimes1660 Hollis Street, #103Halifax NS B3J 1V7TEL: (902) 420-1404FAX: (902) 422-0589EMAIL: [email protected]

ACTRANewfoundland/Labrador354 Water Street, Ste. 324P.O. Box 575St. John’s NF A1C 5H3TEL: (709) 722-0430FAX: (709) 722-2113EMAIL: [email protected]/stjohns


The Actors’ Fund of Canada congratulates ACTRA on 60 successful years!

e-mail: [email protected] web: www.actorsfund.ca toll free: 1-877-399-8392

Since 1958 the Actors’ Fund has provided emergencyfinancial assistance to thousands of ACTRA members.

The Actors’ Fund and ACTRA: a strong partnership promotingcreative work in Canada through supporting your friendsand colleagues in the industry.

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Documents

01 C Celebrating 60 years: 4