Tips for making it as a freelancer in Canada

Media workers meet in Halifax to discuss worker’s rights By Rebecca Hussman  CMG Freelance and CWA Canada hosted an event for media workers at The Company House in Halifax last week, focusing on workers’ rights and making it in the industry as a freelancer. The event began with a brief presentation on building a sustainable […]

Posted on March 11, 2016 at 8:00 am by editor · 2 Comments · Tagged with: , , , , ,

Freelancers, union leaders urge support for Chronicle Herald staff during labour dispute

by Rachel Sanders Sandra Phinney knows exactly how difficult it is to negotiate with the owners of the Halifax Chronicle Herald. The Yarmouth-based freelance writer was offered a harsh contract by the company several years ago. “It was all-rights-grabbing. Including moral rights. And we would be liable if a reader had sued the paper. The onus was entirely on the […]

Posted on January 19, 2016 at 9:00 pm by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: , , ,

All media work has value: Notes from the Media Workers Forum

by Lisa Ferguson   At a time when unpaid internships prevail and precarious employment seems the norm, how should institutions better protect interns, and what can we media workers do to protect ourselves? These questions were the focus of the Media Workers Forum, an event for CWA Canada Associate members — student, aspiring and precarious (intern, […]

Posted on November 20, 2015 at 9:00 am by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: , ,

Livecast panel on internships tomorrow

CWA Canada is planning to livestream a panel discussion on internships that’s happening tomorrow as part of their Media Workers Forum for students, volunteers and precarious media workers. If you’d like to watch that discussion, you can tune in right here starting tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. EST. And if you’re in Toronto, there’s still time to register to […]

Posted on November 13, 2015 at 9:00 am by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: ,

Media Worker Forum in Toronto on November 14

CWA Canada is holding a free day of training and networking for students, volunteers and precarious media workers on Saturday, November 14th from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Sears Atrium, George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre (245 Church St.) in Toronto. The day’s schedule includes mentorship sessions, a panel discussion on internships, and workshops on building […]

Posted on November 5, 2015 at 6:00 am by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: , , ,

CWA Canada Votes to Protect Interns

by Kayla Perry At CWA Canada’s National Representative Council (NRC) meeting on April 17, voting members unanimously agreed to endorse two documents, both of which aim to protect media interns in the workplace. The first document presented to the NRC by the CWA Canada Associate Member Steering Committee was a policy statement on the equitable […]

Posted on April 24, 2015 at 9:00 am by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: , ,

Who’s afraid of an unpaid internship?

by Maggie Reid   Less than two weeks after Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz advised youth to take unpaid positions to boost their resumes, a group of aspiring and emerging media workers, activists and academics gathered to tackle the weight of these words. On November 12, the Communications Workers of America-Canada’s Associate Member program […]

Posted on December 9, 2014 at 9:00 am by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: ,

Online Q&A for emerging media workers

Journalism students and other emerging media workers should be sure to tune in next Tuesday to an online Q&A session organized by the Canadian University Press and CWA Canada. “Getting Hired! A Q&A for media workers” is scheduled for Tuesday September 16 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The live chat with Käthe Lemon (Editor in Chief of Avenue […]

Posted on September 11, 2014 at 9:00 am by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: , ,

Freelance court interpreters consider unionizing

Ottawa-area freelance court interpreters, who provide an essential service in court cases involving non-English-speaking individuals, are continuing a work stoppage that began in February and are considering joining a union, according to this story from the Lawyers Weekly. Those involved in the group action, with the backing of the Court Interpreters Association of Ontario, are […]

Posted on April 7, 2011 at 9:18 am by editor · LEAVE A COMMENT · Tagged with: , , , ,