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C-11 Legislative Committee on copyright: week one

CCA Bulletin 04/12

The first week of consultations on Bill C-11 saw the first 24 witnesses invited to present their views. The process is moving quickly and will continue at this pace as the government fast tracks the Bill.


http://ccarts.ca/resources/intellectual-property/c-11-legislative-committee-on-copyright-week-one/#comments
The National Director’s Tour
Jour, MacKenzie Art Gallery, Saskatchewan Arts Alliance, Centre franco-manitobain, On Screen Manitoba, ACI Manitoba,Folk Exchange, Calgary Arts Development, Janice Beaton Fine Cheese and Wine Ink, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (Calgary), Alberta Craft Council, Prince of Wales Armouries, Charlotte St. Arts Centre, St. John City Hall, Moncton City Hall, Beaconsfield Historic House and Neptune Theatre.
http://ccarts.ca/events/past-events/the-national-directors-tour/#comments
Welcome
    The Canadian Conference of the Arts is the pan-Canadian alliance linking the arts, culture and heritage communities. Through research, analyses, and informed public discussions, we support the adoption of policies that ensure the vitality of the Canadian cultural sector and access to culture by all Canadians.   Shaping Canada’s Vibrant Future for Arts and Culture  
http://ccarts.ca/in-the-news/magazine/welcome/#comments
The Impact of Digital Media on the Performing Arts
A new report entitled Beyond the Curtain: How Digital Media is Reshaping Theatre was recently released by Ballinran Entertainment Ltd. in partnership with Digital Wizards Inc., Canadian Actors Equity Association, and Stratford Shakespeare Festival.  It contains a study of the challenges facing the performing arts in the sector’s attempt to embrace and achieve the right balance with new media and digital technologies. The research involved interviews with leading theatre professionals and an online survey that received over 400 responses. Beyond the Curtain identifies a number of challenges facing theatres including changing audiences. With cuts to arts education and the increased expectations of young audiences for more exciting visual effects and behind the scenes access through social media, theatres need to adapt. Theatres also face stiff competition from other forms of entertainment such as movies, TV, gaming and social media which are often less expensive and can be enjoyed from the comfort of home. When it comes to implementing new technology and media, budgetary constraints as well as gaps in training and skills can impede experimentation.  Managing social media requires acquisition of new technology, training and other resources. The report recommends that more funding be put towards innovation and re-purposing of[.....]
http://ccarts.ca/resources/digital-economy/the-impact-of-digital-media-on-the-performing-arts/#comments
Europe and gender equality
During a plenary session held in Brussels on October 27, 2011, the European sectoral social dialogue committee for the audio-visual field formally adopted a framework of action on gender equality, representing a successful outcome to two years of negotiation between social partners. The agreement aims to improve the situation in the sector in the following areas: - Gender representation; – Gender role at work; – Wage equality; – Decision-making equality; and, – Balance between career and home. Drawn up by representatives of several employer and worker organizations, the plan of action takes the diversity of social partners into account. The good practices it recommends cover all development stages of gender equality policies. In July 2010 the International Federation of Actors also released their Handbook of Good Practices: to Combat Gender Stereotypes and Promote Equal Opportunities in Film, Television and Theatre in Europe; the recent Sex and Power Report for 2011 showed that only 8.3% of arts organizations in Britain are chaired by women and the Arts Council of England is reviewing its plans for diversity; and Spain, France and Norway have quotas in place for board members of organizations. Despite all this activity overseas, here in Canada the discussion appears much[.....]
http://ccarts.ca/resources/international-affairs/europe-and-gender-equality/#comments
Municipal Cultural Investment
Montréal and Vancouver Lead the Way in Culture Funding On January 10th, Hill Strategies Research released a study called Municipal Cultural Investment in Five Large Canadian Cities. The study compares cities with the largest number of cultural workers and artists in Canada – Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montréal. This report written in partnership with the cultural staff of the five cities covered, the Creative City Network and the Canadian Urban Libraries Council aims to fill a gap in the level of information provided by Statistics Canada by breaking down the investments by municipality and types of funding for comparison between 5 municipalities. The study comprises operating expenditures, grants and capital expenditures in each city between 2006 and 2009 and excludes any funds transferred from other levels of government. So as to compare apples to apples, the report presents a separate section on public library funding because of the different ways those funds are administered in each city. What are the findings? In 2009, the average per capita expenditure for all five cities was $35, with Montréal leading the pack at $55 and Toronto occupying last place with $19. Ottawa also falls below the average with $28 per capita expenditures.[.....]
http://ccarts.ca/in-the-news/articles/municipal-cultural-investment/#comments
Message from the President
Dear Members and Colleagues, By now many of you have been made aware of the CCA’s changing relationship with its major funder, the Government of Canada. Indeed, many of you may already or will soon be facing the prospect of reduced support federally. The model is shifting and changing for all of us. It is an immense challenge for this organization given its reliance for 45 years on federal support. The board and staff have been working since last summer on a series of financial options and a business plan that will allow us to move forward independent of that support. And the National Director has been on the road for weeks consulting the membership on the services it needs and wants from its national cultural service organization. While none of us knows what the outcome will be when the budget is released in mid-March, we feel confident that the government will understand the necessity of a transitional period of support to ensure the CCA has the time to develop an entirely new funding model. There is no question that the future is not guaranteed, but from the consultation sessions in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa last fall, from Alain’s tour[.....]
http://ccarts.ca/in-the-news/from-the-desk-of-the-director/message-from-the-president/#comments
Update on Canada/EU negotiations: the culture angle
CCA Bulletin 03/12 February 21, 2012 Just the facts Some encouraging news concerning the status of culture in the on-going trade negotiations between Canada and the European Union! The CCA learned during the briefing session held by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) that: • It is more than likely that, with the support of some European countries, Canada will be able to include a direct reference to the UNESCO Declaration on Cultural Diversity at the top of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) as well as extended wording to the effect that signatory countries reserve the right to subsidize and protect cultural products whichever way they think appropriate, culture not being like other goods or products covered by the agreement; • EU countries follow closely Canada’s efforts to modernize its Copyright Act and express serious concerns about Bill C-11 with regards to the numerous exemptions it proposes, particularly concerning education, and the responsibility of internet service providers (ISPs) in fighting piracy; and, • While Europeans continue to press for Canada to relax its policies concerning foreign investments in telecommunications, which Canada is resisting, their interest in doing the same for book retailing appears to be[.....]
http://ccarts.ca/resources/intellectual-property/update-on-canadaeu-negotiations-the-culture-angle/#comments
St. John’s — last port of call!
February 19, 2012 For weeks, I have wondered what kind of weather awaited me in the last leg of my pancanadian tour. Halifax and St. John’s are two cities well known for their winter storms. Well, the Gods were kind to me all throughout my five weeks on the road! After spring-like temperatures and sunshine in Halifax, I arrived in St. John’s on Thursday night to the Newfoundland version of spring, with above average temperatures, a thick fog and pouring rain! Another more recent concern of mine had to do with how many people would attend the public session scheduled for Friday night at the Anna Templeton Centre on Duckworth Street, not far from the harbour. According to the latest information, only three had registered. It was good of George Murray, CCA Board member and Executive Director of the Association of Cultural Industries of Newfoundland and Labrador (ACI), to tell me not to worry, that people here do not RSVP very much, they just show up. Nonetheless, I still worried that my tour of the country would end on a downer. Friday started by enjoying a typical Newfoundland fish-cake breakfast with Peter Gardner, former CCA Board member and currently Executive[.....]
http://ccarts.ca/in-the-news/from-the-desk-of-the-director/st-johns-newfoundland/#comments
Halifax
February 16, 2012 I have always loved Halifax for its friendly atmosphere, the quality of its cultural life and its restaurants. In fact, I must confess that I have a soft spot for Nova Scotia where, over the years, I have spent four summer holidays. But it is the first time that I set foot in the Neptune Theatre where, after a short interview for Radio-Canada’s television services, I join the thirty people or so who have gathered in one of the rehearsal rooms on the third floor of this vast building in the heart of old Halifax. Erika Beatty, CCA Board member and Executive Director of the Symphony Nova Scotia, introduces me. She underscores the fact that there would likely have been more attendants were it not for the fact that today is the deadline for grant applications in the province! Unfortunate timing on my part: many arts professionals are dotting the ”i”s and crossing the “t”s of their requests for funding. My presentation is received here with the same interest I have met so far across the country. I am told that pretty much all of the activities proposed by the CCA are important, but people are more[.....]
http://ccarts.ca/in-the-news/from-the-desk-of-the-director/halifax/#comments