The Blog
The CCA communicates regularly with its members and the public regarding its work promoting and defending the arts, culture and heritage sector. From time to time, Alain Pineau adds his personal touch as presented in this blog. Read on and share your thoughts by posting replies.
The National Director’s Blog – On the Red Arrow bus from Calgary to Edmonton
January 31 CALGARY — Ah Calgary! What a warm welcome, and I am not referring to the spring-like temperature or the radiant sunshine of the past two days! It began yesterday at the airport where Michael Green, Curator and Artistic Director for Calgary 2012 was waiting to take me to my hotel and it went on until Tom McCarthy, General Manager of Calgary Arts Development, dropped me at the Red Arrow bus terminal today. I was welcomed with open arms in this modern metropolis in...
read moreFrom the traveling desk of Alain Pineau — Written from the tarmac in Winnipeg
January 27, 2012 WINNIPEG — The weather gods are no longer smiling upon me! Freezing rain in Toronto and Ottawa means that I have at least three hours of leisure time at the Winnipeg airport: who knows at what time I’ll get home today! I may as well take advantage of this delay to blog on my short visit in Manitoba’s capital. CCA Board member Nicole Matiation and Thom Sparling, Executive Director of the Arts and Cultural Industries Association of Manitoba (ACI) prepared a fully loaded...
read moreFrom the traveling desk of Alain Pineau — Latest news from Regina
January 24, 2012 REGINA — The weather gods have been good to me so far. While Saskatchewan was a frigid –40º C last week, today was a balmy –2º C and the sun was shining bright and warm, certainly more pleasant weather to deal with as Marnie Gladwell generously drove me from meeting to meeting. I must say that when it comes to making sure not a second of my stay here is wasted, Marnie has very few rivals. She had us booked from 8 in the morning to 6 at night, with barely a break for a soup...
read moreFrom the traveling desk of Alain Pineau — A full day in Saskatoon and off to Regina
January 23, 2012 REGINA — So here I am, finally settled into my hotel room after a three hour bus ride that took me from Saskatoon to Regina with my knees pressed against the seat in front of me. At least I had internet access along the way so I could catch up on the day’s e-mails and read an excellent interview by Greg O’Brien from cartt.ca with Konrad Von Finckenstein, the chairman of the CRTC whose term is finishing up in a few days. It was a long and busy day! I was up at 6 a.m. for a telephone...
read moreFrom the traveling desk of Alain Pineau — January 23, 2012
SASKATOON — Already time to head back to the airport. My only week in the office between January 9 and February 21 has gone by like a flash of lightning: so many things to do before returning to the on-the-road virtual office, hostage to technological hazards and human frailty! So, back to the national tour: after Victoria and Vancouver, BC, on to Saskatchewan and Manitoba. I knew my first stop, Saskatoon, was referred to as the City of Bridges. Last Friday, I learned on CBC’s National that it is...
read moreFrom the traveling desk of Alain Pineau — January 13, 2012
VANCOUVER — After an excellent meeting Tuesday with the General Director of the BC Arts Council, Gillian Wood, I made my way to the port of Victoria to ride the seaplane to Vancouver. This was a first for me, and what an experience! It was sunny and the ride was smooth considering the small size of the plane. It was simply marvellous to see the islands dotting the strait separating the island of Vancouver from the mainland. The arrival in Vancouver was one of the best experiences...
read moreFrom the traveling desk of Alain Pineau — January 10, 2012
VICTORIA — Well, it’s on! After weeks of preparation, my cross-country consultation tour started yesterday in British Columbia where I am spending the week. I must confess that after the snow and cold we’ve had in Ottawa these past weeks, it is agreeably exotic to forego boots and scarf: it’s a pleasant 8° C in Victoria and the rain seems pleasantly spring-like to someone from the Eastern part of the country. Why this pan-Canadian tour which will take me to 14 cities between now and February...
read moreFrom the desk of the National Director: New Year and Renewal
First things first: there is still time to wish all of you health, fortitude and serenity for 2012. I’m afraid we will all need that and then some! Everyone knows that the beginning of a new year is a time for renewal. This is especially true for the CCA this year: 2012 will go down in its long history as the year we recreated the CCA to ensure that it continue its unique contribution to the welfare of the Canadian arts, culture and heritage communities. Faced with the expected decision of the...
read moreFROM THE DESK OF Alain Pineau: A little of this, a little of that …
CCA Bulletin 33/11 December 1, 2011 Well, this week has been a little different than others. For once, I was able to put aside my primary preoccupation of the last few months – the reinvention and financial autonomy of the CCA (I will come back to that at the end of this bulletin!) – to participate in other forums where the stakes were just as important. This started Monday morning with a half-day session on the importance and the challenges of public broadcasters. This event was...
read moreFROM THE DESK OF Alain Pineau: Time for an update!
CCA Bulletin 31/11 November 15, 2011 How time flies! This fall is particularly busy for all of us: I’m not not sure exactly why, but it seems that everyone is running on an accelerating treadmill! So it is time again to keep you posted on a number of current files. The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement Let’s start with the negotiations between Canada and the European Community. I participated in the briefing session organized by the Department of Foreign Affairs and...
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