Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on December 13, 2010 at Queen’s Park

1.       Thomas S. Saras

2.       Asha Rajak

3.       Muse Kulow

4.       Mohammad Bayher Samimi

5.       Jonathan Annobil

6.       Mohammad Tajdolati

7.       Neel Nanda

8.       Suleyman Guven

9.       Ahmed Shah Hotaki

10.   Parry Long

11.   Viara Dimitrova

12.   Ned Blair

13.   AdnJonns Raudkivi

14.   Irene Keroglidis

15.   Susana Donan

16.   Jose Donan

17.   Iosif Spataru

18.   Mario Spataru

19.   William Doyle-Marshall

20.   Perril Muthuraman

21.   John S. Saraidaris

22.   Bob Ristic

23.   Pobeda Piskoceva

24.   Hermie Garcia

25.   Srimal Abeyerwardene

26.   Logan Logendraliman

27.   Ranjir Wicks

28.   Pakistan A broad

29.   Farda

30.   Muhammed Enad

31.   Aaron Berhane

32.   Jonathan Annobil

33.   J. Ninisto

34.   Saad Alsafar.

Agenda

1.  Welcome Remarks by the Chair

2. -A call to order by the Chair

3. - Minutes

4. - Report by the President

5.-  December 17, 2010  “Get Together” Event

6.-  Auditing of the circulation

7. - New Business (Motions)

7b.- New Members

 8. - Adjournment

Welcome Remarks by the Chair:

Mr. Thomas S. Saras chaired the meeting and declared the meeting open. Muse Kulow moved a motion to approve the agenda. Neel Nanda seconded it. The motion was carried.

Minutes of the previous meeting:

Neel Nanda moved a motion to approve the minutes of the previous monthly meeting held on November 8, 2010. Suleyman Güven seconded it.

Business of the Day

Report by the President

-         Ms. Asha Rajak, Vice President responsible for the Membership and executive secretary to the president,  is appointed as a Commissionaire of Oath. Asha will be fully trained in the spring of 2011 by Heritage Canada, to learn about the official process and procedures needed to take-over the job and fulfill responsibilities. Having Asha in the position of certifying our documents, we will not have to go and pay $3,000.00 to commercial companies as they charge to perform this service to our members. They are very expensive for organizations like the members of the NEPMCC who are struggling to survive in this economy. And, this is not fair for our members. Now we will be able to certify our documents internally through NEPMCC and don’t worry about other extra expenses that you have to spend unnecessarily for auditing from other commercial organizations anymore. This process will also help establish the ability of every member to have access to the funds, which this year was 15 million dollars and next year we are expecting that it’s going to be more than that. However, this year every application is going to be processed by the Ministry and accepted without an audit report and each applicant is going to receive some amount from the funds available, whatever they are eligible for. There are over 1200 applications that the ministry has received this year including community newspapers and magazines from across Canada. Everyone who applied is going to receive a fair assessment and I hope that  some kind of funds as most of you are on the list.  However, the ones who are printing more than 50 thousand copies each issue will be directly contacted by the Ministry for necessary audit report for which expenses is going to be covered by the Ministry itself.

-         The Ontario government is to change the official Agent of the Record responsible for the government advertisement which for years now was the Media Buying Services, known as MBS.  You have to send all your invoices to the new Agency of Records. Also, by spring of year 2011, you are going to receive advertisement from the Ontario Government.

-         We have received an invitation from Premier McGuinty for his special Media Reception and also his Christmas Party on December 15, 2010. An email with the invitation has been forwarded to all the members of our organization. Please make sure that you RSVP and attend this event to show your interest with your attendance. Mr. McGuinty has organized this event at the “Reference Library” so that everyone is able to attend the event.

-         I also received an invitation from the Prime Minister for a Christmas celebration at his residence. I often go to Ottawa for any kind of meeting by my own car and cover those expenses personally. But we have our own event on Friday and we need to make sure that everything is available and arranged by Thursday. More than that due to winter snow condition of the roads it is not safe to drive and rush back to Toronto the same day. Therefore, because of lack of transportation to return back to Toronto the same day, I am not going to be able to attend this event so I sent my regrets.

-         MOTION: In 2011, during the CNE  I would like to propose an idea about how we can put an eighteen days ethnic press exhibition so that we can promote our members and their organization. Srimal Abeyewardene moved a motional approve the proposal. Hassan Zerehi seconded it. The motion was carried without anyone abstain.

For this coming Friday, December 17^th, we have our Agenda drafted as:

-         We have received confirmation from our VIP guests and we are hoping that this event is going to be successful.

-         Plaques have been ordered and printed for the recipients.

-         Volunteers who helped in last one year and didn’t receive a certificate of appreciation in July will receive one in this event.

-         About food, as always Nick will be serving very good food. Shrimps, 3 lambs, chicken, and pork souvlaki will be served. Food will have a label on the place. So, please pay attention before you serve yourself to eat since there are few members who have different choice of food.

-         Poinsettia will be displayed on each table.

-         2 bottles of very fine Greek wines partially sponsored by the Consul General of Greece will be placed in each table.

-         1 gift for each VIP guest will be prepared.

-         Over 40 packets door prize partially sponsored by Serrano Bakery and Mr. Greek Meat market as well as one gift bag from “Summer Hill Group” an environmental Marketing Agency. “Summer Hill also is sponsoring the event with an amount of $ 1000.00 dollars. Our thanks for their generosity.

-         There will be 3 musicians performing for live entertainment. The group was recommended by William Doyle-Marshall.

New Business:

-         William Doyle-Marshall came to the office to discuss about his interest to cover news in Toronto. He is ready to write news stories and distribute them with pictures among the members of the organization. Everyone which prints his articles will pay to the treasury of the organization an amount that we agree,, and the treasury will have an agreement with William to pay agreed amount of money. This is going to help the members who are not able to cover the events across Toronto and will have an access to news and stories. So, whoever is interested please be in touch with William and the office.

International Development:

-         In Pakistan many journalists have been murdered. Mr. Saras had a conversation spoke to Pakistani Union of Journalist; they are desperate and need help. They have pledged for some financial help for the family of the murdered journalist.

-         South East African union of journalists sent an email that they have started their work against the government and they want financial help. But, Mr. Saras told them that NEPMCC does not help or support any organization with political affiliation since we are not supporting any government in particular since we are journalists. However, I have asked them to send us this request in written form.

New Member:

-         Mr. Periakaruppan Muthuraman, Chief Editor, “Dreams & Money”, monthly newspaper. Serves in the field of finance.

-         Simon Shirley, Freelance Photo Journalist.

Adjournment: Mohammad Tajdolati moved a motion to adjourn the meeting, Srimal Abeyewardene seconded it. The motion was carried. The chair adjourned the meeting at 8 pm. The next meeting would take place on January 10, 2011

The Minutes are prepared by Asha Rajak, Executive Secretary of the organization.

A STATERMENT FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE NEPMCC, to the members of the organization.

“Dear friends and colleagues, Sisters and Brothers in the Ethnic Press and Media, as the year is coming to its end please allow me to express to all of you my thanks for your trust and generosity. For me and my colleagues in the administration, it was  an honour the serve you all as representatives of the sector.

Taking this opportunity of the Season I extend warm “greetings of the season” to all our members and their family as well as to every member of the sector. Please allow me to express my appreciation and thanks to all of you for your trust and support you placed on me all these years. Few years ago, we were a number of publications unwilling even to speak to each other in the various occasions we met. Thanks to your good will, cooperation and help, today we are w well organized media force in this Country of ours, serving  to the best of our ability our communities and its members. With your good will we proved that “multiculturalism” in Canada is working and thriving, unlikely to Madam Merkel’s Germany.

Dear Sisters and Brothers, today I am extending an invitation to all members of the sector to join our organization and working together help us make sure that equality and justice for all prevails in Canada and the USA.

Thank you again for your trust, cooperation and support.

In solidarity,

Thomas S. Saras

President and CEO