Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on October 21, 2019, at Committee Room #2 City Hall.
Present:
Thomas S. Saras
Neel Nanda
Maria Saras-Voutsinas
Rosemary Sadler
Ricky Castellvi
Jonathan Annobil
Pooyan Tabatabaei
Nisanta Dun
Lydia Sun
Leila MonteiroLins
Jonathan Annobil
Mohammed BagherSamimi
Ali Mahmoud
Mohammad Tajdolati
GhulamRasool
AnfisaLyasota
Ranjit Wicks
Sandie De Freitas
Norman Hart
Kathy L. L. Li
WaisPopalzai
Teshome Woldramanuel
Khalid Magen
Mooka Tamil
Bobby Wang
Maria Swietoizacki
Elizabeth Muzalc
Anastasio Chatzhstaphanou
Peter Catrayannakis
MikrKolososki
Joe Volpe
Susana Donan
S. Krishnalingan
Khalid Menan
Nagamany Longediably
Hermi Garcia
Mila Garcia
MawrinFwrah
Eugenia Boukchwou
Vanessa Wheatle
ElsayedNashr
MizhardBagant
CefarBangu
GezahegnMekonnenDemissie
SaadAlsafar
Rui Yang
HaiTien Lin
Logan Longarigham
KumananThnambi
Nishrite Don
ErnestoDonan
Isa Melo
ThavapalanKathiravelu
Yuri Natcetoi
John Saraidaris
Said Henry
LuiQueano
ElizabethMurok
S. Krinalingam
Inga Cernei
Hermie Garcia
Mila Garcia
KumayanThambi
NajibullahPopalzai
Robin Beckosian
Khalid Magnam
HannanMamun
NobodiNews
AysegulKalkan
ErsoyKalkan
Nishanta Don
Ali Mahboub
MulugetaZergaba
JanuszNiemczyk
Denis Brito
Stensont A
GeethaNangarajh
Syed Irbal
Mike Kolosowski
EugineaBakchinow
Boddy Wang
Anastasios Chatzitheofanous
MuhacumadNaeemUl Islam
NajibPopalzai
WaisPopalzai
Foe Jole
Nishantha Dion
ThanapalanKathivarelu
DimitrisVohaitis
DarilBrar
Ahmad Rostamijam
LalitThakar
Lawrence Joseph
Ronny Yason
Khuvan Aftab
Abdul Azeem
Qazi AFRASIAB
Nawrin Farah
S Krishnalingam
Sonny Mir
Shaiful Horn
Khalid Morgan
Bobby Wang
Ahmad Hotaki
Thomas Galgor
S. Sivamohan
Kathy Geraklis
AthanasiosKourtesis
KumananThambi
Tamil Muraka
Hermie Garcia
Mila Garcia
Solomon Areinu
Bety Glothai
Salah Allam
Stena Allam
Elizabeth Muzale
Agenda of the day:
- Welcome Remarks by the chair.
- Minutes of the previous meeting
- Report of the President/Discussions
- Presentation By Michael Garron Hospital Foundation
- Presentation by Daniel Bernhard- Executive Director, Friends of Canadian Broadcasting
- New Members/New Business
- Adjournment
Welcome Remarks by the Chair:
President Thomas Saras chaired the meeting and declared the meeting open. Ranjit Wicks moved a motion to approve the agenda. Jonathan Annobil seconded it. The motion was carried.
Minutes of the previous meeting:
Rnjit Wicks moved a motion to approve the minutes of the previous monthly meeting and Pooyan Tabatabaei. Minutes of the previous monthly meeting was approved unanimously.
Thomas Saras welcomed everyone to the monthly meeting of October 2019. NEPMCC had another productive year and the organization is working on a number of important projects this year which will benefit all the members. President Thomas Saras said that this year the Government will reward all legitimate ethnic media houses as it has a budget for it. All members that are in good standing with NEPMCC stands to get benefitted by its association and involvement with NEPMCC. The Government has allocated $10 million for the media industry and there are several programs where the members could apply for funding under this budget. In the program also included and the members of the Ethnic Press of Canada.
President Thomas Saras educated members on various projects undertaken by NEPMCC and specially on the LJI. President Thomas Saras informed about the local initiative program The Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) supports the creation of original civic journalism that covers the diverse needs of underserved communities across Canada. Funding is available to eligible Canadian media organizations to hire journalists or pay freelance journalists to produce civic journalism for underserved communities. The content produced will be made available to media organizations through a Creative Commons license so that Canadians can be better informed. He mentioned under this program a publisher can hire qualified journalist or a journalistic student in the final year and get up to a maximum of $26,000 per year. He encouraged everyone who qualifies to fill out the form.
The media fund would be distributed to the qualified members of the ethnic media industry. Qualified members are those who belong to one of the six media organizations. President Thomas Saras suggested that a committee be formed that would recommend distribution of government funds to ethnic media based on the circulation and reach.
President Thomas Saras informed the members of the various projects undertaken by NEPMCC and how members could benefit from federal programs for ethnic media.
President Thomas Saras informed all the members of NEPMCC that he has been selected to represent Canadian media among a group of seven experts in Canadian Media as part of the panel to make recommendations to the Federal Government. In the history of ethnic media in Canada – ethnic media is sitting in the same footing as the so called mainstream media. Today Ethnic Media is part of the real voice of Canadian Media.
NEPMCC Annual Award Ceremony to take place on November 15 2109 at City Hall Council Chambers.
Program working with the panel is designed to support Canadian Media.
There were suggestions on the floor that any members received funding from the government under ATP may make a donation to NEPMCC as NEPMCC has worked hard to ensure members receive funding. The suggestion was unanimously endorsed as it is the duty and responsibility of the members to ensure that NEPMCC is in strong financial position as it tirelessly works hard for the interests of its members.
President Thomas Saras expressed satisfaction on the meeting arranged on June 19 at City Hall along with officials of Heritage Canada. This meeting was to educate members on the upcoming changes to the ATP and other funding programs for the media. This was a very important meeting as there are some changes taking place in the last year of the funding program for publishers.
President Thomas Saras encouraged all to renew their membership in 2019 to take advantage of the privileges of the membership. NEPMCC has been over the years fighting for the rights of the members to stand in shoulder to shoulder with the mainstream media.
Educational conference/seminar will be held this year for 3 -4 days. A survey will be sent to the members to finalize the curriculum of the seminar. Daniela Spirlac from BeSoacial Event will send out a survey to the members.The seminar will most likely take place in Seneca College.
President Thomas Saras informed the members that he represented the ethnic media at the standing committee of the senate to educate the committee about the grievances of the ethnic media.
The president also encouraged all the members to apply for an ID or Media Pass of the organization. There are so many benefits; the president said that it is to one’s advantage to have it.
NEPMCC to build website for 20 members who do not have website.
The President spoke about student internship program in cooperation with the schools of journalism. Internship will be from 3 – 6 months. The program will cover $15 per hour per student and the rest has to be covered by the respective organizations .Maria Saras-Voutsinas is in touch with student intern coordinator from Seneca College. The program has started from January 2019. Any member interested in hiring students for their publications should contact Executive Director Maria Saras-Voutsinas as it is on first come first serve basis due to limited funds approved by the Government on this project. This is a win- win situation as it will benefit the students as they will gain from the valuable experience as well as the members as they will get additional help in a very subsidized rate to run their publications. There was a suggestion that members receiving assistance for the internship program should make small donation to NEPMCC. The program has already started in January and is in the second phase which will start from April and only those members, who have applied and contacted Executive Director Maria Saras –Voutsinas expressing their interests in hiring Student interns for their media outlets would be given preference and allocated student interns based on first come first serve basis.Members were informed in the previous meetings that effective from April 1 in order to qualify of fundingfor interns- there should be a proper office for the intern to work.The program since has received an overwhelming response and members who could not participate this time may be given another chance in the next phase provided they meet the requirements of this program.
Presentation by Esther Carenza
Esther Carenza introduced herself with a brief bio describing her accomplishments and invited everyone to support the Children’s Holiday Get Together in Support of neglected children.
A good number of the vendors, including Nick Filicetti from Data Integrity, Gino's Pizza, Sportschek Yorkdale, Commercial Bakers, Vito's No Frills, Starbucks, Nando's Bay Street, The Host Fine Indian Cuisine, Mr. Submarine, Freshii, Thai Express, The Body Shop and others are providing funds, food and other product for the Children's Holiday Get Together, a very special event for neglected children in North York. She mentioned that some of the Argonauts will be in attendance and professional athletes, actors and actresses will perform a play for the children, singers and musicians. There will a number of activities in the evening to make it an extra special event. 6:30 – 9:30
Presentation by Mila Garcia
Mila Garcia invited all the members to the book and art festival organized by Filipino Canadian Writers and Journalists Network on November 17 at Council Chambers in City Hall. An event celebrating the life and historical contribution of Philippine hero Andres Bonifacio will feature works by Filipino Canadian writers and artists, and a presentation by an award-winning Filipino journalist and 2019 Marshall McLuhan awardee Patricia Evangelista. BONIFEST will also feature the launching of the poster The Struggle for Philippine Independence, a brief account composed of 15 historical dates and periods and their significance in the Filipino people’s resistance against Spanish colonialism, American imperialism and Japanese invasion, from 1571 to 1946. The poster is the product of research and a series of discussions conducted by the Filipino Canadian Writers and Journalists Network (FC-WJNet).
Organized by FC-WJNet and co-sponsored by the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada and the PLUMA writers collective, BONIFEST will have as main speaker Ms. Patricia Evangelista, the recipient of the 2019 Marshall McLuhan Award, a program of the Canadian Embassy in Manila in partnership with Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility to award outstanding journalists in the Philippines. Ms. Evangelista is a multi-media journalist for the online news organization Rappler. Mr. Thomas Saras President NEPMCC will be the keynote speaker for the event.
New Members/ New Business:
Weera Fonseca – Founder, Rupane,ca Video Magazine for Sri Lankans living in Canada.
Medhat Oweida – Editor in Chief, Ahram -Canada
Shan Chandrashkhar – Deputy Editor Uthayan
A R.. Nathan – Producer/CEO Vanakkam TV
Adjournment:
Pooyan Tabetei moved a motion to adjourn the meeting and Ranjit Wicks seconded it seconded it. The motion was carried. The Chair adjourned the meeting at 9 pm. The next monthly meeting would take place on Monday, November 18, 2019 at committee room N# 2 at the Toronto City Hall.
