summer 2007 The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists A reAl CAnAdiAn success story: See story Corner GAs page 9 Contact ACTRA… ACTRA national office ACTrA Performers’ rights society 300-625 Church st I Toronto ON I M4Y 2G1 tel: (416) 489-1311/1-800-387-3516 fax: (416) 489-8076 email: [email protected] I email: [email protected] email: [email protected] (srd – sound recording division) I www.actra.ca union of B.C. Performers 300 – 856 Homer st I Vancouver BC I V6B 2W5 tel: (604) 689-0727 I fax: (604) 689-1145 email: [email protected] I www.ubcp.com ACTRA Calgary 304 – 1300 8 Street SW I Calgary AB I T2R 1B2 tel: (403) 228-3123 I fax: (403) 228-3299 email: [email protected] I www.actracalgary.com ACTRA edmonton c/o 304 – 1300 8 Street SW I Calgary AB I T2R 1B2 tel: 1-866-913-3123 I fax: (403) 228-3299 email: [email protected] I www.actraedmonton.com ACTRA saskatchewan 212-1808 smith st I regina sK I S4P 2N4 tel: (306) 757-0885 I fax: (306) 359-0044 email: [email protected] I www.actra.ca/sask ACTRA Manitoba 203 – 245 mcDermot Ave I Winnipeg mB I R3B 0S6 tel: (204) 339-9750 I fax: (204) 947-5664 email: [email protected] www.actra.ca/winnipeg ACTRA toronto Performers 200-625 Church st I Toronto ON I M4Y 2G1 tel: (416) 928-2278 I fax: (416) 928-0429 The Actors’ Fund of Canada email: [email protected] I www.actratoronto.com Emergency financial help for entertainment industry professionals ACTRA ottawa The Arts Court I 170 – 2 Daly Ave I Ottawa ON I K1N 6E2 “I felt so blessed and grateful that the tel: (613) 565-2168 I fax: (613) 565-4367 Fund was there when I needed it.” email: [email protected] I www.actraottawa.ca “I have been an actor for many years and was enjoying a pretty ACTRA Montreal successful career. Then I got a shock when I was diagnosed 530 – 1450 City Councillors st I montreal QC I H3A 2E6 with thyroid cancer. The surgery left me with only about 10% tel: (514) 844-3318 I fax: (514) 844-2068 use of my voice… the very instrument I use to make a living. email: [email protected] I www.actramontreal.ca After three months with no voice and a slow convalescence, ACTRA Maritimes the financial burden finally became too much. I was still in 103 – 1660 Hollis st I Halifax Ns I B3J 1V7 tel: (902) 420-1404 fax: (902) 422-0589 recovery and the doctors suspected that I email: [email protected] I www.actramaritimes.ca it would be another few months before all the treatment was done and I could start ACTRA newfoundland/labrador to resume a “normal” life. 685 Water street I P.O. Box 575 I st. John’s NF I A1C 5K8 tel: (709) 722-0430 I fax: (709) 722-2113 I finally turned to the Actors’ Fund for email: [email protected] I www.actra.ca/stjohns help. I felt so blessed and grateful that the Fund was there when I needed it. I urge everyone to offer whatever they can memBer Discounts Jane Luk contribute because you never know what ACTRA Member hand life will deal you next.” All ACTrA and uBCP members (Full, Apprentice & extras) are entitled to a number of discounts when you show Your donation will help the Fund deliver more than your membership card. For a detailed list of discount info $400,000 in emergency aid to ACTRA members and please go to www.actra.ca. in the “site map” section there other artists this year. Even a small amount will make is a link “member Benefits”, or contact Christine Webber a difference. PLEASE GIVE TODAY. Call toll-free via email: [email protected] or by phone 416-489-1311 1-877-399-8392 or donate online at www.actorsfund.ca ext 4005 or toll free 1-800-387-3516. In this issue of InterACTRA... Letters InterACTRA welcomes letters and PresiDent’s messAge 4 feedback. submissions should be Our strike, our confidence, our future no longer than 200 words and may by Richard Hardacre be edited for length. Please send submissions to: [email protected] uBCP BArgAiNiNg 8 page 4 by Rob Morton, Howard Storey Calling all scribes! and Mercedes Watson interested in never-ending glory? Want to contribute content to page 10 cover story 9 InterACTRA? Please contact Celebrating Corner Gas [email protected] by Holly Gauthier-Frankel Want to receive AmAZeD WiTH HER 12 InterACTRA by email? sarah Polley’s directing debut by Chris Owens if you’d like InterACTRA in your e-mailbox instead of by mail, email us at [email protected] with your ACTOr-mOTHERS BRINGINg uP BABIES 16 membership number. mom’s inconvenient “hobby” by Ruth Lawrence and Stacy Smith uBCP AT CANADA’s SUNDANCE 18 by Keith Martin Gordey CiTiZeN CBC 20 One view of the CBC and what it should be by David Sparrow Summer 2007 Volume 14, Issue 2 InterACTRA is the official publication of ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Our POliCy IniTiTiatiVes 22 Artists), a Canadian union of performers affiliated get active… or go home to the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and the by Richard Hardacre International Federation of Actors (FIA). InterACTRA is free of charge to all ACTRA members. page 12 APPlAUSE 26 Editorial AdvIsoRy Committee: Richard Hardacre, Ferne downey, Brian Gromoff, ACTrA members honoured david macniven, Carol Taverner, Ken Thompson, page 18 stephen Waddell FAREWELL 27 ContribuToRs: dJ Anderson, Jennifer Blaney, remembering Denny Doherty Allan Bratt, mike Burns, Joy Corion, Chris Cornish, and Charmion King sonia donaldson, Ferne downey, Randy duniz, Anna Falsetta, Holly Gauthier-Frankel, Keith martin Gordey, Richard Hardacre, Kim Hume, don Jordan, BrANCH NeWs 28 Gina Kash dineen, Chris Kelsey-Epstein, duval saskatchewan’s status of the Artist work, Lang, Jani Lauzon, Ruth Lawrence, Rob morton, edmonton’s new Branch Council, Calgary’s Chris owens, Leah Pinsent, stacy smith, david production update, montreal’s awards news sparrow, marit stiles, Howard storey, Gary vermeir, mercedes Watson, Christine Webber Cover PHoTo: Corner Gas stars Gabrielle miller, ACTrA’s Face-2-Face Update 30 Lorne Cardinal and Eric Peterson. Courtesy of CTv. by Jani Lauzon Photo by Prairie Pants Productions, Allan Feildel. LAYOUT: Joss maclennan design www.joss.to CHEERS & JEERS 30 Printed in Canada by union labour at Thistle Printing. page 26 All contents are copyright ©2007 ACTRA. All rights are reserved and contents, in whole or in part, may not ACTrA Prs & BACK eND DiViDeNDs 31 be reprinted without permission. The points of view introducing the new Director of ACTrA PRS expressed do not necessarily represent those of ACTRA. by Ferne Downey Please return any undelivered mail to: phoneACTRA, 300 - 625 Church st, Toronto ON m4y 2G1 BACK COVER fax 1-800-387-3516 or (416)489-1311 ACTrA Awards in Toronto 2007 email (416)489-8076 @ by Gina Kash Dineen web interactra actra.ca C www.actra.ca Publications mail Agreement #40069134 summer 2007 InterACTRA 3 ISSN 1705-9496 our strike, our confidence, our future By richard Hardacre on the night of February 19, 2007, Why in heaven’s name would we want to strike? ACTRA reached terms of settlement of the Independent Production Agreement (IPA) with the associations representing the pro- That is a perfectly valid question any National President Richard Hardacre ducers of Canada (CFTPA), as well as those number of interested observers might have addresses media on January 8, 2007, Jag Gundu of Quebec (APFTQ). The tentative agree- asked. Further, they could have inquired the first day of the strike. ment that evening brought a suspension to whether the career path of a self-employed the first strike in ACTRA’s 64-year history. performer was not precarious enough The agreement that winter night followed already, what with good jobs challenging about 14 hours of a final, determined push to secure, loads of competition, a govern- Many producers to make the deal and was endorsed in the ment that has yet to place a long-term next two days by ACTRA’s negotiation priority on the value of Canadian televi- Committee and the elected executive of the sion and film production and various other just wanted a deal national Council. This undramatic denoue- obstacles to success. not to mention other ment to a very strained negotiation that curiosities of our craft, such as capable that would be fair stretched frustratingly over four months producers reverting to non-scripted (i.e., no brought a suspension to our first-ever strike actors need apply) ‘lifestyle’ programming that had lasted six weeks. Then, with a his- because it’s cheap to produce and, anyway, to all – the same toric level of returns, our members ratified that’s mostly what our nation’s imaginative with an approval vote of 98.6%. private broadcasters and specialty channels crave to distribute – with thick profit mar- kind of deal that gins – as pablum to the masses. so, indeed, “Why in heaven’s name would ACTRA wanted. we want to strike?” Well, we didn’t want to. We had to. It’s that simple. Certainly it was about our right to be properly com- pensated for the skills of our creative work; about stronger work rules to protect all our The judge refused to issue the injunctions members, especially our minors and stunt sought against us and instead referred performers; it was about fair opportunity both parties to a long and costly arbitra- and access to the audition process for every- tion process.