ACTRA Toronto

🔥 Air quality alert! Wildfire smoke is affecting Ontario, and your health comes first.

If you're working in areas affected by wildfire smoke, remember:

• The IPA requires appropriate measures when performers work in areas where the air is affected by wildfire smoke (Appendix 30).
• Under Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers must take reasonable precautions to protect you from workplace hazards, including poor air quality.
• You have the right to refuse unsafe work. If you have questions or concerns about your workplace, contact your ACTRA Toronto Business Representative.

ACTRA Toronto has been advised that several productions are proactively adapting to today's conditions. ACTRA Toronto appreciates the productions that are taking proactive steps to protect the health and safety of performers and all crew during these wildfire events.

Check the Air Quality Health Index and speak up if conditions aren't safe. For more on protecting yourself, see WSPS's guide to wildfire smoke safety: https://www.wsps.ca/resource-hub/articles/6-ways-to-protect-employees-from-wildfire-smoke

Stay safe, stay informed, and know your rights. The law is on your side.

The World Cup has brought so much joy and spectacle to Canadian cities.

It has also brought a massive national BMO Financial Group campaign, with a media spend upwards of 10 million dollars. Which means - no matter where you go across our cities, you are surrounded by a larger-than-life reminder that BMO and TBWA\Canada actually CAN afford to pay for talent, they are choosing not to engage Canadian performers.

"This isn't about one performer. It's about a Canadian bank choosing an advertising agency that has locked out Canadian performers for more than four years. The solution is simple: require TBWA\Canada to return to the National Commercial Agreement, or choose an agency that supports Canadian performers and the jobs they deserve.” - Kate Ziegler, President, ACTRA Toronto

ACTRA Toronto is encouraging Canadians to “Give BMO a Red Card” by contacting the bank directly and voicing their concerns publicly on social media, urging BMO to require its advertising agency to return to the National Commercial Agreement or hire an agency that will keep good Canadian jobs in the country BMO claims to support.

Read ACTRA National's full statement and find out ways to contact BMO and make your voice heard: https://www.actra.ca/give-BMO-the-red-card/

AI was an important topic at our recent AGM, and Gail Haupert, ACTRA Toronto's Director of Contracts and Production kept this critical conversation going at the recent VRTO Spatial Media World Conference & Expo.

Gail was a panelist in Beyond The Prompt: Rights, Royalties and Recognition, which explored the urgent questions around consent, copyright, compensation and creative ownership in the face of generative AI, and how policy, labour frameworks and emerging legislation can futureproof Canada’s screen industry while ensuring human creators remain visible, protected and fairly compensated.

The panel also featured Samuel Bischoff (DGC),Neal McDougall (WGC), Lisa Broadfoot (CMPA) and Margaret McGuffin (Music Publishers Canada), and was moderated by Miriam Kramer (OCAD University). Thank you to VRTO for having us!

We are thrilled to celebrate the ACTRA Toronto winners at this week's Dora Mavor Moore Awards! The Dora Awards, Canada’s largest and oldest awards program, celebrates the incredible talent within Toronto’s professional theatre, dance, and opera communities.

Congratulations to these ACTRA Toronto Members for their winning performances and the wonderful recognition by the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA):

General Theatre Division
• Outstanding performance by an individual: Sophia Walker for “Slave Play”
• Outstanding performance by an ensemble: Liz Der, Philippa Domville, Vivien Endicott-Douglas, Sofía Rodríguez, Emerjade Simms for “Enormity, Girl, and the Earthquake in Her Lungs”

Independent Theatre Division
• Outstanding performance by an individual: Nick Eddie for “Bug”
• Outstanding performance by an ensemble: Mariya Khomutova, Alon Nashman, Karl Ang for “The Division”

Musical Theatre Division
• Outstanding performance by an individual: Kaylee Harwood for “Bright Star”
• Outstanding performance by an ensemble: Damien Atkins, Alicia Ault, Andrew Broderick, Ben Carlson, Hailey Gillis, Zorana Sadiq, Jacqueline Thair, Giles Tomkins for “Octet”

Theatre for Young Audiences Division
• Outstanding performance by an individual: Morgan St. Onge for “Morgan’s Journey”

Dance Division
• Outstanding performance by an individual: Rose-Mary Harbans for “ZAYO”

Meet all the winners: https://tapa.ca