Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on February 10, 2025, at City Hall, via Zoom
Present/Attendees
Thomas S. Saras
Mohammad Tajdolati
Neel Nanda
Maria Saras-Voutsinas
Rosemary Sadlier
Ricky Castellvi
George Guzman
Bill Fastis
Nishantha Don
Hon. Basilio Giordano
George Bakoyiannis
Dimitri Papadopoulos
AR Nathan
Arif Ahmed
Zenaida Ferry
Ravi
Ranjit Wicks
Hermie Garcia
Ghulam Rasool
Manan Gupta
Elsayed Nasr
Khalid Hamid
Thanasis Kourtesis
John Saraidaris
Ernesto Donan
Martha Pinzon
Nishantha Don
Bridgette Fontille
Sukumar Tamil Journal
Roberto Hausman
Jonathan Annobil
Emmanuel Ayiku
Mohammad Bagher Samimi
Kathy Gerasklis
Rick Esquerra
Mila Garcia
Medhat Oweida
Syed Hasson
Sima Ghaffarzadeh
Shahidul Mintu
Lui Queano
Denis Poirier
Jennifer Zhu
Hon. Joe Volpe
Ayubowan Sri Lanka
Leila Monteiro Lins
Deborah Shatz
Gezahegn Mekonnen
Daniela Spirlac
Lankathas Pathmanathan
Susana Donan
Kethes Kumar
Michael Li
Shail Prasad
Essie
Veronica Cusi
Ragee Arasaratnam
Fiza Syeda
Yuri Natchetoi
Khalid Hamid
Michale Li
Maria Swietorzecki
Lucy Yang
Elsayed Nasr
George Guzmas
MB Samimi
Susana Donan
Neel Nanda
Mohammad Tajdolati
Olga Kaleev
AR Nathan
Ragee
Nishantha Don
Ayuban SriLanka
Basilio Giordano
Manan Gupta
Ernesto Donan
Kathy Lin
Sima Ghaffarzadeh
Denis Poirier
Ghanian News
Fiza Syeda
Rue Hayer-Bains
Leila Monteiro- Lins
Eugenia Bakchinow
Ghulam Rasool
Ranjith Wicks
Kathy Gerasklis
Hermie Garcia
Luba Cherny
Helen Wang
Taso Chatzitheofanou
Sean Pickard
Jonathan Annobil
Said Henry
(Names as per Zoom)
Mila Garcia
Goyum
Tausif
Zuhair Alshaaer
MB Samimi
Gonzalo Cooper
Thomas Saras
Ragee Arasaratnam
Mohammad Tajdolati
Ned Blair
Helen Wang
Dimitri Papadopoulos
Pooyan Tabatabaei
Elsayed Nasr
Margaret Bonikowska
Ernesto Donan
Susana Donan
Yuri Natchetoi
Deborah Shatz
Roberto Hausman
Tamil Journal
Olga Kileev
Neel Nanda
Hermie Garcia
Kathy Gerasklis
Rosemary Sadlier
Shahidul Mintu
George Guzmas
Basilio Giordano
Logan Logendralingam
John- CCTimes
Lucy Lyang
Elena Iliadi
Houman
Kamal Nava
Ayubowan SriLanka
Liisa Qureshi
AR Nathan
Martha Pinzon
Zenaida Ferry-Kharroubi
Ghulam Rasool
Jennifer Zhu
Syed Hassan
Shail Persaud
Ramsankr Sivanathan
Agenda of the day:
- Welcome Remarks by the chair.
- Minutes of the previous meeting
- President’s Report/Discussions
- Presentation by Hon. Stephen Lecce, former Provincial Minister of Energy and electrification and PC MPP candidate for King-Vaughn
- Presentation by Hon. Bonnie Crombie -Leader of Ontario Liberal Party and former Mayor of Mississauga
- New Members/New Business
- Adjournment
Welcome Remarks by the Chair:
Mohammed Tajdolati chaired the hybrid meeting of January 20, 2025, and declared the meeting open. Nishantha Don moved a motion to approve the agenda. Dimitri Papadopolous seconded it. The motion was carried unanimously.
Minutes of the previous meeting:
Dimitri Papadopolous moved a motion to approve the minutes of the previous monthly meeting and Bill Fastis seconded it. Minutes of the previous monthly meeting were approved unanimously.
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President’s Report/Discussions:
- President Thomas Saras welcomed everyone to the monthly meeting of February 10, 2025.
- President, informed that Ontario government might allocate funds to ethnic publications based in Ontario.
- He mentioned that printing costs are rising and many printing companies are shutting down due to increasing costs. He suggested that with the available funds with NEPMCC and a bank loan, NEPMCC could buy a machine for printing newspapers. Hon Joe Volpe suggested of creating committee for setting up the purchase for the printing machinery and equipment.
- President, informed members that he is hoping that federal Government will improve Aid to Publishers Program and increase Federal Government Advertising.
- He mentioned that the internship program is ongoing. The council has received ninety applications.
- Thomas Saras thanked Maria Voutsinas for her tireless work towards the betterment of the members of NEPMCC.
- President, informed the members of the International Press Freedom Day to be celebrated on the first week of May. Motion International Press Freedom Day to be celebrated on May 02, 2025. The motion was unanimously carried.
- Thomas Saras met with the ministry of Canadian Heritage on various programs like LJI, PAP. There may be consolidation of various programs and organizations. President Thomas Saras will again visit the ministry in March to revisit certain rules governing certain federal programs for ethnic publications.
- President Thomas Saras mentioned about the upcoming Educational Seminar. He said a survey will be send out to members to a need analysis of the courses that members would like to take during the educational seminar.
- Motion: President Thomas Saras reminded the members of a previous resolution where it was decided to allocate funds to members who are working on the committees LJI and Educations Seminar. Ernesto Donan moved the motion supporting the above, seconded by Dimitri Papdopolous. The motion was unanimously carried.
- President Thomas Saras mentioned that NEPMCC will working towards creating a foundation for the members who need help during a crisis.
- President Thomas Saras encouraged everyone to apply for the student internship program and LJI.
- President Thomas Saras mentioned that Educational Seminar will be held next year. The office of the President of NEPMCC is working towards the educational seminar and more updates will be provided after finalizing the planning.
- President Thomas Saras informed the members that any members receiving funds from either LJI or Aid to Publications should declare that they have received funding funds from the Government of Canada. He also mentioned that anyone authoring an article under LJI should acknowledge that he is a LJI reporter.
- President Thomas Saras mentioned that in person meeting at City Hall will resume once broadcasting from City Hall will be permitted by technological requirements. President Thomas Saras wants `the meeting to be accessible to members in all parts of Canada.
- President Thomas Saras mentioned that NEPMCC has been trying hard to negotiate a better deal from Google regarding the compensation for the members of the ethnic media industry.
- Members of NEPMCC receive numerous benefits and for NEPMCC to continue supporting its members, it is necessary for members to pay their membership fees on time.
- Naga Logendralingam suggested that we should honour journalists who have lost their lives for the cause of the freedom of the press. Hon. Joe Volpe suggested that this should be brought to the attention of the committee.
- There were various discussions on the method of payment of Annual Membership fees as some members suggested e-transfer and other methods of payments. After various consultation it was decided to keep the existing payment method of payment of Annual Membership fees via cheque mailed to the office of NEPMCC
Presentation by Hon. Stephen Lecce, former Provincial Minister of Energy and electrification and PC MPP candidate for King-Vaughn
Stephen’s first experience in politics was in his hometown of Vaughan, involved in the 1999 election of the late MPP Al Palladini. Since then, he has served as the Chief spokesperson for former Prime Minister, the Honourable Stephen Harper, as Deputy Government House Leader, the Parliamentary Assistant to the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier. Hon Stephen Lecce served as the longest Education Minister since the late Bette Stephenson, serving for nearly five years. In the most recent Ontario Cabinet, he was the Minister of Energy and Electrification. As Ontario’s Minister of Energy and Electrification, Stephen has kept energy bills down for residents and businesses across Ontario, while expanding one of the cleanest grids in the world with reliable and affordable energy.
During his address to the council, he highlighted the following key approaches:
- Team Canada approach
- We need to wake up and encourage more business in Canada
- We need to protect the job of every Ontarians and Canadians.
Bill Fastis, Said Henry, Lankathas Pathmanathan, Rue, Manan Gupta and others pertinent questions affecting the people of Ontario. Hon. Stepehen Lecce candidly answered all questions raised by the members of NEPMCC.
Presentation by Hon. Bonnie Crombie -Leader of Ontario Liberal Party and former Mayor of Mississauga
The chair introduced Hon. Bonnie Crombie to the meeting.
Bonnie’s life story is proof that hard work should pay off and that, in Ontario, anything is possible. Her Polish mother and grandparents taught her the values of hard work and community. A successful business leader and entrepreneur, Bonnie is also a proud mother of three. As Mayor of Mississauga, Bonnie implemented a progressive vision to build a thriving city and to carefully manage the budget. She was elected three times in landslide victories. Bonnie also served as an MP and city councillor.
Hon. Bonnie Crombie’s policy has the following highlights
Guarantee everyone a family doctor in four years, ensure mental healthcare is covered under OHIP, and support seniors to age with dignity. Slash taxes, saving you thousands annually by permanently cutting income tax for Ontario workers and eliminating sales tax (HST) on home heating and hydro bills. Build more homes you can afford by eliminating development charges, restoring the dream of homeownership, and bringing fairness back to the rental market. Permanently double ODSP so Ontario’s most vulnerable are not left behind. Clear the school repair backlog, keep kids and educators safe at school, and provide education that prepares Ontario for the future.
Hon Bonnie Crombie then opened the floor for questions.
Said Henry, Isabel Inclan, Lankathas Patmanathan, Maria Swietorzecki, Logan Logendralingam, Bill Fastis, Arif Ahmed, Hon Joe Volpe and other participated during the question-and-answer session.
New Business/New Members
Maria Saras Voutsinas updated on the status of funds regards to LJI. Further information will be communicated about the cheques and electronic devices.
Hon. Volpe highlighted that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the body overseeing the Canadian Journalism Collective (CJC) initiative, had made significant progress. However, he noted the following complications: Members who had not applied or believed they were eligible to apply were required to submit applications again. Eligibility for funding does not guarantee acceptance for 2025; those who miss this opportunity may have to wait until subsequent years. He urged members to vote for A7 for Hon. Volpe and A2 with Mr. Saras on February 24
Adjournment: Hon Joe Volpe moved a motion to adjourn the meeting, and Yuri Natchetoii seconded it. The motion was carried. The Chair, Dr. Tajdolati adjourned the meeting at 8:15 PM. The next monthly meeting will take place on Monday, February 10 ,2025, via Zoom.
The above notes from the minutes of February 10, 2025, were prepared by Secretary General and Senior VP of the NEPMCC, Neel Nanda.