Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on December 08, 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
Rupinder Rue Hayer-Bains
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
Margaret Bonikowska
Abi Kethees
Said Henry
(Names as per Zoom)
Mila Garcia
Goyum
Tausif
Zuhair Alshaaer
MB Samimi
Gonzalo Cooper
Thomas Saras
Ragee Arasaratnam
Mohammad Tajdolati
Ned Blair
Zuhair
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
- New Members/New Business
- Adjournment
Welcome Remarks by the Chair:
Mohammed Tajdolati chaired the hybrid meeting of December 08, 2025, and declared the meeting open. George Guzmas
moved a motion to approve the agenda. Ernesto Donan seconded it. The motion was carried unanimously.
Minutes of the previous meeting:
Yuri Natchetoi moved a motion to approve the minutes of the previous monthly meeting and George Guzmas seconded it. Minutes of the previous monthly meeting were approved unanimously.
.
President’s Report/Discussions:
- President Thomas Saras welcomed everyone to the monthly meeting of December 08, 2025.
- He mentioned that this is going to be a particularly important meeting as NEPMCC will raise pertinent issues affecting the ethnic media industry with the department of Canadian Heritage. A resolution was previously drafted after a meeting with the executive of the NEPMCC at the press gallery in the City Hall. Motion: A motion was brought in the floor in the previous monthly to discuss on the resolution. Many members including Logan Logandrinaligam, George Guzmas, Marco Leveytsky, Margaret Bonikowska, Eduardo Viera, Dimitri Papadopolos, Bill Fatsis, Magram Khalid, and others had spoken overwhelmingly in support of the motion. Ricky Castellvi had seconded the motion and was unanimously voted by the seventy-two members present during the previous monthly meeting in November. The copy of the final resolution was sent to all members via email after the meeting in November 2025.
- President Thomas Saras met with the federal officials in Ottawa, about funds and budget for ethnic media.
- President Thomas Saras reached out to the office of the Prime Minister and members of various standing committees in Canadian Parliament.
- President Thomas Saras is preparing a report on the needs and challenges of the ethnic media industry which would be sent to the Federal Government.
- President Thomas Saras mentioned that a committee representing NEPMCC met with the Deputy Minister and high-ranking officials of the ministry. The committee comprised of President Thomas Saras, Mohammad Tajdolati, Maria Saras Voutsinas, Hon. Joe Volpe, and others. Among others LJI was discussed including increasing funding for the ethnic media. There would be another meeting once the new minister takes office.
- President Thomas Saras informed members that there is a new government Federally, and there may be short delays in getting funding under various programs. The LJI may be extended by 6 months. President Thomas Saras informed that LJI program may start with a few amendments. More information will be circulated about the payment cycle once we get an official confirmation from the Government. Hon joe Volpe added some more context to this on the meeting. The officials took the message very seriously on the issues presented to them by the Executive Committee of NEPMCC. Hon Joe Volpe hoped there will be fruitful outcome of the meeting soon. Dr. Tajdolati added his point of view. Maria Saras Voutsinas hope that LJI is more likely to continue. She also emphasized that they are working on making amendments to the Aid to Publisher Program.
- Annual Get-together – As previously decided the annual event would be held on December 12 at the Hungarian Canadian Cultural Centre. The tickets were subsidized for members for an affordable $70 per person. The event was almost sold out during the meeting on December 08, 2025. Any members who still wanted to attend, would have to notify Executive Director Maria Saras- Voutsinas as there are only limited seats available at the time.
- President Thomas Saras 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 Thomas Saras informed members that he is hoping that federal Government will improve Aid to Publishers Program and increase Federal Government Advertising.
- President Thomas Saras thanked Maria Voutsinas for her tireless work towards the betterment of the members of NEPMCC.
- Thomas Saras informed the members that the LJI program initially will be for 6 months. The internship program is on hold for now and there will be information once more updates are received from the Ministry.
- 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 NEPMCC has been trying hard to negotiate a better deal from Google on 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.
.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. More information will be available in next the meeting.
Hon. Joe Volpe emphasized of getting a printing machine for NEPMCC for the common cause of the members of the NEPMCC. There were various discussions on NEPMCC owning a printing machine for the benefit of all members. The council will form a committee made of a few members interested in cost benefit analysis in obtaining a printing machine and come back with a few recommendations after doing their research.
Ned Blair wondered if NEPMCC could reach out sending a letter of support to the Jamaican Consulate in Toronto expressing concern of the tragedy, which took place in Jamaica.
The chair introduced new member Khairia Mahshed Gulab – Etifak TV- on YouTube
Adjournment: George Guzmas moved a motion to adjourn the meeting, and Kathy Lin 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 January 19, 2026, via Zoom. The above minutes of December 08,2025 were prepared by Secretary General and Senior VP of the NEPMCC, Neel Nanda.
