Minutes of November 11, 2024, online meeting

National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada

Minutes of November 11, 2024, online meeting

Time: 18:00 (06:00pm)

Location: Online (Zoom) meeting

Chair: Dr. Mohammad Tajdolati

Minute taker: Demetris Vohaitis

Participants: 48

 

A J Roberto Hausman
A. R. Nathan Joe Volpe Rosemary Sadlier
Anfisa Lyasola K S
Arif Ahmed Kathy Gerasklis Shahidul Mintu
Ayubowan Srilanka Kathy L. L. Lin Shail – India Journal
C Kethees Kumar Sima Gharrarzadeh
Cittadino Canadese

Basilio Giordano

L Sohi Kheradmand
D Lankathas Pathmanathan Sukumar – The Tamil Journal
Demetris Vohaitis Liisa Qureshi Syed Hassan
Denis Poirier Lucy Lyang T
Dimitris Papadopoulos M Tamilexpress
Dr. Mohammad Tajdolati M. B. Samimi Thomas S. Saras
E Manan Gupta Tom Bijvoet
Eduardo Vieira Maria Saras-Voutsinas W
Elsayed Nasr Max Zhou Weera Fonseca
Ernesto Mila Garcia Y
Eugenia Blachinow O Yugam Radio
G Olga Knopka Yuri Natchetoi
Ghulam Rasool P Z
Guzmas Phoebe Li Zenaida Kharroubi
H Pooyan Tabatabei Zolen Georgievska
Hermie Garcia R Zuhair
Houman Ragee Arasaratnam  

Guest of the evening:   Amrita Roy Chowdhury Majumbar, Marketing and Communications Manager, Catholic Community Services of York Region

  1. Call to order

At 18:08 (06:08 pm) the meeting was called to order.

The Chair of the meeting, Dr. Mohamad Tajdolati, did the opening and the welcoming remarks.

  1. Approval of the agenda

Motion to approve Agenda: Roberto

Seconded by: Sukumar

Outcome: Approved as all participants were in favour

 

  1. Approval of previous meeting minutes

Reference date of previous meeting:

Corrections/Amendments: None

Motion to approve: Pooyan Tabatabei

Seconded by: Tom

Outcome: Approved as all participants were in favour

  1. Matters arising from previous minutes

None

  1. Agenda items

5a        i. Thomas Saras, CEO of the NEPMCC, began by expressing his gratitude to all attendees for their participation.

  1. Saras highlighted the cost-effectiveness of online meetings compared to in-person gatherings. With humor, he noted: “Online meetings are much cheaper than live ones, as even for coffee, we must pay $300!” (laughter from the audience).

iii. He then shifted focus to the importance of members applying for available programs.

  1. To support members more effectively, Saras reminded attendees of his earlier request for all members to inform Maria Saras-Voutsinas about their equipment needs. He extended the request for those to send requests to November 15, 2024.
  2. Saras addressed the concept of “remote communities,” offering clarification on its interpretation.
  • He emphasized that “remote communities” does not imply sending individual copies of publications, as single copies are designated for subscribers who have paid for the service.
  • Saras elaborated on the term by stating:
  • “In communities where the number of members is very small and they lack the resources to publish a newspaper, or where there are community members who do not understand English or French, it is imperative that your publication reaches them. Therefore, you should send a bundle of newspapers, containing at least 25 copies, to such communities to ensure they have access to important information.”

Building on this definition, he requested that, should such circumstances apply -even in large cities where there are newly arrived community members who would benefit from receiving these publications- publishers should inform him accordingly to facilitate the distribution.

  • Looking ahead, Saras announced details of the annual Holiday event, scheduled for the 20th of December. He revealed that Premier Doug Ford is expected to attend, along with an unspecified leader from Ottawa. Regarding logistical arrangements, he noted the following:

  • 350 tickets have been ordered for 35 tables.
  • Each ticket is priced at $70.
  • In closing, Saras emphasized inclusivity, stating: “For those whose financial circumstances make it difficult to purchase a ticket, please inform me, and we will explore how to ensure your attendance, as I want all of you to be there.”

 

  1. Saras informed the attendees that:
  • Nominations would close in four days due to the time required to prepare the awards. He stated that his office had already received 10 nominations, with an additional 10 expected for the best publications category.
  • He encouraged members to promptly nominate individuals from their communities who have demonstrated exceptional work, emphasizing the importance of submitting these nominations as soon as possible.
  • Saras proceeded to outline the monetary awards associated with this year’s recognitions:Best Articles: $1,000 will be awarded to the best articles published this year.

LJI Publications: Articles produced under the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) program or by interns working on LJI projects will also be eligible for a $1,000 award, along with an official recognition.

Exceptional Intern Performance: An additional $500 will be awarded to an intern for outstanding work, accompanied by an award.

  • Saras reiterated the need for members to inform him if their publications included LJI-related content or articles prepared by interns that meet the criteria for recognition.

vii. The general manager of the NEPMCC, Maria Saras-Voutsinas spoke about the LJI program and how the committee is finalizing the remaining applications. She thanked everyone for their patience in receiving their funding.

viii. Updates from Joe Volpe

  1. Mohamad Tajdolati inquired if the General Manager of NEPMCC, Maria Saras-Voutsinas, had any updates regarding the Google situation. Maria responded that there were no new developments and referred the question to Joe Volpe for further information.
  2. Joe Volpe prefaced his remarks by stating that his information, while accurate at the time, was approximately 36 hours old and might no longer be entirely current. He outlined three key issues discussed in ongoing conversations:

iia. 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 2024; those who miss this opportunity may have to wait until subsequent years.

The structure of the CJC’s Board of Governors (BoG) will determine future opportunities, with decisions expected by the end of this year.

iib. Volpe confirmed his application for a seat on the BoG under two conditions:

  • To represent himself independently.
  • To represent the interests of the NEPMCC and its members, as this group is underrepresented.

He urged other qualified members to consider applying for the BoG, emphasizing the need for collective representation. He stressed the injustice of excluding certain groups and the importance of ensuring their voice is heard within the decision-making framework.

iic. Volpe addressed challenges faced by NEPMCC members in aligning with CJC’s categories. He noted that broadcasters and digital media often face different standards compared to traditional print media, such as Global News, which qualifies as both. He urged members from all media backgrounds to apply and recommended doing so immediately to avoid delays in the next cycle.

iid. Volpe stated that the final decision on applications would be followed by a general meeting to elect BoG members. This timeline is expected to progress quickly, with funding to be distributed by the end of 2024 or early 2025.

iie. Volpe underscored the political motivations driving the urgency to disburse funding. With speculation of a federal election looming before next October, concerns have arisen that a potential change in government could favor Google and derail the initiative. The priority is to secure the first $100 million in funding, benefiting eligible organizations, including those in the NEPMCC.

iif. Volpe concluded by encouraging members to submit applications for funding and to consider applying for BoG positions. He emphasized his willingness to support these efforts, reiterating the importance of accessing the available $63 million (net of administrative fees). He remarked “Even a small portion of that funding is better than having nothing at all.”

  1. New business

Amrita Roy Chowdhury Majumbar, the Marketing and Communications Manager of Catholic Community Services of York Region (CCSYR), was presented to the floor and she likely highlighted the organization’s central role in supporting the community during the Christmas season. CCSYR provides various services, focusing on inclusivity and aid to vulnerable groups.

  • Support for Newcomers: CCSYR is known for its programs assisting immigrants and refugees with settlement services, including orientation, language training, and cultural integration. Around Christmas, the organization emphasizes helping new families celebrate the holiday in a welcoming environment, especially those unfamiliar with Canadian traditions.
  • Community Outreach: Likely, Majumbar spoke of initiatives such as holiday food drives, gift donations for underprivileged families, and organizing community events that foster belonging and togetherness.
  • Mental Health and Wellness Support: CCSYR provides counseling and emotional support services, crucial during the holiday season, a time that can bring stress or feelings of isolation to many.
  • Volunteer and Donor Engagement: She also called for community involvement through donations, sponsorships, or volunteerism, ensuring the continuity of programs during the festive period.
  • Cultural and Religious Inclusivity: CCSYR often incorporates diverse cultural and religious practices into its services, which might have been emphasized to include all members of the community in holiday celebrations.

  1. Next meeting

Date and Time: Monday, December 9, 2024 at 6:00pm (18:00) Eastern Time (US and Canada).

Location: Zoom meeting.

Meeting link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86037003092?pwd=6iUxTFKJwy5Q6aSfeMrjVnj1V4XNOp.1

Meeting ID: 860 3700 3092

Passcode: 592006

 

  1. Adjournment

Time: 07:17pm (19:17)

Closing remarks: A proposal was made for everyone to secure tickets for the upcoming holiday event scheduled for the 20th of December. Tickets are priced at $70 each, and tables seating ten people are available for $700. This festive gathering promises to bring together community members to celebrate the season, likely featuring a mix of networking opportunities, entertainment, and acknowledgments of collective achievements throughout the year. The emphasis on early bookings suggests a high level of anticipated interest and the importance of ensuring participation in this key end-of-year celebration.

Motion to approve adjournment: Yuri Natchetoi

Seconded by: Anfissa Lyasola

Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on October 21, 2024, at City Hall, via Zoom

Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on October 21, 2024, 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 Lyang

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
  • New Members/New Business
  • Adjournment

 

 

Welcome Remarks by the Chair:

Mohammed Tajdolati chaired the hybrid meeting of October 21, 2024, and declared the meeting open. Roberto Hausman moved a motion to approve the agenda. Pooyan Tabatabaei 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 Yuri Natchetoi 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 October 21, 2024.

The President informed that Ontario government might allocate funds to ethnic publications based in Ontario.

  • The President informed members that he had meeting with the officers from the ministry of Heritage in Montreal.
  • He mentioned that the internship program is ongoing. The council has received ninety applications.
  • President Thomas Saras thanked Maria Voutsinas for her tireless work towards the betterment of the members of NEPMCC.

 

  • He also 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.

 

  • The President 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.
  • President Thomas Saras thanked Susana Donan for her generous donation of $12,000, Hon Joe Volpe for his generous donation of $3000, Dimitri Papadopolous for his generous donation of $2000, Hon Basilio Giordano for his donation of $2000. Kathy Lin for her generous donation of $5000. President Thomas Saras also thanked all other members who generously donated to NEPMCC. He also reminded the members for renewing their membership by paying their annual membership fees. 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.
  • The President mentioned also the Annual Get- Together will be held on December 20 at the Hungarian Canadian Cultural Centre. As per previous meeting the ticket cost for the Annual Get-Together was set at $70 per person by a motion. Members were encouraged to attend this event with their families.
  • 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

 

New Business/New Members

Echo Liu -Author, Skyky Cultural Publishers. Skyky Cultural Publishers is dedicated in providing a diverse range of genres, offering ambitious authors a platform to express their emotions and beliefs to readers worldwide. Our imprints cover a wide spectrum, including fiction, non-fiction, children’s literature, educational works, arts, and poetry. Skyky Foundation would present the fifth Skyky Youth Charity Concert at the prestigious Roy Thomson Hall on November 10th, 2024. This grand event aims to support SickKids Hospital, showcasing exceptional talents and fostering a platform for young musicians to shine.

Jeremey Grimaldi Jeremy Grimaldi, a former journalist at Metroland, has made a significant transition from crime reporter to award-winning author executive director, of the highly popular Netflix documentary titled “What Jennifer Did.” Grimaldi’s book, “A Daughter’s Deadly Deception: The Jennifer Pan Story,” published in 2016, earned him the prestigious 2017 Arthur Ellis non-fiction award. Netflix took notice of the book and decided to adapt it into a documentary in 2021. As the book’s author, Grimaldi was appointed as the executive director of the film.

Finaly, Maria Saras-Voutsinas, gave an update on the compensations from Google based on the Online News Act. The CJC-CCJ has announced that the applications are now open for news businesses that wish to share in compensation from the Online News Act. The Canadian Journalism Collective-Collectif Canadien de Journalisme (CJC-CCJ) has signed an agreement to act as the collective responsible for receiving and distributing $100 million annually from Google in support of Canadian news businesses under the Online News Act. As outlined in the final regulations of the Act, the Collective will work with all eligible news businesses that came forward during the open call process. The CJC-CCJ commits to equitably support the full diversity of the news ecosystem, ensure marketplace fairness, and encourage innovation and sustainability. The CJC-CCJ is responsible for reviewing all news publishers that responded to the open call process, accepting all that submitted valid attestations, and then distributing funds across publishers in accordance with the distribution formula prescribed by the Online News Act regulations. The CJC-CCJ intends to establish robust governance and distribute funding as swiftly and transparently as possible. News businesses that missed the previous open call conducted by Google may also apply, but their eligibility to receive funds is subject to a pending decision by the CRTC.

Adjournment: Hon Joe Volpe moved a motion to adjourn the meeting and Roberto Hausman 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, November 11 ,2024, via Zoom.

The above notes from the minutes of October 21, 2024, were prepared by Secretary General and Senior VP of the NEPMCC, Neel Nanda.

 

Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on September 09, 2024, at City Hall, via Zoom

Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on September 09, 2024, 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

Veronica Cusi

Ragee Arasaratnam

Fiza Syeda

Yuri Natchetoi

Khalid Hamid

Michale Li

Maria Swietorzecki

Lucy Lyang

Elsayed Nasr

George Guzmas

MB Samimi

Susana Donan

Neel Nanda

Mohammad Tajdolati

Olga Kaleev

AR Nathan

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

Hermie Garcia

Luba Cherny

Helen Wang

Taso Chatzitheofanous

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

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 September 09, 2024, and declared the meeting open. Roberto Huzman moved a motion to approve the agenda. Dimitri Papadopoulos seconded it. The motion was carried unanimously.

 

Minutes of the previous meeting:

Roberto Huzman moved a motion to approve the minutes of the previous monthly meeting and Helen Wang ( Manitoba) 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 September 9, 2024. He mentioned that the booth at the CNE was huge success.
  • President Thomas Saras informed that Ontario government might allocate funds to ethnic publications based in Ontario.
  • He mentioned that the internship program is ongoing. The council has received 90 applications.
  • President Thomas Saras thanked Maria Voutsinas for her tireless work towards the betterment of the members of NEPMCC.

  • The president 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 approved to allocate funds to members who are working on the committees LJI, Internship program and Educational Seminar he proposed for this year the amount to be up to five thousand dollars for each one of them. Ernesto Donan moved the motion supporting the above, seconded by Dimitri Papadopoulos. The motion was unanimously carried.

 

  • The president also mentioned that NEPMCC will working towards creating a foundation for the members who need help during a crisis, the foundation will help also journalists in crisis internationally and their families in case of jailed ones. The Motion approved unanimously.

 

  • The president encouraged everyone to apply for the student internship program and LJI.

  • The president mentioned that Educational Seminar will be held next year. The office of the President of NEPMCC is working towards the educational seminar to be organized with the Toronto Metropolitan University (School of Journalism) the first or second weekend of October 2025.and more updates will be provided after finalizing the planning.
  • President Thomas Saras informed the members that any member receiving funds from either LJI, special measures to publishers or Aid to Publications should declare that they have received funding funds from the Government of Canada as ( Other Income)  They don’t pay GST for this amount. He also mentioned that anyone authoring an article under LJI should acknowledge that he is a LJI reporter.
  • The president 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.
  • The president 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.
  • The president Thomas Saras thanked Susana Donan for her generous donation of $12,000, Hon Joe Volpe for his generous donation of $3000, Dimitri Papadopolous for his generous donation of $2000, Hon Basilio Giordano for his donation of $2000. Kathy Lin for her generous donation of $5000. And all other members contributing financially to well being of the organization. The resident also thanked all other members who generously donated to NEPMCC financially or in kind. He also reminded the members for renewing their membership by paying their annual membership fees. 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.
  • The president also mentioned the Annual Get- Together event, will be held on Friday evening December 20 at the Hunguarian Canadian Cultural Centre. Motion: There were discussions to increase the price of the entrance of the annual get-together to $70 as the catering costs are significantly increased over the years. Pooyan Tabatabaei moved a motion supporting the ticket price to be raised to $70 and Yuri Natchetoi seconded the motion. The motion was unanimously carried.
  • 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 for reasons of technicality.

 

New Business/New Members

Muhammad Ali Bukhari mentioned that journalists in Bangladesh is facing persecution after the civil unrest and mentioned a report by Reporters without Borders. A statement for the journalists facing persecution in Bangladesh would be followed and once the draft being approved would be forwarded to the Consulate General of Bangladesh in Toronto.

New Member – Christos Manikis BHMA, (Montreal). The chair and the President welcomed the new member to the council.

Adjournment: Hon Joe Volpe moved a motion to adjourn the meeting and Tamil Journal 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, October 21 ,2024, via Zoom.

The above notes from the minutes of September 09, 2024, were prepared by Secretary General and Senior VP of the NEPMCC, Neel Nanda.

Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on July 08, 2024

Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on July 08, 2024, 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 Lyang

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

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 July 08, 2024, and declared the meeting open. Yuri Natchetoi moved a motion to approve the agenda. Dimitri Papadopoulos seconded it. The motion was carried unanimously.

 

Minutes of the previous meeting:

Dimitri Papadopoulous moved a motion to approve the minutes of the previous monthly meeting and Margaret Bonikowiska 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 July 8, 2024. He hoped the coming months will be great for everyone. He also reminded members to pay their annual membership fees to continue to get the benefits and privileges as a member of NEPMCC. He mentioned that those who applied for media passes can collect it.
  • President Thomas Saras informed that Ontario government might allocate funds to ethnic publications based in Ontario.
  • President Thomas Saras thanked Maria Voutsinas for her tireless work towards the betterment of the members of NEPMCC.

  • 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.

  • President Thomas Saras mentioned the NEPMCC will be participating at the CNE this year. There will be a reception during the opening ceremony of the NEPMCC booth at CNE.

  • Motion: President Thomas Saras reminded the members of a previous resolution where it was approved 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.
  • 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.
  • President Thomas Saras thanked Hon Joe Volpe and all other members who generously donated to NEPMCC. Although the industry and members of NEPMCC are struggling financially, he encouraged everyone that can do so to donate. He also reminded the members for renewing their membership by paying their annual membership fees.
  • 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

 

New Business/New Members

Maria Saras Voutsinas updated on the disbursement of funds under LJI.

She then took questions on the components of Special Measures for Journalism and Business Innovation Grant.

The CJC-CCJ is currently preparing its submission to the CRTC, taking into account feedback they have heard from stakeholders to date. It is understood that the stakeholders expect the CJC-CCJ to establish a governance structure that represents the full diversity of the news ecosystem and processes for fund distribution that are transparent, fair, and cost-effective, in accordance with the Online News Act and regulations. One can find more information in the link below

https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2024/2024-143.htm

Geroge Bakoyannis, Margaret Bonikowska, Dimitri Papadopolous, and others participated in discussions on the relevant issues raised during the meeting.

Adjournment:  Dimitri Papadopoulos moved a motion to adjourn the meeting and Margaret Bonikowska 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, August 12 ,2024, via Zoom. (Meeting may be postponed due to the preparation of the CNE Ethnic Press Booth)

The above notes from the minutes of July 08, 2024, were prepared by Secretary General and Senior VP of the NEPMCC, Neel Nanda.

Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on June 10, 2024

Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on June 10, 2024, at Committee Room No 2, City Hall, hybrid meeting via Zoom and in person.

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 Lyang

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

Agenda of the day:

  • Welcome Remarks by the chair.
  • Minutes of the previous meeting
  • Presentation by Heritage Canada
  • Presentation by Meetu Madahar, Communications Manager, United Way of Greater Toronto
  • President’s Report/Discussions
  • New Members/New Business
  • Adjournment

 

 

Welcome Remarks by the Chair:

Mohammed Tajdolati chaired the hybrid meeting of June 10, 2024, and declared the meeting open. Manan Gupta moved a motion to approve the agenda. Pooyan Tabatabaei seconded it. The motion was carried unanimously.

 

Minutes of the previous meeting:

Arif Ahmed moved a motion to approve the minutes of the previous monthly meeting and Dimitri Papadopoulous 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 June 10, 2024.  He hoped the coming months will be great for everyone.  He also reminded members to pay their annual membership fees to continue to get the benefits and privileges as a member of NEPMCC. He mentioned that those who applied for media passes can collect it.
  • President Thomas Saras thanked Maria Saras Voutsinas and members in the committee who worked towards the “Freedom of Press” Celebration at City Hall. The event was a huge success.

 

  • President Thomas Saras welcomed a delegation of officers from Canadian Heritage  to the monthly meeting of June 10, 2024.

  • 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.

  • President Thomas Saras mentioned the NEPMCC will be participating at the CNE this year. There will be a reception during the opening ceremony of the NEPMCC booth at CNE.
  • Motion: Miniter of Heritage demanded a coordinator to be a liaison between the federally run LJI and Student Internship programs and NEPMCC. The name of Maria Saras Voutsinas was suggested as the coordinator of the Federally run programs. George Guzmas moved the motion supporting Maria Saras as the coordinator of the Federally run programs funded by the Ministry of Canadian Heritage. Shahidul Islam Mintu seconded it. The motion was unanimously carried.

  • 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 logistics.
  • 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 writing 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.
  • 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.
  • President Thomas Saras thanked Hon Joe Volpe and all other members who generously donated to NEPMCC. Although the industry and members of NEPMCC are struggling financially, he encouraged everyone that can do so to donate. He also reminded the members for renewing their membership by paying their annual membership fees.
  • 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 Heritage Canada PCH – Canada Periodical Fund

The Chair invited the delegation to make their presentation.

The delegation included

France Fortier, Director, Periodical Publishing Policy and Programs,

Karine Morin, Manager, Aid to Publishers, Canada Periodical Fund

Andrea Simms-Karp, Manager Collective Initiatives, LJI, CPF

Sridaya Srivastan, Policy Analyst Magazines Policy

Brigette Fontille, Program Officer, LJI

Cynthia D’Amours, Senior Program Officer, LJI, SMJ

Canada  Periodical Fund (CPF):

Overview of CPF components

Special Measures for Journalism (SMJ):

The SMJ component provides funds to Canadian magazines and community newspapers. The SMJ component will provide funds for the 2024-2025 fiscal year to publishers that have a free circulation model or low levels of paid circulation, or are published in digital format. Funding is distributed proportionally according to the total of eligible editorial expenses of each recipient.

Aid to Publishers (ATP):

The Aid to Publishers component is designed to provide eligible Canadian publishers of print magazines, print community newspapers (non-daily) and digital periodicals with the financial support they need to produce and distribute high-quality, Canadian editorial content for Canadian readers.Funding is distributed proportionally according to the number of eligible copies distributed by each recipient; eligible editorial expenditures of each recipient for print magazines and community newspapers. For digital-only periodicals, funding is distributed proportionally according to eligible editorial expenditures.

Business Innovation (BI):

The Business Innovation component offers support for projects to eligible small and mid-sized print and digital magazines, and print and digital non-daily community newspapers. BI is designed to fund projects that have clear objectives and measurable results. Your application will be evaluated based on the criteria below. It will be compared and prioritized with other applications in relation to the funds available. Funding will be disbursed as a grant or as a contribution.

Collective Initiatives (CI):

The Collective Initiatives component funds projects for organizations designed to increase the overall sustainability of the Canadian magazine and community newspaper (non-daily) industries. CI is designed to fund projects that have clear objectives and measurable results. Your application will be evaluated based on the evaluation criteria below. It will be compared and prioritized with other applications in relation to the funds available.

Intake periods for current and upcoming funding cycles

SMJ 2024-2025

This component is currently receiving applications (opened May 31, 2024). The

deadline to apply is July 12, 2024. Following the deadline date, there is a 30-week

service standard to issue funding decisions.

BI 2024-2025

This component is currently receiving applications (opened June 10, 2024). The

deadline date to apply is July 12, 2024. Following the deadline date, there is a 20-

week service standard to issue funding decisions.

CI 2024-2025

This component is currently receiving applications (opened June 10, 2024). The

deadline date to apply is August 30, 2024. Following the deadline date, there is a

20-week service standard to issue funding decisions.

ATP 2025-2026

This component will launch the next funding cycle in October 2024 with a

deadline date to apply of end of November 2024. Following the deadline date,

there is a 30-week service standard to issue funding decisions.

Frequently recurring issues

Reproduced content

Content previously published on other platforms or in other publications.

The Program requires periodicals to contain at least 51% of original

content that has not been published elsewhere previously.

Unoriginal translated content

Translated content that was previously published on other platforms or in

other publications. Translation of previously published content does not

constitute original content. Translations of previously published content

may constitute up to a maximum of 49% of applicant’s submitted

content in an application.

Paid copies reported on forms

For subscription copies sold, a subscribers list may be requested to

confirm numbers reported on the form. For single-copy/newsstand sales,

points of sale reports showing each individual transactions may be

requested to confirm numbers reported on form.

Following the presentation, the chair Dr. Tajdolati opned the floor for questions and answers to members present in person and members attending all over Canada via Zoom.

Kathy Geskalis, Dimitri Papadopoulous, Manan Gupta, Hon Joe Volpe, Pooyan Tabatabaei, Margaret P. Bonikowska, Lisa, Manan Gupta, Shai l,Olga Kileev , Sean Pickard, Mareck Goldyn, Zuhair Alshaeer, Logan Logendranalingam, George Guzmas, Mila Garcia and others asked relevant questions to the delegation.

Presentation of plaques to the delegation fron from Heritage Canada

President Thomas Saras presented plaques to the delegation in appreciation of their time and guidance to the members of NEPMCC

 

.

.

Toronto

New Business/New Members

.

Adjournment:  Shahidul Islam Mintu moved a motion to adjourn the meeting and George Guzmas 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, July 08, 2024, via Zoom.

The above notes from the minutes of June 10, 2024, were prepared by Secretary General and Senior VP of the NEPMCC, Neel Nanda.

Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on May 13, 2024, at City Hall, hybrid meeting via Zoom and in person.

Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on May 13, 2024, at City Hall, hybrid meeting via Zoom and in person.

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 Lyang

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

Agenda of the day:

  • Welcome Remarks by the chair.
  • Minutes of the previous meeting
  • Presentation by Kate Gardner Co founder and CEO of myRESET
  • Presentation by Meetu Madahar, Communications Manager, United Way of Greater Toronto
  • President’s Report/Discussions
  • New Members/New Business
  • Adjournment

 

 

Welcome Remarks by the Chair:

Mohammed Tajdolati chaired the hybrid meeting of May 13, 2024, and declared the meeting open. Roberto Hausman moved a motion to approve the agenda. Pooyan Tabatabaei seconded it. The motion was carried unanimously.

 

Minutes of the previous meeting:

Olga Kileev moved a motion to approve the minutes of the previous monthly meeting and Dimitri Papadopoulous seconded it. Minutes of the previous monthly meeting were approved unanimously.

 President’s Report/Discussions:

  • President Thomas Saras welcomed everyone to the online monthly meeting of May 13, 2024. He hoped the coming months will be great for everyone.  He also reminded members to pay their annual membership fees to continue to get the benefits and privileges as a member of NEPMCC.
  • President Thomas Saras thanked Maria Saras Voutsinas and members in the committee who worked towards the “Freedom of Press” Celebration at City Hall. The event was a huge success.

 

  • President Thomas Saras mentioned that a delegation of officers from Canadian Heritage will be coming to the monthly meeting of June 10, 2024.He encouraged everyone to attend the meeting, including members who are from different provinces.

  • 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.

  • President Thomas Saras mentioned the NEPMCC will be participating at the CNE this year. There will be a reception during the opening ceremony of the NEPMCC booth at CNE.
  • Motion: Miniter of Heritage demanded a coordinator to be a liaison between the federally run LJI and Student Internship programs and NEPMCC. The name of Maria Saras Voutsinas was suggested as the coordinator of the Federally run programs. George Guzmas moved the motion supporting Maria Saras as the coordinator of the Federally run programs funded by the Ministry of Canadian Heritage. Shahidul Islam Mintu seconded it. The motion was unanimously carried.
  • President Thomas Saras suggested that the Freedom of Press Festival be held on May 10 at City Hall. The suggestion was unanimously carried. There will be a reception at the City Hall.

  • 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 logistics.
  • 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 writing 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.
  • 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.
  • President Thomas Saras thanked Hon Joe Volpe and all other members who generously donated to NEPMCC. Although the industry and members of NEPMCC are struggling financially, he encouraged everyone that can do so to donate. He also reminded the members for renewing their membership by paying their annual membership fees.
  • 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 Kate Gardner Co founder and CEO of myRESET

The Chair invited Kate Gardner to make her presentation

myRESET Journey, was designed with a deep understanding of the traumatic, barrier-filled life experiences of Black, Indigenous, and racialized Canadians who have been impacted by the criminal justice system. While many organizations deliver various reintegration services, there is no singular organization that delivers a program as comprehensive, supportive, and culturally sensitive as the myRESET Journey. Instead of “reinventing the wheel,” myRESET is reimagining the criminal justice system by delivering a program in partnership with “best-in-class” existing service providers while seeking active participation from the funding partners. As Canada faces a historic labour crisis, myRESET is challenging policymakers and leaders across all sectors to re-evaluate the purpose of incarceration through a creative, inclusive, and “homegrown” talent solution, which will ultimately cultivate safer, more prosperous communities. As Canadian taxpayers face huge financial costs associated with high incarceration rates and the overrepresentation of racialized Canadians in the justice system, individuals – and their families and communities – who are in possession of a criminal record face debilitating systemic barriers. There is also extensive research demonstrating that more time in jail results in more crime rather than reducing crime. In alignment with existing government policies and funding programs aiming to support new Canadians with integrating into the workforce, the myRESET journey is a creative and cost-effective pathway to support 4 million Canadians in possession of a criminal record as they reintegrate into the workforce. In contrast with the cost of federal incarceration per inmate (over $100,000/year) and provincial incarceration (over $60,000/year), the cost of the myRESET Journey is only about $30,000 per participant. Over time, we are confident that myRESET will contribute to a reduction in governments spending taxpayer dollars on law enforcement and social programming as more justice-impacted Canadians are able to pursue and thrive in meaningful careers.

Presentation by Meetu Madahar, Communications Manager, United Way of Greater Toronto.

United Way Greater Toronto is interested in collaborating with the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada to connect with community/ethnic journalists in the GTA, and in Ontario at a Neighbourhood Walk this September.

UWGT would select the neighbourhood, which would include a tour of their agencies and the research work that they are involved with, as well as talks about the histories of the chosen neighbourhood. Members of NEPMCC are invited to then join for a lovely lunch where they will have the opportunity for one-on-one media interviews, and/or chats with the President and CEO, Daniele Zanotti.

Toronto

New Business/New Members

Maria Saras Voutsinas emphasized that members from the GTA need to be present during the monthly meeting of June as a delegation from Canadian Heritage will there to know the issues facing the ethnic media industry and to answer questions on Canada Periodical Fund and other grants available for members of the ethnic media industry. She stressed the need to be in numbers to show the strength of NEPMCC for its voices to be heard.

Adjournment:  Dimitri Papadopolous moved a motion to adjourn the meeting and George Guzmas 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, June 10, 2024, via Zoom.

The above notes from the minutes of May 13, 2024, were prepared by Secretary General and Senior VP of the NEPMCC, Neel Nanda.

Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on April 08, 2024, through video conference via Zoom.

Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on April 08, 2024, through video conference 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 Lyang

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

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 virtual monthly meeting of April 08, 2024, and declared the meeting open. Roberto Hausman moved a motion to approve the agenda. Pooyan Tabatabaei 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 Pooyan Tabatabaei seconded it. Minutes of the previous monthly meeting were approved unanimously.

 President’s Report/Discussions:

  • President Thomas Saras welcomed everyone to the online monthly meeting of April 8, 2024. He hoped the coming months will be great for everyone.  He also reminded members to pay their annual membership fees to continue to get the benefits and privileges as a member of NEPMCC.
  • President Thomas Saras mentioned that LJI and Student Internship Program has been updated for the next three years.
  • Motion: Miniter of Heritage demanded a coordinator to be a liaison between the federally run LJI and Student Internship programs and NEPMCC. The name of Maria Saras Voutsinas was suggested as the coordinator of the Federally run programs. George Guzmas moved the motion supporting Maria Saras as the coordinator of the Federally run programs funded by the Ministry of Canadian Heritage. Shahidul Islam Mintu seconded it. The motion was unanimously carried.
  • President Thomas Saras suggested that the Freedom of Press Festival be held on May 10 at City Hall. The suggestion was unanimously carried. There will be a reception at the City Hall.
  • Margaret Bonikowska suggested of raising the membership fee. She also suggested that we need to spend resources in upgrading the website of NEPMCC. There were various discussions regarding this. Many members contributed their ideas towards upgrading the website. Pooyan Tabatabaei, George Guzmas, Dimitri Papadopoulous, Liisa Qureshi and others participated in the discussion. It was decided that a committee would look into the suggestions of upgrading NEPMCC website.  Hermie Garcia, Yuri Natchetoi, Tamil Journal, Zuahir Alshaaer volunteered to be a part of this committee.

  • 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 logistics.
  • 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 writing 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.
  • President Thomas informed members about the Freedom of Press Festival in May. Motion: There was a motion on the floor to approve the expenses for the freedom of press festival, which would take place on May 10 at the City Hall. Kathy Lin moved a motion and Leila Monteiro Lins seconded it. The motion was carried unanimously.
  • 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.
  • President Thomas Saras thanked Hon Joe Volpe and all other members who generously donated to NEPMCC. Although the industry and members of NEPMCC are struggling financially, he encouraged everyone that can do so to donate. He also reminded the members for renewing their membership by paying their annual membership fees.
  • 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

New Business/New Members

Maria Saras Voutsinas informed that “What Jennifer Di” a documentary based on the story of Jennifer Pan and co-produced by one of the members of NEPMCC, Paul Nguyen is releasing in Netflix on April 10 and is highly rated by the critics.

Adjournment:  Dimitri Papadopolous moved a motion to adjourn the meeting and George Guzmas 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, May 13, 2024, via Zoom.

The above notes from the minutes of April 08, 2024, were prepared by Secretary General and Senior VP of the NEPMCC, Neel Nanda.

Minutes of the March 11 2024 Monthly Meeting

Minutes of the March 11, 2024 Monthly Meeting

Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on March 11, 2024 through video conference 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 Lyang
      • 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)

      • MB Samimi
      • Maria Saras-Voutsinas
      • Elsayed Nasr
      • Rue Hayer Bains
      • Ramsankr Sivanathan
      • Sima Ghaffarzadeh
      • Joe Volpe
      • Leila Monteiro-Lins
      • Dimitri Papadopoulos
      • Thomas Saras
      • Shahidul Mintuv
      • Olga Kileev
      • Roberto Hausman
      • Helen Wang
      • Pooyan Tabatabaei
      • Ernesto Donan
      • Neel Nanda
      • Maria Swietorzecki
      • Basilio Giordano
      • Elena Iliadi
      • Mohammad Tajdolati
      • Demetri Vohaitis
      • Syed Hassan
      • Deb Shatz
      • Gonzalo Cooper
      • Jennifer Zhu
      • Audrey Tougas
      • John CCTimes
      • Lucy Lyang
      • Weera Fonseka
      • Kathy Lin
      • Lankathas
      • AR Nathan
      • Michael Li
      • Ayubowan
      • Ghulam Rasool
      • Martha Pinzon
      • Yuri Natchetoi
      • Hermie Garcia
      • Roobam
      • Logan Logendralingam
      • Kathy Gerasklis
      • Mila Garcia

      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 second virtual monthly meeting of 2024 meeting and declared the meeting open. Rue Hayer Bains moved a motion to approve the agenda. Roberto Hausman 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 Helene Wang seconded it. Minutes of the previous monthly meeting were approved unanimously.

      President’s Report/Discussions:

      • President Thomas Saras welcomed everyone to the online monthly meeting of March,2024. He hoped the coming new year will be great for everyone. He also reminded members to pay their annual membership fees to continue to get the benefits and privileges as a member of NEPMCC.
      • President Thomas Saras welcomed everyone to the online monthly meeting of March,2024. He hoped the coming new year will be great for everyone. He also reminded members to pay their annual membership fees to continue to get the benefits and privileges as a member of NEPMCC.
      • 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 logistics.
      • President Thomas Saras informed the members that any member receiving funds from either LJI or Aid to Publishers should declare that they have received funds from the Government of Canada. He also mentioned that anyone writing 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.
      • The President 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.
      • Motion: The General Assembly of NEPMCC in the monthly meeting for March comes to a resolution brought by Marais Saras Voutsinas, Executive Director of NEPMCC to approve the continuation of LJI and Student Internship program for another three years and funds not claimed under the program can be spent on a second intern or reporter. The motion was approved unanimously.
      • Motion: The General Assembly of NEPMCC in the monthly meeting for March comes to a resolution brought by Marais Saras Voutsinas, Executive Director of NEPMCC to approve the continuation of LJI and Student Internship program for another three years and funds not claimed under the program can be spent on a second intern or reporter. The motion was approved unanimously.
      • President Thomas informed members about the Freedom of Press Festival in May. Motion: There was a motion on the floor to approve the expenses for the freedom of press festival to be held on the third day of May either at the City Hall or at the Lieutenant Governor’s Office. Kathy Lin moved a motion and Leila Monteiro Lins seconded it. The motion was carried unanimously.
      • Naga Logendralingam suggested that we should honour journalists who have lost their lives for the cause of the freedom of the press. Joe Volpe suggested that this should be brought to the attention of the committee.
      • President Thomas Saras thanked Hon Joe Volpe and all other members who generously donated to NEPMCC. Although the industry and members of NEPMCC are struggling financially, he encouraged everyone that can do so to donate. He also reminded the members for renewing their membership by paying their annual membership fees.
      • 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

      New Business/New Members:

      Maria Saras informed the members on the updates on LJI and Internship Program.

      Sima Ghaffarzadeh, Hon Joe Volpe, Helene Wang Lankathas Pathmanathan and others responded to the updates around Google, LJI and Media Pass.

       

      Adjournment:  Yuri Natchetoi 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 Monday, April 08, 2024, via Zoom.

      The above notes from the minutes of March 11, 2024, were prepared by Secretary General and Senior VP of the NEPMCC, Neel Nanda.

Local Journalism Initiative 2024

NEWS RELEASE

FROM: National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada

TORONTO -­ DATE: April 1, 2024

The Local Journalism Initiative was launched by the Government of Canada to support the creation of original civic journalism that covers the diverse needs of underserved communities across Canada. The National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC) is one of seven not–for–profit organizations that administers the Initiative.

If you are an Ethnic Media Outlet (written press, community radio,  community  television and online news service) you may be eligible to receive funding from the  Local Journalism Initiative and you will be able to hire journalists to strengthen local  coverage of civic matters in underserved communities.

NEPMCC is available to provide support and financial assistance to  qualifying candidates.

Applicants are encouraged to contact the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada at the following address:

100 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario M5H 2N2
President and CEO: Thomas Saras
Executive Director: Maria Saras Voutsinas
Phone: 416-921-8926
Web: nationalethnicpresscouncil.com

The National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada is a non–profit organization established in 1958 (formerly Canada Ethnic Press Federation) whose mission is to promote and integrate the economic, social and cultural interests of ethnic communities into the mainstream of Canadian Society. We are 850 Canadian media outlets available in more than 111 languages that serve new Canadians and help them to integrate into their new Canadian Culture.

Minutes of the January 15 2024 Monthly Meeting

Minutes of the January 15, 2024 Monthly Meeting

Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on January 15, 2024 through video conference 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 Lyang
      • 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

      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 first virtual monthly meeting of 2024 meeting and declared the meeting open. George Guzmas moved a motion to approve the agenda. George Guzmas seconded it. The motion was carried unanimously.

        Minutes of the previous meeting:

        George Guzmas moved a motion to approve the minutes of the previous monthly meeting and Rue Hyer Bians seconded it. Minutes of the previous monthly meeting were approved unanimously.

        President’s Report/Discussions:

        • President Thomas Saras welcomed everyone to the first online monthly meeting of January 15, 2024. He hoped the coming new year will be great for everyone.  He also reminded members to pay their annual membership fees to continue to get the benefits and privileges as a member of NEPMCC.
        • President Thomas Saras mentioned that the Annual Event on December 15 at the Hungarian Cultural Centre was a huge success. The event was attended by several distinguished individuals from all levels of Government. The food as always was lavish with lots of entertainment.
        • At the Annual Get-together a few distinguished members from the community were also honored. Thomas Saras thanked Maria Saras Voutsinas and her committee members who worked very hard towards the preparation of the Annual Dinner.
        • President Thomas Saras explained that LJI program was on hold due to the delay by the ministry of Canadian Heritage.
        • Motion: Bill Fastis appreciated President Thomas Saras for his tireless and selfless efforts for the members of the ethnic media industry. As such there is a need for the President to travel to various destinations pleading for the cause and rights for the ethnic media industry Bill Fastis moved a motion to authorize the treasury to cover the travel expenses of his flight to Ottawa and other destinations as required. The motion was seconded by George Guzman. The motion was unanimously carried.
        • President Saras mentioned that we will be going through all outstanding LJI applications shortly and new applications will still be accepted. He also reminded all LJI recipients to email Maria their tech requests.
        • President Thomas Saras thanked all the members who generously donated to NEPMCC. Although the industry and members of NEPMCC are struggling financially, he encouraged everyone that can do so to donate. He also reminded the members for renewing their membership by paying their annual membership fees.

        New Business/New Members:

        Maria Saras informed the members on the updates on LJI and Internship Program.

        Adjournment:

        Yuri Natchetoi 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 Monday, February 12, 2024, via Zoom.

        The above notes from the minutes of January 15, 2024, were prepared by Secretary General and Senior VP of the NEPMCC, Neel Nanda.