Dear ACTRA Toronto members,

ACTRA Toronto stands in solidarity with the performers affected by the events that have taken place at Compass Artist Management. In this precarious industry, to have your financial, emotional and mental well being abused by someone you trust is one of the worst possible situations to find yourself in. On November 1, 2022, the ACTRA Toronto Council gathered to discuss concrete steps to help address the imbalances that exist between performers and their agents within Canada’s creative industries.  We will work toward establishing a system that empowers the performer and ensures they cannot be taken advantage of again.

In 2015, because of the sustained efforts of ACTRA Toronto and Equity, Ontario’s Protecting Child Performers Act was signed into law, with the result that all child performers (union or non-union) now have access to the protections which previously were only available to ACTRA members.

So we know that we can effect change. We’ve done it before. And it is imperative that we prevent the heart breaking situation with Compass Artist Management from ever happening again.

We also know that there is no quick fix. The needed change will not happen overnight, it will demand resources, and will require involvement from multiple partners in the industry to achieve consensus.  As we did with the Child Protection Act, we will call on the government to work with our industry partners to help develop legislation that will protect our performers.

This is a fight that ACTRA Toronto is committed to taking on, but it will also require all of us to pitch in. Please watch your inbox and the ACTRA Toronto website in the days ahead.

In the meantime, ACTRA continues to work with the AFC and AFBS to ensure that performers in need can apply for financial assistance and that their benefits are not affected by the events that took place at Compass.

In solidarity,
David Gale

For more information and links resources, check out the Talent Agent/Client Trouble page on the ACTRA Toronto website.