FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 29, 2013
For Immediate Release: Toronto, November 29, 2013 – ACTRA Toronto congratulates Child Advocates, Theresa Tova and Tabby Johnson, who together won the Ontario Federation of Labour’s Cliff Pilkey Cultural Award last night.
Theresa Tova, ACTRA National Child Advocate and Tabby Johnson, ACTRA Toronto Child Advocate were honoured for their advocacy on behalf of the entertainment industry’s most vulnerable workers -child performers. Johnson and Tova host public information sessions educating parents thinking about allowing their children to work in the entertainment industry, as well as informative videos called Ask Tabby and Tova.
The Award comes just days before Bill 71, An Act to Protect Child Performers, goes before Committee at the Ontario Legislature. ACTRA’s Tova and Johnson together with Canadian Actors’ Equity Association led the fight for the bill which was presented as a private member’s bill by Paul Miller, M.P.P. for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek and passed second reading. The bill seeks to limit work hours, assure parental supervision, and protect minors’ income and education, as well as health and safety provisions specific to children. The bill covers minors working in recorded media as well as on stage, regardless of union affiliation.
ACTRA Toronto is the largest organization within ACTRA, representing more than 15,000 of Canada’s 22,000 professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada. As an advocate for Canadian culture since 1943, ACTRA is a member-driven union that continues to secure rights and respect for the work of professional performers.
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For media inquiries please contact:
Karen Woolridge
Public Relations Officer, ACTRA Toronto
Cell: (416) 937-1437