Attached and enclosed please find a joint press release from ACTRA Toronto and Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Toronto, May 5, 2015 – Ontario’s Protecting Child Performers Act received Royal Assent today. ACTRA Toronto Councillors and members were at Queen’s Park to mark the historic occasion.

ACTRA Toronto and Canadian Actors’ Equity Association (Equity) were consulted on the legislation first presented as a private member’s bill by M.P.P. Paul Miller. The legislation covers both the live and the recorded entertainment industries and contains provisions to protect a portion of minors’ income, ensure their education is not compromised, guarantees parental supervision, age-appropriate hours of work and breaks, and health and safety measures. Under the terms of the Act, the law comes into effect on February 5, 2016.

“Reasonable work hours, tutoring and income protection for child actors has been a priority for ACTRA for over 20 years, led by Theresa Tova with Shirley Douglas, Sarah Polley and Tabby Johnson,” said David Sparrow, President of ACTRA Toronto.

“Unlike other industries where children are prohibited from working until they’re at least 14 years old, the entertainment industry regularly engages children on stage and screen.” said Arden R. Ryshpan, Equity Executive Director. “We thank Ontario legislators for enacting a law to specifically protect children working without the benefit of collective agreement protections.”

“This law will bring to all children in the business the kind of protections ACTRA and Equity negotiate in their agreements,” said Theresa Tova, ACTRA’s Child Advocate.

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.

Canadian Actors’ Equity Association (Equity) is the voice of professional artists working in live performance in English Canada. It is a national artists’ association representing almost 6,000 performers, directors, choreographers, fight directors and stage managers working in theatre, opera and dance from coast to coast.

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For more information contact:

Karen Woolridge, Public Relations Officer ACTRA Toronto

Email: kwoolridge@actratoronto.com

Mobile: (416) 937-1437

Lynn McQueen, Communications Director

Canadian Actors’ Equity Association

Email: lynn@caea.com

Mobile: 416-476-7037