TORONTO — The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) today named its new council for the two-year term from May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2024.
WGC members re-elected Alex Levine (Orphan Black) as central region councillor, and he will resume his role as council president, says a press release.
Other re-elected WGC councillors include council vice-president and central region councillor Marsha Greene (The Porter), WGC treasurer and Atlantic region councillor Michael Amo (Pure), and Quebec region councillor Anne-Marie Perrotta (Big Top Academy).
The WGC announced three newly elected councillors. Jeremy Boxen (above, left; Killjoys) has been elected as central region councillor, and Sarah Dodd (centre; Cardinal) and Jason Filiatrault (right; Young Drunk Punk) were elected as councillors for the Pacific Western region.
Boxen is a screenwriter, producer and filmmaker and has been a WGC member since 2005. In addition to the space adventure Killjoys, his TV credits include Imposters and Orphan Black. His feature screenwriting includes “the brooding tow truck drama 22 Chaser and the bloody comedy-thriller Cottage Country,” says a biography provided by the WGC.
A WGC member since 1997, Dodd is a screenwriter and story editor whose TV credits include Code Name: Eternity, BeastMaster, Shoebox Zoo, Blood Ties, Falcon Beach, The Border, Endgame, Primeval: New World, Motive and Family Law, according to her bio. She was the showrunner of season two of CTV’s Cardinal, and executive producer on season four.*
Filiatrault has been a WGC member since 2014. His credits include “writing and co-producing on two seasons of the cult Netflix drama The Order, the feature film Entanglement (WGC Best Screenplay 2018), as well as writing on A Christmas Horror Story (starring William Shatner), APTN drama Tribal, CTV comedies Jann and Spun Out, and the Citytv series Young Drunk Punk,” says his bio.
The new WGC council has been elected at a crucial time for Canadian screenwriters, the release says.
“We’re pleased to welcome these outstanding WGC members to council. Their knowledge, experience and passion will help the WGC move forward on important issues this term, including advocating for the passage of Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act,” said WGC acting co-executive director Neal McDougall, in the release.
The WGC expressed its gratitude to the three councillors whose terms have now ended – Andrew Wreggitt (Fortunate Son), Dennis Heaton (Motive, The Order) and Lienne Sawatsky (Wishfart).
Wreggitt has been on the WGC council since 2006, serving as vice-president from 2010-2021. He “has long been the council’s point person on the CRTC, advancing the WGC’s work to convince the commission to replace its notorious 1999 TV policy, among many other contributions,” the release says.
Heaton has been on the council since 2012, serving as president from 2018-2021, “and has always led with integrity and a clear vision, while offering support and guidance to the WGC membership.”
Elected to the council in 2020, Sawatsky “has been a strong advocate for the rights of writers of animation programming,” the release says.
“On behalf of the WGC membership, I’d like to thank Andrew Wreggitt, Dennis Heaton, and Lienne Sawatsky for their service,” said WGC acting co-executive director Terry Mark. “They’ve made invaluable contributions to bettering the working environment for Canadian screenwriters in their years on council, and we know they’ll continue to add their voices in support of their fellow WGC members.”
The WGC’s press release is available here.
Photos provided by the Writers Guild of Canada.
*Update: A previous version of this story said Dodd was recently co-showrunner of CTV’s Cardinal. WGC has since provided Cartt.ca with this update to her bio.
