TORONTO – The Writers Guild of Canada is celebrating 25 years of working on behalf of Canadian screenwriters.
The organization called its very existence “a triumph”. Originally part of ACTRA, the writers broke away from the performers organization in 1991 to form a guild devoted solely to writers’ needs. Twenty-five years later, the WGC has 2,200 members, employs 23 staff, and negotiates collective agreements to ensure that writers are paid and treated properly.
“It’s been a fabulous 25 years — not always easy, but always inspiring to see how the organization has gone from strength to strength”, said WGC president Jill Golick, in the news release. “Our writers have not only become some of the best screenwriters in the world, they’ve also contributed to making the WGC the powerful, forward thinking organization it is.”
The anniversary year kicks off with a special “WGC at 25” event in Vancouver on February 26 at 6:30 PM where host Dennis Heaton (showrunner, Motive) and a panel of writers including Chuck Lazer, Fred Yackman, Susin Nielsen, Brad Wright, Sarah Dodd, and Andrew Wreggitt will take the audience behind-the-scenes of Canadian TV and film, and share stories from the WGC’s colourful history.
The WGC will continue to mark its quarter-century of accomplishments with a special 25th anniversary edition of the WGC Screenwriting Awards at Koerner Hall in Toronto on May 2, followed by a souvenir 25th edition of Canadian Screenwriter magazine. Another anniversary event is planned for Montreal later in the year, and the WGC is also planning to launch a video tracing its history.
