CALM helps labour communicators build skills
CALM holds at least one training conference a year, usually in the spring. For two tiring days, editors attend hands-on workshops to acquire new skills or improve on what they already know. Writing, editing, photography, design, communications, desktop publishing and creating websites are some of the topics taught by seasoned labour communicators.

Workshops are three or six hours in length depending on the topic. Class size is kept small to promote learning. The conference is usually held at a university so that classes have access to computer labs.

CALM has workshops for all skill levels. Beginners are welcome. CALM conferences are always a source of new ideas. Non-members are welcome to attend.

CALM Conference 2012
This year, the annual CALM conference will be in Hamilton, Ontario, May 24–26. If you are interested in the calibre of presenters, here are some brief instructor biographies from last year's conference.

Workshop Leaders
2011 CALM conference workshop leaders

Rosemarie Bahr has been the CALM editor for the past decade. She has edited countless union publications and political leaflets and once even judged graphic awards for the UAW. Her passions are clear language and good grammar.

David Beers is founding editor of The Tyee (www.thetyee.ca). Launched in 2003, The Tyee has received the Canadian Excellence in Journalism Award and the Edward R. Murrow Award. David was also a senior editor at The San Francisco Examiner, Mother Jones and the Vancouver Sun. He is an adjunct professor at the UBC Graduate School of Journalism.

Ian Clysdale is a web developer for CUPE, where he is responsible for incorporating such features as free web-based e-mail, online forums and chat rooms, online ordering of union materials and free hosted and managed web sites for locals. Ian co-wrote a guide to website hosting for CUPE locals and has led many workshops on website design.

Don Ford is senior communications officer with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union. After 12 years, he’s learned that the job is never the same two days in a row. When he isn’t playing golf or woodworking, he is battling daily against the deterioration of the written word thanks to blogs, tweets and texts.

Mike Gauthier is a CAW member and past editor of CAW 199 News and St. Catharines and District Labour Council Labour News. He is the media specialist at GM in St. Catharines and works exclusively with digital photography and Photoshop.

Cam Hayduk is co-founder and director of Turtlebox Productions, based on Bowen Island near Vancouver. Turtlebox creates advocacy, educational and fundraising videos for non-profits, foundations and progressive businesses. Prior to Turtlebox, Cam taught camera skills at UBC, Capilano University and Emily Carr.

Derek Johnstone is a UFCW Canada national communications representative. Before that, he spent 10 years working as a retail meat cutter for Loblaws in London, Ontario. Derek is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, where he studied public relations.

Kris Klaasen is the principal of Vancouver communication design studio, Working Design. For the last 20 years, the company’s projects have been regular winners of CALM awards for clients including the Hospital Employees Union, the BC Division of CUPE and Health Sciences Association.

Nancy Knickerbocker does communications and campaigns for the B.C. Teachers’ Federation. She recently returned to Vancouver after four years in Brussels with Education International. Lately she is becoming addicted to Twitter haikus: “Joy! Top court affirms / collective bargaining rights / of BC teachers.”

Chris Lawson works as the media communications officer at Public Service Alliance of Canada. He’s also done communications work for CUPE and CUPW. He published his first website in 1996. He’s on twitter as cmkl and blogs at cmkl.ca <http://cmkl.ca>

Sally Leitch is CALM’s associate editor and web expert. She studied journalism at Ryerson and has worked with politicians and with wood.

Marie Della Mattia is president and CEO of NOW Communications Group, an advertising agency with progressive clients across Canada. NOW specializes in marketing issues and causes in both traditional and new media.

For 20 years, Doreen Meyer wrote, edited, and taught communications skills as part of CUPE. When she worked at CBC Winnipeg, she was volunteer editor of a weekly prairie region newsletter as well as editor for her local union newsletter. Now learning to be a fibre artist, she’s still obsessed with words.

Karrie Ouchas is a CALM executive member, an OPSEU member and experienced writer and local newsletter editor.
Frank Saptel is the national communications representative for the Machinists Union. He is also founder of the Canadian Labour International Film Festival.

Joe Sarnovsky is the communications director for CAW Local 222 in Oshawa, Ontario. He has been editor of The Oshaworker for 12 years and on the CALM executive since 2005.

Steven Staples is president of the Rideau Institute in Ottawa, which has led many successful lobbying campaigns in partnership with progressive organizations and unions. In 2006, he published his first book, Missile Defence: Round One, an insider’s account of how and why Canada said no to George W. Bush.

Heath Smith is the communications and research officer for the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour. Before that he worked for the government of Saskatchewan and then for the official opposition, where he gained valuable experience in communications, media relations and research.

Karen Tankard, a communications officer with the BCGEU, spent 20 years working for CBC in B.C. as a radio and TV news reporter, announcer and as editor for CBC.ca. She has also written for newspapers, websites and magazines and has been on the faculty of the Broadcast Communications Department at the B.C. Institute of Technology since 1998.

Emily Visser is OPSEU’s bilingual communications officer and website editor. She is interested in both content and design and before working for OPSEU, was a graphic design and web instructor at George Brown College.

Michelle Walsh is the communications director for the Communications, Energy and Paper workers Union of Canada. She’s worked as a labour communicator and media strategist for public sector unions and for the Canadian Labour Congress. She has learned from experience that good local union communicators are the real power behind our progress.