|
NATIONAL ETHNIC PRESS AND MEDIA COUNCIL OF CANADA
Conseil national de la press et des medias ethniques du Canada.
Canada’s Other Voices
Minutes of the Monthly Meeting held on June 9, 2008 at Queen’s Park
Present:
Thomas S. Saras
Ahmed Hotaki
Clyde McNeil
Nassim Daneshvar
Iraj Emad
Syleyman Guven
Neel Nanda
Mohamed Tajdolati
Niaz Salimi
Bahram Bahrami
Ranjit Wics
Srimal Abeyawardene
Emmanuel Ayiku
David Ferdinands
Sabnam Janani
Maryam Aghvami
Tanas Jovanovski
K. David Lim
Kevin Wang
John Saraidaris
Hossein Pourhaider
Trifon Haitas
Luba Cherny
Danielle Zhu
Dumitru Popescu
Massod Masedi
Regrets:
Dr.Bikram Lamba
Agenda
1. Welcome Remarks by the chair.
2. Minutes of the previous meeting.
3. Presentation by the Iranian Canadian Centre for Art and Culture.
4. Report by the President
5. New Business (Motions)
6. Adjournment.
Welcome Remarks by the Chair: The chair of the meeting, Clyde McNeil welcomed everybody to the meeting and declared the meeting open.
Iraj Emad moved a motion to approve the agenda of the meeting. Irene Keroglidis seconded the motion, which was carried by all.
Minutes of the previous meeting:
Minutes of the previous monthly meeting held on May were approved by the council.
Presentation by the Iranian Canadian Centre for Art and Culture:
Ahmadi Nima, made a presentation on behalf of IACC. Many members participated in the discussions, following the presentation.
The following are the highlights of the presentation - ICCAC is proud to present “Tirgan” a summer festival to be held at Harbourfront Centre from July 17-July 20, 2008 and invites members from NEPMCC in exploring diversity in Iranian Arts and Culture.
- Festival Budget is $650,000, expected visitors is more than 100,000
- Tirgan has more than 200 volunteers and more than 100 artists have confirmed their performances.
- The Festival will present a perfect opportunity for families to meet with various artists, literary figures, to shop and to enjoy Iranian arts and culture.
- The city of Toronto is fully supporting Iranian Art & Culture and is looking forward to this great event during July 17-20, 2008.
The chair, Clyde McNeil thanked the delegation from ICCAC for making their presentation and wished the Festival all the very best.
President’s Report/Discussions
- President Thomas Saras began his report by mentioning that more than 76 ethnic publications and electronic media have confirmed their participation and have send copies of their newspapers for the ethnic press exhibition, which will take place in City Hall from July 7-July 12, 2008.
- The laminated copies of various ethnic newspapers from the whole of Canada will be displayed in the rotunda of the City Hall.
- Thomas Saras on behalf of NEPMCC has invited the Mayor of Toronto, along with various Federal and Provincial Ministers, government officials, and local city councilors for the exhibition at City Hall on Monday July 7.
- The opening of the ethnic press festival will feature a reception to the invited guests, multicultural entertainment, along with dinner and wine.
- President, Thomas Saras urged the members of NEPMCC to bring their family and friends in traditional costume, showcasing the diversity of the ethnic communities.
- There were various discussions on the opening ceremony of the Ethnic Press Exhibition on July 7. Many members contributed their ideas for the opening of the ethnic press Exhibition.
- The Budget for the ethnic press Exhibition is approximately $4500 with the City of Toronto as one of its partners for the Exhibition and the other CHIN Radio and TV International and the Ethnic Channels.
- Scott Shortliffe, Director of Publications Assistance Program-Heritage Canada, will attend the monthly meeting on July 14 and will make a presentation on the new rules governing the PAP.
- Thomas Saras suggested on the ways members of the council could benefit from the recommendations made to Heritage Canada. Subsidies in bulk mailing to different provinces were one of the many recommendations made by the council.
New Members:
President Thomas Saras and chair of the meeting Clyde McNeil welcomed the following new members to the organization and hoped they would be active participants of the council. They were:
Bahram Bahrami, Publisher and Editor, MEHRIRAN (Persian)
Suleyman Goven, Publisher/Editor, Yeni Hayet (Turkish-Kurdish)
New Business:
RSF/IFEX) - RSF has expressed deep sadness at the murder of Abdul Samad Rohani, 25, a journalist working for the Pashtu service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Rohani was the head of the BBC's Pashtu service in Helmand province. He had also worked with the Afghan independent news agency Pajhwok since 2004.
Nasteh Dahir Farah, working for the BBC in Somalia, was killed on 7 June 2008, shot dead by armed men as he returned from work to his home in Kismayu, southern Somalia.
Motion:
Srimal Abeyawardene moved a motion to express deep sadness and condolences by NEPMCC to the family of the two BBC journalists recently killed in Afghanistan and in Somalia. Iraj Emad seconded it. The motion was carried.
There was one minute silence observed for the slain BBC journalists.
Neel Nanda informed the council about “Heritage Beyond Borders” a federally registered Non-Profit organization that is created to achieve harmony and understanding between people of different ethnicity through cultural exchanges, workshops, social gatherings, thereby creating a unique heritage that transcends borders, ethnicity, race and religion .HBB had its first meeting on June6, 2008 at Metro Hall and would urge the members of NEPMCC to convey the message to its readership.
Adjournment: Irene Keroglidis moved a motion to adjourn the meeting, Srimal Abeyawardene seconded it. The motion was carried. The chair adjourned the meeting at 9 pm. The next meeting would take place on July 14, 2008 at Queen’s Park. |
