EQUIFLASH [EQUITY AND ACTRA PUSH FORWARD CHILD PERFORMER LEGAL PROTECTIONS IN ONTARIO]

[CAEA e-drive]

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EQUITY AND ACTRA PUSH FORWARD CHILD PERFORMER LEGAL PROTECTIONS IN
ONTARIO
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Bill 71- Protecting Child Performers Act - goes to second reading in the
Ontario Legislature today

Shirley Douglas, Officer of the Order of Canada, and a long-time
protector of child actors in the entertainment industry, will be on hand
at the Ontario Legislature today with child actors, parents and other
supporters of Bill 71 - Protecting Child Performers Act. ACTRA Toronto
and Canadian Actors' Equity Association, representing screen and stage
actors, jointly support the bill. The private members bill will be
presented at second reading today in the Ontario Legislature by Paul
Miller, MPP for Hamilton East-Stoney Creek.

"Children are working this very moment on non-union stages and in
non-union commercials, film, TV and web," said Shirley Douglas. "They
rely on the wisdom of this legislature to shepherd this bill through to
law." "We are impatient for this legislation to become law," said
Shannon Kook-Chun ('Zane' from Degrassi: The Next Generation). Added
Amariah Faulkner ('Gretl' in Mirvish Productions' The Sound of Music),
"For the sake of all child actors like me, I sure hope the government
makes the right choice."

If passed, the Bill will go to committee. 

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.

ACTRA Toronto is the largest organization within ACTRA, representing
over 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.

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Canadian Actors' Equity Association
44 Victoria Street, 12th floor
Toronto, ON  M5C 3C4
tel: 416-867-9165
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