ACTRA

The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) is a Canadian trade union representing performers in English-language media. It has over 28,000 members working in film, television, radio, and all other recorded media.[1] The organization negotiates, safeguards, and promotes the professional rights of its members. It also works to increase work opportunities for its members and lobbies for policy changes at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels.

Not to be confused with AFTRA or SAG-AFTRA.

Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists
AbbreviationACTRA
Formation1943 (1943)
TypeTrade union
HeadquartersToronto, Ontario, Canada
Location
  • Canada
Membership
28,000+
Official language
English
President
Eleanor Noble
Executive director
Marie Kelly
Affiliations
Websiteactra.ca
Formerly called
  • Association of Canadian Radio Artists
  • Canadian Council of Authors and Artists
  • Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists

ACTRA's regional chapters present ACTRA Awards to honour the best in Canadian radio and television performances in their local productions.

Affiliations

ACTRA is affiliated with the Canadian Labour Congress and the International Federation of Actors.

In July 2005, ACTRA and the United Steelworkers announced that the two unions have entered into a strategic alliance to take on the globalization of the culture industry and to address a range of common issues.[2]

ACTRA participated in the Faster, Together campaign to increase acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines.[3]

Acronym meaning

The earliest form of the organization represented radio performers in Toronto in the 1940s. This organization was called RATS: the Radio Artists of Toronto Society. In 1943, with the wider involvement of groups from other Canadian cities, the Association of Canadian Radio Artists (ACRA) was formed.

ACRA over time evolved into the Association of Canadian Radio and Television Artists, the Canadian Council of Authors and Artists, the Association of Canadian Television and Radio Artists, and, in 1984, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists.

Union of British Columbia Performers

Regional issues led to the creation of the Union of British Columbia Performers, a separate subunit of ACTRA for British Columbia only.[4][5]

ACTRA Awards

Every year, ACTRA branches across the country present the ACTRA Awards, some of which are handed out for performances, while others are given for union activism and contributions to the industry.

ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society

The ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society (AFBS), a member of American Fraternal Alliance, is a "not-for-profit, member-owned, federally incorporated insurance company", founded in 1959.[6][7][8] In 2010, Marie Charette-Poulin sat on the board of Governors of the ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society.[9]

HAVEN Helpline

On 1 June 2019, ACTRA and the Directors Guild of Canada jointly launched HAVEN Helpline for members in Canada, with 24-7 support, out-sourced from Morneau Shepell, with additional financial support from AFBS and Telefilm Canada.[10][11]

See also
  • SAG-AFTRA – similar US organization for motion picture, television and radio actors
  • Union des artistes – ACTRA's francophone equivalent
  • ANDA - similar Mexican organization

References
  1. "Jay Baruchel to be Honoured by ACTRA". NorthernStars.ca. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  2. "13 APRIL 2005 - Steelworkers, ACTRA Join Forces in Strategic Alliance, Service Agreement". Archived from the original on 12 February 2008. Retrieved 10 July 2006.
  3. Faster, Together. "Vaccine Acceptance Coalition Gathers Momentum". Cision Newswire. Archived from the original on 12 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  4. "The Story of Us". Playback. 16 October 2000. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  5. "Home". UBCP/ACTRA. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  6. "Actra Fraternal Benefit Society". afbs.ca. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  7. "AFBS". ACTRA Toronto. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  8. "Actra Fraternal Benefit Society - Company Profile". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  9. "2010 Annual Report" (PDF). Actra Fraternal Benefit Society. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  10. Liszewski, Bridget (31 May 2019). "ACTRA and DGC Jointly Launch HAVEN Helpline". The TV Junkies. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  11. Jancelewicz, Chris (31 May 2019). "ACTRA, Directors Guild of Canada launch HAVEN, a harassment helpline". Global News. Corus Entertainment. Retrieved 26 April 2022.

Further reading
  • McQuarrie, Ruth (1985). Face to Face with Talent: Featuring 2400 Members of ACTRA of the Canadian Actors' Equity Association. Toronto: ACTRA. p. 618.
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