Short time to register for blue box plans for BC-published and/or -circulated magazines

Magazines published in or selling into British Columbia have only a short time to register a for a recycling stewardship plan with Multi Material BC (MMBC). A bulletin to its members from Magazines Canada says magazines have two options:

1. to appoint MMBC as agent, following their draft plan; deadline is November 5 or
2. to file its own plan by November 19

It is important to register intentions by the deadlines, the bulletin notes. More information on the BC regulations may be found here. 
The BC government is implementing a recycling regime for magazines that is to begin May 2014.

BCAMP hits a bump, but recovers with variant on proposed name change

The B.C. Association of Magazine Publishers bumped up against protocol in seeking permission to change its name to Magazines BC. As a result, the association's newsletter reports, it has come up with a close approximation:

Still, the recent annual general meeting decided to exercise discretion and, instead of approving the name change right away, to ask the member magazines to give their assessment of the new name and look:

By doing business as the Magazine Association of BC, the organization hopes to appear more inclusive to industry partners, more memorable to the general public and more appealing to corporate sponsors. (After last month's newsletter was published, we received word from the Protocol Office that the Magazines BC name was not available to us, and thus we proceeded with an alternate option.)

We hope the membership approves of the new marketing name and logo and we look forward to launching our brand refresh (website, stationery, logo for member magazines and websites) in September.

*  *  *

On a separate matter, the newsletter reports that the Canada Periodical Fund will not be funding what has been a very popular program whereby on a bimonthly basis, member magazines were distributed free to 200 medical, dental and legal offices in the Lower Mainland. Heritage said it would not fund the program because it had not produced sufficient results. However, the association hopes to "repackage" it and make it a request circulation arrangement, whereby medical and dental offices would opt in.

BCAMP to be refreshed and rebranded as Magazines BC

The British Columbia Association of Magazine Publishers, popularly known to date as BCAMP will very likely be changing its name to Magazines BC after approval from its annual general meeting on Saturday, June 12. In the annual report for 2009, executive director Rhona MacInnes explains:

In the process of strategic planning made possible with a Flying Squad grant, BCAMP has reaffirmed its vision and mission and has embraced a brand refresh, emerging with a new look and a new marketing name. Doing business as Magazines BC, your organization hopes that it will appear more inclusive to industry partners, more memorable to the general public and more appealing to corporate sponsors.

In addition, planning is well underway for the development of a charitable arm, which we hope will allow us to draw from a larger pool of funders, and provide stability and sustainability to those key programs that provide education and advance research for our industry.

All of the arts and culture groups in BC are still reeling from drastic funding cuts from the B.C. government and the intention to develop charitable status, announced in April,would result in creation of WSPER, The Western Society for Periodical Education and Research. This depends, of course on the granting of the privileged charitable status by the Canada Revenue Agency. If granted, the separate arm of Magazines BC would seek new sources of private and public funding to raise capital and operational support for BC magazines.

Related posts: 

• BCAMP seeking charitable status ( April 7, 2010)
• Magazines urged to review new charitable fundraising rules (October 6, 2008)
• Not necessarily charitable (February 17, 2006) 
• Will cultural mags be able to meet the CRA fundraising benchmarks? (July 09, 2008)
• Comment about charity status (October 31, 2005)
• Good news, maybe, we'll see (September 28, 2005)

BCAMP seeking charitable status

The British Columbia Association of Magazine Publishers (BCAMP) is pursuing charitable status. The Western Society for Periodical Education and Research (WSPER) was incorporated as a non-profit organization on March 5, 2010 and the board of directors has approved a plan first suggested in the 2006 association business plan, that would establish it as separate arm of the organization.According to a posting in the association's online newsletter:

WSPER's mandate is the advancement of education and its planned charitable activities include research, bursaries available to the public, school outreach, mentoring and internship programs. Its board will include educators and researchers involved in the local publishing industry. 

Charitable status is a privilege granted by the charities directorate of the Canada Revenue Agency. (Often, individual magazines who seek such status find that publishing a magazine is not considered by CRA as charitable activity.) Among the attractions of such status is the ability to issue tax receipts (thus making the organization more attractive to a broader range of funders) and the potential to raise other capital and operational funding.

• Magazines urged to review new charitable fundraising rules (October 6, 2008)
• Will cultural mags be able to meet the CRA fundraising benchmarks? (July 09, 2008)
• Not necessarily charitable (February 17, 2006)
• Comment about charity status (October 31, 2005)
• Good news, maybe, we'll see (September 28, 2005)

Tracy Stefanucci named BCAMP's volunteer of the year

Tracy Stefanucci, publisher and editor-in-chief of OCW Magazine, has been named 2009 volunteer of the year by the BC Magazine Publishers Association (BCAMP).

"Since co-founding OCW Magazine, a Vancouver-based arts and literary magazine, in 2006, Stefanucci has nurtured the talents of over 40 industry professionals, many of whom have gone on to work at other magazines, and arts and publishing organizations," said a BCAMP release. "Her work at the not-for-profit, volunteer-run magazine has also provided a strong platform for the careers of up-and-coming writers, artists and musicians."

Stefanucci will be honoured alongside other regional award recipients at Magazines Canada’s cross-Canada volunteer appreciation reception on June 3, held during MagNet: Canada’s Magazine Conference. She will also be recognized at the BCAMP Annual General Meeting on June 12.

Waiting to see: Cuts to the arts and particularly magazines murky in BC budget

The just announced B.C. budget has cranked back previously announced (and massive) cuts to arts organizations; however, according to the BC  Association of Magazine Publishers it's not clear what that means for BC arts and literary magazines. We quote from the association newsletter.

BC Finance Minister Colin Hansen unveiled the 2010 budget on March 2, amid great anticipation from the arts community. The figures presented appear to have restored funding to the 2008/2009 levels, with $60 million going to a newly created 2010 Sports and Arts Legacy fund. However, closer investigation by the Alliance for Arts and Culture reveals that funding to both the BC Arts Council and direct access gaming funds will be reduced by approximately 50%. See the full breakdown on the Alliance for Arts and Culture website.

What this means for BC arts and literary publications and BCAMP remains to be seen. The BCAMP advocacy committee and Coalition for the Defence of Writing & Publishing will be monitoring the situation closely.

Related posts:

• BC arts coalition keeps up pressure, buoyed by select committee recommendation against cuts
• BC coalition writes 100 times to Premier Campbellabout arts cuts
• Western Magazine Awards sees modest grant eliminated
• B.C. culture ministry cuts 100% of BCAMP funds as part of "literary clearcut"
• Federal minister Moore acknowledges "devastating" nature of BC arts cuts
•  BC magazine community dealing with quadruple funding whammy

BC coalition writes 100 times to Premier Campbell about arts cuts

B.C. premier Gordon Campbell is or will be receiving a batch of 100 letters from The Coalition for the Defence of Writing & Publishing in B.C. in support of restoring funding to the province’s literary arts groups. The premier should expect another batch in November.

The B.C. Association of Magazine Publishers (BCAMP), the Association of Book Publishers of B.C. and B.C. BookWorld formed the coalition in response to the elimination of provincial funding to the organizations by the arts & culture sector of the ministry of tourism, culture & the arts (Hon. Kevin Krueger).

A press release notes that Campbell is Canada's most literate publisher, judging by the fact that he is the only provincial leader who maintains a website to talk about the books he reads. The purpose of the 100 letters is to ask him what has happened to his resolve to be a champion of literacy and reading and to see BC as the most literate place in North America.

"We are asking him to take a personal stand on this provincial issue -- not for us, but on behalf of all British Columbians who want to continue to read and write and publish books and magazines about this province," said Rhona MacInnes, executive director of BCAMP.

The coalition is promoting a new slogan, “KEEP B.C. READING,” which will also be used to promote the stabilization of funding for the B.C. Arts Council, whose client arts groups, including writers and publishers, face further provincial cuts.

Related posts:

• Western Magazine Awards sees modest grant eliminated
  
• B.C. culture ministry cuts 100% of BCAMP funds as part of "literary clearcut"
• Federal minister Moore acknowledges "devastating" nature of BC arts cuts
•  BC magazine community dealing with quadruple funding whammy

Magazines Canada warns B.C. premier of "long term damage" from funding cuts

Magazines Canada has written to the premier of British Columbia, Gordon Campbell, asking for a reconsideration of recent funding cuts to the writing and publishing sector.

MC president Mark Jamison acknowledges the challenges of the current economy, but warns that the cuts will cause "long term damage".

Most writing and publishing activity is driven by small- and medium-size enterprises and individual creators (SMEs). SMEs, as we know, generate employment in both good and bad economic times.

These SMEs depend upon their associations to undertake vital marketing, training and promotions as collective initiatives. The collective approach has a track record of success in maximizing cost efficiency, thereby generating the best possible long-term benefit for the people of BC. These enterprises just could not accomplish these activities on an individual basis. The modest investment the BC Government makes in the associations is returned over and over and over again.

Some gambling grants restored, but B.C. magazines and other arts groups bitter and confused

[This post has been updated] The B.C. government has backed down, in part, on cuts to gambling-revenue grants to arts groups, including magazines, made in Tuesday's provincial budget, acknowledging that three year funding commitments had been made. The cuts were announced as part of a cost-saving strategy to reduce discretionary grants by $354 million this year across the government.

According to a story distributed on the Canwest News Service, Housing and Social Development Minister Rich Coleman indicated about $40 million in grants would be restored this year, and said there could be additional money to be handed out.

However, he said the government will end the practice of committing to grants for three-year periods, and will return to a year-by-year approach. The three-year funding window had allowed arts groups to do longer-term planning.

"The lesson we’ve learned is we probably can’t go to three-year commitments if we don’t know what the fiscal future is going to look like," he said."There will be no more three-year commitment letters."

Spokespeople for arts groups said that the way the grants were dealt with as "cruel" and "disrespectful". For instance, Jenn Farrell, speaking for subTerrain magazine, said:

"People have been confused and seemingly deliberately led astray and misinformed about how gaming revenues are being distributed this year and in coming years."

But not everyone will get their grants restored or restored completely. subTerrain did not have a multi-year funding agreement and had been told it had lost its gambling grant this year — funds that constituted 29 per cent of the budget needed to produce the magazine.

[Update: Rhona MacInnes, the executive director of the BC Association of Magazine Publishers (BCAMP) said

There is a great deal of concern shared by the province’s cultural sector over the loss of gaming funds, and the lack of transparency throughout the process. Since the 2008/09 total government revenues from gaming (whose original intention was to support social and cultural programs in BC) were about $1.09 billion after expenses, including prize payouts, I’m sure I’m not alone in wondering where the money went.

On top of this, draconian cuts have been made to the BC Arts Council, which have left a lot of literary, arts and cultural magazines in dire straits in a difficult economic climate. By the province’s own reckoning, the arts industry has an ROI of 138%, but there needs to be a fundamental shift in the way governments assess value, it’s more than bottom-line, it’s about cultural identity and we are concerned with the BC government’s lack of investment.]

Tuesday’s budget said the government would hand out $139 million in gambling grants this fiscal year, instead of the $167 million announced in February. The reversal of the decision came after the commitment letters were brought to the minister's attention and the funding was restored at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday. About 7,000 groups a year receive gambling-revenue grants and of those about 530 have been given three-year commitments; many are in the second year of the program.

Total revenues from commercial gambling in B.C. last fiscal year were approximately $2.61 billion. After expenses, including prize payouts, total government revenue from gambling was about $1.09 billion....

At the arts community meeting, Coleman’s announcement left many confused. Over a number of months, grant recipients were told at times that funding was frozen, that funding was imminent, and that funding was suspended.