In a move signalling a brighter outlook for film & television production in southern Ontario, IATSE Local 873 has supplemented its annual $25,000 contribution to the Actors’ Fund of Canada with a commitment to ongoing support in the form of an additional quarterly contribution to the Fund equivalent to $8 per member.
Local 873’s pledge of quarterly contributions based on the number of members lends momentum to a growing trend in support for the Fund amongst Canadian locals of the IATSE, with almost half of the members in Canada now represented by locals that choose to contribute in this way.
IATSE 873 President Wayne Goodchild commented on the new funding from the 2,000 member local, saying “Our members have turned to the Fund in times of personal crisis to a great degree in recent years. We know that the Fund requires financial stability to ensure it is there for our industry for many years to come. Our new funding formula takes that into account and provides support that the Fund can count on every year.”
Actors’ Fund Executive Director David Hope added, “Local 873’s commitment to a quarterly instalment calculated on the number of members represents a huge step forward and what we hope will be a new model of supporting the Fund that many other locals adopt. This approach to sustained funding takes support for the Fund out of the realm of a year-to-year discretionary allotment and puts it on par with the type of essential service to the membership that is recognized and provided for on a sustained basis. We are truly grateful for the confidence in us that Local 873 has expressed through this commitment.”
The Actors’ Fund of Canada is a registered charity that provides short-term financial aid to entertainment industry professionals working in film & TV, theatre, music and dance. The Actors’ Fund is not just for actors: performers, creators, technical staff and other production team members can apply for help from the Fund which delivered over $4.4 million in rent payments, grocery money, utility payments and other basic living expenses to clients in the last 10 years and has helped over 10,000 entertainment industry members since it was founded in 1958.
