TORONTO, December 11, 2015—The Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) and the Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) are pleased to announce that the terms of the new DGC-CMPA Standard Agreement have been ratified by the CMPA Board and DGC membership.  The 2016 – 2018 agreement applies to all productions that commence principal photography on or after January 1, 2016.

The renewed Standard Agreement provides for an overall general wage increase of two per cent in each of the three years of its term.

“This new agreement takes a consistent approach to key issues including the terms of engagement for Directors in new media productions and recognizes the needs of Canadian producers, while fairly compensating DGC members across the country,” says Reynolds Mastin, President and CEO, CMPA.

Catherine Middleton, DGC Co-Chief Negotiator represented DGC Director Members as well as Members in the Atlantic Regional Council, Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan District Councils, while Bill Skolnik, Co-Chief Negotiator, DGC Ontario CEO and Executive Director, led the negotiations on behalf of Ontario Members.

“We are pleased to have a new agreement in place, one which secures favourable creative rights and more consistent terms and conditions that will allow our Members to do their best work in each of the District Councils,” says Catherine Middleton.

“Through this new agreement the CMPA has recognized the unique contribution our Members make to the Canadian screen industry, states Bill Skolnik. “It is a commitment, by us, to maintain the high standards for which we are known and a commitment by the CMPA to provide our members with well-deserved security.

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ABOUT THE CMPA
The Canadian Media Producers Association is the national advocacy organization for independent producers, representing hundreds of companies engaged in the development, production and distribution of English-language content made for television, cinema and digital media channels. We work to promote the continued success of the Canadian production sector and to ensure a bright future for the diverse content made by our members for both domestic and international audiences. cmpa.ca

ABOUT THE DGC
The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC) is a national labour organization that represents over 3,000 key creative and logistical personnel in the screen-based industry covering all areas of direction, design, production and editing. The DGC negotiates and administers collective agreements and lobbies extensively on issues of concern for members including Canadian content conditions, CRTC regulations and ensuring that funding is maintained for Canadian screen-based programming.

For more information:

Kyle O’Byrne
Manager, Media Relations & Communications
Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA)
kyle.obyrne@cmpa.ca

Alejandra Sosa
Director, Communications
DGC
asosa@dgc.ca