BIWOC Committee
BIWOC - Black, Indigenous and Workers of Colour Committee
Mission
NABET 700-M UNIFORs BIWOC committee is focused on increasing support, and equity to members of diversity, and colour within the film, television and digital media industries.
We are actively creating opportunities for growth advocating for and increasing the representation of members of diversity both in front and behind the camera. This committee will develop policies, mechanism, and initiatives to facilitate change and hopes to raise awareness, and dispel unconscious biases. Our goal: building a better work culture for all.
Join the Conversation
Please email the office at info@nabet700.com to be added to the mailing list and be notified of our upcoming meetings and initiatives. We also host an informal message board on groups.io where we can connect more easily. Looking forward to meeting you!
The BIWOC Committee meets at minimum once each quarter, but we have more events and meetings in the works for this year so please stay tuned and check back.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Representative and Anti-Harassment
In 2021, NABET 700-M UNIFOR made history by successfully negotiating the position of an on set DEIB Representative in our Collective Agreement, which is the first of its kind, to assist racialized workers with concerns of harassment and violence in the workplace. Further, the Union was able to secure an additional $1/hour for Members who fulfill the role.
The DEIB Representative will come into effect January 1st 2023. At present the training course curriculum is in development and will be offered to the NABET 700-M Membership when completed. Please check back for training dates.
In the meantime, if you have any concerns about racism, harassment or violence on set, you can contact your NABET Crew Rep, NABET Womens Rep, or contact the NABET office directly to speak with your Membership Steward Jackson Nguyen, Business Agent Jayson Mosek or your President Peggy Kyriakou for assistance. Please remember that documentation and timeliness are key, but each incident is different so please dont hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Additional outside resources for anti-harassment and anti-racism include:
Partnerships
NABET 700-M UNIFOR has long been an advocate for diversity in the film, television and digital media industry. We are committed to breaking down barriers and creating equitable and diverse film sets.
NABET 700-M UNIFOR, along with the City of Toronto and various community organizations, is addressing issues of diversity with an intersectional approach of women in non-traditional roles and people from diverse backgrounds. Our collective efforts have created multiple opportunities within the industry, from paid apprenticeships to co-op student placements on sets, to providing access to free training courses, and educational awareness to NABET 700-M UNIFOR and the unlimited career opportunities the film and television industry has to offer. We look forward to growing and strengthening these partnerships.
For more details regarding NABET 700-M UNIFOR partners please click on the links below:
- OYA Emerging Filmmakers
- Regent Park - Live it to Learn it
- xoTO Schools Co-op Program
- Reelworld Film Festival and Reelworld Screen Institute
- imagiNATIVE
- CEE For Young Black Professionals
- BIPOC TV & Film
Additional Resources
Networking and databases for racialized creatives
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SPOTLIGHT
It is important for NABET as a labour union to not only address concerns and issues that our racialized members face in the industry, but to also highlight and share successes as well. We would like to shine a spotlight on the work that our organization is doing in the hopes of raising awareness to assist in enacting change to create more diversity behind the camera.
Do you have something to spotlight? Please get in touch at info@nabet700.com with the subject line BIWOC Committee spotlight item
October 2021
CEE Center for Young Black Professionals and City of Toronto Entertainment Trades Program
NABET is very proud to say that the 14 participants of our cohort in partnership with CEE and the City of Toronto graduated from the program and are in progress to be placed for their five-week paid apprenticeships on various NABET sets. This Entertainment Trades program focused on the Grip, Sets, Electric and Construction departments, ran for 6 weeks, and included the training in Working at Heights, Aerial Lift, Forklift, WHMIS, Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG), Electrical Safety Awareness. We hope to run more training programs like this in the future, and thank CEE for running this incredible program and the City of Toronto through the xoTO Screen Pathways Initiative for funding assistance.
NABET 700-M UNIFORs second cohort of 15 participants will be held in partnership with Miziwe Biik, running for 4 weeks from late June 2022 to late July 2022. Miziwe Biik provides training initiatives and employment services for the GTAs indigenous community.
March 23, 2021
Terminology Reform Initiative
In observance of International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21, 2021, we are launching a joint initiative to unite industry partners in enacting change on certain key issues that affect us all.
The entertainment sector, like many others, is grappling with questions of how to build a diverse and inclusive workplace. We have a unique dual responsibility to do so, as an industry both highly visible to the public, and bearing the power to shape the publics perceptions.
The attached Terminology Reform bulletin was created by a NABET 700-M UNIFOR Permittee who saw an opportunity for change from within their own ranks. This bulletin highlights terminology used regularly on set primarily in the Grip and Lighting Departments, terms that should be immediately removed from set vocabulary due to their discriminatory origins and/or implications.
We hope that by identifying terms that are currently being used without awareness of their impact and message they send, and by sharing the origins of these terms, crews can move onto language that promotes open and inclusive workplaces.
The issues of our society at large will not be resolved by any one grand action but rather they will be gradually improved by a series of many small steps; the language that we choose to use on set is something that every one of us has direct control over and can be our contribution to progress. We would like to ask that you please help support this initiative of raising awareness and igniting change through discussion and action.
Thank you to the following organizations that are in support of and/or have committed to this Terminology Reform initiative:
Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television
ACTRA
ACTRA Toronto
AFC
BIPOC Tv & Film
Canadian Society of Cinematographers
Canadian Institute for Theatre Technology
CMPA
College of Makeup Art & Design
Directors Guild of Canada
Directors Guild of Canada Ontario
Documentary Organization of Canada
Entertainment Partners
FilmOntario
Canadian Actors' Equity Association
IATSE 671
IATSE 667
IATSE 873
ImagiNATIVE
Independent Media Producers Association of Creative Talent (IMPACT)
Indigenous Screen Office
Institute of Communication Agencies
MBS Equipment Co. Canada
Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival
Stratagem Studios Inc.
William F. White International Inc.
Terminology Reform Initiative for Film and TV (PDF, 1 MB)