WGC Ratifies New IPA

Canadian Screenwriters and Producers Reach New Agreement

TORONTO, MARCH 17, 2015

Canadian screenwriters and producers have a new collective agreement governing English-language screenwriting in Canada. The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC), the Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA), and the Association Québécoise de la Production Médiatique (AQPM) announced today that all parties have ratified the new writers' Independent Production Agreement (IPA), which came into effect March 16, 2015. This agreement sets the terms of engagement until December 31, 2017.

The new agreement includes automatic jurisdiction over TV series bibles written by WGC members, which were not covered in the previous agreement. Also key to the deal is an improved royalty formula, which will result in WGC members seeing royalty payments sooner and on more projects. The new royalty formula also applies to digital productions, such as web series, when they are sold for use on conventional television.

WGC President Jill Golick says, "This round of bargaining took place during an extremely challenging time in the industry. We are pleased to say that it responds to the evolving marketplace, protects the interests of Canadian screenwriters and expands the WGC's jurisdiction, while at the same time maintaining a healthy relationship with our producer partners."

CMPA Chief Negotiator and Chief Legal Officer Reynolds Mastin says, "With our industry currently in such dramatic flux, we are happy to have closed a fair deal with the WGC. It's one that creates greater flexibility for producers, particularly in the development stages of new content. We believe this new agreement better reflects how we need to work with our industry partners, and we look forward to working with the WGC under its terms."

AQPM President and CEO Marie Collin says, "We are pleased to have concluded an agreement with the WGC and the CMPA that reflects the new business reality of our industry."

Li Robbins, Director of Communications, WGC:
Tel: 416-979-7907
l.robbins@wgc.ca