Chapter Spotlight: Canada West Coast

Welcome to another STC Spotlight, focusing on one of the many wonderful communities in STC. This edition goes to the western coast of North America for Canada West Coast. Want your chapter or SIG in the Spotlight? Email Your Friendly Neighborhood Blogger to volunteer! Many thanks to all the members of the chapter (listed at the bottom) who helped answer the questions!

What's the official name of your chapter?
Society for Technical Communication – Canada West Coast

How many members does it have?
As of November 3, we have 136 members.

Who are the leaders?

  • President – Pam Drucker
  • VP – Mellissa Ruryk
  • Past President – Catherine Kerr
  • Treasurer – Helen Glavina
  • Secretary – Rob Hughes
  • Director at Large — Heather Sommerville

What types of events/benefits do you offer to your chapter members?

Regular monthly  meetings with featured speakers; at least one workshop or webinar a year; a bi-annual documentation competition; an “agency of record” offering competitive cost schedules to contractors (located in this jurisdiction) for extended health and dental benefits; and an annual Volunteer Appreciation potluck luncheon. Our newest benefit is an Informational Interview Service where, by donation, people entering or interested in the profession can speak with an experienced technical communications professional and are invited to attend our next program night as our guest.

Registered chapter members may access the job bank feature on our website, join in the discussions in our online forum, access national STC publications and other resources via our website, as well as read our award-winning online newsletter.

We have a Contractors’ group who meet for coffee once a month for a lively and informal meeting where we exchange job leads and discuss topics ranging from contracting rates to liability insurance to employment agencies and anything else we can think of.

We offer a strong network of committed volunteers and senior members who enjoy working together, welcoming newcomers, and helping our chapter thrive.

Can you give me a rundown of a generic chapter meeting?
We welcome regular and prospective chapter members with a networking opportunity that begins about half an hour before the main presentation, normally about 7 pm. There are some short announcements of upcoming events or topics. The presentation runs to 8:30 or 9:00 and then we enjoy light refreshments (fruit, juice, water, coffee & tea) and more networking and chatting. CWC always welcomes sponsorship of our snacks and/or prize draws. Occasionally we record audio or video of our presentations for future reference.

What kinds of speakers have you had at your meetings?
A detailed report is available for one of last year’s best local speakers,  Scheduling Shortcuts—Tools Tips and Tricks with Ben Hechter. Read about it here. Recent topics have focused on productivity, professionalism, and career help. We kicked off this season with a high-voltage career jump start by Jack Molisani. Last month we featured a panel that shared their hints for getting work. We have collaborated on meetings with VanUE (Vancouver User Experience group) to discuss interactive design and mobile media, and we packed the house with a talk on simplifying complex information graphics by Noah Iliinsky. Topics are a mix of technical (tools and technology) and communication (writing for translation; job-hunting; design).

Do you do any outreach in the local techcomm community? If so, what types of things do you do?
We have contact points at most of the post-secondary institutions (SFU, BCIT, Douglas College) that offer TechComm courses and programs. We have a social media presence where hits have been doubling each week. We exchange information with local chapters of related organizations: Editors’ Association of Canada, International Assn of Business Communicators, Society of Translators and Interpreters of BC, local business publications and technology-related groups. Also, refer above (or online) for a description of our Informational Interview Service.

Do you have a “sister” chapter that you work with often? Tell us about that.
In the past, we have enjoyed closer ties with the Puget Sound STC chapter but nowadays border crossing hassles and busier schedules seem to have put a damper on that.  Now we seem to be bonding more with our Canadian chapters over common concerns and the initiative to undertake a Canadian Salary Survey. We have quite a few members who have joined us from former STC homes in Boston, Montreal, and Alberta. Our Competitions panel did a judging exchange with STC Israel and STC Snake River and some good will was realized. Our closest sister organization is probably the Editors Association of BC.

Vancouver got a lot of positive press during the Olympics as a great place to visit. What more can you add?
A trendy neighbourhood on the west side of the city, called Granville Island, was a Cultural Olympiad centre in February 2010 and is still on the map for theatre, improvisational comedy, and a lot of other great kinds of fun and entertainment  including lounge music, food at the market or in restaurants, pleasant walks, yacht watching, and shopping.

It’s possible, given Vancouver’s diverse population and cultural milieu, to travel around the world without ever leaving the city. Vancouver is home to wonderful festivals and events, including the Children's Festival, Folk Music Festival, Comedy Festival, International Film Festival, West Coast Chocolate Festival, Writers' Festival, Jazz Festival, Comedy Festival, and the Fringe Festival among others.

Don’t forget the beautiful natural scenery and architecture; clean and safe ambience, with friendly people! And if you want to know something surprising and unique about Vancouver: it’s so green here that even the gas stations are beautifully landscaped—roses, tulips, Japanese maples, and more, all perfectly manicured year-round. Quite a treat for an immigrant from the snowy prairies.

Any big events coming up?
We have two “big name” international speakers coming to share their expertise with us—one in January and the other in April. Both will be gracing our program nights and one will be staying for a full-day workshop that is sure to be of interest to the local membership and not-yet-members as well. Keep an eye on our Events page for more details!

Tell us a bit about some of your members. Who’s the funniest? Most creative? Snazziest dresser?
Funniest—Tracey Martinsen, tied with Helen Glavina. Snazziest dresser Karen Rempel, tied with past prez Catherine Kerr. One of our most creative is our volunteer coordinator, Heather Sommerville, who can find a volunteer for a pigeonhole of any shape. Mellissa Ruryk paints canvasses, knits and lives in a decorated-by-Disney townhouse. Most famous? Probably Rahel Bailie, lucky us!

Obviously the Canucks are number one in Vancouver sports. But who’s number two for your chapter—the Vancouver Whitecaps or the BC Lions?
No, actually, #1 in Vancouver “sports” are the TheatreSports improvisational comedy teams (if you don’t count the Scrabble winners when Rhizome Restaurant holds its board game evenings). We are writers, not jocks! Our Vancouver Giants (Canadian Hockey League) have kicked butt on the Canucks for several years in a row.

Say Broadway makes a musical about your chapter.  What would it be called and what’s the title of the hit song?
Hmmm … Annie Get Your Pen? RTFM—The Musical? Scribbler on the Roof?

Finally, brag a little bit—about anything you'd like!
a. We’re Canadian. We’re too polite to brag. 😉
b. We're Canadian. We're cool. 

Name and title of persons answering: Catherine Kerr, Immediate Past President; Kennedy Kierans, PR & Programs volunteer; Tony Chung, Web Editor and Tech Dude; Pam Drucker, Prez; Heather Sommerville, Director at Large; and Mellissa Ruryk, general factotum and S.D.

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