Editors' Association of Canada - History of EAC

History of EAC

In the late 1970s several young Toronto editors began talking about their shared problems and goals, and by May 1979 the Freelance Editors' Association of Canada (FEAC) had been officially launched. There were approximately 50 people involved, with Maggie MacDonald serving as the association's first president. Within the first year, the association had a logo, a constitution, and a directory.

By 1981 Ottawa was hosting a group; three years later Montreal formed a committee; and in 1985 British Columbia did the same. However, until 1990, FEAC operated as a Toronto-based organization. During 1990 and 1991, a new national structure with four separate regional branches was established. The branches were Quebec-Atlantic Canada, National Capital Region, Toronto and Western Canada (which was essentially BC).

In 1982, FEAC adopted a French name, Association canadienne des pigistes de l'edition, and thus committed to being a bilingual association.

During the first 15 years of its existence, FEAC addressed primarily issues that were uniquely of concern to freelance editors. However, over the years that emphasis had gradually changed. So in 1994 the association's name was changed to the Editors' Association of Canada/Association canadienne des réviseurs, and in-house editors were invited to join.

In 1996, the Editors' Association of Alberta came under the umbrellas of EAC, becoming the Prairie Provinces Branch. And in 2005, a group of editors in Saskatchewan formed a sixth branch, Saskatoon (later renamed "Saskatchewan").