Canadian Association of Journalists

The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) (formerly known as the Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIJ)) "is a national non-profit public interest advocacy and professional development organization serving Canadian journalists from all media, including print, radio, television and online. It is the only group of its kind in Canada. Founded in 1978, and counting more than 1,500 active members across the country, the CAJ is run by a volunteer board of professional journalists." [1]

History

"CIJ probably owes its origins to a chance encounter in early 1978 between Henry Aubin and Jock Ferguson, then a reporter with CBC-TV in Toronto. ..

"Weeks later, Ferguson and Aubin met to chat about the state on their profession in Canada, and their frustration at the isolation of the one or two reporters in each newsroom performing investigative work. The two agreed to do something to bring these journalists together.

"Soon after, Nick Fillmore of CBC Radio and Jean-Claude Leclerc from Le Devoir joined them in the endeavour. A series of meetings took place in the fall of 1978, and by October, 50 people had sent in membership dues, and another 50 had expressed interest. ...

"Finally, at the 1990 National Conference in Winnipeg, members voted to change the Constitution and the Letter Patent of the organization to reflect a new name - The Canadian Association of Journalists." [2]

Board of Directors

Executive

• Mary Agnes Welch - President, Winnipeg Free Press - Winnipeg, MB
• Jennifer Fowler - Vice-President, CBC TV - Toronto, ON
• Saleem Khan - Chairman, CBC News Online - Toronto, ON
• Charles Bury - Vice-Chair, Freelance - Birchton, QC
• Kerry Diotte - Treasurer, Edmonton Sun - Edmonton, AB
• Paul Schneidereit - Past President, Halifax Chronicle-Herald - Halifax, NS
• Hugo Rodrigues - Communications co-ordinator, Woodstock Sentinel Review - Woodstock, ON

Directors

• Sue Montgomery - Montreal Gazette - Montreal, QC
• Dale Bass - Kamloops This Week, Kamploops, BC
• Robert Frank - Independent - Montreal, QC
• Rachel Boomer - The Daily News - Halifax, NS
• Heather Robinson - CBC TV - Saint John, NB
• Harvey Cashmore - CBC TV, Toronto - ON

Executive Director

John Dickins Source

Contact

Algonquin College
1385 Woodroffe Avenue, B224
Ottawa, ON K2G 1V8
Phone 613-526-8061
Fax: 613-521-3904
Web: http://www.caj.ca