Anita Jenkins, will bring us PPB e-news every other month. Articles, news items, and comments are welcome.

1. Latest Edition
E-news bulletin of the Editors’ Association of Canada–Prairie Provinces Branch
November-December 2011
Health insurance plans for the self-employed
by Astrid Blodgett (EAC–PPB member)
I recently looked into the cost of group health insurance for a family of four (two adults
and two children under the age of 12, with no pre-existing health conditions). You will
never find two plans the same, so exact comparisons are not possible. However, I selected
four plans that offer fairly similar coverage.
Please take the monthly rates I’ve cited as approximate and obtain your own.
Table 1. Comparisons of four plans
Insurer Plan Monthly rate for a family of four
Alberta Blue Cross Plan B $200
Blue Cross offers plans A, B, and
C; A offers less and C more.
AMA Extended health care with drug $232
level 1 and dental level 1
AMA provides basic and ex-
tended health care and three lev-
els each of drug and dental. Level
1 offers the least.
PlanDirect* Comprehensive plan $443
Comprehensive is the fourth of
five options; 1 offers the least.
Sonata* Scale 3 $308
There are four scales; scale 1 of-
fers the least.
* Offered through EAC’s group insurer. Look in the members’ area of the EAC website under member
services.

2. Latest Edition November-December 2011
Table 2. What is covered
Benefit Amount covered by the plans referred to above
Drugs Blue Cross and AMA cover 70%; PlanDirect and Sonata cover 85–100%.
Yearly maximums of $300 (AMA) up to $1200 (PlanDirect) and as high
as $10,000 (Sonata and Blue Cross).
Two mentioned dispensing fees ($6.50 for AMA, $7 for Sonata).
Dental AMA covers 70%, Blue Cross 100% and the others 80% of most routine
dental care up to yearly maximums (e.g., AMA up to $350 initially and
$700 by the third year of coverage, PlanDirect up to $1,000/year).
Some cover a portion of non-routine services up to a yearly maximum.
AMA does not include any non-routine services.
Vision AMA covers $100/person over a two-year period; after four years it covers
$200/person over a two-year period. The other plans cover up to $200/
person over a two-year period.
All the plans cover eye exams every second year.
Ambulance Covered by all but Blue Cross.
Hearing aids Roughly the same coverage, although AMA provides slightly less.
In-home nursing AMA covers $1,000 initially and $3,000 after five years; others provide
more from the start (i.e., up to $3,000/year).
Specialists/therapists All cover only a very small portion, to varying degrees.
The next issue will include an article about health spending accounts (HSAs), which can
either replace or supplement the more traditional health insurance plans described here.
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3. Latest Edition November-December 2011
PPB executive reports
From the chair Member news
Branch administrator hired Did you know that five EAC–PPB members work on
Hansard and committee documents for the Legislative
I am delighted to welcome our inaugural part- Assembly of Alberta? Hansard is the official, verbatim
time branch administrator, Tiiu Vuorensola. Tiiu record of parliamentary debates and proceedings and is
brings all the skills we need plus enthusiasm. Tiiu published on a next-day basis.
is office administrator at NeWest Press, so much PPB members at Hansard:
of the work we’re asking of her mirrors the skills
she’s already applying at NeWest. And how valu- • Marguerite Watson, senior editor
• Moira Calder, editorial assistant (indexer)
able is it to have someone from a related industry? • Sharon Skage, copy editor
Initially, Tiiu will direct her energy at setting up • Joel Semchuk, input editor
• Judy Dunlop, freelance indexer of transcripts
QuickBooks and getting our quarterly GST re- of public MLA committee meetings, including
port submitted. She’ll also assist with logistics for Public Accounts
members’ meetings, programming and other PPB
events. She’ll pick up the mail, pay bills and main- On CBC Radio’s December 6 Ideas
tain our databases of corporations and related program, Karen Virag explored the
agencies. history and cultural significance of
the mirror. http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/
At the PPB annual general meeting next May we’ll schedule.
re-assess our financial position and the benefits
we’ve gleaned from this assistance. Welcome to new members
Two new board members appointed The following people joined the Editors’ Association of
Canada in September and October 2011.
We are gradually filling the board positions. Lori
Betke has taken on the role of outreach committee Calgary: Ken Drabinsky
liaison (connecting with the education, member- Edmonton: Gillian Austin and Manda Brownrigg
ship/volunteer and mentorship coordinators, who
are Rhonda Skinner, Rachel Small and a person Yellowknife: Catherine Pellerin
yet to be named). We’re pleased to add another
Lori to the PPB roster! Sherry Lawler, our new Quote of the day
external publicity coordinator, brings enthusiasm “Most new usages … have their roots in our modern duty
and a raft of bright ideas for getting our word out to be nice to everyone, till it sometimes seems that even
using the term politically correct is politically incorrect.”
into the community, including experience and
skills in social media. — Hugo Williams, “Freelance,” Times Literary
Supplement, September 2, 2011
Margaret F. Sadler, EAC–PPB chair, 2011-12
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4. Latest Edition November-December 2011
PPB executive reports
Annual PPB fall retreat
Ten PPB board members gathered at Strawberry Creek Lodge (a family-owned and -operated log re-
treat centre, 80 kilometres southwest of Edmonton) from October 14 to 16 for brainstorming, board
work and bonding. They were joined by Ursula Acton, chair, Saskatchewan branch, and Arden Ogg,
regional director of branches and twigs, west.
Lori-Ann Claerhout, internal committee liaison, says: “Off the deck at Strawberry Creek Lodge, a
chickadee lighted on the bird feeder just inches away and swiftly set to the task of finding, shelling and
eating a seed; once finished, it flitted off. Just like the bird, EAC–PPB executive and guests descended
on the retreat centre and got right to work on our operations manual and policies. I was warmly in-
vited in by this efficient group, even though this was only the second month of my volunteer term. We
deliberated, updated, discussed and closed our board meeting with just enough time to eat and say
fond goodbyes.”
Saskatchewan branch chair Ursula Acton adds: “Coming from the smallest branch – by a considerable
margin – it was an education to watch how such a large and effective executive navigated and negoti-
ated issues as diverse as volunteer recruitment and retention, programming selection and implementa-
tion, and the evolution of things on the ground in Calgary. I came away feeling I had learned much of
value. And it was a pleasure to meet so many kind and welcoming people.”
From left to right: Lori-Ann Claerhout, Margaret Sadler (top), Rhonda Skinner (bottom), Virginia
Durksen, Arden Ogg, Anita Jenkins, Paul Payson, Astrid Blodgett, Theresa Agnew, Deborah Lawson,
Eva Radford.
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5. Latest Edition November-December 2011
Branch news
Opportunities to volunteer Program announcements
Isn’t it time that you participated more fully in Calgary
your professional association? If you’d like to start
Grammar Gals On Tuesday, October 25, the
at the top, the vice chair’s role is still not filled. Or
PPB’s Grammar Gals, Karen Virag and Virginia
you could:
Durksen, answered grammar questions on CBC
• coordinate Calgary’s programs with help Radio’s Alberta at Noon program (and in case
from several other enthusiastic people. you were wondering, yes, there is a difference be-
Contact Lauri Seidlitz, lauriseidlitz@shaw.ca. tween envy and jealousy). The Gals and a crowd
• help the Edmonton program committee of 30 or so editors also appeared at the Great Big
plan 2012 workshops and members’ nights. Grammarfest later that night, at Mount Royal
Contact Eva Radford, eva@clearwatermedia. University. CBC host Donna McElligott moder-
com. ated both the show and the evening event. Thanks
• manage the PPB job hotline, which an- to local organizers Lauri Seidlitz and Glenn Ruhl.
nounces employment and freelance opportuni-
Edmonton
ties in the prairies. Contact Margaret Sadler,
ppb_br_chair@editors.ca. Editor/writer coffee meetings Second
• create a mentorship program for aspir- Wednesday of the month, 10 am to noon, Block
ing and beginning editors. Contact Margaret 1912, 10361-82 (Whyte) Avenue. Everyone wel-
Sadler, ppb_br_chair@editors.ca. come. For information contact Deborah Lawson,
deborah@thewordcircus.com.
Words of Our Own Tuesday, January 31,
Did you know? Watch for email about this annual event featur-
The Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) has a ing readings by editors who are also poets, authors
job hotline that often features editing and writing work: and raconteurs.
http://www.cprs.ca/careers.
External committee liaison Deborah Lawson recom-
Thanks to Audrey Whitson, who organized a mar-
mends “This Crazy Industry,” a blog about editing: vellous Christmas gathering for Edmonton-area
http://crazyindustry.blogspot.com/2005/03/ editors and friends at Rutherford House.
becoming-editor.html.
News from Saskatchewan branch
We’re on Facebook! External publicity coordina-
tor Sherry Lawler has set up a page for Editors’
For the first time EAC Saskatchewan had a kiosk
Association of Canada–Prairie Provinces Branch. at this year’s Saskatoon Word on the Street festival
Visit it soon and click “Like” to see all the latest news, in September. Visitors (usually wannabe writers)
notes and photos: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ were given EAC promotional bumf and copies of
Editors-Association-of-Canada-Prairie-Provinces- Active Voice. They also learned what editors do.
Branch/279606205413836. Whether contracts will result is anyone’s guess,
but the EAC Saskatchewan executive regards this
foray a success and plans a return engagement next
year.
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6. Latest Edition November-December 2011
EAC national news
Conference 2012: Ottawa, June 1–3
National conference co-chairs Christine LeBlanc and Gael Spivak report that the conference
team has had a terrific response to its request for session suggestions. The team is now
booking speakers for topics ranging from editing games and e-books to learning how the
brain works and mastering social media. The theme of the conference is The Landscape
of Canadian Language: Word Nerds Gone Wild (Le paysage langagier du Canada: les
mordus des mots se défoulent). For more details, visit http://www.editors.ca/conference/
index.html.
Staying in touch
Chair Branch Administrator The Prairie Provinces Branch (PPB)
Margaret Sadler Tiiu Vuorensola e-news bulletin, Latest Edition, is
published six times a year. The goal is
Treasurer You can contact any executive or com- to provide a quick read that will keep
Paul Payson mittee member through the email ad- PPB members informed about events
dresses provided on the EAC website, and opportunities as well as the activ-
Secretary http://www.editors.ca/branches/ ities of the branch executive.
Astrid Blodgett prairies/index.html. They will be de-
lighted to hear from you, as your in- To contribute, make suggestions or
Internal committee liaison put and offers of assistance make it comment, contact Anita Jenkins, e-
Lori-Ann Claerhout possible for the PPB to thrive. news bulletin editor at ajenkins@
compusmart.ab.ca or 780-474-6656.
External committee liaison Deadline for submissions to the next
Deborah Lawson issue is January 9, 2012.
Outreach committee liaison Copy editor: Sharon Skage
Lorelei Betke Designer: Aaron Dalton
Past chair
Paul Payson
Regional director of branches and
twigs, west
Arden Ogg
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