The following memo concerning Bill 59 has been provided by the Interim members of the National Occupational Health and Safety Committee for Audio Visual Production:

Bill 59: Establishment of a national structure to identify and analyze occupational health and safety (OHS) risks in the audiovisual production field

“Hello everyone,

The purpose of this memo is to inform you that ACTRA, PPA, AQPM, AQTIS 514 IATSE, ARRQ, DGC and UDA have agreed to set up a national structure to identify and analyze the health and safety risks to which persons working in the audiovisual production field may be exposed in the course of providing their services.

Although some details remain to be worked out, this structure will include a national health and safety committee, national prevention representatives appointed by each of the artists’ associations involved and a national OHS risk identification and analysis exercise. The objective of the national structure will be to develop a coherent and consistent framework, applicable to most Quebec film sets, and it will support producers, workers and artists in the adoption of safer work methods over the next few years.

The associations involved consider this structure to be an appropriate response to the requirements of the “interim regime” resulting from the Act to modernize the occupational health and safety regime (also known as Bill 59) and they hope to be able to perpetuate it, in the short or medium term, particularly to update and/or complete the work undertaken several years ago by the joint consultation table of the Quebec film and video industry

You will find attached the names of the members of the national health and safety committee designated, on a strictly interim basis, by the various associations. Members of each association are invited to contact their respective association representatives if they have any questions about this memo, Bill 59 or any other occupational health and safety issue.

Note that the committee will hold its first meeting on June 1, 2022 and that, between now and that date, the associations currently involved (and any additional associations joining the process) will work to finalize the terms of their framework agreement and to develop the documents and tools required to allow the national committee to function effectively. The various associations will, of course, keep their respective members informed of the progress of this work, according to their usual means of communication.

Sincerely,
Interim members of the National Occupational Health and Safety Committee for Audio Visual Production”

* In all cases, the individuals were appointed purely on an interim basis, for efficiency purposes. The formal designation of members and/or representatives will be reviewed and made by each of the associations, in accordance with their rules of internal management.