March 4, 2026
For Immediate Release

Canadian Publishers, Authors, and Booksellers Call for Nova Scotia to Reinstate Funding for Publishers

Canada’s book sector stands with Nova Scotia’s arts community ahead of province-wide rallies against budget cuts to cultural programs.

Organizations representing Canada’s publishing, writing, and bookselling sectors stand in solidarity with artists, cultural workers, and arts organizations across Nova Scotia as communities prepare to gather at rallies throughout the province calling for the reversal of sweeping cuts to arts and culture funding. 

The proposed provincial budget includes a 30% reduction to operational funding for arts, culture, and heritage organizations, a $14 million cut to discretionary funding within the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage, and the elimination or reduction of more than 70 grant programs totalling over $130 million. 

We are especially alarmed by the Government of Nova Scotia’s decision to eliminate all provincial funding for independent publishers through the cancellation of the Publishers Assistance program. This devastating cut effectively reduces annual support for publishers from $700,000 to zero, making Nova Scotia the only province in Canada that does not invest in its own book publishers. 

The publishers affected by this decision are independent, Nova Scotia–based companies that make significant contributions to the province’s economy, educational landscape, and cultural life — and to Canada’s publishing ecosystem as a whole. Collectively, these presses publish 100+ new books each year, employ local staff, contract local freelancers, work with Nova Scotian authors and illustrators, and supply books to schools, libraries, bookstores, and readers across the country. 

Independent publishers are often the sole purveyors of local voices and regional perspectives. With this funding eliminated, fewer Nova Scotian stories will be written, published, and shared. At a time when cultural sovereignty is increasingly vital, cutting support for local publishing is a step in the wrong direction. Across Canada, publisher assistance programs strengthen the book publishing sector in order to ensure our stories, histories, and ideas are told by and for people in our communities, rather than being watered-down to suit larger, external markets. 

The elimination of the Publishers Assistance program is a shocking about-face from the Government's previously-held position that the province is “renowned for our storytellers,” one they affirmed as recently as last fall with their launch of the Nova Scotia Loyal book industry pilot program. With these announced cuts, those same storytellers are now being left behind. 

“Independent publishers are essential cultural infrastructure,” said Alana Wilcox, President of the Association of Canadian Publishers. “When provincial support for publishing is eliminated, the impact is immediate and far-reaching — fewer books by local authors, fewer jobs, and fewer opportunities for Nova Scotian stories to reach readers. This decision weakens not only the province’s publishing sector, but Canada’s cultural landscape writ large.” 

As artists, arts organizations, and supporters gather at rallies across Nova Scotia in the coming days, Canada’s book sector stands with them in calling for meaningful investment in arts and culture. The Nova Scotia budget has not yet passed, and there remains an opportunity for the province to reconsider cuts that will have lasting consequences for creators, communities, and cultural life in the province. We urge the Government of Nova Scotia to reverse these cuts and to recognize that sustained investment in local publishing is an investment in economic resilience and cultural vitality.

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The book organizations that have signed on to this release include:
Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP)
Association nationale des éditeurs de livres (ANEL)
Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association (APMA) 
Canadian Independent Booksellers Association (CIBA)
Literary Press Group of Canada (LPG)
Regroupement des éditeurs franco-canadiens (REFC)
The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC)
Association of English-language Publishers of Quebec (AELAQ)
Association of Manitoba Book Publishers (AMBP)
Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia (Books BC)
Book Publishers Association of Alberta (BPAA)
Ontario Book Publishers Organization (OBPO)
SaskBooks Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS)

The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC) is the national organization of professionally published writers. TWUC was founded in 1973 to work with governments, publishers, booksellers, and readers to improve the conditions of Canadian writers. With almost 3,000 members, TWUC advocates on behalf of writers’ collective interests, and delivers value to members through advocacy, community, and information. TWUC believes in a thriving, diverse, well-funded Canadian culture that values and supports writers.

For additional information:
John Degen, Chief Executive Officer
The Writers’ Union of Canada
jdegen@writersunion.ca

In December, WFNB member Valerie LeBlanc (https://val.basicbruegel.ca/) asked for old dictionaries from the membership for an art project she was planning for the New Year - a series of video performances in which she’ll be using dictionaries.

She is thankful for the response, and now has enough to complete her project. Thanks for stepping up, members! Her project will begin in April.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASERIVERVIEW, NB – December 21, 2025 – Donovan Street Press Inc., an independent publishing house based in Riverview and owned by WFNB member Joe Mahoney, is pleased to announce that its recent release, The Gates of Polished Horn by Mark A. Rayner of London Ontario, has been named to the Toronto Star’s "20 Favourite Fiction Books for 2025."

https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/our-20-favourite-fiction-books-for-2025/article_bf10853c-f614-4b5b-8a8b-18f0ed7b76d9.html

The annual list, curated by Toronto Star critics, represents a cross-section of the most notable fiction published in Canada. The Gates of Polished Horn, a collection of short stories exploring the boundaries between the real and the unreal, was selected alongside titles from major international publishing houses including Penguin Random House, Knopf, and McClelland & Stewart.

Toronto Star contributor Alex Good described the collection as "delightful," noting that it raises "the sort of moral questions we’ll soon be having to deal with more frequently."

"This recognition by a major national daily validates the editorial and production standards we strive for at Donovan Street Press," says Joe Mahoney, Publisher. "It demonstrates that independent, Atlantic Canadian presses can compete at the highest level of the national literary conversation."

The achievement reflects a collaborative effort within the independent publishing community. The collection was edited by Cal Chayce and Joe Mahoney and features cover design by Avery Olive of Bibliofic Design.

For Donovan Street Press, this accolade serves as a significant milestone in its mission to publish high-quality, thought-provoking fiction. The press anticipates that this national endorsement will increase the visibility of its entire catalog with librarians, booksellers, and readers across Canada.

About Mark A. Rayner: Mark A. Rayner of London Ontario is an award-winning author of several novels and short story collections. His work often blends elements of satire, science fiction, and contemporary philosophy.

About Donovan Street Press Inc.: Donovan Street Press Inc. is an independent publisher located in Riverview, New Brunswick. The press focuses on literary and genre-bending fiction, providing a platform for unique voices and professional production standards within the Atlantic Canadian media landscape.

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Media Contact: Joe Mahoney Publisher, Donovan Street Press Inc. [joemahoney@donovanstreetpress.com] [289-671-7622] [https://www.donovanstreetpress.com/]

WFNB member Valerie LeBlanc (https://val.basicbruegel.ca/) wants your old dictionaries for an art project planned in the New Year. Valerie is getting ready to create a series of video performances in which she’ll be using dictionaries. If you have any at home that you no longer use, Valerie would be happy to collect them for the project. The dictionaries cannot be returned, as they will be taken apart during the performances. You can message Valerie at mediapackboard@gmail.com to arrange a time for her to pick them up (in the Moncton area) or, if that’s not possible, to drop them off at the Writers’ Federation office.

Thank you for considering this chance to put your paper dictionary to work again.

June 2, 2025 – The Writers' Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) added an annual legacy award to its roster of categories this past weekend during the tenth annual New Brunswick Book Awards in Fredericton. 

The recipient of the inaugural NB Legacy Award is David Adams Richards. His sister, the Honourable Judge Mary Jane Richards attended the event to receive the award on his behalf. Mr. Richards was unable to attend as he was accepting an honorary doctorate from McGill University.

“We are pleased and honoured to present our first legacy award to David Adams Richards,” says Rosalyn Hyslop, co-owner of Mrs. Dunster’s Bakery, the sponsor of the award. “This legacy award is intended to honour individuals whose lifelong dedication have left a lasting impact on the writing community in New Brunswick, and we think Mr. Richards has definitely made such an impact.”

The acclaimed novelist, essayist, non-fiction writer, poet, and screenwriter, is generally considered to be New Brunswick’s leading writer of English-language fiction of his generation. Born in Newcastle, he is one of only three writers to have won in both the fiction and non-fiction categories of the Governor General’s Literary Award. He was a co-winner of the 2000 Giller Prize for his novel Mercy Among the Children and has received numerous other prestigious awards, including the Canada-Australia Literary Prize, two Gemini Awards for scriptwriting, the Alden Nowlan Award for Excellence in the Arts, the Canadian Authors Association Award and the 2011 Matt Cohen Award for a distinguished lifetime of contribution to Canadian literature. In 2007, he was awarded the regional Commonwealth Writers’ Prize award for his novel, The Friends of Meager Fortune.

The NB legacy award recognizes those whose vision, leadership, and commitment have significantly enhanced the landscape of the written word—whether by crafting compelling narratives, expanding access to stories, nurturing emerging voices, or fostering spaces where words can thrive. “Through his sustained efforts, Mr. Richards has inspired generations of NB writers, and helped shape a more connected, vibrant, and enduring community of storytellers and story seekers,” Ms. Hyslop said. “He graciously served as guest speaker for the NB Book Awards in 2017, and every year, he continues to sponsor the WFNB David Adams Richards Prize for Fiction Manuscript in the annual NB Writing Competition.”

The awards ceremony was held on May 31 in Fredericton. This free, public event was hosted by Vanessa Vander Valk, host of CBC radio’s Shift, with reception entertainment provided by singer/songwriter Catherine Kennedy. The guest speaker for the evening was Ali Hassan, comedian and host of CBC’s Canada Reads and CBC’s Laugh out Loud.

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June 2, 2025 - The tenth annual New Brunswick Book Awards were presented at a ceremony Saturday, May 31 in Fredericton, celebrating writing excellence in poetry, fiction, nonfiction and books for young readers.

The winners are as follows:

Mrs. Dunster’s Award for Fiction, sponsored by Mrs. Dunster’s Bakery: Nelson Keane Nachzehrer, Galleon, Saint-Philippe

The Books for Young Readers Award, sponsored by JD Irving Ltd. – Valerie Sherrard, An Unbalanced Force (DCB Cormorant), Miramichi

The Fiddlehead Poetry Book Prize, sponsored by The Fiddlehead – Michael Pacey, Van Gogh’s Grasshopper (Pottersfield Press); Fredericton

WFNB Nonfiction Award, sponsored by the Brennan Family – C. Ted Behne, James W. Wheaton, Keith Helmuth, Daryl Hunter, Nicholas N. Smith, Tappan Adney: From Birchbark Canoes to Indigenous Rights, (Goose Lane Publishing and Chapel Street Editions), Woodstock

 The competition for the 11^th annual New Brunswick Book Awards is now open. Traditionally published and self-published authors who have lived in the province for three of the last five years, including the award year (2025) are welcome to enter. The deadline for entries is December 1, 2025.

The awards program is a production of the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB), which for nearly 40 years has passionately supported the development of home-grown writers at all stages of development.

The book awards ceremony was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel as part of WFNB’s annual writing festival, WordSpring.

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For Immediate Release

March 21, 2025 – The Writers' Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB) has announced the shortlisted titles for the 10th annual New Brunswick Book Awards. The winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony on Saturday, May 31, as part of WFNB’s annual WordSpring writing festival in Fredericton. The program will celebrate books published in the 2024 calendar year in the poetry, fiction, nonfiction and for the first time, books for young readers categories. The finalists are as follows:

Mrs. Dunster’s Award for Fiction
Judge:  Michelle Butler Hallett is an award-winning novelist and a disabled person who writes about violence, evil, love, and grace. She is the author of Constant Nobody, This Marlowe, deluded your sailors, Sky Waves, Double-blind, and The Shadow Side of Grace. A comically awkward history nerd, Butler Hallett lives in St John's, Newfoundland.

SPONSOR: MRS. DUNSTER’S INC.

Mark Blagrave Felt, Cormorant Books, St. Andrews

Nelson Keane Nachzehrer, Galleon, Saint-Philippe

Vanessa C. Hawkins, A Child to Cry Over, CSG Publishing House, St. George

(The inaugural) Books for Young Readers award
Judge: Inessa Sage is a bestselling and award-winning author of 23 novels across multiple genres, known for her mystery and fantasy novels. Winner of the Firebird award for best young adult novel, Sage adores stories for younger audiences that capture and intrigue the reader. Outside of writing, she works as a book coach and cover designer. A.N. Sage resides in Toronto, Canada.

SPONSOR: JD IRVING, LTD.

Bea Waters, Project Human (Almandel Entertainment), Fredericton

Valerie Sherrard, An Unbalanced Force (DCB Cormorant), Miramichi;

Odette Barr, Colleen Landry and Beth Weatherbee, Follow the Goose Butt to Prince Edward Island (Acorn Press), Petit-Cap; illustrated by Odette Barr

The Fiddlehead Poetry Book Prize
Judge: Margo Wheaton lives in Bedford, NS, and is the author of Rags of Night in Our Mouths (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2022) and Wild Green Light (Pottersfield Press, 2021), a book she co-authored with David Adams Richards. Her debut collection The Unlit Path Behind the House received the Fred Kerner Award from the Canadian Authors Association and was shortlisted for several others.

SPONSOR: THE FIDDLEHEAD magazine

Matthew Gwathmey, Family Band (Porcupine’s Quill); Fredericton

Gerald Arthur Moore, Flak Jacket (NON Publishing); Moncton

Michael Pacey, Van Gogh’s Grasshopper (Pottersfield Press); Fredericton

Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick Nonfiction Award
Judge: Mark Abley lives in Gananoque, Ontario, and is a nonfiction writer, poet, journalist and editor. Among his nonfiction books are Spoken Here: Travels Among Threatened Languages; The Organist: Fugues, Fatherhood, and a Fragile Mind; and Strange Bewildering Time: Istanbul to Kathmandu in the Last Year of the Hippie Trail. In 2024 Stonehewer Books published an updated edition of his creative nonfiction book Conversations with a Dead Man: Indigenous Rights and the Legacy of Duncan Campbell Scott.

SPONSOR: THE BRENNAN FAMILY, on behalf of the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick

C. Ted Behne, James W. Wheaton, Keith Helmuth, Daryl Hunter, Nicholas N. Smith, Tappan Adney: From Birchbark Canoes to Indigenous Rights, (Goose Lane Publishing and Chapel Street Editions), Woodstock

Margaret Augustine and Lauren Beck, Mitji – Let’s Eat! Mi’kmaq Recipes from Sikniktuk (Nimbus Publishing), Sackville

Donald J. Savoie, Speaking Truth to Canadians About Their Public Service, (McGill-Queens University Press), Moncton

The New Brunswick Book Awards are open to traditionally published and self-published authors who have lived in the province for three of the last five years, including the award year.

The awards program is administered by the Writers’ Federation of New Brunswick (WFNB), which for 40 years has passionately supported the development of home-grown writers at all stages of development. The live awards ceremony will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Fredericton on May 31, as part of WFNB’s annual writing festival, WordSpring.

The awards ceremony on May 31 from 6 pm to 9 pm is a free, public event. Hosted by Vanessa Vander Valk, host of CBC radio’s Shift, the evening will include nibbles and a cash bar, with reception entertainment provided by singer/songwriter Catherine Kennedy. The guest speaker for the evening will be Ali Hassan, comedian and host of CBC’s Canada Reads and CBC’s Laugh out Loud.

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Media Contacts:
Rhonda Bulmer
info@wfnb.ca
506-974-1476

An information session covering the following topics:

1. A reminder of the basic principles of copyright
2. The use of AI-protected works
3. The legal status of AI-generated or AI-assisted works
4. Practical implications for artists and specificities for musicians.

 

Presenters: André Gallant and Christian Clavette

Dates: February 19, 10 am AST (French session) / February 20, 10 am AST (English session)

REGISTRATIONS: https://forms.office.com/r/pZ1zspcru0

Presenters

Christian Clavette is a law professor and lawyer specializing in law and technology at the Faculty of Law at the Université de Moncton. His research focuses on the evolution of intellectual property rights and innovation policies in the face of advancements in artificial intelligence. Before joining the Université de Moncton, Christian served as legal counsel at the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) and was a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa.

As a public policy advisor at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, he contributed to the development of patent policies. He also served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Justice George R. Locke at the Federal Court of Appeal. Christian holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry (University of Ottawa, 2015) and has taught at the Faculty of Science at the University of Ottawa. Prior to transitioning to law, he worked as a scientist in the pharmaceutical industry, specializing in drug development.

André Gallant, Juris Doctor, diploma in health sciences, diploma in tourism, is Atlantic Canada's intellectual property (IP) advisor. Prior to joining the team, André worked in federal law for more than 10 years with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), with 2 large firms and with judges from 2 federal courts. To top it off, André is a published author, a presenter at various events and an amateur piano composer.

One of his passions is to assist under-represented communities and individuals as well as small & medium businesses. He has also long been interested in finding solutions to challenges self-represented individuals face, including with IP rights.

How's your dialogue?

On June 22nd, WFNB member Shelley Egan is offering an online workshop on how to edit dialogue in fiction through the College of Extended Learning at UNB.

Details can be found here, under Writing and Literature: https://www.unb.ca/artcentre/learning/online.html.

^{April 18, 2024
For immediate release}

Federal Budget Represents a Net Loss for Cultural Workers

With the release of Budget 2024, the federal government has again failed to deliver on specific and longstanding promises to repair the market for books and writing in Canada.  
 
“We are dismayed at having our concerns ignored,” said Danny Ramadan, Chair of The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC). “There is a well-understood and ongoing market failure for books and writing in Canada. Our industry has lost hundreds of millions of dollars because of faulty legislation and cultural supports that don’t keep up with the cost of living. This government knows all that, has promised to fix it, and still does nothing with this budget.” 
 
A long-promised 50% increase to the Public Lending Right did not make it into the billions in new spending in Budget 2024. A small increase to the Canada Book Fund, and new initiatives like the Local Journalism Initiative are welcome, but don’t come anywhere near to reimbursing over $200 million ripped away from the writing and publishing industry by unregulated educational copying. 
 
Ramadan added, “While we’re praised in the budget for giving ‘the world some of the best books, written by some of the best authors,’ Canada’s cultural workers are somehow expected to do these things in a non-functioning educational market, which has critically reduced income and opportunities for Canada’s authors.” 
 
At upcoming international meetings with the world’s author organizations, TWUC will once again have to report the Canadian market cannot reliably protect or reward the work of our global colleagues. We remain the outlier with fatally weak copyright law among the world’s developed economies.  
 
“As it stands, my cultural work for Canada has a greater chance of success outside our borders, in markets where copyright is better protected and supported,” concluded Ramadan. “What kind of message is that to Canadians?” 
 
A mandated five-year review of the Copyright Act is scheduled for the coming year. Canada will enter that review having failed to deliver on recommended changes from the previous review report in 2019. Canada’s authors, and all cultural workers, deserve much better. 
 
The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC) is the national organization of professionally published writers. TWUC was founded in 1973 to work with governments, publishers, booksellers, and readers to improve the conditions of Canadian writers. Now over 2,800 members strong, TWUC advocates on behalf of writers’ collective interests, and delivers value to members through advocacy, community, and information. TWUC believes in a thriving, diverse Canadian culture that values and supports writers.

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For additional information:
John Degen, Chief Executive Officer 
The Writers’ Union of Canada 
jdegen@writersunion.ca