The Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP) is pleased to announce that the late Dr. Gregory Younging, Opaskwayak Cree Nation, will be recognized with the President’s Award at the association’s upcoming AGM. ACP will also present Catherine Mitchell, consultant and ACP volunteer, with honorary lifetime membership in the association.
Younging had a long relationship with Theytus Books—the first Indigenous-owned publishing house in Canada—where he served as Managing Editor from 1990 to 2004, and returned as Publisher in 2015. Through Theytus, Younging was a dedicated member of ACP and the ACP Board of Directors until his death on May 3, 2019. As an educator, he opened the eyes and minds of students, editors and publishers to their roles in the essential project of reconciliation. “Greg brought his expertise and good counsel to ACP and its members through many PD sessions, and many more conversations and consultations on projects and programs,” said ACP President Glenn Rollans. “We owe him our respect and thanks, and our energies in keeping his spirit alive in our work. We are grateful that Greg’s family is supportive of ACP recognizing his work with this award, and honoured that they will join us next month to accept it on Greg’s behalf.”
Catherine Mitchell has a long history with ACP, and since 2009 has served as the association’s volunteer representative to the Coalition for Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CDCE). Catherine’s work with CDCE on behalf of ACP has been invaluable through a series of international trade negotiations, and she has worked diligently to ensure the perspectives of book publishers are represented among the cultural industries that comprise the CDCE. “Catherine is a loyal advocate, a respected mentor on rights and international sales, and above all a champion of Canadian independent publishers,” said Rollans. “She never misses an opportunity to boost our collective work, and we are delighted to celebrate her many contributions to ACP.”
The President’s Award is awarded to ACP members who have made a significant contribution to the Canadian publishing industry and to the ACP. Honorary lifetime membership in ACP is presented to an individual or group that is not a member of ACP, but has made a significant contribution to the association and to the Canadian publishing industry. The awards will be presented at the ACP banquet in Toronto on June 19, 2019.