(Note: this document has not been updated for a number of years.)
iComm
Box 371, 253 College St., Toronto, Ontario M5T 1R5
May 1995-present (full time; both volunteer and paid work)
Founder, Program Co-ordinator and Board Member. Founded then guided the evolution of a non-profit corporation dedicated to helping non-profit, charitable and community groups by giving them full Internet access, services and support at no cost. iComm (originally called io.Community) began in May '95 as a one-person volunteer program on a single Toronto ISP and quickly grew to include over 75 local, provincial, national, and international organisations in less than six months.
After a Nov. '95 corporate takeover, expanded io.Community in cooperation with the new national management and program volunteers. ican.Community began in May '96 and continued until Sept. '96 when another corporate takeover led to the cancellation of the program. Mobilised our volunteer team, obtained Internet services donations from local ISPs, and by early Dec '96 the program was restored on an independent full Internet server.
Guided iComm to registered non-profit incorporation by May '97 with a 15-member board. Presented at the World Bank/ Federal government conference Global Knowledge 97 and IBM's Centre for Advanced Studies CASCON '97. Commended for our non-profit work by the founder of the commercial Internet in Canada and by the London Secretariat of Amnesty International. In less than three years, iComm has helped over 400 community groups on four continents.
iComm is now actively fundraising and seeking media coverage. We serve 24/7 a growing client base of hundreds of nonprofit organisations and our online traffic averages over 50,000 email messages per day; two gigabytes total daily online traffic. Since Dec. '96 our volunteer-based program has operated and expanded within an annual program budget of less than two thousand dollars.
Internex Online
1 Yonge St., Suite 1801, Toronto, Ontario M5E 1W7
August 1994-June 1995 (part-time/ volunteer)
Staff Writer; World Wide Web (WWW) Support Team member. Online documentation writer and commercial advertising copywriter for the first full service Internet provider for individuals in Toronto. Provided web support as needed by responding to a team queue of up to 75 email messages per day from business and home customers needing help in creating, troubleshooting and maintaining their web sites. Personal responsibilities included site administratration of the first Canadian mirror of the WWW Frequently Asked Questions file.
Consumer/Survivor Information Resource Centre of Toronto
1499A Queen Street W., Toronto Ontario M6R 1A3
Jan 1993-May 1997 (part-time)
Founding Board Member. Advocate for increased computer access and availability for consumers/ survivors of the mental health system, both locally in Toronto and nationally/ internationally on the Internet. Presented at Queen Street Mental Health Centre's Grand Rounds on the future impact of current information technology on consumers/ survivors. Planned and helped impliment the Centre's Internet strategy in cooperation with staff and other board members. Resigned from the board due to other commitments in May '97 after having served as President for one year.
Information-Communications Coordinator. Was responsible for seven IBM compatible computers running MS-DOS v.3.3 to 6.0, Windows 3.1, WordPerfect 5.0/ 5.1, Microsoft Word, Lotus 1-2-3, Quattro Pro, NuViews, Norton Commander and Utilities, PC Tools, Telix 3.21, PKZip, ARJ, McAffee VirusScan, F-Prot, and other software programs. Duties included training, hardware/software upgrades, system backups and maintenance, emergency repairs including hard drive restoration, and the selection, design and documentation of an appropriate user menu which enhanced ease of use and security. The user base included over a dozen full time and part time staff and 200 active PARC Drop-in members. Skill levels ranged from nil to expert. Costed and purchased a new computer in early '94. Supervised PARC Futures trainee. Continued DTP and reception work including newsletter (see below).
Parkdale Activity & Recreation Centre (PARC) Building Office
1497 Queen Street W., Toronto Ontario M6R 1A3
October 1992-July 1993 (volunteer, part time and full time)
Executive Assistant to the PARC Building Development Coordinator. General reception duties in a busy storefront office near the PARC Drop-in. Participated in weekly office meetings and staff development days. Voluntary editor/ production manager of sixteen issues of the PARC newsletter Foolproof which included writing and design workshops with PARC members, and training of members in DTP software and photocopying. Hosted five PARC poetry readings. Was a team member/ team leader in the production of a wide variety of office documents including City of Toronto fire safety plans, several lengthy reports to the Ministry of Health (including a building functional plan and core funding review) a 33 page Annual General Report, and many forms for daily office and Drop-in use. Trained other PARC members in office duties. Active crisis intervention and liason with police and medical response teams, and community outreach work which included meeting with neighbourhood associations and personally hosting a community memorial service.
Toronto Computes!
1991-92
Freelance Writer. Outlined, wrote and submitted six articles on a variety of hardware, software and business issues within the Toronto computer community. Copy available on request.
Opinions/ Editorial Page Toronto Star
1 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario
Freelance Writer. Wrote and submitted an article to the Opinions Page editor which was published Oct 10, 1990.
CBLS/ CKBW Radio
Front Street, Sioux Lookout, Ontario P0V 2T0
October-December 1985 (volunteer, part time)
Announcer/ Engineer/ Programmer. Worked on community radio station. Selected records and news items for airplay, announced and engineered live broadcasts. Inventoried station record library, created a weekly late night show, and wrote a seven page report for the board of directors on the future direction of the station.
Carswell Legal Publications (Western)
Suite 800, 615 Macleod Trail S., Calgary, Alberta
August 1982-May 1983
Hired as Legal Proofreader, proofreading legal judgements for publication in law magazines and books. Promoted to Case Files Clerk in charge of accurate listing/ updating of judgement files; also selected and purchased office equipment.
Sioux Lookout Daily Bulletin
Sioux Lookout, Ontario P0V 2T0
1981-1982 (volunteer, part time)
Reporter/ Job Printer. Suggested article ideas, researched and wrote news stories, interviews and editorials for a daily newspaper. Also typeset and printed job lots of envelopes, signs, cards, etc., on Heidelberg platen press with handset lead type. Interviewed Liona Boyd for CBC radio programme Morningside.
Press
Suite 412, Brock Tower, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario L2S
3A1
August 1978-January 1979 temporary, full time)
Staff Writer/ Assistant Editor for weekly student newspaper under an Ontario Career Action Programme (OCAP) grant. Wrote and edited news and entertainment copy; followed through typesetting, photo/ graphics selection and layout to camera-ready boards. Several of my articles were reprinted by other Canadian university papers. Planned, wrote and announced weekly news program on campus radio station.
primer
Suite 412, Brock Tower Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario L2S
3A1
May-August 1978 (temporary, full time)
Editor of 96-page student handbook with a recruited volunteer staff of ten; produced the largest print run of any Brock student handbook to that date, 30% under budget. ("The student handbook primer which you have just published is one of the finest student handbooks I have ever seen." -- Peter Bartram, Registrar, Brock University)