The Associated Designers of Canada was founded in 1965 by a group of Toronto-based designers working at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), who were dissatisfied with the working conditions. Their intention was to form a union that would support designers in television, film, and theatre. The organization was originally called The Associated Designers of Canada, Television, Film, and Theatre.
Although union status was not achieved, a small number of designers, mainly in the Toronto area, kept the organization going. By the late 70s, membership increased due to the inclusion of designers from Québec and a significant rise in theatre production across the country. An initiative to gain recognition by the nascent Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT) resulted in an agreement for formal contract negotiations if ADC would develop a Standards and Working Procedures document to promote more cost-effective realization of designs. This process was the catalyst for membership growth across Canada, as it created a sense of a collective, supportive community and demonstrated what the organization could do. The first formal contract was ratified in 1983.
In 1984, French designers in Québec moved away from the organization to form L’Association des professionals des arts de la scène du Québec (APASQ). In 2009 ADC’s name was officially changed to The Associated Designers of Canada, as recognition that the work of the membership was theatre-centric.
The early focus of the ADC was to give a voice and advocate for set, lighting, and costume designers. This later expanded to include sound and media/video design. In addition to a standard contract, contracts now exist for use with the National Arts Centre, dance companies, and independent producers.
In the early 2000s, the ADC was granted official jurisdiction to represent theatrical designers in federally-regulated workplaces through the Status of the Artist Act, which also formalized a jurisdictional boundary for contract negotiations between ADC and APASQ. In 2019 the Department of Canadian Heritage granted ADC status as a National Arts Service Organization, which opened many doors for the ADC to expand its reach and programming beyond bread-and-butter negotiations into sectoral-wide advocacy and support.
While the idea of joining with another professional union was considered and discussed over the decades, the ADC remained an independent professional association. However, by 2020 the membership felt that the slow and incremental change achieved had not sufficiently improved working conditions and remuneration, and affiliation negotiations began with IATSE. On January 1, 2021, IATSE granted a new charter for an autonomous national local: Local ADC659 — the only nationwide IATSE charter in Canada. This Local took over responsibility from ADC for the bargaining and administration of collective agreements.
The Associated Designers of Canada, registered National Arts Service Organization, continues its advocacy and promotion work, separate from Local ADC659. Visit the ADC website at: http://www.designers.ca.