OTTAWA—THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED: The Canadian Printing Industries Sector Council (CPISC) and the Canadian Printing Industries Association (CPIA) are in discussions to become a new, single organization, said an announcement today.

The new organization will replace the CPIA and CPISC. "The complementary strengths of the two organizations—CPIA’s membership services, information, advocacy, access to Printing Industries of America services and networking, and CPISC’s industry knowledge, labour-market intelligence, training development, standards and certification expertise—are considered a perfect mix," reads a joint statement.

The organizations are reaching out to the industry to get feedback on which services and activities would be most valuable to them. "This input will be used to help inform the discussions and define the direction of a new organization, and ensure that every activity it undertakes and every service it offers is relevant, focused and practical," reads the statement.

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“Canada’s printing industry has gone through a technological revolution that has changed almost every aspect of the business,” said Sandy Stephens, chairman of the CPIA board. “The kind of support that industry players need—in human-resource development, in information, in marketing, in advocacy to government and in training—is markedly different than it was a decade ago.  This is the perfect time to explore the creation of a single agency that can offer leadership, support and networking opportunities beyond those that exist today.”
 
Added Jeff Ekstein, co-chair of CPISC, “Our intent is to make sure that printing and graphics communications companies have resources and services that help them sustain profitable growth, and that all employees of this dynamic sector have the training they need to stay current, mobile, and valuable to their employers.”

UPDATE: It hasn't yet been decided if existing CPIA members will be granted automatic membership in the new entity. "Discussions concerning automatic memberships are ongoing as we move forward with confirming the mandate, structure and governance of the new organization," noted Marie Eveline, executive director of CPISC. "Issues regarding membership (types, benefits and fees) will be part of those discussions as well as the issue of 'grandfathering' existing memberships."