Jesse Wente, David W. Binet among Canada Council for the Arts appointments
8 new appointments to board of directors for country's national public arts funder
Two prominent voices in the Toronto media landscape — Indigenous critic and CBC Radio columnist Jesse Wente and Thomson Reuters deputy chairman David W. Binet — are among eight new appointments to the Canada Council for the Arts.
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Wente, the director of film programmes at TIFF Bell Lightbox, is also a broadcaster and activist, and has been a film and pop culture critic on CBC's Metro Morning for two decades.
Along with his role at Thomson Reuters, Binet is president and CEO of Woodbridge, the Thomson family investment company, and a director of the Globe and Mail.
Both appointments to the board of directors for Canada's national public arts funding organization are effective immediately.
The other six appointments are Cheryl Hickman, Yann Martel, Sidney Ben Nind, Jennifer Dorner, Beverley K. Foy, and Nathalie Bondil.
"Their vast knowledge and extensive expertise will shape the strategic vision of this organization and promote Canada's dynamic arts scene," said Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly in a statement.
The appointments follow a new selection approach adopted by the government in 2016, which respects gender parity and uses an open, merit-based selection process.