EVERY WOMAN COUNTS
Veritext is honored to celebrate women today and every day.
It’s Time To Shine! Court Reporting & Captioning Week 2024.
February 3rd to the 10th marks the 12th annual Court Reporting and Captioning Week where people, companies, and organizations come together to showcase the skills and talents of the steno world. Veritext is again proud to do our part to support and shine a light on our amazing reporters.
We have always enjoyed showcasing amazing talents like the Wilde sisters, or Mikayla on our blog. We have also continued our pledge to support educational opportunities with schools like NAIT to distribute scholarships to 30 steno and transcription students over the next five years. Specifics of some of the awards include:
- Veritext Legal Solutions Canada Court Transcription Scholarship
- Available to two students each year enrolled in the Court Transcription program. These scholarships are awarded based on excellent academic achievement in the program.
- Veritext Legal Solutions Canada Captioning and Court Reporting Scholarship
- Available to two students each year enrolled in the Captioning and Court Reporting program. These scholarships are awarded based on excellent academic achievement in the program.
- Veritext Legal Solutions Canada Entrance Bursary
- Available to two students each year entering the Court Transcription or Captioning and Court Reporting program. These scholarships are awarded on the demonstrated financial need and satisfactory academic achievement to enter the program.
Visit Veritext.com to learn more about the resources and opportunities available. And don’t forget to post throughout the week on social media using #CRCW24 #VeritextCares for a chance to win a raffle prize!
WELCOME TO DEPO TALK!
Episode 7: Just Do It: Get Realtime-Ready!
Veritext Announces a Renewed Commitment to their Scholarship Program for Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Stenography and Transcription Students
Vancouver and Livingston, New Jersey – June 27, 2023 – Veritext Legal Solutions, the leader in court reporting and litigation support solutions, today announces continued support for court reporters throughout Canada by renewing and updating the scholarship program for Northern Alberta Institute of Technology stenography and transcription students.
The new pledge will distribute scholarships to 30 steno and transcription students over the next five years. Included in the program is the Entrance Bursary program with the goal to encourage students to consider court reporting or transcription as a career. Specifics of the annual awards include:
- Veritext Legal Solutions Canada Court Transcription Scholarship
- Available to two students each year that are enrolled in the Court Transcription program. These scholarships are awarded based on excellent academic achievement in the program.
- Veritext Legal Solutions Canada Captioning and Court Reporting Scholarship
- Available to two students each year that are enrolled in the Captioning and Court Reporting program. These scholarships are awarded based on excellent academic achievement in the program.
- Veritext Legal Solutions Canada Entrance Bursary
- Available to two students each year that are entering the Court Transcription or Captioning and Court Reporting program. These scholarships are awarded on the demonstrated financial need and satisfactory academic achievement to enter the program.
“These scholarships have been a long-standing tradition for the Veritext family of brands throughout Canada, and we are excited for the opportunity to continue to support the court reporting community and help those coming into the profession,” states Nancy Josephs, CEO of Veritext. “We look forward to working with NAIT in issuing these scholarships to deserving students over the next five years.”
Locations in Canada include Calgary, AB; Kamloops, BC; New Westminster, BC; Vancouver, BC; Winnipeg, MB; Toronto, ON; Regina, SK; and Saskatoon, SK.
To learn more about Veritext and the industry advocacy work the company is doing visit https://veritext.ca/about/industry/.
About Veritext Legal Solutions
Founded on a commitment to excellence, Veritext has become the trusted partner and established market leader in litigation technology and legal service solutions for law firms, government agencies and enterprise corporations. Veritext focuses on the unique needs of each member of the legal team and provides access to innovative technologies and remote solutions, unsurpassed data security, the highest-quality network of reporters and legal videographers, unmatched expertise in multiparty and complex litigation and state-of-the-art conference space across North America. At Veritext, we focus on the details – so legal teams can focus on the case.
Spreading the Word
On April 27, Debbie Kostyk, OCR took some time out of her busy schedule to chat with the students of the Victoria, BC School District at their District Career Fair.
She was shoulder to shoulder with representatives of career sectors in health, tech, manufacturing, and much more. There were 92 exhibitors and over 1400 students cruised through the event.
Debbie enjoyed showing the curious students her steno machine and a few had a go themselves.
Over 1,400 students attended, and I talked to quite a few kids who seemed interested (and a few who didn’t!) As you’d expect, most people didn’t even know this was a profession or have a clue what we do. I gave out a lot of information about Steno A to Z and the link to the page on the Veritext website about schools and scholarships. I’d recommend doing a career fair at least once to every reporter, but make sure you have a backup partner!”
Thank you, Debbie, for sharing your knowledge with our future generations!
Let’s Celebrate International Women’s Day | March 8, 2023
International Women’s Day is a time to look at the achievements and contributions of women throughout history. Canada’s theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) 2023 is Every Woman Counts. This is a reminder that all women, from all ages and walks of life, have a place in every aspect of Canadian society, including in the economic, social, and democratic spheres. Canada has produced many strong women who have each fought in their own way for a space in their spheres of influence. In 1992, the Government of Canada designated October as Women’s History Month, marking the beginning of an annual celebration of the outstanding achievements of women and girls throughout Canada’s history. However, for many, March is the month to celebrate, so in honor of International Women’s Day, here are just a few Canadian women of note:
- Viola Desmond, who now graces our ten-dollar bill, was a civil rights activist and businesswoman in the 40s. She is best known for her refusal to leave a whites-only section of a movie theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia in 1946 for which she was arrested and fined. Her actions helped spark the modern civil rights movement in Canada.
- Margaret Atwood is the author of “The Handmaid’s Tale” and many other works for which she has won numerous awards including the Book Prize and the Governor General’s Award.
- Buffy Sainte-Marie is an Indigenous Canadian American (Piapot Cree Nation) singer-songwriter and social activist. She has been active since the 1960s and many of her songs are about social and political issues. She has been an advocate for Indigenous rights throughout her career.
- Emily Carr was a painter and writer, best known for her depictions of Indigenous people and the landscapes of British Columbia’s rugged coast. Her work helped to define Canadian art in the early 20th century.
- Julie Payette is an astronaut and engineer who has flown two space missions. She then served as the Governor General of Canada from 2017 to 2021, becoming only the fourth woman to hold that position.
- Mary Two-Axe Earley was a Mohawk and Oneida women’s rights activist. After losing her legal Indian status due to marrying a non-status man, she advocated for change to the Indian act which until then had promoted gender discrimination and stripped First Nations women of their rights to participate in the political and cultural life of their home reserves. On June 28, 1985, Bill C-31 was passed to amend the Indian Act.
- Corrine Sparks was the first black Canadian woman to become a judge for the Family Court in Nova Scotia.
This is just a sample of the many Canadian women who have made significant changes to their world. On International Women’s Day, we celebrate their achievements and the achievements of all the women of Canada and around the world, who continue to work to make this a better place to live, thrive and function.
You can read, watch, learn, and listen to more examples of notable women in Canada and the US who have made their mark in history here.
Connect Series: Meet Alyssa Corcino
Alyssa is a Client Services Associate at our Vancouver office. She hasn’t been with us very long but has already become a great asset to the office and we all love her cheerful and can-do spirit. So it was our great honour to ask her to join some of us at the 10th annual Dress for Success Luncheon on Wednesday, November 2nd. Why was it an honour? Read on to find out.
Can you tell us what led you to your current role here at Veritext?
I recently moved to Vancouver from Ottawa in May 2022. After passing along my resume to everyone I knew in the city, Kris Bergado got back to me and referred me to Veritext for a Client Services Associate role. Kris is a family friend who currently works as Litigation & Mediation Support Coordinator.
… and what do you love about working here?
I love working with my team and having supportive managers. Liking my colleagues makes a huge difference in my disposition in the workplace. I also enjoy coming into the office every day as I get to interact with the staff, management, couriers, etc. After two years of working from home, I had missed the daily in-person interactions that I used to have in school and at work.
Leading up to the Dress for Success Luncheon, we did a call out for donations and got a great response. We hear you have a close connection to the organization, and we would love to hear this story.
My mom, Lynette, is on the Board of Directors at Dress for Success Ottawa. She was a client of Dress for Success when she moved to Canada in 2010. After finding a job, my mom decided to volunteer for the organization as she felt that they do important work in helping women start and develop their careers. She was a dedicated volunteer for a few years, and eventually Dress for Success invited her to be on the Board of Directors.
Lastly, Veritext’s corporate values are respect, ethics, collaboration, accountability, and professionalism. Can you tell us which of these values resonates most strongly with you and why?
I highly value accountability both in my professional and personal life. It is important to know what you are responsible for and take ownership of the impact of your actions. I have noticed that open communication and having clear expectations of each member leads to a high performance from the team. Luckily, I belong to a team that practices accountability every day.
It always helps to hear first-hand how an organization like Dress for Success truly helps women from all walks of life and situations.
We are still accepting donations at the Vancouver office for Dress for Success until November 9th! Please consider dropping off some gently used business attire next time you’re in the area!
And thank you, Alyssa for sharing your story with us.
The Advocates Society
Strengthening the profession through advocacy and mentorship.
This past year, as we’ve expanded to become a Canadian national enterprise, we’ve truly enjoyed fostering new relationships in our various communities while continuing to strengthen others.
For our team at Veritext Canada, supporting the Advocates Society is a natural fit.
With their focus on facilitating mentorship in the coming term, the AS is working to provide an environment that “fosters creativity and provides support” within the legal community.
Recently, we had the pleasure of attending the Advocates Society gala in Calgary and last night we were able to connect once again in Toronto. It was a much-needed chance to celebrate together, and to honour successful careers, and, most importantly, begin to reconnect.
Connection. Isn’t that what it’s really all about?
Clearly, over the past many months our industry has shifted how (and where) we work and like many other professions, our systems and structures have been shaken to the core. Fortunately, our collective passion for justice has remained firmly intact, driving courts to utilize leading-edge solutions and adapt to virtual and hybrid practices to stay productive and connected.
As we emerge from this period of transformation, we also know that the repercussions of this pandemic will be felt for months, even years to come – and so, it becomes a meaningful exercise to hold on to the progress we’ve made and to look for the silver linings in the process.
One such glimmer of hope is the absolute joy of reconnecting with colleagues and friends in the real world, knowing how far we’ve all come!
Thank you to the Advocates Society for inviting our team to these important events and for the part they play in providing mentorship and actively supporting the development of young lawyers across Canada.
As a growing company, we will continue to align with others whose main goal is to shape the future of our industry in all its facets in a collaborative way. We often mention our focus on community over competition because despite the challenges and hurdles we all face, what remains is the strong foundation upon which our work thrives. Shaky foundations make for precarious futures, so finding the fortitude that remains is not only necessary but absolutely essential.
We Are Not Alone: Why Mental Health Matters
To merely say that Covid-19 has added a fresh layer of stress over whatever else we all deal with daily is probably an enormous understatement.
The last couple of years have been hard on all of us. We have all been trying to manage our work, our families, and our lives in a constant state of worry. This goes for everyone – those lucky to have not gotten sick, for those who have battled the illness or frankly for ANYONE who has known ANYONE afflicted by this virus. The effects of this crisis run deep. Deeper than we may even yet realize.
With the lifting of many mandates and rules across the country, many of us have simply decided that we have had enough of worrying. However, is it enough to decide? Does it matter? The infection rates are still high – I have three of my family sick with it right now. The worry is still warranted.
The term ‘selfcare’ has been thrown around a lot but still seems to be connected mostly to spa days and mediation. A nice bath, while relaxing, is probably not going to help you very much as you plunge into the next day of worry, compounded by the previous day of worry.
The theme of this year’s Canadian Mental Health Week is Empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, and sadly according to a recent study our empathy for others is at an all time low. As they say, crisis can breed contempt. Out of necessity, we go inward and we tend to focus on our own. The survey conducted by the CMHA found that only 13 per cent of Canadians were feeling empathetic. This is a drop of 10% since the beginning of the pandemic.
This is not hard to understand. It is hard to feel for others when we ourselves are struggling. But empathy does indeed start with us. It must. If we can truly understand and respect what is happening within ourselves, we can indeed see that same struggle within others.
The first thing to remember is, you do not have to do this alone. Due to the pandemic, many of us have felt isolated and cut off from our friends and family, even our neighbours and co-workers. Reach out. Reach out. Reach out.
If you are fortunate enough that your employee benefit plan may have mental health resources available… use them. The CMHA website is filled with valuable resources too, like this Mental Health Meter.
Other resources include:
- Finding your local CMHA here
- Free mental health support at Wellness Together Canada
- For younger people and children contact Foundry
- And if any thoughts of suicide? Call 1-833-456-4566 (in QC: 1-866-277-3553) or visit crisisservicescanada.ca.
We are not alone and there is nothing shameful about the challenge of mental health issues. Now, more than ever, be empathetic with yourself – when you take care of yourself first, that care will reflect upon those around you who perhaps are also struggling.
April Showers Bring May Flowers
April has been a busy month. Spring is springing, blossoms are blossoming and things are going full tilt at Veritext Canada.
With everything going on, the people in our world keep mentioning that time feels like an illusion right now. Where are the days going?
For our team, the focus continues to be on expanding our presence and client resources across Canada. Our days and weeks have been spent honing in on growth and development, on connecting with our clients and on fostering our team in order to provide a best-in-class experience from coast to coast.
Last weekend, our Director of Reporting, Leanne Kowalyk hosted a webinar with NAIT’s own Janice Plomp on how to use AccelerWriters and Power Defines. Finding ways to support the professional growth of our reporters is key. A supported team is a successful team, so mentorship and learning are always on our minds. Watch this space for information on upcoming webinars for Reporters in the next few months.
We also want to congratulate Leanne for her new role as a member of the Captioning & Court Reporting Program Advisory Committee at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). This position enables her to collaborate with the NAIT program leadership and provide input, advice and guidance in the development of their Captioning and Court Reporting Program.
Speaking of NAIT, congratulations to first-year court reporting student Myung Kyu Kim and second-year court reporting student Desislava Kancheva, recipients of the annual Veritext Legal Solutions Court Reporting Student Scholarship for 2022. We can’t wait to see what you achieve in your budding careers!
With restrictions loosening across the country, Megan Ejack, Director of Marketing & Communications, Canada, took the opportunity to head to Alberta this week to meet the teams in Calgary and Edmonton. She also attended the Advocates Society Annual Gala in Calgary last night with our Regional VP, Christ Pratt and we were proud to be a sponsor of this event.
Learning the particular nuances of each market across the nation is an important factor in driving how we approach new, innovative solutions for clients and truly understand the needs of each respective region. We’re looking forward to meeting all of our clients over the coming months so we can properly assess the direction we need to go. If you have thoughts, comments or suggestions, please reach out to anyone on our team.
On that note, we want to thank you for your ongoing support of our exciting path forward as we continue to forge a sustainable future for our industry. Though the days may be racing along, we know we’re not alone in wanting to affect change and delve deeper into the needs of our colleagues, associates and clients.
“Community over competition” has become a bit of a mantra for us as we navigate the past, present and future…. Together.