Well, it’s been a good run.

For two years we—Abbigale Kernya & Evan Robins—have had the absolute privilege of being co-Captains of Southern Ontario’s most serially in-poor-taste publication, but the sun sets upon all empires, and our time at the helm is fast coming to its end.

As of April 30th 2025, the both of us will be one year older and 100% more unemployed. So it is now that we find ourselves with the task of holding the door open for our successors.

That’s right, as the publishing year comes to a close we here at Arthur approach our Spring Elections! It is at this time that our Staff Collective vote in Staff Collective Directors for our Board and the Editors for the upcoming Volume 59.

Crucially, it’s also the time when YOU can throw your hat in the ring to run this rag for the next twelve months. It’s a good gig—take it from us. You get to do what you want, when you want, and generally pay yourself whatever you want to do so. 

There are of course caveats—checks, balances, and government killjoys exist to stop you from embezzling the whole lot—chief among which being the fact that editors are not hired, but elected.

Now, seeing as we’re in the middle of an election I’ll presume your familiarity with the concept of voting, but in effect Arthur elections work this way: You (an editorial candidate) present a platform which will be published in Arthur. Then, at the Spring Elections (mid-April, exact date TBD), the Staff Collective of Arthur votes for their favourite candidate(s), who are conferred the dubious honour of occupying the office for the coming year.

It’s important to note that the Staff Collective is not just anyone who is a member of Arthur, be that through having paid a levy fee or otherwise. Rather, the Staff Collective are made up of those who’ve been involved in the production and publishing of Arthur over the course of a given Volume (which runs from May–April, generally speaking).

The by-laws we follow define the Staff Collective as being made up of anyone who has contributed to the production of at least 15% of the issues of Arthur in a year. This gets a bit confusing when we’re dealing with a hybrid online–print publication, especially in a year such as this which saw our printers go spontaneously out of business!

The important thing to know is that for our purposes, anyone who has written two (2) articles (not including letters to the editors), or otherwise contributed to two (2) print issues or podcast episodes in an original and intentional way is part of the Staff Collective (so, for instance, using assets or file photos from past designers or photographers does not count).

The Staff Collective includes both paid staff and volunteer contributors, so if you’ve been engaged with Arthur over the past year you’re eligible to vote and run for editor even if you weren't on payroll.

Editorial candidates can run solo, as a duo, or any other fucked-up arrangement of which you can conceive! Trust us: we’ve done it!

If you are interested in running for Editorship, you must submit:

• An editorial platform (Max 1000 words) explaining who you are, why you want to be editor, and what (if elected) you intend to change around here. You can find examples of past editorial platforms here.
• A draft budget for the Volume detailing potential expenses and broadly how you intend to allocate Arthur’s vast, burgeoning coffers. You can find financial documents from previous years on our website (this is a good place to start), though we are equally happy to send you a copy of our Excel spreadsheet. You can also consult our Business Manager, Rob Hailman, if you’re interested in speaking to someone a bit about your vision.

Please include both documents in Microsoft Office file formats in an email to editors@trentarthur.ca.

EDIT: Due to the March 28th ice storm that has left much of Peterborough without power, we are EXTENDING the deadline for editorial platforms to Friday, April 4th, 2025, with the possibility of further extension contingent on outages at that time.

Submitted Editorial Platforms may be posted in the interim.

If you’re interested in running, but either are not yet a member of the Staff Collective, or have some other question or concern, send us an email! We are happy to help (it’s our job, and just maybe it could be your job too).

If you are a member of the Staff Collective and want to run for Arthur’s Board of Directors, send an email to board@trentarthur.ca. Board positions are oft-neglected but incredibly important (and look really good on your resume). Staff Collective Directors are representative of the staff collective on the Board, serving a year-long term spanning from April 2025 to April 2026. 

Now, it’s time for the moment you’ve been waiting for. The Staff Collective for Arthur Volume 59 —a complete list of everyone tasked with the great undertaking of determining her future—is listed below. Look upon it and weep. Or don’t, it’s your choice and we respect that.

Staff Collective for Arthur Volume 59 (in alphabetical order):

Liam Andrews

Allen Barnier

Lindsay Blake

James Cullingham

James. A. Forrester

Steve French

Sebastian Johnston-Lindsay

Abbigale Kernya

David King

Willow Latella

Mikaela Lewis

Louanne Morin

Kiki Paterson

Ciara Richardson

Evan Robins

Ian Vansegbrook

One submission away:

Lauren Cormier

Georgia Dunning

Piper Glenn

Rob Hailman

Sophia Mailloux

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ACCURATE AS OF MARCH 31st, 2025