Membership Policy
Magazine applicants must have published a minimum of two print issues before applying for membership. Digital magazines must have been live for at least one year before applying for membership.
AMPA has established criteria for determining magazine member eligibility. These set the Association’s standards and definition of a magazine, provide clear guidelines for potential members to assess whether their publication meets the requirements, and outline what we consider to be a sound model for the long-term sustainability of the magazine industry in general.
The membership committee reviews all applications against the member eligibility guidelines and makes recommendations to the AMPA board of directors. Once an application is approved, applicants will receive information about how to access the website, services and programs. If an application is denied, the reasons for the decision will be outlined in a letter to the applicant.
There are four classes of membership: Voting, Affiliate, Probationary and Associate member.
Voting Members
A Voting member shall be any individual, firm, partnership, proprietorship or institution that applies for Voting membership in respect of a Canadian magazine, journal or other periodical of a cultural, social, economic, political or artistic nature (provided that any publication deemed by the Association to be a house organ publication circulated exclusively to a club membership, advertising catalogue, promotion publication, or daily or weekly newspaper shall be ineligible).
A Voting member on the basis of a print publication must:
- Publish a Canadian magazine
- Have its chief office of business for the magazine in Alberta
- Ensure the effective managerial and editorial control of the magazine resides with persons who are residents of Alberta. Further, that ownership and financial control of magazines must be at least 51% owned by Canadian citizens or permanent residents. If the magazine is owned by a corporation, at least 51% of the directors shall be Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
- Produce a magazine that is intended for the general public
- Publish a minimum of two issues per year
- Have a set distribution network (e.g., subscriber list, newsstand, tourism outlets, etc.).
- Offer subscriptions independent of a membership
- Have an established editorial calendar and regular publishing schedule
- Have a single-copy purchase or annual subscription price
- Have a bound print version
- Ensure covers contain headings and images only. article text occurs on subsequent pages
- Maintain an advertising/editorial ratio of not more than 70:30
- Abide by the Canadian magazine industry code of reader and advertising engagement, as developed by a national task force
- Offer a diversity of views and contributors
- Ensure content is edited
- Ensure content is reflective, not just reporting
- Use the work of Canadians as a substantial part of its editorial content
- Provide compensation for creative content
- Adhere to current best practices in the use of Generative AI. AMPA acknowledges that as the technology develops, so too may our guidelines. AI tools must only be used respecting journalistic practices, ensuring reader trust in an article’s originality, accuracy, fairness and quality. Use of Generative AI must be driven by a commitment to reader transparency. Therefore, AMPA member magazines will not publish articles with text and/or images using Generative AI, without full disclosure to readers through clear labelling.
Voting members have use of AMPA programs and services, are eligible to stand for office, to vote at association meetings and to participate in association referenda.
A Voting member shall be any individual, firm, partnership, proprietorship or institution that applies for Voting membership in respect of a Canadian magazine, journal or other periodical of a cultural, social, economic, political or artistic nature (provided that any publication deemed by the Association to be a house organ publication circulated exclusively to a club membership, advertising catalogue, promotion publication, or daily or weekly newspaper shall be ineligible).
A Voting member on the basis of a digital publication must:
- Publish a Canadian magazine
- Have its chief office of business for the magazine in Alberta
- Ensure the effective managerial and editorial control of the magazine resides with persons who are residents of Alberta. Further, that ownership and financial control of magazines must be at least 51% owned by Canadian citizens or permanent residents. if the magazine is owned by a corporation, at least 51% of the directors shall be Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
- Produce a magazine that is intended for the general public
- Maintain an advertising/editorial ratio of not more than 70:30
- Abide by the Canadian magazine industry code of reader and advertising engagement, as developed by a national task force
- Offer a diversity of views and contributors
- Ensure content is edited
- Ensure content is reflective, not just reporting
- Use the work of Canadians as a substantial part of its editorial content
- Provide compensation for creative content
- Have at least 75% of its editorial content composed of original material, not syndicated or reproduced from another website or publication
- Present a clearly displayed contact page that includes, at minimum, the names of the publisher and editor in addition to the postal address for the publication
- Be a destination for users/readers rather than an e-newsletter, rss feed or similar
- Have an established editorial calendar and regular publishing schedule
- Maintain an advertising/editorial ratio of not more than 70:30
- Adhere to current best practices in the use of Generative AI. AMPA acknowledges that as the technology develops, so too may our guidelines. AI tools must only be used respecting journalistic practices, ensuring reader trust in an article’s originality, accuracy, fairness and quality. Use of Generative AI must be driven by a commitment to reader transparency. Therefore, AMPA member magazines will not publish articles with text and/or images using Generative AI, without full disclosure to readers through clear labelling.
Voting members have use of AMPA programs and services, are eligible to stand for office, to vote at association meetings and to participate in association referenda.
Affiliate Members
Affiliate Membership is open to:
- Businesses that publish magazines that meet all the criteria for Voting membership but produce a publication with its membership as the intended audience, rather than the general public (i.e., alumni publications, house organs and member-driven periodicals)
- Magazines that distribute a periodical in the province that is intended for Albertans but do not maintain a chief office of business for the magazine in Alberta
- Magazines that do not maintain a chief office of business for the magazine in Alberta and do not have magazine association representation in their home province
Affiliate members have use of select AMPA programs and services, are entitled to receive notice of and attend the Annual Meeting of the Society, but are not entitled a vote.
Probationary Members
Probationary membership is open to publishers, at the discretion of the membership committee, who do not meet the criteria for Voting or Affiliate membership as outlined. Probationary members shall not be eligible to use the AMPA logo, stand for office or vote at AMPA meetings. Full membership will be granted after a successful one-year review.
Associate Members
Associate membership is open to any individual, firm, partnership, proprietorship or institution, anywhere in Canada, that supports the objects of the Association.
Associate members have use of select AMPA programs and services, are entitled to receive notice of and attend the Annual Meeting of the Society, but are not entitled a vote.
Adherence
Members are expected to subscribe to and be willing to work in pursuit of the objects of the Association. As per bylaw 2.7.2, membership in the Association lapses when a Member ceases to qualify.
In the event that membership criteria are not met, the committee will issue a letter outlining deviations from the policy. A reasonable timeline will be given in which adherence to guidelines must be met. Members who receive three notices of deviation from the guidelines are no longer eligible for association membership.
Past notices for a publication do not survive in the event of a change of ownership or management.
Print members are required to submit five copies of each new issue of its periodical on a timely basis to the association office.