IMPORTANT: Co-chair Message on COVID-19 Measures

Dear Can*Con friends,

Our hearts go out to all of you. The world is chaotic and uncertain and yet it’s heartening to see how we’re sticking together, supporting each other online, sending cat pictures and encouraging each other to write, read, create, cook, or just loaf with a book or TV. Except for high fives, every activity or non-activity is good right now, because we all have to put self-care and our communities at the top of our priorities.

And during this time, we don’t want Can*Con in any way to be a financial stressor for anyone. We were supposed to end our early-bird rates at the end of March, but we’re extending them into summer. This is a financial hit for the con, but we’ll work hard to make up the difference somewhere else.

If the pandemic has made it that you can’t afford our early-bird rate, let us know at can.spec.lit@gmail.com . Thanks to community donations and a sturdy budget, Can*Con administers a fund to make sure that the con is financially accessible. It might be that this year, we need that fund more and that’s okay; that’s why we do this. Conversely, if for some reason your finances are good and you want to contribute to helping fans who are in greater need this year, please email can.spec.lit@gmail.com .

All that being said, as we stand here in March, looking to October, the public health situation is uncertain. We are monitoring the situation closely. If Ontario is safe enough for public gatherings of 200 people or more, we will hold Can*Con and we’ll have more hand sanitizer than you can shake a stick at, and wallpaper the hotel with posters about the new public health section of our code of conduct! (It’s worth noting that Marie is almost vibrating with excitement at the thought of making people to read our code of conduct again, so do pay attention. She’ll probably spring surprise quizzes on people about whether high fives are allowed. Derek is a firm believer that they should not be.)

If it’s necessary to practice physical distancing again this fall, we’ll decide whether we should design an online conference (like SFWA is doing with the Nebulas weekend in May) or if we postpone for one year. It would be sad if we had to postpone, but Can*Con is only one meeting place for the community of fans and writers and editors and painters and knitters who have become friends. If we can’t meet this year, we’ll continue to support each other and cheer each other on in social media, when we’re buying xmas presents, and when we reach out to say hi by text or video-coffee or phone call.

But of course, if it’s allowed, we’re going to make Can*Con 2020 work, so stay tuned. In the meantime, we’re opening the panelist application and panel suggestion forms. Please remember that application does not mean we’ll be able to fit everything in (we really want to, but space is always an issue!), and to be kind to our volunteers, who will be working as hard as usual, regardless of the uncertainty of current events.

As always, thank you for your friendship, thank you for your patience, and thank you for trusting us.

Derek Künsken and Marie Bilodeau
Co-Chairs
Can*Con