WiER is administered by the Writers in Electronic Residence Foundation, a national non-profit charitable organization, in alliance with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT) and the Canadian Education Association (CEA.) WiER's office is located at OISE/UT.

Taken together with the support of schools and school boards, WiER is made possible by generous public and private foundations, corporations and organizations, including those that participate in specific WiER initiatives and projects from time to time. We value these relationships and, as poet Don Coles might say, it is more than a common privilege to acknowledge them here.

WiER Sponsorship Updates

Ontario Arts Council
The Ontario Arts Council (Literature Office) has renewed its support of WiER through 2012. The OAC has been a strong supporter of WiER since our inception in 1988, and we appreciate the value of the work we have undertaken together. The Ontario Arts Council is an agency of the Government of Ontario.

 

OpenText Corporation

One of OpenText's products is the FirstClass conferencing system, which WiER uses. WiER is pleased to welcome OpenText's major support of the program, and we look forward to working with them on the development of our communications infrastructure.

Institutional Alliances

OISE/UT

The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto has supported WiER through the Education Commons since 2003, hosting our "electronic literary salons" on the Institution's FirstClass servers, and linking the program to teacher education initiatives, like The Virtual Practicum. This web site is hosted by the Education Commons on a Linux server. WiER's office is located at OISE/UT.

Canadian Education Association

The CEA is a national, bilingual charitable organization that "initiates and sustains dialogue throughout the country influencing public policy issues in education for the ongoing development of a robust, democratic society and a prosperous and sustainable economy." The CEA began its alliance with WiER in 2000, lending its expertise in the education and non-profit sectors, and guiding the program to develop its current status as a national, charitable non-profit foundation.

Operational Alliances

E.A. Leslie & Associates Ltd.

Ed Leslie is WiER's "technoguruhuman," and, very probably, the first parent in electronic residence—his children participated in WiER at their local elementary school, and Ed supported the school's efforts. This began a relationship of many years—one that continues to the present day. Indeed, Ed's work led him to focus on the use of FirstClass in a wide variety of contexts, as his web site attests. Like any good "technoguruhuman," (well, if there is actually more than one) Ed has maintained our systems so that the students, writers, teachers and interested (not to mention interesting) others who have something real to say to one another can engage one another easily and well.

We gratefully acknowledge the contribution of all sponsors—large and small, long- and short-term—in the literary work of WiER students and writers, and in the literacy work undertaken by WiER teachers in classrooms across the country.

With thanks.