Grande Cache in Alberta, which touts itself as a mountain oasis surrounded by spectacular wilderness, has announced its intention to dissolve as an official municipality and fold into the surrounding Municipal District of Greenview. The reason for this decision is primarily sited because of the economic downturn in Alberta. Mayor Herb Castle noted that, “it’s…
More and more, municipalities are seeing the value of collaboration and creating joint strategies including economic development, and emergency communications. The importance of looking to surrounding First Nations for this same effort is invaluable in coming together to learn from each other and work on common priorities. When considering the join communications approach with First…
The Importance of Establishing online Authority BEFORE an emergency In times of non-emergency and “normal” daily operations of your municipality, where do your audiences go for sources of truth? Do they check the website for updates, follow the police department’s Twitter account, or look to the Mayor’s Facebook page for all the latest? Perhaps it’s…
Back to School Safety Campaign Ideas for Municipalities Back to school season is here and it’s time to start rolling out your safety and awareness campaigns. The best way to implement a campaign about services that are provided by another agency is to pool resources and collaborate. If you haven’t already done so, it’s time…
When Municipal Decisions Cause Major Public Backlash – A City of Vaughan Case Study The City of Vaughan recently faced significant backlash over their decisions to abruptly pull an event permit and instead of being praised for putting the safety of residents first, were criticized and accused of racism. Carnival Kingdom was to take place…
Communicating Big Data: How to Create Story-Driven Infographics There is no better way to blend data, style, and content than with a well-crafted infographic. We live in the age of Big Data and it’s important as communicators we keep that in mind when conveying information to our audiences. While Big Data provides us with new…
The Top Five Questions Organizational Leaders Should Ask their Communications Managers Whether you are the CAO of a municipality, the ED of a major non-profit, or the CEO of a corporation, the leaders in every organization recognize the need for strategic, effective, and measurable communications. Hopefully, you have trained and capable communications professionals leading the…