The Town strives to produce consistent and clear communications that are effective, proactive, and responsive to the community's diverse needs. Through the dedication to enhancing Town communications, the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake is honoured to be recognized by the Hermes Creative Awards for multiple communications and design initiatives.
Using multiple methods of communication and ensuring that information shared is easy-to-understand, engaging, and visually pleasing is of great importance. Town Staff has worked hard to advance these objectives and is thrilled to be acknowledged this way.
"I am so pleased to see the Town's Communications Division recognized by Hermes Creative Awards," stated Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa. "Our team works very hard to maintain accessible, transparent and timely communication with our customers and is committed to using various methods to inform and engage the community. On behalf of Town Council, thank you to Staff for their excellent work in creating robust communications for internal and external customers."
Niagara-on-the-Lake received the following Hermes Creative Awards for communications projects that were completed in 2022 and 2023:
- Gold Award: Seasonal Recruitment Video: The Town developed a video to recruit seasonal employees for 2023 who help run the Town's operations and deliver services throughout the spring, summer and fall months. These employees are vital to the fabric of Niagara-on-the-Lake and help maintain the Town's excellent reputation as a friendly and vibrant place to live, work, and visit. Niagara-on-the-Lake is committed to maintaining and strengthening its positive workplace culture, and the Town seeks to recruit seasonal Staff each year that want to build their careers and be part of a Town they love. The Recruitment video helped spread these messages and recruit the best candidates for the Town's seasonal team for 2023.
To view the Seasonal Recruitment video, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWAvGeBydYM.
- Gold Award: "Where do my Property Taxes Go?" Informational Sheet: The "Where do my Property Taxes Go?" was created as a mail-out to be included with residents' tax bills. Taxes can be complicated to understand, and the document's intent was to explain how an individual resident's taxes are apportioned and what value they get from their financial contributions to the tax levy. The first page details the percentage of taxes and the dollar amount that goes to the Municipality, the Region, Education and Health Care. The second page shows how much of residents' taxes are used for services and programs (e.g., library, parks & recreation, police services, street lighting, and more). The document also provides a link to a brief video which helps explain taxes further.
- Honourable Mention: Disconnecting from Work Campaign: In December 2021, the Ontario government passed Bill 27 – Working for Workers Act, 2021. Bill 27 amends Ontario's Employment Standards Act to require provincially regulated employers with 25 or more employees to develop a written policy concerning disconnecting from work by June 2, 2022. In compliance with the new law, the Town developed a Disconnecting from Work Policy. The policy outlines the Town's obligations to support employees in balancing their work and personal lives, supporting employee wellness, minimizing excessive sources of stress and ensuring that employees feel they can disconnect from their work outside regular working hours. In alignment with this new policy, the Town internally launched the Disconnecting from Work Campaign, which issued weekly tips and an informative video to help employees disconnect and answer any questions employees may have about the policy.
"The Town is dedicated to providing information to the community in a variety of methods, including print, digital, and visual media," stated Marnie Cluckie. "By strengthening two-way communication, we foster community engagement and cultivate collaboration and community cohesion. Thank you to the Town Staff who worked diligently on these projects."
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Media Contact:
Marah Minor, Community Engagement and Communications Coordinator
905-468-3266 | communications@notl.com