Our communications: Ready, resilient and resourceful
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A disciplined, responsible and measured approach to COVID-19
As the global COVID-19 pandemic evolves, communications at the City of Vaughan will continue to evolve with it. The City remains focused on providing Service Excellence to the entire community and keeping its citizens, stakeholders and staff informed by ensuring they are equipped with the news they need, when they need it. This includes updates about reopenings, closures, modified services and precautionary measures in place.
As the global COVID-19 pandemic evolves, communications at the City of Vaughan will continue to evolve with it. The City remains focused on providing Service Excellence to the entire community and keeping its citizens, stakeholders and staff informed by ensuring they are equipped with the news they need, when they need it. This includes updates about reopenings, closures, modified services and precautionary measures in place.
Throughout the global pandemic, Vaughan has been guided by three core values – readiness, resiliency and resourcefulness – which continue to shape ongoing response efforts. During the latest meeting of the City's Ready, Resilient and Resourceful (RRR) Committee of Council, one of the focuses was on “our communications.”
The Corporate and Strategic Communications department employs a variety of communications methods to keep the community in the know, including Public Service Announcements, proactive media outreach, eNewsletters, brochures, social media, website content, mailers, signage, links to various provincial and federal websites and resources, and much more. All efforts remain consistent with the 2018 Citizen Satisfaction Survey results, which reveal citizens prefer to receive information in the form of both hard-copy and digital communications. In total, the team has issued 1,748 COVID-19-related products as of Oct. 11. That is in addition to extensive internal communications efforts to ensure staff are well informed. The team also works closely with all levels of government to respond to COVID-19 and assists in providing information on the different roles of municipal, regional, provincial and federal governments during an emergency.
Here is a snapshot of the types and quantity of products distributed throughout the pandemic, from March 13 to Oct. 11, 2020:
- Issued 1,748 COVID-19-related products, including 230 public service announcements, 32 news releases and 31 communications from Mayor Bevilacqua, such as statements and keynote addresses. These products have generated 388 COVID-19-related (Vaughan focused) media products from news outlets, including online and print articles, radio segments and television interviews.
- Shared a total of 2,749 social media posts across the City’s corporate Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, amounting to more than 1.5-million impressions. In March 2020, the City had approximately 43,000 followers on its platforms – that number has since risen to 53,000 as of Oct. 23, 2020.
- Created dedicated COVID-19 webpages at vaughan.ca/COVID19. Since it was launched in March, the COVID-19 webpage has received more than 91,800-page visits. Established in July, the Reopening Vaughan webpage has received more than 7,300 visits. The vaughan.ca/news webpage has also garnered more than 6,600 views.
- Sent a total of 282 City Update eNewsletters to subscribed residents. A City Hall Connects hard-copy newsletter was also mailed to all Vaughan residents in April, with a second one coming early in January 2021.
- Produced a total of 2,350 different marketing and creative pieces as of Sept. 18, including special signage and displays, City of Vaughan digital signs, digital billboards, web graphics, social media graphics, advertising pieces and videos.
- Issued a total of 61 internal staff communications, including all-staff emails from Corporate and Strategic Communications, news from the City Manager’s office and a dedicated internal COVID-19 webpage with up-to-date information for staff.
The City’s Recreation Services and Economic and Cultural Development departments, as well as Vaughan Public Libraries (VPL), also do extensive outreach to stakeholders. Throughout the pandemic, they have actively connected with audiences to proactively share updates.
Recreation Services
Communications tactics leveraged to provide information and updates include –
- the Recreation Services webpage: regular updates made to banners on the homepage, featuring timely information about program cancellations, virtual programming, , on-site summer camps and more.
- the Events webpage: regular updates, featuring timely information about postponed events and virtual events
- social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook and YouTube: multiple posts are shared daily about general recreation and event content, including more than 500 videos created by staff which highlight facility closures, reopenings, virtual programming, precautionary measures and more. Several Instagram contests were also launched to generate awareness of initiatives and encourage participation.
- the Recreation Services eNewsletter: regular email updates sent to more than 10,200 subscribers featuring timely information.
The department also used different communication approaches when reaching out to various audiences. Here are some highlights –
- Vaughan Fitness members:
- Cold calling was completed to generate awareness of the free fitness pack loans and encourage participation in free virtual workouts on social media.
- Targeted mailouts were sent to advise of reopenings and new precautionary procedures in place at facilities.
- Social media virtual tours were conducted by each Fitness Co-ordinator to welcome back members and discuss new health and safety protocols.
- eNewsletters are sent to subscribed members about virtual classes, indoor/outdoor classes and reopenings.
- Summer camp participants:
- Emails were sent to parents before the start of every session. A survey was also emailed at the end of the sessions for feedback.
- Social media channels were leveraged to post behind-the-scenes photos and videos throughout the camps to highlight each week’s theme.
- Virtual recreation program participants:
- Emails were sent to parents before the start of every session. A survey was also emailed at the end of the sessions for feedback.
- Pool and aquafitness plan holders:
- Targeted mailouts were sent to advise of reopenings and new precautionary procedures in place at facilities.
- Pool reopening video posted on swim webpage and social media to welcome back swimmers and discuss new health and safety protocols.
- eNewsletters are sent to subscribed members about pool reopening and special promotional single visit fee for recreational/length swims and aquafitness classes.
- Corporate sponsors:
- Contacted Vaughan Celebrates program sponsors to inform them of in-person, City-led event cancellations and introduce new virtual event formats for annual celebrations like Canada Day and the Concerts in the Park series.
- Permit holders:
- Calls and emails have been sent regarding permit cancellations and updates.
Economic and Cultural Development
Communications tactics leveraged to provide information and updates include –
- The vaughanbusiness.ca website: since launching in May, the new website has received more than 43,600 page views.
- The visitvaughan.ca website: the page has achieved more than 1,100 views since launching in May.
- Various department eNewsletters: With four different Economic and Cultural Development eNewsletters to sign up for, the team has issued more than 240 email alerts to more than 8,600 subscribed businesses and stakeholders.
Vaughan Public Libraries
Communications tactics leveraged to provide information and updates include –
- the VPL website: it has achieved more than 827,300 page views since the closure of branches in March, and new webpages created in response to the pandemic have received more than 98,600-page views. This website traffic included:
- the curbside pickup webpage, which has received 54,000 views.
- the digital downloads webpage, which garnered 53,000 views.
- the VPL at Home web portal, which houses links to digital resources as well as online programs for all ages and is the third most-visited webpage.
- the VPL membership webpage, which has also seen a 20 per cent increase in page views due to significant promotion of temporary digital library cards.
- the VPL eNewsletter: issued eNewsletters twice weekly to 15,583 subscribed recipients.
- social platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: regular updates shared across all networks to more than 12,900 combined followers.
The mandate of the RRR Committee of Council is to publicly report on the City’s ongoing response efforts to the global COVID-19 pandemic. At the second RRR committee meeting on Sept. 29, discussions focused on updates and actions taken by City staff in the following categories: our people, our places, our services, our finances, our economy and our communications.
There are many ways citizens can stay informed on future RRR Committee meeting dates and receive updates on the City’s latest response efforts, including through eNewsletters and social media networks. Access Vaughan – the City’s contact centre – is also available to answer any City-related inquiry by phone at 905-832-2281 or email at accessvaughan@vaughan.ca.
eNewsletters
- To receive City-related news as it is released, sign up for the City Update eNewsletter at vaughan.ca/CityUpdate.
- Subscribe today to eNewsletters from Members of Council, the Economic and Cultural Development department and the Recreation Services team to begin receiving news.
- Vaughan Public Libraries (VPL) also shares information about programs, services, announcements, staff picks and more via VPL’s eNewsletter.
Social media
Citizens can stay connected with the latest news on their preferred social media platform. Updates are frequently posted to the City’s official feeds on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Visit vaughan.ca/SocialMedia for all City channels.
QUOTE
“From the onset, I have been in constant communication with all levels of government, stakeholders and community organizations to ensure a responsible, measured and co-ordinated response to the pandemic. In fact, communication has been key to our ongoing efforts. We have introduced extensive public education campaigns, which have been delivered through many mediums, including online, print, radio, television and digital, to ensure our residents have access to critical information in a timely manner. Now more than ever, it is imperative that we provide updates on the evolving situation that are open, transparent and reflective of the diverse communities we serve. It is precisely with this in mind that the City of Vaughan continues to keep our residents informed and engaged through daily communications. I encourage residents to visit vaughan.ca/COVID19 and sign up to receive the latest news right to your inbox. We are in the second wave of this virus and we must continue working together to ensure our city, province and country emerge stronger.”
- Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua
QUICK FACTS
- On March 17, Vaughan became the first city in Ontario and the first municipality in York Region to declare a state of emergency.
- Unanimously endorsed by Council during the May 27 Council Meeting, the mandate of the RRR Committee is to report on the City’s ongoing COVID-19 response efforts and plan for Vaughan’s post-pandemic future. The RRR Committee continues to work closely with members of Vaughan’s administration to identify immediate and long-term impacts of this global pandemic on City business and plan for its continued success.
- Throughout the pandemic, the City of Vaughan has ensured quality services are delivered for families, businesses and all citizens. The priority remains the health, safety and well-being of everyone that lives and works in the community.
- As some restrictions are lifted, other precautionary measures remain in place to protect everyone in the community from further transmission of COVID-19. Visit vaughan.ca/COVID-19 for more information on ongoing services, reopenings, continued closures and programs that have been impacted by the virus.
- Those who feel unwell, and believe they have symptoms related to COVID-19, should contact York Region Public Health at 1-800-361-5653 or Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000. For additional information and resources on COVID-19, including physical distancing tips and advice from Public Health officials, visit York Region's website at york.ca/COVID19.
LEARN MORE
- City of Vaughan COVID-19 webpage
- Ready, Resilient and Resourceful: Oct. 5 news release
- Our people: Oct. 13 news release
- Our places: Oct. 20 news release
- Our services: Oct. 30 news release
- Our finances: Nov. 3 news release
- Our economy: Nov. 7 news release
- Ready, Resilient and Resourceful Committee: Sept. 29 staff report (PDF)
- Ready, Resilient and Resourceful Committee: Sept. 29 meeting agenda
- Ready. Resilient. Resourceful: Sept. 29 presentation
- Mayor Bevilacqua establishes Ready, Resilient and Resourceful Committee: May 17 statement
- Mayor Bevilacqua launches the new Ready, Resilient and Resourceful Committee: June 23 statement
- Mayor Bevilacqua calls for a City of Vaughan zero per cent tax increase for 2021: Oct. 14 statement
- York Region COVID-19 webpage
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