Purposes of this policy

1   (1) To establish guidelines for keeping the general public and civic staff regularly and accurately informed of the activities of the City government, as directed by the Mayor and Council.

(2) To coordinate all City information functions and activities to ensure consistency in both appearance and content.

Guiding principles

2   (1) Exclusive of legal notices and employment advertisements, the format of all internal and external information materials produced by the City, such as the City Page, signs, newsletters, the website, or audio-visual productions, shall be approved by the Economic Development Manager, in consultation with the Director, Administration and Corporate Planning and the Manager, Human Resources.

(2) Public service announcements, such as routine road closure notices, may be issued by the department concerned.

(3) All uses of the City logo shall be in accordance with City Policy No.C002-01.

(4) All departments shall regularly update the Economic Development Manager on activities that affect the public and other departments. The Economic Development Manager, in collaboration with the Director of Administration and Corporate Planning and the Manager of Human Resources, shall regularly produce and distribute news and information to the public and civic staff. Such distribution may take the form of website postings, intranet postings, newsletters, and news releases.

(5) Media releases shall be forwarded to the Economic Development Manager, who may edit them for tone, style, and content. All releases shall be approved by the Mayor and/or the City Manager.

(6) All requests received by staff for media interviews, or comment, shall be referred in the following priority order to:

(a) the Economic Development Manager;

(b) Directors or their staff as delegated; or

(c) the City Manager.