Communication

cathyaylard
4 hours ago
3 min read

Hello,

This is the third post in a series exploring how my three guiding principles - Conviction, Commitment, and Communication - will continue to shape my work for this community. In it, I not only explain my position but support it with evidence of what I accomplished in my first term and lay out my plan for my second term.

Here's how Communication has shaped my first term and where I'll take it next.

My Position:

Communication is how I connect with residents. Clear communication is central to my approach to public service. It is a core responsibility. Residents deserve to understand not only what decisions are being made at Council, but why those decisions matter and how they affect the community. That means plain language, open dialogue, and a genuine commitment to keeping people informed.

My Proof:

Example 1 - In my first term as your Councillor, I published regular news bulletins and website updates to cut through the complexity of local government and keep residents informed in plain language. The response has been clear: many of you have told me these updates make it easier to stay connected to what's happening at Town Hall.

Round-ups are my way of sharing key updates in one place. I publish these updates about a week before each Council meeting, when the agenda is released. I include links to reports for anyone who wants to dig deeper. I also highlight a few lighter items, such as community events, local initiatives, and the special things that make our community vibrant.

This Round-up from last May about development received the most traffic and questions.

Example 2 - Effective municipal communication depends on a structured, repeatable process that ensures information is delivered consistently and accurately. The 2025 budget allocated $14,000 for developing a much-needed Communication Policy to do just that. What we received was a 28-page report that seemed destined to sit in a binder on a shelf rather than be used. That's the frustrating irony of it: a policy meant to help us communicate more simply ended up being anything but simple itself. If we're going to invest in something like this, it needs to actually function as a tool that staff will pick up and follow, not a document that's technically thorough but practically unusable. That's why I pushed for a serious clean-up, a hard edit and follow-up.

My Plan:

With your continued trust, I will keep this momentum going because an informed community is a stronger one.

I will continue with my regular Councillor email updates and keep my website active because I've been told that many find it a valuable resource.

I will also continue to advocate for the implementation of our new Communication Policy, working with staff and council to ensure it is adopted and applied consistently across all departments.

Because communication is woven into everything our municipality does, I am dedicating future campaign updates to breaking down exactly how we can improve communication, community engagement and customer service.

Continuing the theme of Communication - check out my Candidate Tracker here.

In addition to the Town's website, I have created this Candidate Tracker to help residents easily find information about all declared candidates in one place. Linking publicly available social channels and media coverage will give voters a simple, neutral, and transparent way to learn more about each candidate and make informed choices in the upcoming election.

Research the candidates. Find those whose values align with yours, then back them beyond just voting - volunteer, donate, or spread the word about their campaign.