The Canadian Urban Transit Association:
From Zero Federal Funds to $1.3 billion in 4 years

"He [CUTA president Michael Rochlau] felt that it was a commitment that owes a lot to an effective lobbying campaign and powerful backbench pressure."

– Hugh Winsor, Globe and Mail, October 7, 2002. Following the Throne Speech which contained strong support for a 10 year transit program, Mr. Winsor writes about CUTA president Michael Rochlau's comments .

In 2000, the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) felt it was spinning its wheels. Transit was off the federal government's priority list and funding was at zero. Today, mass transit is part of the government's "New Deal for Communities" - and CUTA puts funding at $1.3 billion.

Members of the Canadian Urban Transit Association bring their own transportation to a meeting with Minister of Public Works Scott Brison and Minister of the Environment Stéphane Dion.

CUTA is dedicated to being the voice of urban transit in Canada. In 2000, they were unable to make anything move on Parliament Hill. At that time, the association decided to step up their approach to advocacy.

The association hired Impact Public Affairs, whose team designed and implemented an advocacy strategy that engaged all members of CUTA and a lot of legwork.

The strategy included:

• Grassroots lobbying that called on CUTA's 100 transit system members
• Bi-annual advocacy days on the Hill
• Regular meetings with Members of Parliament and senior government officials
• Lobby kits that included advocacy briefing papers and meeting guides, all available electronically to members as part of the Association's website
• VIP Transit symposiums for members of CUTA and politicians.

Minster Stéphane Dion discusses the importance of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and how the transit industry is playing a vital role in this initiative.

Impact Public Affairs put together a lobby strategy that would get attention for CUTA's issues. Impact called Members of Parliament, took out ads on CUTA's behalf, and set up meetings with the people on the Hill who could affect change. Impact also designed documents that helped CUTA's members advocate serious investment in Canada's mass transit systems.

Over the course of four years, Impact organized an annual lobby day and reception on Parliament Hill for the association, where CUTA officials met with key decision makers, such as Prime Minister Paul Martin, Jim Karygiannis, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport with a special emphasis on Transport and Environment, Minister of State for Infrastructure Andy Scott and John Godfrey, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minster responsible for cities – and implemented the New Deal. CUTA officials also had the opportunity to meet with transport critics from all sides of the House including Bev Desjarlais from the NDP, Rex Barnes from the Conservative Party and Mario Laframboise from the Bloc Québécois.

“The federal government pledged today to spend $435 million on improvements to the GO train network in the Toronto area as well as a rapid transit project in neighbouring York region. The news comes on the heels of an Ontario government commitment to the five-year $1.2 billion project.”

– Toronto Star, March 26, 2003

Minister John Godfrey welcomes the CUTA delegates from across the country into his office for a roundtable meeting.

Eventually, newspapers started filling with articles of funding announcements and other initiatives related to mass transit systems. "Transit becomes priority", The Montreal Gazette, October 1, 2002. "Ottawa pledges $435M for GTA train project", The Toronto Star, March 26, 2003. "More spending committed to urban transit", The National Post, October 1, 2002. The Globe and Mail even went so far as to print that CUTA's grassroots lobby efforts were a key element in gaining federal support for urban transit - a sentiment Michael Rochlau, president of CUTA, was quick to agree with.

In its June 2004 newsletter, Canadian Transit Forum, CUTA told a different story from the bleak outlook in 2000. Whereas transit did not figure into the federal government's agenda before then, it certainly does today. Sustainable mass transit is an integral part of the federal government's New Deal, as for funding, this number has gone up considerably - from zero to $1.3 billion in four years.

Today, Impact continues to work with CUTA to ensure that the association builds on the key relationships that it has developed and to make sure that transit funding remains a federal government priority.

It's evidence of an advocacy strategy that works.

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‘Noisy Toys’

Award-winning advocacy project prepared for the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA)

Impact Public Affairs was approached by the Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (CASLPA) in September 2006 to advise on advocacy for the dangers of noisy toys.  CASLPA wanted engage their national body of members to alert parents and caregivers to the potential dangers of noisy toys to their child’s hearing in anticipation of the upcoming holiday shopping season. This message was an essential step in preventing harm to a child’s hearing which can lead to serious communication and learning difficulties in the future.  In addition to the warning, CASLPA sought to raise awareness of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists and to raise the profile of the Association. 

As an integral part of the advocacy plan, two national press conferences were held at the National Press Gallery in Ottawa to obtain maximum impact and media exposure in October of 2006 and 2007 respectively, just when parents are beginning to think about toys for the upcoming gift-giving season. 

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Private Member’s Bill – Support from a Champion MP

Following a very effective meeting with Member of Parliament Judy Wasylycia-Leis, CASLPA was invited to join this MP as she formally announced the tabling of her Private Member’s Bill in support of CASLPA’s initiatives.   Her announcement was made public on the first day of Speech and Hearing Awareness Month, May 1st, 2008, via a national press conference on Parliament Hill. 

Results

This subject received a great deal of media coverage across the country and helped to strengthen CASLPA’s member relations. 

• As a result of the press conference, the event received a vast amount of media coverage: TV and radio news stations reported the event throughout the day during their live broadcasts and the message was featured on many networks’ 6 o’clock and 11 o’clock news.
• Major news stations, newspapers and all major media outlets were interested by the message and CASLPA representatives had multiple requests for interviews; such that they were booked solid for interviews for days following the press conference. 
• The program greatly enhanced the Association’s relationship with key government decision makers on Parliament Hill and with Industry Canada. 
• As a result of CASLPA’s widespread media coverage and in light of the discussion and public concern surrounding toy safety generally, Members of Parliament were enthusiastic to speak with CASLPA about the importance of noise levels in toys as an important element of toy safety. 

 

The widespread media coverage was impressive:

Close to 5 million Canadians (over 14% of the population) saw the message in 2006 and the reach of the 2007 message was close to 8 million Canadians (over 27% of the population). CASLPA achieved the most comprehensive media coverage of any event in the association’s history.

This campaign has since been recognized as a winner of the 2008 CSAE ‘Associations Make a Better Canada' Awards, and was recognized by PR News in Washington, D.C. among Best North American Campaigns. For more information, please click here.

 

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Amethyst Women's Addiction Centre

Award winning communication campaigns

A lack of funding over the years had put the Amethyst Womens Addiction Centre's community relations program on the backburner and Amethyst slowly slipped out of the minds of people in the community.  Impact developed a strategic communication plan for Amethyst and launched a campaign entitled Addiction over the holidays, to remind Canadians that alcohol addiction relapse is particularly prominent during the holiday season.

This campaign was a great success and helped to build the Amethyst brand. Addiction over the holidays was awarded the 2008 Silver award by the Summit International Award.

“Amethyst provides an important service to the community and we hope to continue to help the centre raise awareness about addiction treatment," said Huw Williams, president, Impact Public Affairs.

Click here to view more of Impact's awards for communications campaigns.