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What kind of Winnipeg do you want?

That’s the compelling question at the heart of a new ad campaign from CUPE Local 500, the union representing more than 4,900 workers at the City of Winnipeg.

The answer for most people? A city that works better. For everyone.

Cuts have hurt the public services that people count on and hurt the workers who deliver them.

All the while, many city workers – including operators at 311 – are earning barely more than the minimum wage. That makes it difficult to retain staff and deliver the quality services that residents expect and deserve. This summer, families saw pools closed and libraries shut on weekends, the most popular times for parents and kids to actually use them.

Now, there’s an opportunity to start fixing the problems. And CUPE’s new campaign shows how to do the job right.

With beautifully filmed portrait shots of frontline city workers and everyday residents, the new campaign invites Winnipeggers to imagine the kind of city we all want live in.

From good jobs with fair wages to fewer potholes on the roads and better hours at libraries and pools, it’s not hard to see what it will take to improve public services for Winnipeggers – and make life better for families.

The new campaign is appearing throughout the fall on broadcast TV and Connected TV, radio, digital billboards, mobile, podcasts, and social media. You can also see it in Cineplex theatres and on residential elevator screens.

Check it out at YourWinnipeg.ca.

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With kids back in school, the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation is launching a new province-wide ad campaign to raise awareness of how cuts to public education are impacting students. And teachers are helping to share the message and amplify the campaign.

From rural communities to urban centres, kids bring unique strengths—and unique challenges—to school. And meeting their needs is more complicated than ever.

Parents and teachers are working to help kids achieve success. But cuts to public education are impacting every student, making it harder to deliver the supports they need to thrive.

At the heart of the STF’s campaign is a new ad, Different but the Same, which tells the story of students coming to school from every corner of the province—and the supports they need when they get there.

Beautiful visuals show kids heading to school—biking on gravel driveways, lugging musical instruments, bounding along sidewalks, and getting dropped off by their parents. And it delivers the message that, even though students come from different places, when they get to school, they all need the right supports in their classrooms.

To help spread the message of the campaign, the STF did something unique: they brought together leaders from across the organization to learn about how to tell stories and use a message to connect with the public and with members. Sharing the stories of the hard work that STF members are doing, under extraordinary circumstances, to meet students’ needs helps to reinforce the STF’s call for investments in classrooms.

And that call is more important than ever.

Today, cuts to public schools are hurting students across Saskatchewan. In March, the provincial government’s budget failed to provide enough funding to support existing resources in schools.

Now, despite increases in enrolment this fall, there are over 540 fewer teachers inside Saskatchewan’s classrooms. That means less one-on-one time for students, less help with speech language challenges, and fewer mental health supports to meet kids’ complex needs.

Teachers and parents know the solutions that our kids’ schools need. It’s time for the Government of Saskatchewan to stop the cuts to public education—and fund the supports that every student needs.

The STF’s new campaign is running province-wide on TV and digital platforms this fall.

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Stuck in traffic? Tired of the drive? Want to curb your emissions and cut your commute?

It’s time to try transit.

CUPE transit workers in British Columbia have launched a new out-of-home and social media campaign to help bring more people on board. And our team is excited to bring the campaign to life.

Transit ridership fell dramatically during the pandemic in cities across Canada and the US. And ridership still hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels. After two years, many people are simply out of the habit of taking public transit.

That’s a big problem. Low ridership could mean more cuts to transit service. And that hurts people’s access to good jobs, education, and housing – and hurts the climate by keeping more vehicles on the road.

Major transit agencies – from Chicago to Toronto and New York City – have launched advertising campaigns to bring riders back. And now, CUPE Locals 4500 and 7000 in BC are taking action to help get more riders back on public transit in Vancouver, the Lower Mainland, and Victoria.

Together with CUPE and their members who work for SkyTrain, Coast Mountain Bus Company, and BC Transit, we’ve developed a campaign that speaks directly to drivers stuck in traffic. Billboards on major streets pose questions to drivers, reminding them of the many benefits of transit. It’s a natural contrast – between being stuck in gridlock or being on a moving train.

Multiple versions of the creative help keep the message fresh, no matter where you look. And our team developed a simple, easy-to-read design – with neon yellow accents that lend an industrial feel to the creative. 

The design approach is purposefully clear and uncluttered to help convey the simplicity of choosing transit. Because practical, reliable, and simple is exactly the message we want to deliver.

Accompanied by an extensive campaign across social platforms, our layered tactics are reaching our audience multiple times throughout their commute and their day. Our social ads feature CUPE members prominently, showing the real faces of transit workers who help deliver a great service every day. It adds a human dimension and personalizes the campaign in a way that works particularly well for social platforms. And it reminds our audience that transit workers play a vital role in delivering the services that make our communities strong. 

Want to talk about how we can protect and improve public services in your community? Give us a call. We’re here to help.

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When you think of health research and innovation, Ottawa should be top of mind. 

It’s the place where better care is being delivered and developed every day – thanks to a unique partnership amongst the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Health Sciences, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), The Ottawa Hospital, Hôpital Montfort, Bruyère Continuing Care, and The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre.

Through their close collaboration, these institutions are forming Ottawa’s Academic Health Network. And together, they’re making Ottawa the place to be for world-leading health research and cutting-edge clinical care. 

From unlocking the secrets of genetics to finding novel therapies for rare diseases, new discoveries are occurring every day inside Ottawa’s hospitals and health faculties. And those discoveries are improving care for patients and families around the world.

That’s a story worth sharing.


This spring, the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Medicine – Canada’s first and largest bilingual medical faculty – asked our team to help raise awareness of Ottawa’s Academic Health Network.

Each institution is known for its unique expertise.
What isn’t widely known is the power of their partnership.

The challenge was clear. Each of Ottawa’s hospitals and health faculties has a unique identity, its own character, and strong brand awareness with its key audiences. Each institution is known for its unique expertise. But what isn’t widely known is the power of their partnership.

Our job was to elevate them together. To build awareness amongst medical researchers about Ottawa’s Academic Health Network, we needed to show the connection and collaboration amongst these institutions – and the unique opportunities this cooperation creates for conducting health research in Ottawa.

Working with our production partners, our team filmed new footage inside Ottawa’s hospitals and health faculties. And families, researchers, and staff generously shared their time and stories with our team. 

The result is a beautiful long-form video that welcomed attendees to the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame laureate induction ceremony in Ottawa on June 17, 2022. 

The bilingual video showcases the stories and voices of researchers who have chosen to make Ottawa their home. From providing world-class pediatric care to ensuring that planetary health and social accountability are at the heart of medicine, researchers have come from around the world to do exceptional work right here.

Partnership. Connection. Collaboration. Together, they make Ottawa the place for everyone – from world-leading health researchers to the next generation of students – to take their next step forward.