2021 IABC Canada Silver Leaf Award Winners Announced

October 22, 2021

Professional Excellence Recognized by the International Association of Business Communicators Canada

Communications professionals have helped navigate – through the power of communication – the global pandemic. As an integral part of the organization, communications professionals rose to the challenge and shone over the past 19 months. This came through in the calibre of Silver Leaf Award entries received this year from organizations of all sizes and types across Canada.

We’re proud to announce the 2021 Silver Leaf Award winners, recognizing outstanding professional communications. Of the 157 entries submitted, 57 are being honoured with a Silver Leaf Award this year – 26 with an Award of Excellence and 31 an Award of Merit. Winners span over twenty categories, including brand communications, internal communications, government relations, special events, and two new categories: diversity and inclusion, and COVID-19 response & recovery management and communication.

“Year after year, Silver Leaf winners continue to impress us with their creativity, rigorous work and achievements,” says Angela Wilson, National Programs Director, IABC Canada West Region. “I’d like to offer a well-earned congratulations to all the winners.”

“Silver Leaf winners represent the evolution of Canada’s business communications industry as our strategic roles and impact have grown at an incredible pace,” says Dave Sumner, National Programs Director, IABC Canada East Region. “The comments from our evaluators confirm that communications professionals across the country have stepped up their game to deliver outstanding responses to a number of significant business challenges.”

IABC recognizes excellence in organizational communications at the international, national and chapter levels. Canada’s national Silver Leaf Awards program has over 50 categories for entries and is managed jointly by the Canada East and Canada West Regions.

For more information:

Dave Sumner – IABC Canada East Region
Angela Wilson – IABC Canada West Region
iabcsilverleaf@gmail.com

Congratulations to the 2021 Silver Leaf Award Winners!

Category 2: Internal Communication Measurement

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Excellence
2020 Renaissance magazine readership study RTOERO – Sylvia Link MC APR, ABC, Stefanie Martin CMP, Kayla McKenzie, Danielle Norris; Research and Evaluation Consulting, Inc. – Sidiq Ali RTOERO Toronto, ON Toronto

Category 7: Internal Communication

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Merit
ATB ID Austin Havens & Calvin Seaman ATB Financial St. Albert, AB Edmonton
Create & Communicate Workshop Stefanie Martin, Sylvia Link, Danielle Norris, Kayla McKenzie RTOERO Burlington, ON Toronto
The future of digital banking: ATB Personal Banking app Melissa Corns, Nekolina Lau, SCMP, Rizalyn (Reese) Reyes ATB Financial Calgary, AB Calgary

Category 8: Employee Engagement

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Merit
Bayer Crop Science Canada Moves Mountains to Increase Employee Engagement Ginger Rozmus, Komie Hossini, Courtney Kindrat, Al Driver Bayer Inc. Calgary, AB Calgary

Category 10: Safety Communication

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Merit
Asbestos kills. It’s best to test. Kim Blanchette, Hilary Friesen, Dan Tisch, Bonnie Monteith, Jenna Boychuk, Whitney Siemens, Christian Massaroni, Brendan Crosby, Dani Boily, Denise Maitan, Koen Reynaert Argyle & LMIC Toronto, ON Toronto

Category 13: Government Relations

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Excellence
Campaign for Local Journalism Mirko Petricevic, Chuck Howitt, Carolyn McCleod-McCarthy and others ink-stainedwretches.org Waterloo, ON Waterloo
Save Eye Care Kim Blanchette, Daniel Tisch, Roanne Argyle, Kyla Best, Patrick Thoburn, Whitney Siemens, Brendan Crosby, Terri McBay, Louis Payette, Amy Gingerich, Justin Brown, Doug Derabbie, Dr. Sheldon Salaba, Brittany Blow, Emily Wright Argyle & OAO Toronto, ON Toronto
The Museum of Outdated Technology Tracey Bochner Insurance Bureau of Canada, Paradigm Toronto, ON Toronto

Category 15: Media Relations

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Merit
Planet Fitness: United We Move Cole Douglas APEX PR and Planet Fitness Toronto, ON Toronto

Category 17: Advertising Campaigns

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Excellence
Alectra Utilities 2020 Paperless Ebilling Campaign Blair Peberdy, Chris Wray, John Friesen, Lori Gariepy, Lee Dapp, Daloris Grohman, Amber Azarcon, Rachel Bertone Alectra Utilities Corporation Toronto, ON Toronto
Awards of Merit
RTOERO 2019 Advertising Program Sylvia Link MC ABC APR, Danielle Norris SCMP, Stefanie Martin CMP, Kayla McKenzie – RTOERO Camille Poulin, Jeanne Kerouac – Camden Advertising RTOERO and Camden Advertising Toronto, ON Toronto

Category 18: Marketing Communication

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Merit
AXE Project Wild Nora Hickey, Hira Gomes, Jordan Markowski, Victoria Neufeld, Karandeep Sandhu, Andrew Simon, Matt Smith, Tamara Sulliman, Scott Tavener, and Jennifer Zies. (Operating as part of an IAT: Mindshare & U-Studio). Unilever with Edelman Canada Toronto, ON Toronto
Ivey’s New Accelerated MBA Program Launch Adele Huffman, Ron Gallagher, Olivia D’Onofrio, Ivan Langrish, Dawn Milne, Lauren Bak, Gabe Ramos, Chris Hansen Ivey Business School at Western University London, ON London

Category 22: Issues Management and Crisis Communication

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Merit
Engaging young adults as volunteer health influencers to improve uptake of COVID-19 safety Larisa Saunders Fraser Health Surrey, BC BC

Category 22B: COVID-19 Response & Recovery Management and Communication

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Excellence
Continuity of Essential Health Services during COVID-19 Pandemic Laura Goncalves, Michele Martin London Health Sciences Centre London, ON London
Engaging young adults as volunteer health influencers to improve uptake of COVID-19 safety Larisa Saunders Fraser Health Surrey, BC BC
GoodLife @ Home & The GoodLife Standard GoodLife: Dayna Ashame, Lauren Avery, Jacob Dearlove, Holly Dunn, Jonathan Fagg, Eric Flockhart, Richelle Lowry, Krista Maling, Adam Roberts, Skye Nicholson-Smith; Edelman: Nora Hickey, Leilah Ambrose, Sarah Attia, Thomas Blackmore, Riannon John, Victoria Jordan, Billy Korekiyo, James Lachno, Peter McIntyre, Caroline Murphy, Sophie Nadeau, Lindsay Page, Alexis Redmond, Meg Robertson, Josh Sam, Jenn Sintime, Matthew Smith, Tamara Sulliman, Greg Vanier, Maggie Waymark, Carly Wiseman, Jeremy Wittet Edelman Canada & GoodLife Toronto, ON Toronto
Mississauga’s COVID-19 Response – Keeping the City Safe with Collaborative, Credible, Consistent, Citizen-Focused Communication Irene McCutcheon City of Mississauga Toronto, ON Toronto
Planet Fitness: United We Move Cole Douglas Apex Public Relations Toronto, ON Toronto
U of T Engineering COVID-19 Response, Recovery & Retention Marit Mitchell, Shilpa Gantotti, Adrian So, Tyler Irving, Fahad Pinto, Roberta Baker, Liz Do, Daria Perevezentsev, Tristan McGuirk University of Toronto, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, Engineering Strategic Communications Toronto, ON Toronto
Awards of Merit
Better Together – Communicating to build culture during a pandemic Nicole Monaco, Sean Penn, Jessica Loughlin, Jovana Pavic, Ruth Wiart, Jaylene Hollohan Chandos Construction Edmonton, AB Edmonton

Category 23: Government Communication Programs

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Merit
COVID Heroes Recognition Program Irene McCutcheon, Ivana Di Millo City of Mississauga Toronto, ON Toronto
Federal Indian Day School Class Action Kim Blanchette, Hailey MacKinnon, Jessie Sitnik, Daniel Tisch, Whitney Siemens, Brendan Crosby, Koen Reynart, Daren Wowchuk, Christian Kent, Denise Maitan, Benjamin Walters Argyle and Government of Canada Toronto, ON Toronto
Protect Your Pipes! F.O.G. Clogs Campaign Holena Newton, Michael Freethy, Danielle Thom City of Markham Markham, ON Toronto
Ready? Set… Go! with Recreation Online Elizabeth Tadman-Kickham, Sue Hutton, Karen Tomnuk, Michelle Johnson, Allison Reynolds, Shalyn Werstiuk, Carolyn Vankleek Strathcona County Edmonton, AB Edmonton
ReDirect Awareness Campaign Corwin Odland, Ryan Cordes (Graphic Designer), Suzanne Beda (Video Producer) and Justin Keller (Web Designer) Calgary Police Service Calgary, AB Calgary

Category 24: Non-profit Campaigns

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Excellence
The Kitchen Memories Project Kim Blanchette, Caroline De Silva, Daniel Tisch, Stephanie Lascia, Marlee Socket, Whitney Siemens, Christian Kent Argyle and Lighthouse Toronto, ON Toronto
The Toker 2.0 Kaitlyn Allen, Peter Glazier, Rose Phillip, Peter Schreier – Lung Health Foundation. Nora Hickey, Leilah Ambrose, Jason Barg, Nirmala Bahall, Fabricio Bedoya, Cara Collins, Jennifer Cook, Oksana Davydenko, Lisa Flynn, Magdalena Gizicki, Hira Gomes, Dominika Grzesik, Lucy Hopkins, Meriem Idrissi Kaitouni, Leah Jenkins, Traci Klassen, Amanda Lazarovitz, Natalie Legault, Jordan Markowski, Caroline Murphy, Lauren Neate, Alannah Nugent, Mandip Rai, Jessica Schwartz, Ava Shafman, Andrew Simon, Harmeet Singh, Tamara Sulliman, Scott Tavener, Corina Thibeault, Joanna Wilson – Edelman Lung Health Foundation with Edelman Toronto, ON Toronto
Awards of Merit
How LitFest grew its sales and audiences through digital content strategy Fawnda Mithrush, Sheri Doyle, Elka Eisenzimmer, Cory Sellar, Jaime Pruden, Terese Brasen LitFest Alberta Edmonton, AB Edmonton
How much do they make? A revealing look at Canada’s labour market Kim Blanchette, Hailey MacKinnon, Joanne Pitkin, Daniel Tisch, Megan Schumacher, Claire Droniuk, Jan Mazereeuw, Nadine Purdy, Janik Bastide, Steven Tobin Argyle & LMIC Toronto, ON Toronto
Stand By Me: A Campaign for Children’s Hospital Rebecca Milec, Miranda Scotland, Megan Vandekerckhove Children’s Health Foundation London, ON London

Category 25: Brand Communication

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Excellence
Tahltan Central Government Brand Identity – a beacon to future generations Gordon Infanti & Rod Roodenburg Tahltan Central Government / Roodenberg Design Consultants Dease Lake, BC BC

Category 27: Social Media Programs

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Merit
Husqvarna Canada Automower Texting Video Series ruckus Digital: Linda Andross, Jennifer Stein, Elspeth Baird, Amanda Carreiro, Vanessa Curtas Husqvarna: Michelle Sordi, Ke Xu Husqvarna / ruckus Digital Toronto, ON Toronto

Category 30: Diversity and Inclusion

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Merit
Dove Hair presents: The D Cut Nora Hickey, Leilah Ambrose, Sarah Botros, Leah Jenkins, Traci Klassen, Maggie Waymark, Sofiya Yusypovych, Jennifer Zies as well as representatives from Unilever Entertainment, Shaftesbury, and Mindshare. Unilever with Edelman Canada Toronto, ON Toronto

Category 31: Internal Communication Training

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Excellence
Create & Communicate Workshop Stefanie Martin, Sylvia Link, Danielle Norris, Kayla McKenzie RTOERO Burlington, ON Toronto

Category 36: Digital Communication Vehicles

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Excellence
Rural Health Beat Jonathan Koch, Lorena Franchuk, Tana Findlay, Bernard C. Anderson, Bobby Jones, Rebekah Seidel, Alicia Fox, RhPAP freelance contributors including Lesley Allan, Britton Ledingham, David Olinger, Meagan Williams Rural Health Professions Action Plan Edmonton, AB Edmonton
Awards of Merit
Liaison Enewsletter Stefanie Martin, Sylvia Link, Danielle Norris, Kayla McKenzie, Ruel Navia RTOERO Burlington, ON Toronto

Category 37: Digital Communication Channels

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Excellence
Protect Our Elders Shani Gwin, Robyn Ferguson, Shawna Kay Thomas, Rolando Inzunza, Jill McKenzie, Cole Buhler, Stephanie Joe, Desiree Labelle, Fafali Mawutor, Allison Duck Chief, Emma DeCoteau, Melaina Goos, Cameron Bunney pipikwan pêhtâkwan Edmonton, AB Edmonton
Shining a light on the new Intranet – theBeacon Adele Ward, Teri Buckley connectFirst Credit Union Calgary, AB Calgary
Awards of Merit
Back to Skule 2020 Marit Mitchell, Fahad Martin Pinto; Liz Do; Roberta Baker University of Toronto, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering Toronto, ON Toronto
Children’s Health Foundation Website Redesign Megan Vandekerckhove Children’s Health Foundation London, ON London

Category 38: Audio Visual

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Excellence
CCCA – The Humble Box Series Chris Torbay, TORBAY; Angle Media Group; Digital Media Company; Allen Kirkpatrick, CCCA; Lauren Joakim, Smithcom; Gabrielle Poirier, Smithcom Smithcom Toronto, ON Toronto
Markham facilities reopen during COVID-19 Michael Blackburn, Andrea Berry, Cyrus Mavalwala & Ernesta Rossi City of Markham & Advantis Communications Toronto, ON Toronto
The Not So Distant Future Moh Elshamy, Matthew Gresiuk, Scott Winder, Jordan Bloemen, Nancy Biamonte, Matthias Smale, Jeff Khounthavong Sticks & Stones Edmonton, AB Edmonton
Awards of Merit
A Century Well Built Moh Elshamy, Matthew Gresiuk, Scott Winder, Jordan Bloemen, Nancy Biamonte, Matthias Smale, Jeff Khounthavong Sticks & Stones Edmonton, AB Edmonton
Cheyenne’s Story Julia Oosterman Bluewater Health Sarnia, ON London

Category 39: Publications

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Merit
Building on a Promise – Concert Properties at 30 Years John Corry, Jennifer Wah, Brandon Brind Concert Properties Vancouver, BC BC
Innovation Village Case for Support Gillian Sneddon, Elaine Gamble, Courtney Ecker, Megan Zinn, Brad Kerr, Brandy Huxley, Andrea Ayala Fanshawe College London, ON London

Category 40: Publication Design

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Merit
Flagstaff County Crafted Gift Guide Kara Paul zag Edmonton, AB Edmonton
Renaissance magazine redesign Sylvia Link, Danielle Norris SCMP, Stefanie Martin CMP, Kayla McKenzie RTOERO and Hambly & Woolley Toronto, ON Toronto

Category 41: Other Graphic Design

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Merit
Faculty of Arts & Science Digital Holiday Card and Video Melissa Hill Faculty of Arts & Science, University of Toronto Toronto, ON Toronto

Category 42: Special Events – Internal

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Excellence
2020 President’s Breakfast Megan Zinn, Dave Schwartz, Elaine Gamble, Kathy Nahwegahbow, Julia Westelaken, Joanna Dales, Brandy Huxley, Cory Downing Fanshawe College London, ON London
Coastal Community’s Spark Summit Olivia Lyle Coastal Community Credit Union Nanaimo, BC BC
Connecting with our new brand – connectFirst Brand Launch Erin Dalton, Teri Buckley connectFirst Credit Union Calgary, AB Calgary

Category 43: Special Events – External

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Excellence
Mocktail Week Kim Blanchette, Laura Ellis, Mariah Baldwin, Whitney Siemens, Dani Boily, Dan Tisch, Vini Machado, Christian Kent, Dylan Bekkering, Sean Snowden Argyle & MBLL Toronto, ON Toronto

Category 47: Writing

Application Name Winner Organization City Chapter
Awards of Excellence
Building on a Promise – Concert Properties at 40 Years Jennifer Wah, John Corry, Brandon Brind Forwards Communication Inc. North Vancouver, BC BC

 

For any changes, please contact iabcsilverleaf@gmail.com.