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Report To: Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board
From: Chad Minten, Communications Officer
Date: January 15, 2026
RE: 2025 Communications - Issue Report
Strategic Plan Goal: 2. Transform How We Work
Objective: 2.4. Strengthen our presence by improving communication, advocacy, and awareness of our services and impact
Purpose
To provide an overview of the 2025 Communications related activities to the Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board.
Introduction
In March of 2025, the Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board (DSB) introduced a new Communications Officer position as part of the administrative team. Since that time, the Communications Officer has focused on several key projects and initiatives.
2025 Projects
Strategic Plan 2025-2030
The Communications Officer played a vital role in the planning and creation of the Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB’s new Strategic Plan 2025-2030. As the main point of contact between the third-party consultants, Housing Services Corporation (HSC), and the DSB Project Team, the communication officer was responsible for a variety of duties that helped contribute to the development of the Strategic Plan.
Duties included scheduling of monthly check-in meetings between the DSB Project Team and HSC, distributing staff and community surveys, coordinating focus groups with service partners and key stakeholders, proof reading documents, and internal communication of progress updates.
Upon completion of the Strategic Plan, the Communications Officer was also responsible for distributing the plan to staff and relevant stakeholders and for making the plan available on the DSB’s public website.
Social Media
The development and maintenance of the DSB’s social media accounts have been a focus of the Communications Officer. Since March, new LinkedIN and Instagram accounts have been created to complement the existing Manitoulin-Sudbury DSB Facebook account.
Below are some 2025 yearly statistics for the DSB Facebook Page:
Views: The number of times content was played or displayed. Content includes videos, posts, stories and ads.
Visits: The number of times the DSB page or profile was visited.
Follows: The number of times accounts followed the DSB in the selected time period.
As seen in the charts above, metrics have been steadily increasing throughout the year. Most notably, followers of the DSB Facebook page have increased by 364.7% since January 2025.[SD1.1]
The Communications Officer also plays a small role in the management of the pre-existing Employment Ontario Chapleau Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Recruitment and Awareness Events
The Communications Officer attended several events for recruitment and public awareness in 2025.
May 7 – Community Wide Job Fair – Sudbury
June 11 – Connect to Community Service Providers Networking Summit – Espanola
August 26 – Community Housing BBQ - Warren
September 9 – Community Housing BBQ – St. Charles
November 14 – College Boreal Concierge Event – Sudbury
November 22 – Rockin’ Around the Christmas Oval – Espanola
Advertising
The Communications Officer designed and arranged for a Paramedic Services related print advertisement that ran in the Manitoulin Expositor Haweater Supplement on July 23. The advertisement was focused on community safety and featured an image of a DSB ambulance from the Little Current Paramedic Base.
A 4.5” x 4.5” advertisement was featured on 2500 reuseable grocery bags that will be distributed to customers of the Tanner’s Independent Grocers in the coming months. The purpose is to promote awareness of the DSB, and the advertisement featured our phone number, website, and social media handles.
Cornerstone Homes Funding Announcement/Grand Opening Ceremony
The planning of the official funding announcement/grand opening of Cornerstone Homes in Espanola was a joint initiative that involved coordinating with DSB staff and with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH). The Communications Officer was responsible for providing all required information to the MMAH in advance of the announcement as well as welcoming the Ministry officials to the site and documenting the event by taking pictures and videos.
Following the event, the Communications Officer promoted the announcement on social media and provided local media with the link to the news release from the government of Ontario.
Website Maintenance
New pages are added to the website as needed to help promote awareness of new initiatives such as the Playfulwork.ca website that was designed to promote child care jobs in the district and the DSB’s newly completed Strategic Plan 2025-2030.
Internal Newsletter
An internal newsletter was first developed in May of 2025 and has been distributed to the DSB staff monthly since that time.
The newsletter features articles on important projects, success stories, staffing updates, inspirational quotes, and now includes a regular feature to promote the Greenshield+ Employee Assistance Program that is available to all DSB staff at no cost.
2026 Workplan Initiatives
In line with Strategic Plan Goal #2.4 (strengthen our presence by improving communication, advocacy, and awareness of our services and impact), the Communications Officer will incorporate new initiatives in 2026:
Conclusion
2025 saw many new and exciting projects come to fruition with the help of the Communications Officer. Since this position was newly created, it is anticipated that it will continue to grow and evolve with new duties being assigned as required.
