Communications & Social Marketing

In 2006, the Province of Ontario passed the Smoke Free Ontario Act, a prevention, cessation, and protection strategy designed to reduce smoking within enclosed workplaces. Recognizing the need for resources, tools, and other supports to ease the transition brought about by the new legislation, the provincial government approached Public Interest to study the issues surrounding the implementation of this legislation within institutions that serve senior citizens.

Public Interest supported the first strike by the Society of Energy Professionals by developing and implementing communications strategies designed to build support among the membership and build political pressure on the government to force a settlement. Public Interest developed daily campaign updates, newspaper ads, media events and lobby materials. In the 12th week of the strike, the political pressure had become so intense that the Premier’s office intervened, the Board ordered the CEO to settle and the CEO was dismissed within a year.

Public Interest helped tenants living in public housing communities to organize in order to pressure the Ontario government to finance a $300-million increase in funding to cover long-sought repairs to social housing.

Public Interest supported the creation of the tenants group’s steering committee, trained spokespersons, organized demonstrations, developed key messages, and coordinated the media campaign. Hundreds of tenants participated in this effort, and the media campaign propelled the issue into the public discourse leading up to the 2007 provincial election.

When Toronto City Council voted 26-16 to turn its water system over to a private corporation, most people thought it was a done deal, but Public Interest coordinated a year-long campaign to overturn a City Council decision. Public Interest helped build a broad coalition of labour, environment and citizens’ groups, generated extensive media coverage, lobbied key decision makers and ultimately persuaded City Council to overturn their previous decision by a vote of 33-4.