Briefing Book

Changing the Nature of Communications through Positivity and Non-Confrontation

Office of the Mayor of Toronto

Table of Contents

Media and Public Relations Announcement ....................................................................................... 3

Invitation to Stakeholders ............................................................................................................................... 6 Media Advisory ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 Message to Internal Audience ...................................................................................................................... 8 News Release ............................................................................................................................................................ 9

News Release Strategy .................................................................................................................................... 10

News Conference ................................................................................................................................................ 11

Evaluation System .............................................................................................................................................. 14

Media and Public Relations Announcement

Key Messages and Q and A June 20, 2013 for His Worship Mayor Rob Ford

Key Messages: The Mayors Office is changing the way it approaches media relations and its communication with the public. All future communications will be of a positive nature, and there will no longer by any form of confrontation. Future decisions will be made with a positive, citizen-centred approach. Q and A Why has it taken the Mayors Office so long to take this commonsense approach at media and public relations? We realize that the events that have taken place over the past few weeks are not putting the City of Toronto, and its citizens, in a positive light. Moreover, this negative approach at media and public relations is not serving the needs of anyone. We need to do things better. We are going to do things better, starting right here and right now. I realize that I have not taken a lot of time to think about things before saying them. Thats why I am taking some extra time to consult with my communications staff to make sure we do this right, and that I change my approach the right way. I am committed to striking a balance between planning communications, while still providing timely media opportunities and questions from the public. What made you change your mind with your approach at media and public relations? The City of Toronto and its citizens have been featured in the media for all of the wrong reasons. There are a lot of great things happening in the city, and surrounding area, but they are not being put into the spotlight. I want to change this, and I want people in North America and abroad to see that Torontonians are doing great things. It isnt all about the good things that are happening in the City of Toronto, though. As we have seen, and as we continue to see, our city has an issue with crime and drugs. While it is easy to identify that we as a city have a problem, we arent helping those suffering from these afflictions in any way. Sure we can paint a positive light on our city, but we cannot simply hide the issues that we are faced with. I have come to the realization that our city cannot just keep hiding our problems in certain neighborhoods. Plus, it isnt serving everyones interests if we 3

arent doing everything we can as a city to help those who are living in poverty, and are afflicted with addictions problems. I want to make sure we go about this the right way, and that nobody is cast in a negative light. This can be accomplished through my offices drug and crime reduction strategy, a multi-year strategy that will engage a variety of stakeholders in Toronto, and abroad. How do we know this new approach is going to last well into the future? During the last election, I made a promise to the citizens of Toronto that I would stay true to my word. While I may have followed through on some of my election promises, I have fallen short on others. This has been made evident over the past few weeks. I will admit, too, that this new approach shouldnt be regarded as all that new; it is common sense. It has taken me a long time to finally come to terms with this reality, but I think that now is the time to put a renewed sense of hope in the minds of the citizens of Toronto. I think many have lost this sense of hope that I promised them last election, thats why now is the time to get back on track. Lets show North America and the world that Torontonians are doing great things. Furthermore, if this new approach doesnt last well into the future, I think it is fair to say that the electorate will decide my future as mayor of this city at the polls next election. Will you be providing citizens with the same amount of access you are providing the media? Yes. Starting today, I am launching a new program that will allow citizens to ask questions using the latest and greatest in communication technologies. I am pleased to announce that my office will start utilizing the following social media channels: Google Hangouts Facebook Twitter Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything)

We are going to be launching these channels over the course of several weeks. As mentioned, we are taking the time necessary to ensure that we roll this out successfully. The public and media can check the City of Torontos website to stay up-to-date as to the current status of our social media channels.

I am looking forward to trying these new technologies. These technologies not only make it so that government, myself included, is held accountable, it also allows us to have a greater reach and communicate with younger demographics our future leaders. Now is the time to set a good example for our future leaders. This technology is just one of the many ways that I will be following through on my commitment to transparency and accountability. The Premier of Ontario, Hon. Kathleen Wynne, has said publicly that she has lost confidence in your leadership. What assurances can you give her and her Cabinet that the City of Toronto will adhere to its commitment? I will simply say this: if I do not follow through on my commitment, I will resign from office as Mayor of Toronto. I will say, however, that I am committed to fighting for the citizens of Toronto I will no longer fight against them. I will do everything I can to ensure that I follow through on the promises that I made last election. If I fail to do that in a timely manner, I am not serving anyones interests. That is my signal that I need to go. In the meantime, however, I will commit to sending a weekly update to Premier Wynnes office, and be in contact with her Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Linda Jeffrey. All updates will be made available on the City of Torontos website for the media and public to see. Not only will this approach give the premier greater confidence in this new commitment, it will also allow the public and media to see what progress (if any) has been made over the course of the next several months. As mentioned, if this commitment is not being adhered to, then I think it would be best if I resigned my position. I am confident, though, that my staff will help me keep everything going in the right direction. It will take some work, but I am confident that my commitment to doing things differently will make a tremendous difference. I have a great team behind me, and I know that we will be able to give both Premier Wynne and the citizens of Toronto a renewed sense of hope and trust in my leadership as mayor.

Invitation to Stakeholders
The following stakeholders should be provided with advance notice of the news conference: Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne Linda Jeffrey, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Laurel Broten, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs City of Toronto Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday All City of Toronto Councilor Toronto Chief of Police William Blair Centre for Addiction and Mental Health President & CEO Dr. Catherine Zahn A patient from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (check with Catherine Zahn to see if this could be arranged) Toronto Region Board of Trade CEO Carol Wilding A small business owner (Check with Carol Wilding to see if this could be arranged) Key members of the Toronto, and area, social media community (should be contacted to ensure the Google Hangout is adequately promoted to a wide array of citizens)

Due to the sensitive nature of this announcement, the stakeholders listed above would receive a personalized invitation, in the form of a letter, from Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. Toronto Mayor Rob Ford would then personally follow-up with the recipients of the letter via telephone to confirm their attendance and participation at the media event. It is important to note that some of the recipients may not be inclined to participate in the media event, due to the fact that participation with an announcement like this may seem inappropriate. This risk can be mitigated, however, if the mayor stays consistent with the positive messaging; if this is not successful, the staff from the mayors communications department could follow-up to see if other arrangements could be made with similar stakeholder groups, or affiliates. It would be advantageous for Mayor Rob Ford to have as much involvement in the invitation process as possible, as this would serve as a good primer for the mayor to deal with the public, and get comfortable answering difficult questions, should they arise.

Media Advisory

MEDIA ADVISORY
June 18, 2013

Contact:

Brennen Schmidt Director, Strategic Communications T: 416-397-5277 C: 416-392-3496 Email: bschmidt@toronto.ca

Sweeping Changes Coming to Toronto Mayors Office

Please join Toronto Mayor Rob Ford for an announcement regarding upcoming changes to the way the City of Toronto Mayors Office conducts its business. Following the news conference, Mayor Rob Ford will be available to answer questions from both the media and the public. Thursday, June 20, 2013 9:30 a.m. (EDT) Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (250 College St., Toronto) Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne will be in attendance at the event, along with her Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Linda Jeffrey. There will also be law enforcement officials, representatives from the business community and representatives from a community-based organization speaking at the event. The MC for the event will be Mayor Rob Fords newly appointed Director of Communications, Brennen Schmidt.

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(To be released two hours prior to the news conference) In order to make the announcement stand out from regular emails, all employees will receive an email from Mayor Rob Fords email address with a YouTube link to a recorded video. In this video, the mayor will inform employees about the new positive approach at communications. The link to the recorded video of Mayor Rob Ford will act as a far richer means of communication with employees. While it may seem like a good idea to provide employees with a written statement, a video will serve as a much more authentic means of communication. Some of the internal audiences that would be contacted (in order of precedence): 1. Senior Leadership Team The Senior Leadership team will have taken part in discussions for Mayor Rob Fords communications strategy prior to the news conference. The Senior Leadership Team will have also been a part of the production process for the video; they will offer their feedback. 2. Managers The management team will be briefed on the timeline for the news conference, and will also have the opportunity to preview the video, and offer feedback, before it goes live to frontline employees. Should any member of the management team have any questions, they will have the opportunity to speak with a member of the Senior Leadership Team, or with Mayor Rob Ford (time permitting). 3. Frontline employees All front line employees with access to email will receive the video in their email inbox. Should they have any questions, they may contact their managers, who have been briefed on the communications strategy. In addition, if frontline employees wish to speak with Mayor Rob Ford, or a member of the Senior Leadership Team directly, they should contact the Director of Strategic Communications to accommodate the request in a timely manner. Members of the Senior Leadership team, management and a select few front line employees will make up the membership for a focus group aimed at seeing whether Mayor Rob Fords message is perceived as being authentic; if the message requires further refinement, the video will be adapted to ensure all key internal stakeholder interests are met.

Message to Internal Audience

News Release

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 20, 2013

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Cleaning Up Communications at City Hall TORONTO - Mayor Rob Ford today announced that the Mayors Office is taking positive steps to change the way it approaches communications with the public and the media. All communications with the public and media will now be open and transparent and will no longer be confrontational. Mayor Rob Ford made the announcement at the Toronto Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and was joined by Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Minister of Municipal Affairs Laurel Broten. Members representing the nonprofit, business and law enforcement communities were also in attendance at the announcement. I realize that my communications strategy, or lack thereof, wasnt doing anyone any good, said Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. There are a lot of positive changes that can happen in this city, and it all has to start with me. I am fortunate to have heard from the non-profit, business and law enforcement communities today about what positive changes can be made starting today this is what my offices new approach is all about. I am making it a priority of mine, and my administration, to be more open and transparent both with the public and the media. I owe it to the public who elected me, and I owe it to the media who are just doing their jobs, Ford said. Starting today, the Mayors Office will be sending a weekly update on the state of the City of Toronto to Premier Wynne, and will be in contact with her Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Linda Jeffrey. All updates will be made available on the City of Torontos website for both the media and public to see. I am hopeful that this approach will give Premier Wynne confidence in my leadership and administration, said Ford. It will also allow the public and media to see what progress, if any, has been made over the course of the next several months. Members of the public also had the opportunity to ask Mayor Rob Ford questions live via Google Hangouts (a free videoconference service, offered by Google). Mayor Ford answered a wide variety of questions ranging from his commitment to transparency and positive communications all the way to the mayors vision for a future citywide crime and drug reduction strategy. - 30 For more information, please contact: Brennen Schmidt, Director of Strategic Communications T: 416-397-5277 C: 416-392-3496 Email: bschmidt@toronto.ca

News Release Strategy

Considering the negative circumstances surrounding Mayor Rob Fords former approach at media relations, it is safe to assume that some media outlets may not wish to be present for the announcement. Despite these circumstances, the news release should still be sent to all media outlets in Toronto (and surrounding area), and should also include a media call around from the new Director of Strategic Communications to see if the media would consider picking up the story. One-on-one media interviews should be made available to all interested media outlets. At no point should Mayor Rob Ford deny any media request, or opportunity, despite prior experience. In addition, all video and audio recordings of the media conference should be made available to all interested media outlets for review and publication. While this announcement may not be viewed as being new or innovative, it is important to feature the live video interview via Googles Hangouts from all interested citizens. United States President Barack Obama has used Google Hangouts in the past; however, this is still a relatively new tool for politicians to use. Therefore, it is important to feature this new approach at communications with the citizens of Toronto, and surrounding area. Even though it may not be news that Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is changing his approach at communications with the media, it does make for an interesting story that the mayor was open to taking live questions from regular Toronto citizens. That is why the communication that occurs on Google Hangouts will be recorded, and will be posted online for the public and media to access.

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News Conference
Location: Date: Time: Visuals: Toronto Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Thursday, June 20, 2013 9:30 a.m. (EDT) Stakeholders speaking at the news conference, Patients of the Toronto Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, with permission (photo and video opportunity) There will be a media scrum with Mayor Rob Ford and all guests interested in being interviewed immediately following the event Speaker Director of Strategic Communications (and MC) Brennen Schmidt Key Messages Welcome and thank you to media and stakeholders for their attendance. Todays news conference will begin with a statement from Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. Representatives from the law enforcement, non-profit and business communities will speak, followed by a live question and answer period with Mayor Rob Ford on Google Hangouts. The Mayors Office is changing the way it approaches media relations and its communication with the public. All future communications will be of a positive nature, and there will no longer by any form of confrontation. Future decisions will be made with a positive, citizen-centred approach. The Government of Ontario supports Mayor Rob Fords new approach at communications both with the media and with the public. The Minister of Municipal Affairs, along with Cabinet, looks forward to receiving regular updates from Toronto Mayor Rob Fords office. Now is the time for change in the City of Toronto, and the greater area. 11

Scrum:

Time 9:35 am

9:40 am

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford

9:55 am

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne

10:05 am

Toronto Chief of Police William Blair

The Toronto City Police Service will be launching a citywide crime reduction strategy, at the request of Mayor Rob Ford and various stakeholders. The Toronto City Police Service will also focus its efforts on following through on Mayor Rob Fords addictions reduction strategy, with the help of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. It is hoped that this multi-year strategy will shape a more positive mindset for both those suffering from addictions and mental illness, as well as the citizens of Toronto. We are looking forward to working with the City of Toronto to ensure that we do everything we can to help those afflicted by addictions and mental illness. We are happy that Mayor Rob Ford is asking for a variety of agencies and stakeholders to work together to accomplish this task. We hope that all the attention surrounding addictions and mental health can be turned into a positive means of helping those suffering from these issues. Share success story with the help of the Center Addiction and Mental Health services.

10:10 am

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health President & CEO Dr. Catherine Zahn

10:15 am

Patient from Addiction and Mental Health Centre (if possible)

10:20 am

Toronto Region Board of Trade CEO Carol Wilding

We think Toronto businesses will benefit from the mayors new approach at communications. We are hopeful that Toronto businesses will be shed in a more positive light. We thank Mayor Rob Ford for making this decision, and are confident that things will improve.

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10:25 am

Small Business Owner (if possible)

Business is doing well, but it can do better. All of this negative media attention is drawing people away from visiting and investing in Toronto businesses. Looking forward to this new approach and the rewards that it will offer everyone. Mayor Rob Ford will answer questions from Toronto citizens live. Thank you to everyone who attended the news conference. Thank you to the citizens who participated in the Google Hangout. Mayor Rob Ford and interested stakeholders are available to scrum.

10:30 am 10:50 am

Google Hangouts Q & A period Director of Strategic Communications (and MC) Brennen Schmidt

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Evaluation System
Media Evaluation The success of the communications project will depend entirely on the following areas: local media presence; the medias representation of Mayor Rob Ford; and international media attention. Due to the negative approach at media relations over the past several weeks, it will be important to note which media outlets attend the announcement it should also be noted which media outlets are not in attendance; this could serve as an excellent opportunity for Mayor Rob Ford and the Director of Strategic Communications to reach out and to try to mend broken relationships. These relationships can both be strengthened and mended by setting up a one-on one interview with Mayor Rob Ford and interested media outlet. If the media outlet accepts the opportunity, and airs or prints a balanced approach at telling the story, it is safe to assume that the new approach at communications and media relations was effective. Even though it may be seen as a good thing if a great amount of media outlets appear at the news conference, the new communications strategy cannot be considered a success if Mayor Rob Ford is unfairly represented, or is portrayed in a story in an unbalanced way. If most of the media outlets present Mayor Rob Ford in a more positive light, or make positive comments after the news conference, it can be assumed that the media did take note of the new approach. Naturally, if Mayor Rob Ford provides equal media access to all outlets, and is respectful of their time and occupation, the media will see the mayor in a more favorable way. Another way of measuring the success of the communications strategy is to see whether international media coverage of Mayor Rob Ford continues to be negative. If there is no longer any media coverage of the mayor, it is safe to assume that the media frenzy has subsided. This can also serve as an excellent opportunity to follow-up with the media outlets that provided negative coverage of the mayors situation. Mayor Rob Ford can make himself available to these media outlets and can set the record straight and promote his new approach at communications. Making an appearance on the Jon Stewart television show or the Colbert Report would be an excellent opportunity for the mayor to show a more positive approach, as well as highlight the positives of the City of Toronto. Social Media Evaluation Since the news conference will have a social media component, through the use of Google Hangouts, it is important to follow all online conversations on channels including Twitter and Facebook. Due to the instantaneous nature of online communications using Facebook, Twitter and Google Hangouts, it will be relatively easy to determine the mood and response to Mayor Rob Fords announcement. It can be expected that there will be negative comments and feedback from the online community; this should not be seen as a bad thing, however. 14

As with any form of feedback, it should be recorded and be addressed (if deemed necessary) sometime in the near future. Rather than addressing the question from a City of Toronto account, it would be advantageous if Mayor Rob Ford replied to the feedback from users directly from his account. Positive comments and replies to the mayors comments can translate into a successful campaign; negative comments represent a need to continue working on the new communications strategy. While it is vital to monitor the online conversation during the news conference, it is also important that the communications department take part in the online conversation. Specific quotations during the news conference should be live-tweeted on Twitter, and key quotations should be posted on the citys Facebook page in the form of images of the mayor (with captions) at the news conference. Retweets, replies and mentions on Twitter, as well as likes, shares and comments on Facebook act as an excellent means of measuring engagement and feedback from users. All of these interactions and forms of engagement will serve as an excellent means of measuring either the failure or success of the media conference. Public Opinion Mayor Rob Fords campaign team could also conduct a citywide public opinion poll (no public dollars should be used to conduct this poll; it should only serve as a means for the mayor to see where he stands for support if an election were held sometime in the near future). City Councilors could also forward constituent concerns and feedback to the Mayors Office for response, or for record purposes only. If the feedback is of a positive nature, and there are minimal constituent concerns, the communications strategy can be considered to be successful. Ultimately, public opinion will be shaped by the media coverage from the news conference. Therefore, it is important to take note of the publics opinion so that the mayor can measure the success, or failure, of this new communications strategy. This feedback will also allow the mayor to make an educated decision as to whether or not he should seek re-election at the end of his term.

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