City of Courtenay Annual Report 2021

COMMUNICATIONS

ORGANIZATIONAL AND GOVERNANCE EXCELLENCE

UNIQUE WEBSITE VISITS:

Website traffic The City of Courtenay website saw a large jump in traffic in 2021, with over 650,000 unique visits - a 20% increase over 2020. While some major city initiatives contributed to the increase, including the 5th Street Bridge project and the roll-out of the new curbside collection schedule, there was an overall increase in visits throughout the entire website as our community continued shifting to online services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media Social media followers capture the total number of followers on multiple social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. In 2021 the City’s total social media followers increased by 12%, about 4% of which is directly attributed to the addition of Instagram. The City continues to be active on social media communicating policy decisions, engagement opportunities, program information, project updates and other initiatives in the community. Solid Waste Program Updates Changes to the curbside collection schedule began on January 1, 2021. Collaboration and extensive communication efforts that launched in 2020 continued throughout 2021 to ease residents into the new schedule. Public education in 2021 included a community-wide postcard mail-out, radio ads, social media reminders, and contests, with updated zone-specific calendars mailed to households in December. Courtenay residents adapted so well to the collection day changes, Public Works Services received only 57 direct inquiries about the schedule from the public throughout the entire year. The Courtenay Collects app, which provides schedule information, reminders, and guidance on "what goes where", was key to the success of the schedule changes. View or download the app at courtenay.ca/recycling

SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS:

WHERE YOU FOLLOW US:

COURTENAY COLLECTS APP

Year

2019

2020

2021

Households subscribed to Courtenay Collects % of households subscribed

782

2011

3418

9% 22% 38%

Calendar views

20,246 31,052 139,275

First time visitors

4,428 2,100

7,087 14,457

2,383

2,051

New addresses

Waste Wizard material views

9,469

9,414 14,209

19

City of Courtenay | 2021 Annual Report