[CIRA is a Thornley Fallis client]

On February 25, 2011, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) will host a unique and important event about the future of the Internet in Canada.

The Internet has become an integral part of the economic, political and social lives of Canadians, and the Canadian Internet Forum (CIF) will provide a space for Canadians to discuss its future.

For the past four months, CIRA has been consulting with Canadians on privacy, how social media is driving the future of the Internet, and access to and the cost of broadband in Canada, among others.

At the CIF, attendees will be engaged to provide their feedback and opinions about the results of the consultations. There will be opportunity to ask questions, debate and have their opinion heard about the direction the Internet should take in Canada. A panel of Canadian experts will discuss and debate the future of the Internet, including:

•    Jacob Glick, Canada Policy Counsel, Google
•    Dr. Gerri Sinclair, Executive Director, Masters of Digital Media Program at Vancouver’s Centre for Digital Media
•    Marc Blanchet, Network Engineer, Viagénie
•    Jim Roche, President and CEO, CANARIE

Canadian technology visionary Leonard Brody will give the keynote address.

The agenda for the CIF is available here: http://cif.cira.ca/2011/01/cif-national-event-agenda/. Following the forum, there will be a networking reception.

Event details are as follows:
Friday, February 25, 2011
9 am to 5 pm, Reception to follow
Brookstreet Hotel, Ottawa, ON

Registration is free (http://www.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=70e7a581-832f-44cf-9159-33af1ed2bc21) and lunch and coffee will be served.

Please visit http://cif.cira.ca for updates on the CIF.

For those unable to attend in person, the event will be webcast in English and French. Details on the webcast are available here: http://cif.cira.ca/cif-webcast-system-requirements/.

About CIRA
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) is the organization that manages Canada’s .CA domain name registry, develops and implements policies that support Canada’s Internet community and represents the .CA registry internationally.

From the Dark Corners to the Front Page: PR Case Study on Mental Illness

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Sheraton Hotel, 150 Albert Street, Ottawa

11:30 registration and networking
12:00 lunch (standing buffet)
12:30 – 1:30 p.m. panel discussion

As public relations and communications professionals, there is a lot we can learn about the issue of mental illness and the challenges to increasing its awareness in the public domain. Join us as we learn how mental health advocates from the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group are changing the conversation about mental illness and learn through the Canada Post example, how you can apply their experience to other difficult issues in your workplace.

Panel members:

Chris Cobb is a Senior Writer with the Ottawa Citizen, a member of the Press Gallery and a teacher of journalism. He has been contributing to Canada’s national media for over 25 years with particular expertise in politics, election reporting, government and political communications, Third World development and health issues, to name a few. For more than a dozen years, and until recently, Chris was a regular contributor to TACTICS and STRATEGIST, publications of the Public Relations Society of America. Chris will help us understand the environment in which we are trying to change awareness, attitudes and behaviors about mental illness and provide insight into the recent major local and national relevant events and what impact they have they had in our community from a journalist’ perspective.

Nicole Loreto, APR is Chief Communications Officer of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group, a leader in mental health. Nicole has provided strategic communications leadership across a variety of fields including high tech, municipal affairs, culture and heritage, and health and social issues. Through her academic training, Nicole has developed a good understanding of community care and treatment in addition to her expertise in the field of communications. During this session, Nicole will share the ROHCG’s recent involvement in building partnerships to change the conversation about mental illness and what role we can play.

Tim McGurrin is the Director of Corporate Communications at Canada Post. His duties include the oversight and leadership of the Canada Post Foundation for Mental Health, created in 2008 to raise funds for not-for-profit mental health agencies across Canada. He has over 20 years of experience in the field of communications, including government relations, media relations, event planning, and strategic communications planning. During this session Tim will explain how Canada Post moved the discussion of mental health forward as its corporate cause of choice.

About the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS)

CPRS is the leading professional organization for communicators across the country. Here in the Nation’s Capital, CPRS Ottawa/Gatineau is a dynamic, growing society which offers its members a myriad of services including an educational programs to keep you on top of the latest issues, news on the Society’s activities, a voluntary national CPRS accreditation program, great networking opportunities and more.

About the Health Care Public Relations Association (HCPRA)

HCPRA is the only organization addressing the particular concerns of public relations professionals in Canadian health care. HCPRA offers professional development through national educations sessions; local networking across Canada; a first-rate national conference in conjunction with the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy; the acclaimed Hygeia Awards; a monthly e-newsletter; a robust website and an opportunity to network with more than 350 health care public relations professionals across Canada.

Spaces are limited, please register by March 1st on EventBrite at http://cprsottawamarch2011.eventbrite.com.

$45 for     CPRS and HCPRA members
$35 for CPRS Student Members
$60 for non-members

Prepayment by credit card is required to reserve you seat for the event. We accept Visa and MasterCard. Payment at the door will also be accepted.

Cancellation policy: Cancellations must be received at least 24 hours prior to the event. Late cancellations and no-shows will be charged the full amount.

For more information, visit www.cprsottawa.ca.

The Algonquin College Public Relations Agency wants to help CPRS members highlight their great work by offering support to draft applications for the Awards of Excellence. Algonquin College public relations students can assist in almost every aspect of the application process, from the submission summary, to fitting the project into the proper category. We can support CPRS members by ensuring all necessary aspects of the project or programs are ready for judging.

We recognize the Awards of Excellence are awarded to practitioners with distinguished comprehensive public relations projects or programs. We are also willing to support members who wish to nominate someone for any of the other CPRS Major Awards, including the CPRS Award of Attainment, Outstanding Achievement Award, CPRS Lamp of Service Award or any other award program.

To find out more contact the Agency at 613-727-4723 ext 5520.

Note: CIRA is a Thornley Fallis client.

On February 25, 2011, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) will host a Canadian Internet Forum (CIF) even in Ottawa at the Brookstreet Hotel.

“Canadian Vision and Leadership” is the theme for this session.

At the event in Ottawa, a panel of Canadian experts will discuss the findings of cross-country internet governance consultations, and leading Canadian technology visionary Leonard Brody will provide the keynote address. The event will also feature sessions for participants to provide their feedback and ideas about Internet governance in Canada and internationally.

This is an opportunity to learn and share about Internet governance in Canada and around the world.

For more information, visit cif.cira.ca.