Anti-scab legislation becomes law today in Canada, meaning federally-regulated employers can be fined up to $100k for using replacement workers when their employees are locked out or on strike.
After using scabs for 2 weeks, DHL shut down operations across Canada today.
it's been fun to work as a collective, but incorporating as a worker-owned co-operative makes it so real! we aren't just governed by principles and our agreements among ourselves, but by a structure that has democratic values (1 member, 1 vote!) baked into its DNA
Thrilled to share that Debrief Communications is now a full-fledged co-op and I have the privilege of being a part of this stellar squad, with @godfrey.bsky.social and @davidpball.bsky.social.
Huge thanks to Elvy at Union Cooperative Initiative without whom this wouldn't have been possible!
congratulations @debriefcomms.bsky.social! it's been so inspiring to see this worker-owned operation grow 🥹
So so proud of helping co-create my first co-operative business!
Kudos to teammates @brishti.bsky.social & @godfrey.bsky.social - and thanks to our clients so far who believed in us and helped us launch smoothly ... and the Union Cooperative Initiative for guiding us to this moment!
Take a look at our updated website: debriefcomms.ca
Reply ‘I’m interested!’ and we’ll DM you a copy of our Services Menu.
For all other inquiries, reach out to us at info@debriefcomms.ca
If you’re also a co-op, collective, union, or organization that shares these values, talk to us about our special co-op rates!
#WorkerOwned #CooperativeBusiness #CommsWithPurpose #StrategicCommunications #SocialImpact
As working journalists, we’re here to build a more ethical, transparent communications ecosystem.
Debrief Communications Co-op provides up-to-date media training, research, editing, fact-checking, writing, photography, and other services that are customizable based on your needs.
Person sitting in a red chair holding an open laptop that shows the website debriefcomms.ca
Why co-op?
Because people who do the labour should take the lead in how they’re managed.
Because open collaboration leads to better ideas.
Because we value equity enough to bake it into our business model.
And because we want to help build a stronger, more resilient and democratic economy.
Two people standing in front of a green gate, holding a co-op business registration certificate.
You were here for the soft launch. Some of you have already worked with our team.
Now, we’re thrilled to announce the next evolution of our worker-owned organization:
Debrief Communications is officially incorporated as a co-op under British Columbia’s Cooperative Association Act!
If your organization wants to learn more about the intersections between trauma-informed reporting and communications, we’re happy to help — and can customize training for your organization’s needs.
Visit us at debriefcomms.ca to see our team’s variety of training workshops and services!
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Since we offered our workshop to TRAC, they’ve already put out a press release about new legislation affecting tenants’ rights
It got coverage in multiple B.C. outlets from CTV to CityNews and CKNW
Kudos and well done from us at Debrief Communications!
And: Have you considered which journalists or publications you would most trust with a client’s or member’s experiences?
All of these questions are vital to consider through a trauma-aware lens.
Do you quote vulnerable people in your own press releases?
Will they speak to their policy-change recommendations, not just their traumatic experiences?
How do you help prepare them to be interviewed, and how could you support them during and after?
Organizations that participate in the media have equal responsibility in ensuring their practices don’t frame stories in ways that can re-traumatize the marginalized people they work with
Does your organization help reporters find ppl with lived experience for stories?
Some questions to consider:
And we were delighted when the Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre (TRAC) invited us to give a day-long media workshop, and specifically requested a discussion of what “trauma-informed communications” might look like.
The responsibility of trauma-awareness doesn’t fall exclusively on the reporter.
Trauma-aware journalism is a set of practices sensitive to & respectful of ppl with lived experiences of psychological trauma—especially those from marginalized & oppressed communities
(You can read more about it via the Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma: dartcenter.org) @dartcenter.bsky.social
Since we launched Debrief Communications 2 months ago, we’ve been so excited to see growing interest in our Talking to Media workshops—especially from the non-profit sector
As investigative journalists we see trauma awareness as essential
And it’s a unique skill-set we can offer in our workshops
How do you tell important stories without exploiting the people at the centre of them?
A lot of journalists are asking themselves this question. But it applies equally to organizations looking to get their stories into the media (1/x)
In communications, sometimes the way you manage an issue can draw even more attention to it. Why do you think Gunn and the Conservatives haven't addressed this problem?
The layers of denials haven’t helped anyone — not Indigenous people hurt by the comments, nor Gunn and the Conservatives.
Instead, by failing to address the problem head on, they’re just drawing out a painful moment for everyone.
His comments have led to calls for Gunn to be removed from the race, with Indigenous leaders calling the comments “reprehensible,” “appalling” and “disgusting.”
Since APTN first reported on Gunn’s past comments, there have been multiple stories in the media every single day about the issue.
Gunn, too, has denied his denial.
“I have never wavered in condemning these institutions of abuse, where countless First Nations suffered at the hands of a patronizing federal government,” Gunn said in a statement.
Yet, when asked about Gunn’s comments, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre denied there was a problem — and implied media stories were fake news.
“He’s not denied the impact of residential schools, that’s just misinformation,” he told reporters last week.
But Conservative candidate Aaron Gunn has repeatedly denied residential schools were genocidal and called them “much-maligned.”
“There was no genocide. Stop lying to people and read a book,” he tweeted in 2020. He also claimed Indigenous communities had asked for residential schools.
If your candidate has engaged in residential school denialism, here’s one thing you shouldn’t do: deny the denialism.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission determined Canada’s residential school system to be cultural genocide. So have numerous other experts.
The best way to avoid needing crisis communications is to avoid a crisis in the first place. The next best way is to address the problem head on.
Or you can just deny it and hope people move on.
But people don’t often just move on.
we had a lot of fun hosting this media training and media literacy workshop! and there were a lot of great questions and comments from the folks at TRAC.
Visit our website at debriefcomms.com for details on the full slate of our services (media training, writing, editing, research) and reach out to us at info@debriefcomms.ca for a quote!
Whether you want to know more about newsroom jargon, — what even is a “nutgraf”?! — the best way to present a press release, organize a media event and share your own story, or want answers to specific quandaries in your communications approach, Debrief Communications is ready to help.
