PREPARED BY: Communications
DATE: 2026-11-12
SUBJECT: Communications Report Oc 2026
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE:
Provide regular marketing and communication updates to the Board of Health.
| SOURCE | September 15 – October 14 | August 15 – September 14 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| News Releases, Media Advisories and Statements, or Notices Issued | 2 | 4 | -2 |
| Media Requests Received | 14 | 7 | 7 |
| Wechu.org pageviews | 82,897 | 91,038 | -8,141 |
| YouTube Channel Subscribers | 1,869 | 1,871 | -2 |
| Email Subscribers | 6,471 | 6,482 | -11 |
| Emails Distributed | 7 | 8 | -1 |
| Facebook Fans | 27,247 | 27,193 | 54 |
| Facebook Posts | 77 | 68 | 9 |
| Instagram Followers | 2,433 | 2,399 | 34 |
| Instagram Posts | 68 | 61 | 7 |
| LinkedIn Followers | 2,242 | 2,217 | 25 |
| LinkedIn Posts | 45 | 23 | 22 |
| Media Exposure | 59 | 79 | -20 |
Media Exposure Overview Graph
Notes: From September 15 – October 14, we experienced three main peaks in media exposure. On October 9, a story was released provincially regarding the upcoming cold and flu season which mentioned the WECHU for statements around the high incidence of last season. The peaks on October 5 and 13 are related to overdose alerts which were issued. Smaller peaks were tied to stories on animal exposures and the health unit’s encouragement of municipal candidates to consider public health topics in their platforms (October 2 and 5, respectively).
Website Overview Graph
Notes: Blue line is current timeframe. From September 15 – October 14, we saw steady web traffic at a slightly lower level compared to the previous month, likely tied to a low volume of news releases issued in this timeframe.
Social Media Overview Graph (followers)
Notes: Lighter blue lines are the current timeframe. From September 15 – October 14, we saw a moderate increase in followers on Meta. We also saw a rise in our LinkedIn followers, which can be attributed to issuing more health promotion posts on the platform.
Discussion – Municipal Candidate Primer
To support public awareness and informed dialogue during the 2026 municipal election, the Communications Department worked in collaboration with WECHU staff to develop the primer, Healthy Communities, Informed Choices: Municipal Elections 2026. The resource highlights the important role municipal governments play in shaping the social, environmental, and economic conditions that influence community health and well-being.
The primer focuses on five key public health priorities: substance use, emergency preparedness, child and youth mental health and well-being, food insecurity, and intimate partner violence. For each topic, the document outlines local impacts, presents relevant community data, and provides questions residents can use to engage municipal candidates on issues affecting Windsor-Essex County.
The project saw the creation of the main informational document which was sent out to all registered candidates across WEC’s municipalities. Additionally, to raise awareness with voters, a series of social posts were created which linked back to a new webpage. The webpage includes regional impacts of the topics as well as questions voters can pose to their representatives. A news release was disseminated on Friday, October 2 to our general subscribers and media email lists. Among the general subscribers, the email had a 30% open rate (1160 people viewed it). To date two local media outlets published stories on the topic.