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VOL. 102 NO. 45
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Kersley kids matter Kersley residents and students held a protest outside Kersley school Wednesday in support of keeping the school open. Ryan Graham photo
Simpson speaks to Province comments AUTUMN MacDONALD Observer Reporter After a piece emerged in The Province featuring Quesnel as a “rough and tumble” kind of town, Mayor Bob Simpson is setting the record straight. “It was a cold call,” he said. “He had already googled our community, the whole nature of his piece was crime stats and industry.” It started when the reporter found out the
City of Quesnel had filed a request for proposals to hire a re-branding consultant. From there top headlines showcased mill closures, a faltering industry and skewed crime stats, Simpson said. “This is indicative of why we need to tell a better story,” Simpson said. “We need to re-frame how Quesnel is perceived. “When people are looking up our community we want the
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best of Quesnel to show up.” The request requirements stated: “The City of Quesnel invites proposals from experienced branding and communications consultants to lead our community in repositioning our community identity. “The City of Quesnel does not have a welldefined brand. Our community print materials are not visually cohesive, our print
advertising is inconsistent, and our other communication materials are strictly corporate in nature and do not reflect the character of our community. “Our community is often described as “at the confluence of the Quesnel and Fraser Rivers.” “We do not tell an effective, interesting, or engaging story about who we are as a community. The City of Quesnel needs assistance in
shaping our community story in a way that resonates with our current residents, and engages potential residents, visitors, and businesses that may be attracted to our community.” Simpson said he did speak to the many good qualities Quesnel has, specifically green spaces, trails, affordable housing and plans to improve on existing positives but unfortunately they didn’t make the piece.
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And while Simpson acknowledged the piece focused on the negatives he also pointed to facts. “The negative things are reality,” he said. “But they are not reflective of our community.” Hence why he said it’s so important to re-brand the community, to tell a different story. “So that anybody who goes on the internet gets the best story of Quesnel,” he said, “unlike this reporter.”
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