News Archive

2023

Obituary

C. Edmund “Ed” Murray. August 19, 1932 – January 5, 2023.

Charles Edmund Murray Junior (Ed), beloved husband, father, grandpa, friend, man of faith, lover of jazz, and “ROMEO” left us on January 5, 2023, at 90-years young in Halifax Hospice.

If Ed was writing his own obituary, he might have popped it on the side of a bus, turned it into an Irish Ballad or pitched it to the evening news. Then again, he was never one to promote himself, only others.

As a primary school student Ed was never in his seat, but found looking out the window or roaming the halls. He would take this curiosity and endless energy and channel it throughout his life.

Ed was a true behind the scenes guy, but also a constant worker of the room. Some called him “Fast Eddie”—not because he was a hustler, but because of his ability to carry on many conversations at once, switching quickly from one
topic to another.

As a younger man, Ed was a tenor in the St. Patrick’s Boy’s Quartet, and an altar boy and choir member at Saint Mary’s Basilica. He carried his love of music with him even in his final days, singing carols with his family and Hospice residents.

He studied theology at Holy Heart Seminary, but questioned his calling to the priesthood. His questioning was answered when he found his true vocation as
a husband and family man after he met the love of his life, Maggie, on a fine Victoria Day weekend, at the Jubilee Boat Club.

He studied theology at Holy Heart Seminary, but questioned his calling to the priesthood. His questioning was answered when he found his true vocation as
a husband and family man after he met the love of his life, Maggie, on a fine
Victoria Day weekend, at the Jubilee Boat Club.

Ed was a proud alumnus of Saint Mary’s University, where he received his BA in history in 1957. From 1957-58, he was the first Canadian student to study in Boston University’s newly established School of Public Relations. He paid for
his education through scholarships and working on the dining car of the CNR.

He got a taste for the public relations profession as an undergraduate at
SMU, publicizing amateur theatre productions. His part-time job at CBC as a
studio guide gave him entrée to the emerging world of media relations, where he ended up spending a decade handling CBC “PR” in the Maritimes. A highlight was working on the Singalong Jubilee show. An anecdote he loved to share was of the time he noticed Anne Murray kick off her shoes during a taping break, seizing the opportunity, he instructed the studio’s photographer to zoom in as she strummed her guitar, barefoot—this became a signature look for her in her early musical career.

After the CBC, Ed began working for the Federal Government, and spent the
majority of his career as the first public relations manager at the Bedford
Institute of Oceanography (BIO) in Dartmouth. It was, “Canada’s best kept
secret and like a monastery, only scientific!”, he would say. One of his
proudest accomplishments was developing the communications strategy that put BIO and its ground-breaking work on the map, nationally and internationally. He took down the staid BIO’s “silence barrier” through inviting large numbers of ordinary visitors and VIPs for tours. While there he overheard plans to scrap the docked 1913 CSS Acadia, the lone surviving ship from the Halifax Explosion, and he leapt into action, rallying support and lobbying to preserve its important place in history through a National Historic Site designation. At the Oceanographic Institute he was truly… ahead of the wave, (yup, that pun’s for you Ed)!

After BIO, Ed continued his public service career, working in Employment and
Immigration (later Human Resources Development Canada). It was there he faced the problem of making ‘stay in school’ a catchy idea. Thinking where high schoolers spent time every day, he plastered city buses with the message,
reaching his target audience with flair.

His work with the feds was recognized by a Government of Canada Merit Award for exceptional and distinguished contribution to the effectiveness and
efficiency of the Public Service.

Ed was a past president and founding member of the Atlantic Public Relations
Society (predecessor to CPRS-NS) formed in 1957. Through this, he would help
establish the first English Canadian degree program in public relations at
Mount Saint Vincent University.

Ed was a dedicated lifetime member of the Canadian Public Relations Society.
He was a national president from 1978-89, and Nova Scotia Chapter president in 1967-68. He received a CPRS Lamp of Service in 1986 for contribution to the
field of public relations and became an honorary Fellow in 2003.

Long-time CPRS colleague Mary Barker summed up Ed’s contribution, “Always
positive in his attitude, he was a man with a wonderful sense of humour who
greatly valued the connections, the educational advancements, and the social
aspects of his professional association.”

Ed also provided mentorship to many PR students over his lifetime and
volunteered for many community organizations including United Appeal, Canadian Peace and Development, 1984 Papal Visit, Discovery Centre, Neptune, Eastern Front, and Jest in Time Theatres and most recently at the Daily Bread Outreach.

His Jesuit professors made a lasting impact. Ed was an ethical man,
personally and professionally. He was gifted at storytelling, which helped
immensely throughout his career, and a lover of all jokes—even the bad ones.

One of Ed’s famous stories was meeting his idol Duke Ellington in Boston at
Storyville Jazz Club. Ed mentioned to Duke he had just heard his “Shakespeare
Suite” back home on the CBC. The Duke and he chatted and as the musicians
returned after intermission Mr. Ellington invited him to sit at the piano for
the second half of the concert.

His legacy of joy, gentleness, kindness, loyalty, generosity and good humour
will be forever remembered by his wife of 60 years Margaret “Maggie” (Boyd) of Antigonish, his three children, Angela Murray, Christian Murray (Mary-Colin
Chisholm) Halifax, and Larissa Avery (Richard), London UK. He was immensely
proud of his children and grandchildren. He was especially happy that his
daughter Angela followed him in his profession, and was a continuous advocate for the performing careers of his son Christian and youngest daughter Larissa.

Ed was a fun-loving, silly grandfather (Granka) to his cherished
grandchildren—Emlyn, Sophia, Lillith, Maia, Isabella and Hal—and uncle to
numerous nieces and nephews. His many friends and former colleagues will miss him greatly, including members of the Gourmet Club, a social supper club he and Maggie were a part of for 40+ years, and the “ROMEOS” (Retired Old Men Eating Out)—a group of fellow SMU grads who met regularly to share stories and reminisce about their university days.

He was pre-deceased by parents Charles Edmund Senior “Ned” and Blanche
(Driscoll), and sisters Doreen Hoskin (Bill) and Shirley Kirk (Danny).

Ed never wanted to inconvenience anyone, so he died shortly after Canada won
Gold at the World Junior Hockey Championship—at a reasonable hour. We know he’s still working the room, pitching a story, cracking a joke, and making
connections.

Cremation has taken place. As per Ed’s wishes a funeral mass will be
celebrated on Thursday, January 19 at 10:30 a.m. at Saint Mary’s Cathedral
Basilica, 5221 Spring Garden Road, Halifax. Reception to follow. Visitation
will be held on January 18, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Cruikshank’s Funeral
Home, 2666 Windsor Street, Halifax.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the CPRS Foundation in Ed’s memory at http://www.CPRSfoundation.ca/ and/or Halifax Hospice would be greatly appreciated. The family wishes to send a special thank-you to those who cared for him in his final months: QEII 7.2 staff, Closing the Gap caregivers, and the Palliative Care team, in particular Mitch Devoe. The family will be forever grateful to the kind and loving staff at Hospice Halifax who gave him special care in his final weeks.

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2022

Charmaine Gaudet, APR Inducted Into College of Fellows

Congratulations, Charmaine! Read the press release.

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CPRS NS Member Jenn Coleman-Ford Achieves Accreditation

Congratulations Jenn! Read the press release.

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2021

No News to Archive

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2020

2020 Member Consultation

CPRS NS Report to Members May 6, 2020

2020 Message from your CPRS-NS Board of Directors

Dear Colleagues and CPRS-NS members,

As it has been said by many, we are in the COVID-19 fight together. As we appropriately give thanks to health care workers and others who are on the front lines we often forget the hours spent by communications practitioners who are crafting the messages, letters and speeches which translate the complicated into everyday terms; the communications practitioners who try to find words which will convey the seriousness but maintain a calm.

It is our PR colleagues who are prepping folks for media briefings, anticipating areas of chaos and concern and taking steps accordingly. These colleagues are using every resource available to get the messages out and to evaluate understanding and response.

Business continuity plans, pandemic plans and other types of planning, all of which have a communications component, often do not get the attention they need during the development and the testing but they are sure coming in handy now for those who have them.

As practitioners in the field of communications, we bring the professionalism of our craft, our intuitiveness, and our skills to the table. Trust in these. This is what you do. Be sure to rest when you can as your ability to process information and to be the trusted advisor is being tested and will be for the foreseeable future.

As a sole practitioner in your organization or as a member of a team try to take comfort and support in the knowledge that you are part of a very large group of professionals around the world who are doing the same thing; some more successful than others not necessarily because of their skills but because of what they have to work with.

Take good care during this time and keep showing your employers and clients the great contribution you make.

And to the students of this profession, watch closely. Hopefully, what you are witnessing will just be a case study for others who follow you.

Your CPRS-NS Interim Board of Directors 2020

President: Chris Hansen, APR LM
Treasurer: Melissa Foshay
Secretary: Len Canfield, APR LM
PD & Education Chair: Dr. Amy Thurlow, APR FCPRS
Communications Chair: JoAnn Alberstat, PRK
Archivist: Mary Barker, APR FCPRS(H) LM
Director at Large: Merle Emms, APR LM
Director at Large: Karen Stone, APR FCPRS LM

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Special Meeting Minutes

Canadian Public Relations Society-NS
Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax
January 22, 2020

The meeting was called to order by Chair, Chris Hansen, at 4:05 p.m.

Present: 23 people attended: 15 voting members, and eight others including student members and non-member professionals.
Agenda Item: Approval of the Interim Board

Chris welcomed all attendees, including one member linked in via telephone, noted that refreshments were available, and briefly reviewed the background and purpose of the special meeting, as outlined in January 14 email to the membership, and the requirement to approve the Interim Board of Directors to manage CPRS-NS activities until the next AGM. The motion in the notice to members, moved by Jane Nicholson and seconded by Fay Lee, proposed the following officers: President: Chris Hansen; Treasurer: Melissa Foshay; Secretary: Len Canfield; PD & Education Chair: Dr Amy Thurlow; Communications Chair: JoAnn Alberstat; Archivist: Mary Barker; Directors at Large: Merle Emms and Karen Stone. Chair Chris read the motion, asked for questions or discussions, and hearing none, called the vote. The motion passed unanimously. (A number of proxy and mail-in responses supportive of the motion were also received). That concluded the business part of the special meeting. Motion to adjourn was made by Dan Bedell at 4:11. Carried.

President Chris then introduced the speaker for the PD presentation, Dr. Amy Thurlow, Chair of the Department of Communications Studies at MSVU and CPRS-NS PD & Education Chair, who spoke on “the State and Status of Canadian PR,” outlining the results of the third in a series of surveys covering a wide portrait of the evaluation of the communications industry in Canada including various sectors, roles and regions.

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2019

June 2019 – 2019 Awards and Life Member Induction

Congratulations, Charmaine Gaudet – 2019 Nova Scotia Communicator of the Year Award Recipient

Congratulations, Chris Hansen – 2019 Nova Scotia Life Member Award

Congratulations, Jordan Parker – 2019 Pat Brownlow Student Award

See our awards page for more details.

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2018

May 2018 – 2018 Annual General Meeting and Awards

Congratulations, Alison MacDonald – 2018 Nova Scotia Communicator of the Year Award Recipient

Congratulations, Alyson Greeno – 2018 Pat Brownlow Student Award

See our awards page for more details.

February 2018

We are very lucky in Halifax to have a strong and vibrant network of public relations professionals. With fantastic PR programs at Mount Saint Vincent University and Nova Scotia Community College turning out new graduates every year, Halifax is a fantastic hub where business and learning come together.

The Canadian Public Relations Society Nova Scotia (CPRS-NS) chapter would like to thank everyone who came out to our annual Student Speed Networking event at the Wooden Monkey in Halifax.

PR students from MSVU and NSCC had the opportunity practice building meaningful connections with local mentors by participating in timed networking rotations. The structure of the rotations ensured that each student got a chance to interact with every professional and exchange business information.

We thank all of the mentors who came out to support our next generation of public relations talent.

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January 2018

A huge thank you to everyone who attended our 2018 PR Trends panel recently at Halifax Distilling Co.!

A special thank you to our engaging moderator and panelists – Your energy and passion has inspired us for the year to come.

(Left to right)
Moderator:
Crystal Garrett, Director of Communications & Marketing at Downtown Dartmouth Business Commission

Panelists:
Lindsay Cross, Director, Marketing & Strategy at CUA
Kathryn Tector, Vice President, Strategy at National Public Relations
Sammy Davis, President of The WELL
Melissa MacKinnon, Associate Deputy Minister at Communications Nova Scotia

2017

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December 2017

Remembering Pat Brownlow

On November 20, 2017, the public relations community lost a passionate mentor and leader. Pat was one of our longest-standing CPRS board members and held numerous roles on both the local and national boards of directors.

Pat always went above and beyond throughout his career; in his roles in the Federal Government and in his consulting business. In addition to his work, for over 20 years, Pat hired public relations students from both Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) and the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) programs for work terms and continued to mentor many of them as they launched their careers.

Tracey Taweel, Associate Deputy Minister of Communications Nova Scotia, was one of those students who learned from him. She shared how she met Pat when she was at MSVU:

“Pat and I first met at a wine and cheese organized by the PR faculty at the Mount to match students with mentors and practitioners in the field. It is a  funny story actually. Coming to the event, students and mentors did not know who we had been matched with.  When the matches were announced, Pat and I discovered we had been put together. Here’s the funny part: we  were dressed virtually identically in red blazers, black turtlenecks. We looked  like a matched set!  As we chatted, we discovered many more things we had in common including a shared birthday. Pat supported my career and personal and professional growth from the first “red blazer” moment. He provided me with opportunities to try my skills out in a volunteer capacity; he helped me find my writing style —which has stuck with me to this day.  And, he taught me, most importantly, that to be a strong communicator, we must first be good listeners.  I hold those lessons to this day.” 

Mary Mitchell, now Junior Communications Officer at Fisheries and Oceans Canada met Pat while taking her advanced diploma in public relations at NSCC:

“Pat was assigned to be my mentor as part of the program. We often met for coffee, talked about  projects at school and Pat shared some of his many public relations experiences that he had over the years. As a new PR professional these times were very useful to help me learn more about the field; and I will always remember Pat’s smile and passion for the profession. I will miss you Pat, may your inspiration and passion be lived through the many lives that you have touched through your mentorship and guidance over the years.”

Finally, Leanne Tremblay, President of CPRS- NS chapter shared her reaction to Pat’s passing:

“Nothing I can say would fully explain the magnitude of Pat’s impact on students/young professionals in Halifax and thus the entire communications community. Pat helped me launch my career, supported my leadership on the CPRS-NS board and championed me taking on the role of President. The news of his passing was hard to take and its impact will be felt by many,  especially the countless individuals he mentored.”

To read Pat’s full obituary, please visit the Dartmouth Funeral Home website. His Mass of Christian Burial will take place at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 9th, 2017. Following the service, there will be a reception where those who knew Pat are invited to share their stories and memories.

Our thoughts are with his family and those who were closest to him. He will be greatly missed by our board, our members and the communications community as a whole.

The CPRS-NS Board of Directors

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November 2017

Student Event: Demystifying Networking

Student members of the Canadian Public Relations Society Nova Scotia chapter gathered at The Nook on Gottingen this month to participate in an interactive networking workshop with the Halifax Partnership Connector Team.

Throughout the evening, students from both the Nova Scotia Community College and Mount Saint Vincent University public relations programs gained insights on how to prepare for networking events, practice active listening, and how to approach following-up once a new connection has been established. These new skills were then put to the test as workshop participants practiced networking with their peers.

Thank you to the Halifax Partnership and The Nook on Gottingen for sharing their energy and sharing our excitement of building the communications community for the future!

Stay tuned for other upcoming events on our website and through following our social media accounts.

October 2017

Professional Development: Effective Communication with the Media

The Canadian Public Relations Society Nova Scotia (CPRS-NS) chapter kicked off the first professional development session of the 2017-2018 year last month with Peter Spurway, the CPRS-NS 2017 Communicator of the Year Award recipient.

Peter Spurway is well known in the communications community and is the Vice President, Corporate Communications and Airport Experience at Halifax Stanfield International Airport Authority. He oversees corporate reputation management for the Airport Authority – the company that operates, maintains and develops Halifax Stanfield International Airport.

Before beginning his corporate communications career, he spent 12 years in the media in various capacities. Using what he’s learned over many years, Peter recently wrote a book titled, “Practical, Powerful and Effective Guide to Media Relations.”

Revealing the details of his book, Peter led a breakfast session to share his media relations experiences and stories. Over 50 students and professionals filled the room at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, creating an open space for discussion and questions following the presentation.

Thank you Peter and thank you to all those who attended our first professional development session of the year! If you have any feedback on this session or ideas for future sessions, please contact us.

For the latest on upcoming events, follow us on social media and visit our events page.

2016

December 2016

Congratulations to Dr. Amy Thurlow, APR who has been accepted into the 2016 CPRS College of Fellows. Dr. Thurlow was one of 11 veteran communicators and one honorary fellow who achieved this honour. She will be recognized by her peers at the annual College of Fellows Luncheon at the 2017 CPRS National Conference, Illuminate, in Kelowna, BCMay 28-30.

Read the press release