2026 Plumes d'excellence: Five Quebec campaigns to inspire communicators
As temperatures soar, let’s enjoy some fresh air from Quebec, with this selection of five campaigns from our Canadian communications colleagues, chosen from among the winners of the 2026 Plumes d'excellence awards.
The winners of the 2026 Plumes d’excellence, Quebec's equivalent of the Cap'Com Grand Prix, were announced at the annual conference of the Association of Municipal Communicators of Quebec (ACMQ).
The videos are in French, but you can switch to automatic subtitles in your preferred language where available.
Behavioural communication: encouraging and rewarding positive behaviour
The campaign: “Slow Down Here!” is a road safety campaign by the town of Lorraine (population 9,500), which won the Gold Plume d'excellence in the "Campaign – Behavioural Communications and Public Relations" category.
Objective: to encourage drivers to respect the town's 30 km/h speed limit.
Approach: shift from awareness-raising to actively encouraging positive behaviour change. Instead of merely reminding drivers of the rules, the campaign harnesses community involvement, the persuasive voice of children and a highly visible local presence to make slower driving a genuine social norm.
Key features:
- The campaign adopted a playful mascot to represent slower travel and spread the message: a charming smiling snail carrying a simple "Maximum 30" sign. Displayed in oversized format across the town, it attracted attention and reinforced the safety message. The character also featured on all campaign materials, including digital displays, park posters and resources distributed to participating residents.
- Motorist were congratulated for their careful and considerate driving. Instead of issuing penalties, police officers handed out courtesy tickets to motorists who respected the speed limit. Much to their surprise – and relief...
Instagram post :
𝗢𝗣𝗘́𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗘𝗦𝗖𝗔𝗥𝗚𝗢𝗧 🐌🚓 | As part of the "Slow Down Here!" campaign, the Town of Lorraine and the Thérèse-De Blainville Intermunicipal Police Service launched a unique initiative.
Goal ?
To highlight careful and considerate driving. Instead of issuing penalties, police officers handed out courtesy tickets to motorists displaying exemplary driving behaviour.
Because your vigilance really does make a difference! 🤝
- Children and adults alike were involved in spreading the message: in partnership with the police service, more than 1,000 primary school pupils took to the streets of Lorraine in September 2025 to remind residents that road safety is everyone's responsibility. In addition, residents wanting to support the initiative could pick up snail signs from council offices and display them on their own property.
Small steps, big message! 🐌🧡 | On 24 September, more than 1,000 primary school pupils from Lorraine walked the streets to remind everyone that road safety is a shared responsibility. Organised in partnership with the Thérèse-De Blainville Intermunicipal Police, the event formed part of the "Slow Down Here!" campaign, which aims to raise awareness among residents of all ages, while encouraging drivers to show greater consideration towards everyone using the roads. A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this event such a success! 🙌
Results: tangible and already visible: “63% of motorists now travel at under 35 km/h, an improvement of almost 5% compared with last year”, according to the Lorraine authorities.
Next step: “Adopt a snail”. Since late March 2026, residents have been invited to adopt a snail to "extend the experience at home by embracing, on a small scale, the principles of slow mobility and peaceful neighbourhoods”.
Digital communication: helping people to understand
The campaign: “La minute victo”, a series of short social media videos produced by the City of Victoriaville (population 47,760), uses plain language to explain municipal issues. The campaign won the Gold Plume in the "Campaign – Digital Communications" category.
Objective: to help residents understand information quickly and take action by making municipal communications simpler, clearer and more accessible. Approach: deliver practical information in around 60 seconds using plain language, relatable examples and a touch of humour.
Key features:
- Scipts are written in plain language. The communications team developed the scripts for the videos in-house. They were then reviewed collectively within a plain-language community of practice to make the messages clearer, more concise and easier to remember. The project was fully funded through a grant from Accessibility Standards Canada, a public organisation that supports the implementation of Canada's accessibility legislation by developing national accessibility standards for federally regulated organisations and advancing research in the field.
- Content is adapted to digital consumption habits: the videos are around one minute long, include subtitles, maintain a lively pace and are distributed as Facebook and Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
- The message is delivered by a friendly and engaging actor called Pierre-Yves Blais, who speaks directly to residents about topics such as snow clearance, being vigilant with respect to municipal canvassers, water conservation, pool safety and preparing for emergencies.
Results: more than 250,000 views across social media platforms.
Next step: around a dozen videos have been produced in the space of a year and further episodes are planned to continue addressing residents' needs and strengthening the city's close connection with its community.
Youth communication: using second-hand fashion to deliver a powerful message
The campaign: “Troué par balle”, or “Bullet-holed”, developed by the Quebec City Police Service (SPVQ) to combat urban and gun violence among young people, won the Silver Plume in the "Campaign – Digital Communications" category.
Objective: to raise awareness among 13- to 15-year-olds and challenge the growing normalisation of gun violence among young people. Approach: tap into young people's interest in second-hand fashion to capture their attention on social media, then confront them with the real risks and consequences of gun violence through peer testimonies.
Key features:
- “Bullet-holed” clothing was displayed in a second-hand clothes store popular with teenagers. Each garment carried the story of the person who had worn it, along with a QR code linking to a video testimony.
- Testimonies based on real-life experiences, told by young people with blurred faces. In short, 45-second videos, they explain in their own words how the lure of easy money or the desire for respect drew them into armed violence.
@troueparballe Violence leaves its mark: You might make money... but end up owing debts, including favours you will be expected to repay. You can end up with a criminal record, even if you're under 18, and be placed in youth custody. Your family could be threatened. You can lose friends. You can be injured. A criminal record can close doors to future opportunities, whether in education or employment. Sometimes a job goes wrong and you’re the one left owing money. Violence doesn’t end once the job is over. It follows you for a long time. Visit troueparballe.ca to find out more.
♬ son original - troueparballe
Violence leaves its mark: You might make money... but end up owing debts, including favours you will be expected to repay. You can end up with a criminal record, even if you're under 18, and be placed in youth custody. Your family could be threatened. You can lose friends. You can be injured. A criminal record can close doors to future opportunities, whether in education or employment. Sometimes a job goes wrong and you’re the one left owing money. Violence doesn’t end once the job is over. It follows you for a long time. Visit troueparballe.ca to find out more.
- The campaign was rolled out across Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, as well as in schools, shopping centres and on the campaign website, which includes dedicated content for parents (secondary target).
Results: more than one million impressions, 12,700 interactions and exceptionally low CPM costs, generating strong levels of both awareness and engagement.
Event communication: preparing for the unexpected
There are some assignments that communicators hope they will never have to carry out. Organising the civic funeral of a mayor is one such task. Yet it was precisely this challenge that earned the City of Mirabel the Gold Plume in the "Event Campaign" category. Within just a few days, the communications team had to organise a formal civic ceremony and produce a full range of supporting materials, including a condolence book, Facebook posts, pull-up banners and articles for the municipal newsletter, all without any existing guidance. When accepting the award, Mirabel's communications team announced that they would make their protocol available to any municipality that might one day face the same difficult circumstances.
Energy transition and public transport: making electrification fun
The campaign: "Welcome to the Electric Era", a communications campaign accompanying the full electrification of the Trois-Rivières (population 139,000) public transport fleet, received the Jury's Favourite Award at the Plumes d'excellence.
Objective: to raise awareness of the bus network's energy transition and increase ridership among families, young adults and regular users.
Approach: take passengers from the "Jurassic Era" to the "Electric Era". Turn the electrification of the bus fleet into a fun and memorable experience by using a Jurassic-themed visual identity to symbolise the end of fossil fuels in the Trois-Rivières public transport system.
Key features:
• The visual language of the film Jurassic Park was used to illustrate the scale of the transformation through a one-minute television advert styled as a Hollywood blockbuster trailer. • Employees centre-stage: thirteen employees from across the organisation featured in the campaign video.
- The campaign was extended into the public arena, with a social media challenge: if the posts reached 1,000 shares, a bus would undergo a dramatic transformation. The target was exceeded within days, generating 1,300 shares. The result was the Dinobus: a hybrid bus on the streets of Trois-Rivières, fully wrapped in dinosaur-themed livery and carrying the slogan on its rear “In 2025, say goodbye to the Jurassic Era and welcome to the Electric Era.
Results: record-breaking online reach, media coverage, engagement across generations and increased passenger numbers. The campaign was also shortlisted in the "Behavioural Communication and Public Relations Campaign" category.
Next step: the experience continued, but with a more festive focus. A reindeer successor, called the Renne-o-Bus travelled across the network from December 2025 to March 2026, bringing a touch of winter holiday magic while continuing to promote public transport use.
Climate resilience: supporting a major adaptation project
The campaign: "Municipal Communication and Coastal Resilience: the Maria Approach", a communications strategy developed to support a major adaptation project in the Town of Maria (population 2,600), aimed at protecting both residents and the local area from coastal erosion and flooding. The initiative won the 2026 Grand Plume d'excellence as well as the Gold Plume in the "Campaign – Information Campaign" category.
Objective: to keep residents informed and supported throughout the community's adaptation to coastal risks, particularly during the beach nourishment works undertaken between June and December 2025.
Approach: address a complex climate issue openly through clear, transparent and people-centred communications, backed by regular updates.
Key features:
- Project progress was communicated in real time. Throughout the 25-week beach nourishment period, communications briefings were held on site with project stakeholders. Every Friday, residents received an update via Facebook posts and Reels summarising progress and outlining the next stages of work, in collaboration with a communications agency that produced short videos, a documentary and time-lapse footage to document the project from beginning to end. A dedicated section of the Maria website was continuously updated throughout the project.
- The project was made tangible and easy to understand. The videos highlighted not only construction progress and key milestones but also the people behind the project, showcasing their roles and giving residents an opportunity to share their views. An illustrated map, educational resources and public information sessions complemented the initiative.
Results: strong community support for the project, with social media content generating more than 300,000 views, 4,031 likes and over 1,300 shares.
Next step: communication continues as the project moves into its next phase. The approach, developed alongside the largest beach nourishment project ever carried out in Quebec, is now recognised as a provincial benchmark. It is also likely to serve as a source of inspiration beyond Quebec, particularly for French local authorities facing similar challenges linked to coastal erosion and shoreline retreat.
