City of Cornwall launches new and improved cornwall.ca

• Talk to Us: Current public engagement opportunities are listed in one place, where residents can read about and participate in public consultations.
• Recycle Coach: Sorting waste is simpler than ever with this search tool that tells residents local information about what goes where.
• Searchable by-laws: The City of Cornwall’s by-laws are more accessible thanks to a searchable database.
• Community Calendar: Organizations and individuals can now submit events to a community calendar.
• How Do I: This menu offers answers to the most frequently asked questions – from applying for a job with the City to registering for recreation programs.

The re-designed website features new menus that focus on the user: Live Here, Play Here, Do Business, City Hall, Visit and How Do I?
“The new and improved cornwall.ca will make it easier than ever to find relevant information about City programs, services and events,” said Emma Meldrum, public information coordinator. “The City’s website is a living document. It will continue to evolve and change based on residents’ needs.”
The photo displayed below is featured on select pages across the website, and offers residents of the City of Cornwall a chance to win bus passes, swim passes, skate passes, a composter and Choose Cornwall merchandise. Residents need only click on the photo on the new cornwall.ca, and fill out the form, to enter.
The re-launched website is the product of a multi-year effort involving every City department and dozens of staff. This effort will continue as staff strive to keep cornwall.ca updated and relevant.
Residents can learn more about how to navigate the improved cornwall.ca at the Cornwall Public Library, where website demonstrations will take place on Thursday, November 29 at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Email emma.meldrum@cornwall.ca to register.
Cornwall.ca is one of many ways the City communicates with residents, visitors and business owners. The City will continue to use the Pingstreet app and social media platforms to share news and updates.
Background:

• The City of Cornwall was one of the first municipalities in Canada to develop a website. Launched in 1996, the 16-page bilingual site was primarily focused on economic development. The website, authored by Bob Peters, was groundbreaking and would be used as a template by other municipalities – including the City of Ottawa – as they rushed to take advantage of this new medium.
• The site has undergone a number of different iterations since 1999, expanding in scope to include by-laws, webcasts of Council meetings and interactive maps. In 2007, the address of the website was shortened to www.cornwall.ca.
• The re-launched website project began in March 2017 and saw about 40 web editing staff undertake significant updates to their divisions’ web pages. Approximately 25 staff were trained to enhance their website editing skills.
• The current website sees about 12,000 users per month. The most popular pages offer information about careers, the Aquatic Centre schedule, Cornwall Transit routes and City Council profiles.