The Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) is an organization of men and women who practice public relations in Canada and abroad. Members work to maintain the highest standards and to share a uniquely Canadian experience in public relations.

CPRS was founded in 1948 from two original groups - the first in Montreal and the second in Toronto. In 1953, these became associated as the Canadian Public Relations Society, and, in 1957, the organization was incorporated as a national society.

Today, CPRS is a federation of 14 Member Societies based in major cities or organized province-wide. All Member Societies adhere to the constitution of the National and Member Society.

In cooperation with its regional Member Societies and with like-minded organizations in other countries, CPRS works to advance the professional stature of public relations and regulates its practice for the benefit and protection of the public interest.

The Canadian Public Relations Society, as a distinct Canadian association, seeks:

- to group all public relations practitioners in Canada and to foster their professional interests
- in cooperation with its regional Member Societies and with like-minded organizations in other countries, to advance the professional stature of public relations
- to regulate its practice for the benefit and protection of the public interest
- to serve the public interest by upholding a standard of proficiency and code of ethics, and by providing ongoing professional development to its members and public relations practitioners across Canada.

We believe that the ethical and strategic practice of public relations and communications management makes a positive contribution to the profession, our employers and to the communities we serve.

Canadian Public Relations Society

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The purpose of the Achieving Communications Excellence (ACE) Awards is to recognize communications excellence in the practice of public relations. Winning an ACE Award will earn you industry recognition, strengthen your strategic communication skills and get you and your work known in Toronto’s public relations community.

Recipient - CPRS Toronto ACE Award

Recipient - CPRS Toronto Volunteer Service Award

In 2010, Mark was appointed as a member of the Canadian Public Relations Society College of Fellows.

The College of Fellows was established in 1998 to recognize those CPRS members who are proven leaders in public relations and communications and who have made exceptional contributions to the profession and their communities.

Fellow - Canadian Public Relations Society

Mark is currently Chair of the Canadian Public Relations Society PR and Communications Committee.

Chair - CPRS Public Relations and Communications Committee

Mark had previously served as President of the Canadian Public Relations Society Toronto.

President - Canadian Public Relations Society Toronto

Making Ink and Airtime, Second Edition

Mark H. LaVigne established Hunter LaVigne Communications Inc. in 1997, an Aurora-based creative communications consultancy with proven associates across the country.Hunter LaVigne Communications Inc. (HLC) specializes in the organizational/news interface, including: media relations; media training; media events planning and management.

For five years, Mark was a national on-air radio journalist and for the last 21 years, he has worked in public relations agencies. While with "downtown" public relations agencies from 1990 to 1997, and in his own firm since then, Mark has worked with a variety of clients in both proactive and reactive media relations campaigns. Public Affairs experience includes work with the Canadian Publishers’ Council, the Environment and Plastics Institute of Canada (EPIC) and the Ontario Funeral Service Association.

After completing a Master of Arts in Journalism at the University of Western Ontario's Graduate School of Journalism, Mark worked as a radio journalist in Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto. Prior to UWO, he completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications and English at York University.

He is a member of the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) College of Fellows (appointed 2010), an accredited member (APR) of CPRS, is a Past-President of CPRS (Toronto) and served on the national CPRS board for six years, including as an elected Vice-President/Secretary. He is currently chair of the national organization’s PR and Communications committee. He has won a CPRS Toronto Bronze ACE (Achieving Communications Excellence) Award in the Special Events category for CrosSled (2002), in the New Product or Service Launch category for Sunrise Soya Foods (2003), CPRS Toronto Mentor of the Year (2007), Award of Merit, special events, national CPRS awards (2007), Certificate of Recognition from CPRS National (2008) and Volunteer Service Award from CPRS Toronto (2008).

He regularly conducts media relations workshops, moderates or participates in industry panels and delivers guest lectures at colleges and universities including McGill, McMaster University and the University of Western Ontario.

Mark sits on the Advisory Council to the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of Western Ontario and has taught part-time in the Corporate Communications Program at Seneca College, a graduate level PR program.

Media Training

Strategic Media Relations

Media Event Planning and Management

Making Ink and Airtime: How to Conduct Proactive Media Relations in Canada

The Coyotes - Website

Hunter LaVigne Communications Inc.

Create A Media Friendly Media Section On Your Website

Media Meltdown: How to Generate News Coverage in Both Traditional and Online Media

The Art of Media: Generating News Coverage

Building Media Relationships

KEYNOTE SPEECH

This media relations presentation supports Mark's recent book and can be tailored to 60 minutes or 30 minutes with the possibility of expanding the presentation to on-camera media training.

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