CG&A COMM 2019-2023

CG&A Communications celebrates 30 years. To commemorate the occasion Chris George reflects on the company’s development. This is part six of a six-part series, 10 selected highlights from 2019 – 2023 when the company experienced adventures with copyright, politics, and writing.

1. In operating out of quaint Almonte, CG&A Comm has had a successful period growing its business in Ottawa and expanding its corporate, association, and political networks. This period featured challenges through a worldwide health pandemic, which led to mandates and business lockdowns in Canada. Fortunately, the company actually grew its book of business during the 2020-22 pandemic years.
2. After more than 22 years, in spring 2023 Chris George notified CMEC that he was moving on. The country’s education ministers of the copyright consortium were CG&A Comm’s longest-held clients. Through the years, CG&A Comm experienced many highs with CMEC including succeeding in the passage of new users’ rights for education in the 2012 copyright legislation.
3. Through this period CG&A Comm provided communications support services for the constituency office of Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, MPP for Kanata-Carleton. Chris George served as Merrilee’s campaign manager for her successful re-election in the 2022 provincial election.
4. CG&A Comm continued to support business clients, the Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association and Gotskill? games, with both government affairs and public relations support services. Both clients overcame challenges through the pandemic years.
5. With great sorrow we had to say goodbye to two very dear friends in the last few years: Claude Bennett and Shaun McLaughlin. Fine men who served their respective communities with great honour.  They are greatly missed.
6. Over the course of the last five years, Chris has been a regular contributor to The Niagara Independent, writing a weekly news column on federal politics. With more than 250 columns, Chris has an active readership from across the country. An archive of his columns can be found here and within the By George Journal.
7. Chris volunteered with a group of businessmen to establish a relief fund for Ontario’s food and beverage hospitality businesses, which were struggling to reopen and recover from the financial setbacks of the COVID pandemic and government shutdowns and mandates through 2020 and 2021.
8. CG&A Comm continued to expand the By George Journal’s on-line presence on the By George Facebook page and on X (formerly known as Twitter). Followers of By George enjoy daily posts and a daily morning “By George QOTD”
9. In fall 2023 everything came full circle for Chris and Lisa George as their younger son, David, accompanied CG&A Comm on a video shoot session for a client. David is currently completing a co-op program in digital interactive media at Ottawa’s Algonquin College – and he has been very helpful producing media content for CG&A Comm through the past few years.
10. 2024 may mark 30 years -– a lifetime for a company that predates Internet browsers!  However, there are go-forward plans for this 31^st year to focus more on counseling on government affairs initiatives and also on the writing and publishing of more political news articles. Onward.

To read more about the history of the company, click: On passing the 30 year milestone.

Chris George is an Ottawa-based government affairs advisor, news commentator, and wordsmith, president of CG&A COMMUNICATIONS. Contact: ChrisG.George@gmail.com.