I started a new career as a communications.
Since April 30, 2012, I now work as a Media Relations Consultant at
Toronto Public Health with the City of Toronto.
Before that for one year from May 4, 2011 to the end of April, 2012 I worked in as communications associate at St. Joseph’s Health Centre (hospital) in Toronto.
My journalism experience spans from 1998 to May 2/2011 writing about the environment, politics and news that impact the people who live and work in Toronto.
I was recently the city hall bureau chief for the Town Crier newspapers.
I split my workdays three ways: out on assignment bouncing around Toronto neighbourhoods, at the the paper’s press office in Toronto City Hall and the newspaper’s head office. I’m a downtown city girl who has called T.O my home since day one.
RESUME
Kris Scheuer
E-mail: scheuerkris@ gmail.com
Blog: kscheuer.wordpress.com Portfolio: krisscheuer.wordpress.com
Career Summary
Three years of training and 17 years of experience in journalism, public relations and media communications helped me develop organizational and planning skills to manage a high volume of issues in a high stress, politically sensitive environment focusing on high profile, confidential issues. During my nearly 20 years of professional experience in a hospital, public health and the media, I have developed strong analytical, negotiation and problem solving skills; and demonstrated expertise to communicate effectively during crisis situations to internal and external stakeholders. I have developed positive collaborative relationships with journalists, the public, colleagues on all organizational levels from the Senior Management Team, frontline workers, political staff and the Board of Health.
Professional Experience
April 30, 2012-Present, Media Relations Consultant, Toronto Public Health, City of Toronto
-Collaborative relationships with media, action on 100 monthly media inquiries, on-call support
-Executes press conferences, writes news releases on range of diverse and challenging issues
-Issues management, develop key messages, media training, coaching for all key spokespeople
-Successfully promote programs, projects and health campaigns with proactive media outreach
-Health communications: media monitoring, monthly media stats of current, emerging issues
-Spokesperson representing TPH in media stories, developed positive relations with key media
-Media relations support, strategic advice on new and on-going outbreak investigations
-Strategic advice and issues management for SMT, Directors, MOH, managers, spokespeople
-Continuous learning to improve work quality through training and workshops
November 15, 2013-March 26, 2014, Acting Manager, Media Relations, Toronto Public Health
-Strategic advice and issues management for SMT, Directors, MOH, managers, spokespeople
-Media support and strategic advice for Board of Health chair
-Media relations support, strategic advice on new and on-going outbreak investigations
-Daily support for health communications on social media responses
-Weekly consultation meetings with MOH, department director on media issues
-Co-ordination and delegate duties and responsibilities for media relations department
May 2011-April 2012, Communications Associate, St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Toronto
-Successful proactive media pitches resulting in published articles and media event coverage
-Preparing spokespeople for press interviews, creating key messages for staff at all levels
-Delivering on call media relations, media monitoring, responding to incoming media inquiries
-Executing communications plans on wide range of issues for internal and external audiences
-Writing and editing hospital publications, web articles, annual report to high standards
-Creating press releases, backgrounders, media advisories, writing speeches
May 2009-May, 2011, City Hall Bureau Chief, Town Crier newspapers (nine editions)
-Supervises and edits all media coverage of city hall government and political issues
-Writes exclusive and updated, daily online articles, columns on news, politics and education
-Deploys political acumen, judgment, insight to articles on impact of government legislation
May 2009-May 2011, Blog: http://www.kscheuer.wordpress.com
-Attracted subscribers, posted selection of my 5,500 published articles
September 2002-May, 2009, Reporter, Town Crier newspapers (nine editions)
-Develops and maintains political and community contacts and story ideas for news and features
-Writes dozens of weekly news, political, environmental stories and columns
-Strong work ethic developing and writing exclusive in-depth news series with colleagues
January 2006-August 2006, News Intern, NOW magazine
-Develops ideas and writes heavily researched, multi-sourced news features for publication
February 2002-September 2002, Editor-In-Chief, CondoBusiness and Canadian Property Management magazines
-Supervisor and editor of all freelance writers articles for two monthly magazines
-Researching and developing story ideas, writing feature articles and assigning all copy
-Co-coordinating all photos including cover shot, writing headlines, subheads and cutlines
February 2001-January 2002, Editor-In-Chief, The Annex Gleaner -Supervises all copy and work on final layout and production of newspaper
-Researches, assigns stories to a dozen freelance journalists
-Writes majority of editorial content and manages and develops future editions
-Manages, motivates all freelancers to produce engaging stories on deadline
July 1998-February 2001, Staff Writer, Travelweek magazine -Write weekly spotlight section 8-29 pages, edit magazine copy
-Report on travel industry events, compose feature articles based on travel to various destinations
Education
Graduated with honours with 3-year Journalism diploma, Humber College, 1995-1998
Additional Training and Development
City of Toronto courses:
Writing for the web, November 21, 2013
Writing better emails training, May 23, 2013
Diversity, Access and Equity training course, TPH, Feb 1 and 8, 2013
Working with Media training course, May 30, 2012
Other courses:
When the Unthinkable Happens, Crisis Communications, Ryerson University Aug 16-17/2013
Media Training-Journalism 101 course, Public Health Ontario, Nov 13, 2012
Grammar and Punctuation II course, George Brown College, Jan 2004-April 2004
Women’s Writing, Desktop Publishing courses, George Brown College, Sept –Dec 1994
Magazine Writing, Copy Editing and Research, Publishing courses, Ryerson 1992-1994
Other skills and qualifications
Published articles in a dozen publications including Toronto Star, NOW Magazine, Spacing magazine, the Town Crier and Hospital News. Photography.
Volunteer host for Canadian newcomers with CultureLink. Panelist at Women in Politics event sponsored by MP Carolyn Bennett, featured as guest on CBC radio.
Kris Scheuer 
Hii Mr.Kris Scheuer
I’m Aysel, from Etobicoke ,ON.
well…i see your profile site, it’s very nice I like it.
The thing,there’s no telephone numbers to contact wiith you. I was looking for your office number. I really need to talk to you or your management to help me please it really important I dont know if this it’s work that writing for you hope u get my msg and pls give me a call. Take care
Hi Aysel, It’s actually Ms. not Mr. Scheuer but a lot of people assume Kris is a guy. I emailed you a response and removed the number you left me so it was not posted publicly. As I explained, after nearly nine years at the Town Crier newspaper and 13 in journalism, I started a new job May 4 in communications at St. Joe’s hospital. And so I removed my work number at the Town Crier and that work email from my contact page as I no longer work there.
People can still send me an email at (scheuerkris @gmail.com) but for now I am no longer in journalism and so I am not posting stories regularly on my blog as used to since I started this blog in May 2009.
Good luck, Kris
oopsy. your are not the (blush) ndp thinge (candidate) for toronto-centre. sorry.
James, that’s okay. Sometimes when I write about political races or candidates people think I am running, which I am not. But as you know the Liberal incumbent Bob Rae held onto his seat in Toronto-Centre. Kris
Actually Kris, just located your site as I was researching for the Scarborough-Guildwood all candidates night coming up. Found it most interesting. Am following this election with great interest, despite now with 10 days left, it appears to be another Conservative minority; but the local Toronto results may prove interesting. Have no political affiliations, nor want any as my ideologies do not align with any of the party ideologies and in fact really do not like the party system. However, unfortunately I do suffer from the Canadian tradition of being an armchair or coffee shop politician.
I do see some excellent comments and some good writing appearing on your site and so will be offering comment from time to time in the future.
Hi Clifford,
I look forward to your future comments and thanks for reading my articles. Kris
Hi Cliff, there are still some all-candidates debates coming up In Scarborough-Guildwood before election day May 2.
1) City councillor Paul Ainslie is hosting an all-candidate’s debate for the Scarborough-Guildwood riding on Tuesday, April 26 at Willow Park Junior Public School, 45 Windover Dr., from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
2) The East Scarborough Storefront has scheduled what is described as a Scarborough-Guildwood all-candidates “meet and greet” for Thursday, April 28 at 4175 Lawrence Ave. East, unit 100A at 6-9 p.m. Read the flyer with all the info.
Hi Kris, hopefully you are not against a Conservative to join your blog.
For 17 years in TO, naturalized Canadian, I vote all the time, life ain’t easy at all as a social-conservative in TO when you have nothing in common with any liberal. socialist, left wing ideology, but show must go on, life must go on, right?
I’ll be glad to ask you future questions about TO politics, if allowed of course, all in a very peacefully manner, opposite of how the left wing reacts when a conservative gets into the discussion, I’m used with the F word coming from a liberal or any other left wing individual, this is the very first blog I get into in the past 10+ years.
All the best to you and all your loved ones.
Chris in Scarborough.
Hi Chris B,
I am certainly not against a Conservative joining my blog. Some of my close friends are Conservatives (hahaha). It’s true some of the people I work with, other close journalist colleagues and family members hold some but not all the of the Conservative values you mention in your other comment.
Thanks for checking out my blog and signing up for updates by subscribing. Really appreciated. All the best to you and your loved ones too. Kris
Anytime Kris, to add a little bit more, you know that’s a fundamental difference btwn a Progressive Conservative (PC) and a Conservative, PCs are socially liberal and just fiscally conservative, when a Conservative is a Conservative all across the board, a Conservative sticks with the Conservative principles no matter what, no matter how much hate is against him/her. And there is a lot of hate against Conservatives, trust me, I got lots of experience in this… “business”, including being fired simply because I did not remove my little golden cross with Jesus on it my grandmother gave me before she passed away, I was told to hide it under the shirt, I refused, so “You’re fired”.
Post more interesting stories so we can “terrorize” you with lots of questions.
Take care,
Chris
Chris,
If what you say is true, it is illegal to fire someone for openly wearing a little golden cross.
That must be against several laws, no?
I look forward to more comments from you and lots of questions. Kris
Chris,
Bye the way, there are also Conservative, religious (various denominations) lesbians and gay men in Toronto. Some even voted for new right-wing Conservative Toronto mayor Rob Ford based on some of his other policies he ran on like lower taxes, less government, less government waste, etc. Some Toronto lesbians and homosexuals voted for Progressive Conservatives provincially and Conservatives federally. My point is, Conservatives and PC voters come in all variations with diverse views as well. What do you think? Kris
Ms. Scheuer, this is a very informative website. Keep up the good work.
Nazaar Shadir
Nazaar,
thanks for the kind words of support for my work. Kris
Great site, Kris. You provide your readers with indepth and intelligent pieces on the people, issues and politics that make up Toronto. Well done!
Lorianna, thanks for the kind words and support.
I’d like to see you do an in depth on mayoral candidate Himy Syed, who seems to be “King of the Tweets” in social media. http://twitter.com/HiMYSYeD http://www.facebook.com/HiMYSYEDforToronto?v=info
Ken,
thanks for your comment.
I would love to do a profile on Himy Syed as well. Perhaps I can contact him in my spare time for a profile on my blog. For now I am doing coverage of candidates in about 20-22 council wards (in some cases there are 10 candidates per ward) with the help of colleagues at the Town Crier. We started in January but with new candidates signing up even today, we are still trying to get up-to-date with that. At this stage, we/Town Crier (my employer for whom I do the majority of my political writing) are only focusing on the leading mayoral candidates. Town Crier has nine community papers so we look for local angles so with mayoral candidates outside the main contenders that means we would focus on picking ones that live in one of the communities we cover in Toronto. The Town Crier publishes nine different Toronto community papers. Trust me there’s a lot more I’d candidates I’d like to cover in Scarborough for example where the Town Crier doesn’t have a paper or even in my ward 19 with no incumbent but 8 people running (but we cancelled the downtown edition a few years ago due to lack of ads).
Of course this doesn’t stop me from personally covering Himy Syed for my blog, but that would be after I get my daily web and print deadlines done for the Town Crier.
Sorry I can’t offer more insight on Himy Syed at this stage. Cheers, Kris.
Thanks Kris! for the mention and the great work to keep people up to date on Toronto’s city hall highlights. Looking forward to more posts.
All the best,
Chris
Ms. Sandie Benitah,
thanks for the support. Means a lot.
Love your work, love your blog, love that you take the time to answer your readers personally. You’re amazing Kris!
Kris, your website looks fantastic, very professional and easy to navigate. One suggestion: A photo of yourself! I mean one other than your Town Crier columnist headshot. Maybe one shot in downtown Toronto.
Congrats!
Karolyn,
thanks for the suggestion.
yes I having been thinking about a photo of me but I don’t have any good ones on my camera except vacations pics. So I need to get one with the Toronto skyline or city hall in the background.