The City of Courtenay has received international recognition for its redesigned municipal website, which launched in July 2025, courtenay.ca. The website has been awarded a Gold AVA Digital Award, recognizing excellence in digital design, accessibility, and production.
The AVA Digital Awards are an international competition that honours outstanding work in digital communication, including websites and digital experiences. The City of Courtenay received Gold in the website redesign category.
The award recognizes the collaborative work of the City and its digital partner, Upanup, a Victoria-based digital agency. The redesigned website was developed to improve access to information, support transparency, and better serve residents, businesses and visitors. The focus on enhanced digital services was recommended following community consultation through the City’s communication strategy, as well as feedback gathered through annual resident satisfaction surveys.
As one of the City’s primary communication tools, the website was rebuilt with a strong focus on accessibility and usability. It features clear navigation and an attractive layout aligned with the City’s updated brand, along with improved search, mobile-friendly design, and flexible tools to help the City keep information current and relevant. The City’s engagement platform is also prominently linked, highlighting opportunities for the public to shape projects, policy and other initiatives that matter to them.
The website project included community and staff input, along with user testing, to create a user-first design aligned with WCAG 2.2 Level AA accessibility standards. The site is built on a secure, scalable platform that can evolve as community needs change. City staff also received training to support long-term content management and accessibility best practices.
“The website redesign was a shared effort with involvement from staff across all City departments, and we’re so pleased that this work has been recognized through this award,” said Anne Guillo, manager of communications. “This recognition also reflects the ongoing work that goes into keeping information on our website accurate, accessible and useful for our community every day.”
Residents can stay informed by subscribing to City updates, including e-newsletters and website notifications, at courtenay.ca/subscribe.