Background

The Township of North Glengarry, located in eastern Ontario, Canada, is a vibrant community known for its rich heritage and strategic location between Ottawa and Montreal. To better serve its residents and promote local initiatives, the Township recognized the need to modernize its digital presence. To address this issue, the Township decided to migrate to the Govstack platform and launch a redesigned website. The project aimed to provide residents with a user-friendly, informative, and accessible online resource. 

The challenge

The Township of North Glengarry, like many municipalities, faced the challenge of maintaining an effective online presence with an outdated website. Prior to migration, their website suffered from several key challenges: 

• Limited Accessibility: The site did not fully comply with modern accessibility standards, making it difficult for all residents to access information.
• Content Management Difficulties: Updating content was cumbersome, leading to outdated information being displayed. 
• Lack of Integration: The website lacked integration with various municipal services, hindering efficient service delivery. 
• Inconsistent Design: Multiple contributors over time led to a patchwork of styles and layouts, creating a disjointed user experience. 
• Redundant Content: Information was scattered across multiple pages, making it difficult for residents to find what they needed. 
• Poor Navigation: The site’s structure made it challenging for users to locate specific information, leading to frustration and underutilization of the website as a resource. 
• User-Friendliness: The existing website was not userfriendly, limiting the ability of Township staff to make changes. 
• Analytics: The previous website lacked Google Analytics integration, making performance measurement difficult. 
• Design Flexibility: The old platform did not allow for flexibility in design. 
• Multimedia: The existing website did not support video uploads. 
• Support: The prior platform was nearing the end of its support lifecycle. 

Solution

To address these challenges, North Glengarry partnered with the Govstack team to develop a new website that offers: 

• User-Centricity: Focusing on the needs of residents with intuitive navigation and accessible design.
• Manageability: Implementing a robust content management system (CMS) to allow staff to update information effortlessly. 
• Integration: Ensuring seamless integration with municipal services and external platforms. 
• Improved Content Management: Govstack allows the Township to make updates internally, reducing the costs associated with outsourcing. 
• Enhanced Security: Govstack offers better security features and compliance with modern web standards, reducing cyber risks. 
• Flexibility and Control: Govstack provides more flexibility in design and content management, empowering the internal team to manage the website effectively.

In addition, the migration to Govstack resulted in operational savings through reduced dependency on third-party services and the discontinuation of a search tool subscription that was made redundant by the new platform. 

The implementation was definitely way easier than what I thought it was going be...all of the core content was seamlessly migrated without major incident.

Myscha Stafford,

Township of North Glengarry

A seamless transition

Despite some initial concerns, the Township found the implementation process to be far easier than anticipated. Minor issues such as missing links, were easily dealt with and the core content was successfully migrated to the new site. By leveraging Govstack templates, the Township was able to reorganize information effectively to create a more consistent and visually appealing website.

Early results and community feedback

Since launching the new website in mid-December 2024, the Township has received positive feedback from the community with:

1. Increased User Engagement: Higher website traffic and longer visit durations indicate improved resident interaction.
2. Improved Service Delivery: Residents can now access services more efficiently, leading to higher satisfaction rates.
3. Enhanced Public Communication: Timely updates and news postings have strengthened communication between the township and its residents.

While some senior residents still require assistance navigating the site, overall, the response has been extremely encouraging. To support the needs of its senior population, the Township is exploring ways to provide additional support and guidance for using the new website. 

Conclusion

By migrating to Govstack, the Township of North Glengarry has successfully modernized its digital presence and created a more effective online resource for its residents. The new website offers improved navigation, consistent design, and enhanced content management capabilities. With ongoing improvements and a focus on community feedback, the Township is well-positioned to continue serving its residents in the digital age.