New platform for email newsletters and notifications

Through a digital content audit several years ago we learned there were several email newsletters produced by departments. A few years later, once the Yukon.ca migration wrapped, we met with many of these content creators. We held a series of discovery workshops so we could:

• learn what services they were using for their email newsletters;
• learn about their process to create and publish the content;
• understand their business needs;
• understand their subscribers needs; and
• learn what they liked or disliked about the services they use.

This allowed us to create a set of requirements we could use to subscribe to one of these services or procure another service. 

Because we are a government - our main criteria revolve around protecting citizens privacy and providing a secure service. So the product we choose - has to meet those criteria. We quickly learned was that products on the market collect all the information they can for marketing purposes. They scored high on ease of use and modern appearance, but we had to keep looking. 

In 2024 we aqcuired Envoke. Envoke is a Canadian product that ticked all of the most important boxes. For example:

• data is stored in Canada;
• it meets Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL);
• it meets the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR);
• it meets our accessibility standard;
• we can manage multiple departments under a central account so program do not share information; and
• it can be set up to meet the Digital Service Standards.

Work completed over the winter

Over the winter we got the platform set up. We:

• applied the Yukon.ca Design System;
• trained staff;
• designed templates to meet UX best practices;
• gave demos to interested programs;
• onboarded the Wildland fire management team;
• established processes and guidance and published to the Digital Service Delivery Guide;
• communicated the product to members of the government's Web Advisory Committee; and
• created a migration plan so we can work with departments with existing newsletters to migrate them to the platform.

If you subscribe to a government newsletter you will likely see this this new platform in action over the next few months. We'll also include links on Yukon.ca so you can see all government newsletters and subscribe to the ones that interest you the most.