IABC recognizes multi-year communications campaign supporting Indigenous treaty education and member engagement
Traditional territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən, Victoria, BC (May 21, 2026) – 50th Parallel Public Relations Inc. is pleased to announce it has won a Gold Quill Award of Merit in Community Relations for its work with the Te’mexw Treaty Association (TTA).
The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Gold Quill Award is one of the most prestigious and respected international awards in the communications profession, recognizing excellence in strong research, planning, execution and measurable impact.
“This award is especially meaningful for us as it recognizes eight years of steady, meaningful and community-centred work,” said Naz Lauriault, founder and managing director of 50th Parallel Public Relations. “This kind of recognition doesn’t come from a single great moment — it comes from the high-level of integrity and commitment the team holds in the work they do for our clients every day.”
For almost a decade, 50th Parallel PR has worked with TTA to build the organization’s communications capacity in service of its five member Nations on Vancouver Island: Beecher Bay (SC’IȺNEW̱), Malahat, Snaw-naw-as (Nanoose), Songhees and T’Sou-ke.
“Ensuring our community members have the necessary resources and information to make long-term decisions for their Nations is a vital part of the treaty process and especially important to TTA,” said Margaret McGraw, operations manager for Te’mexw Treaty Association. “Access to these engagement tools has been fundamental in keeping our people informed and involved.”
The program delivers plain-language materials and hybrid engagement to ensure members can understand, discuss and meaningfully participate in the BC Treaty Process, building readiness for key milestones.
The campaign brings together a suite of communications tools and engagement approaches, spanning printed materials, virtual sessions, in-person gatherings and structured opportunities for members to engage directly with negotiators, Nation leaders and legal counsel. A comprehensive members’ portal provides members with direct, on-demand access to treaty documents, meeting recordings, digital versions of all printed materials and Q&A. The portal is tailored for each Nation, ensuring that when members log in, they see information specific to their Nation. It serves as an evolving resource that members can return to throughout the treaty process.
The result is a communications approach that not only delivers consistent and up-to-date information but also strengthens understanding, builds confidence and enables members to meaningfully participate in decisions that shape their Nations’ futures.
Category winners will be recognized at a celebration in Toronto in June 2026. The full list of the Gold Quill recipients is available on IABC’s website.
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About 50th Parallel Public Relations
50th Parallel Public Relations (50th Parallel PR) is an award-winning boutique Conscious PR agency based on the traditional and ancestral unceded territory of the Lekwungen, Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ peoples in Victoria. Owned and operated by a woman of colour, the agency works with Indigenous communities, governments, purpose-minded organizations, not-for-profits and whole-person leaders to create communications that are strategic, authentic and grounded in trust and respect. A certified B Corporation, BC Living Wage Employer and proud 1% for the Planet member, 50th Parallel PR believes in strategic and authentic communications and provides the resources and tools to empower its clients to achieve higher levels of success by raising their voices. For more information, please visit www.50thparallelpr.com, connect with 50th Parallel PR on LinkedIn or follow 50th Parallel PR (@50thparallelpr) and founder Naz Lauriault (@nazlauriault) on Instagram.
About Te’mexw Treaty Association
The Te’mexw Treaty Association (TTA) is a non-profit society formed by five Coast Salish Nations: Beecher Bay (SC’IȺNEW̱), Malahat, Snaw-naw-as (Nanoose), Songhees and T’Sou-ke. The five Te’mexw Member Nations have come together to support one another and to collaborate under one organization in negotiating five Nation-specific modern treaties with the federal and provincial governments in the BC Treaty Process. The Nations’ traditional territories are located in two main areas now known as southern Vancouver Island (the Greater Victoria area) and on the east coast of Vancouver Island (around Nanoose Bay). The Te’mexw Treaty Association is currently in Stage 5 of the six-stage BC Treaty Process.
For speaking engagements or partnership inquiries, please contact:
Alicia Read
Chief Growth and Expansion Officer, 50th Parallel PR
P: 236.865.1081
E: alicia@50thparallelpr.com
For media inquiries, please contact:
Stephanie Hagenaars
Senior Account Associate, 50th Parallel PR
P: 778.225.0556 ext. 104
E: stephanie@50thparallelpr.com
Photo captions:
50th_1.jpg – 50th Parallel PR founder and managing director Naz Lauriault sits in the recording studio with senior account associate Camille Iversen, left, and Sharon Jay, treaty clerk for Beecher Bay (SC’IȺNEW̱) First Nation, in 2021. (Photo by 50th Parallel PR)
50th_2.jpg – 50th Parallel PR founder and managing director Naz Lauriault and account associate Madalyn Pankratz assist a member of Malahat First Nation during a community barbecue in 2022. (Photo by 50th Parallel PR)
50th_3.jpg – The 50th Parallel PR team is honoured to receive a Gold Quill Award of Merit for its community relations work with the Te’mexw Treaty Association.
