Edmonton, Alberta
Strategic communications and crisis management. Practical AI consulting.
Cheryl Spencer-Morley served as Lead Crisis Communications Consultant for the Jasper wildfires, spending roughly two and a half months on the ground supporting the municipality’s communications with residents, local businesses, and recovery partners.
“Put her in a room well before the crisis hits and she’ll help you see it coming.”
Janelle Lane, Information Officer, Parks Canada · Jasper wildfire response
Crisis communications · Cheryl Spencer-Morley
Crisis communications capacity
Redeveloped the county’s crisis communications plan, designed its internal communications plan, and delivered the accompanying staff training.
Both were built around the county’s actual structure and decision-makers, then staff were trained directly against them, so the plans and the people executing them were developed together.
Read the engagementAI & discoverability · Jordan Morley
Digital brand launch
Brand strategy and identity, a custom website with AI-era visibility built in from the start, and a LinkedIn company presence.
“An exceptional ability to quickly understand what’s needed, identify priorities and, most importantly, anticipate what’s coming next.”
Gord Johnston, Managing Director, Ratio Strategy
Read the engagementFractional PIO capacity, crisis response, media training, retained counsel.
Featured
Named in Digital Reference’s editorial list of the best crisis management consulting services in Canada, February 2026.
Read the article
Founder & Principal, Strategic Communications and Crisis Management
Read Cheryl’s full profile
Cheryl Spencer-Morley leads the crisis communications practice at Spencer Morley Consulting. Jordan Morley leads the AI consulting practice at Spencer Morley Consulting.
The policy states the rules and who is accountable for them; it is what council or leadership formally adopts. The procedures state what people actually do: how a tool gets approved, what is logged, and what happens when something goes wrong.
Most of the work happens before anything goes wrong: a current crisis communications plan with clear roles and approval chains, prepared holding statements, media training for spokespeople and elected officials, and tabletop exercises that test the plan against Alberta Emergency Management Act requirements. When an incident is live, the consultant supports the emergency operations centre and the public information function: message development, media relations, and regular updates to council, residents, and staff. After the incident, the work shifts to recovery communications, which can run for months. For the County of Grande Prairie No. 1, SMC redeveloped the crisis communications plan, designed a new internal communications plan, and trained staff to run both.
Before an incident: when the crisis communications plan is several years old, has never been exercised, or depends on one person. During an incident: when it runs past the first few days, when your communications lead is also covering other emergency roles, or when the position is vacant. Outside support is easiest to add when the plan already names it, so the best time to arrange it is before you need it.
Yes. Spencer Morley Consulting provides crisis communications and crisis management consulting from Edmonton to municipalities, public institutions, businesses and non-profits across Alberta and Canada. The practice is led by Cheryl Spencer-Morley, whose 25+ years in government communications include serving as Lead Crisis Communications Consultant for the Municipality of Jasper's 2024 wildfire response. SMC was featured in Digital Reference's 2026 list, Best Crisis Management Consulting Services in Canada.
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