BONNYVILLE – It was a topic that caused a grid lock of ideas among MD of Bonnyville councillors, as well as sparked calls, letters and e-mails of concern from MD residents.
The introduction of Bylaw No. 1830, the Public Notification Bylaw, allows for the municipality to opt out of placing most public notifications in local newspapers and use its website and social media to inform residents instead.
While nearly all council members acknowledged they had received phone calls, emails or both from concerned residents, the bylaw was approved following a split vote at a regular council meeting on Jan. 24.
Reeve Barry Kalinski and Coun. Mike Krywiak voted against the bylaw, while councillors Don Slipchuk, Ben Fadeyiw and Josh Crick supported the bylaw.
Councillors Dana Swigart and Darcy Skarsen were unable to vote on the bylaw because they were not present for the public hearing, which was held on Jan. 10, as per Municipal Government Act (MGA) legislation.
Calls of concern
During the public hearing, representatives from Lakeland This Week and Respect newspapers spoke against the proposed bylaw. They expressed that the proposed bylaw was only necessary if the intent is not to publish public notices in print, as the municipality already uses digital means to share information in conjunction with its print advertising.
The municipality also received two letters that opposed the Public Notification Bylaw. No presentations or letters were received in support of the proposed bylaw by the municipality.
RELATED STORY: MD bylaw proposes shifting public notices online, cutting $100,000 in print media
The wording of the Public Notification Bylaw states that moving forward the municipality “may also choose to use one or more of the following methods to advertise, or to advertise detailed notices, or summaries of website notices.”
These notices would only have to be posted online “for a minimum of two weeks whenever reasonably possible, or as required by federal, provincial, or municipal legislation,” according to the bylaw.
The notification methods the bylaw references are the MD’s social media platforms, the MD’s opt-in electronic communications, newspapers, and/or “any other means determined appropriate by the municipality or necessary by the Municipal Government Act.”
Public Notification Bylaw
An administration document providing background on the proposed bylaw states, “this does not mean an end to advertising in local newspapers — it represents a reduction in frequency, space, and cost of newspaper advertising.”
Administration’s background document continues, “There will be occasions throughout the year where newspaper advertising will be necessary in order to meet legislative requirements set by federal, provincial, or municipal legislation and also where there are public hearings, citizen engagement sessions, or events that affect the entire municipality.”
While introducing the bylaw and answering questions from council, Tracy Wasylow, the communications coordinator for the MD, stated, “The bylaw would establish advertising methods for MD information that would move us to a largely a digital presence.”
This would be to achieve the goal of advertising MD material in a timely and cost-effective manner, stated Wasylow. “This bylaw does not mean the end of newspaper advertising. It just means the majority of it will shift [online].”
Krywiak asked if the intent of the bylaw was to eventually phase out newspaper advertising.
Wasylow said it was not the administration's intent to end newspaper advertising with the bylaw. Krywiak followed by stating he did not understand the purpose or need for the bylaw then, as the municipality currently uses digital methods to share information.
Wasylow acknowledged that the municipality hasn’t completed a citizen engagement study that would inform administration where residents get their MD information, whether from a newspaper or the MD website. But she noted that municipality’s website can see over 10,000 visitors a month, which can jump to more than 100,000 in the summer “based on our involvement with recreation.”
“I had quite a few phone calls. I think it got out there that we're going to totally shut down the paper. And that's not true,” said Reeve Barry Kalinski. “There has to be room for newspaper. And there's still a lot of seniors, that's where you mostly get it from the seniors... Even me, I have a hard time with computers and all that. I'd rather read them in a paper myself.”
Weighing in, Fadeyiw added, “I received a couple of calls as well [with] the same concerns, thinking that we're going to drop the whole thing and we're not. This is progressive... I mean, everything's moving that way.”
He continued, “I'm not in favour of cutting newspapers, but we're not doing that with this policy. We are reducing costs in advertising... This is not about cutting newspapers. This is all about keeping our budget in line.”
The 2023 budget passed by council in November reduced funding for “Print Advertising” to $186,000. Wasylow told council, “That includes all of our advertising, that includes radio, newspaper, magazine, digital.”
CAO Al Hoggan added, “We spent somewhere in the vicinity of $215,000 last year on print media. This year, we reduced it from a budget of $286,000 to $186,000.”
As the conversation came to an end, Krywiak said, “After all this discussion, I still don't see the value or why we need this bylaw. So, I will be opposing this.”
MD seeks digital experts
Before the bylaw to determine the future of the MD’s advertising strategy was voted on by council, the municipality posted two new employment opportunities with the MD for digital media staff, both with a pay scale starting above $30 and $40 per hour.
The two roles include a communications media clerk and a digital media technician to produce digital content for the municipality.
