The MD of Bonnyville council voted in a split to approve a Public Notification Bylaw. This changes the way the municipality must advertise public notices and inform MD residents. The bylaw allows the MD share information about municipal affairs in a digital format.
BONNYVILLE – This topic caused a gridlock among MD of Bonnyville councillors and also sparked calls, letters, and e-mails from MD residents.
Bylaw No. The Public Notification Bylaw 1830 allows the municipality to opt-out of publishing most public notifications in local papers and instead use its website or social media to inform residents.
Nearly all council members admitted that they had received calls, emails, or both, from concerned residents. However, the bylaw was passed following a split vote at a regular meeting of council on January 24.
Reeve Barry Kalinski (Coun. Mike Krywiak voted no to the bylaw. Councillors Ben Fadeyiw, Don Slipchuk and Josh Crick voted in favor of the bylaw.
Darcy Skarsen and Dana Swigart, Councillors, were unable vote on the bylaw as they were absent for the public hearing on Jan. 10, per the Municipal Government Act (MGA).
Calls for concern
Representatives of Lakeland This Week newspaper and Respect newspaper spoke out against the proposed law during the public hearing. They stated that the bylaw was not necessary if public notices are not published in print. The municipality uses digital tools to share information with its printed advertising.
Two letters opposing the Public Notification Bylaw were also sent to this municipality. The municipality received no letters or presentations supporting the proposed bylaw.
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 help to meet the goal of advertising MD materials in a cost-effective and timely manner, said Wasylow. “This bylaw does not mean the end of newspaper advertising. It simply means that the majority of newspaper advertising will be moved. [online].”
Krywiak questioned if the intention of the bylaw was to eventually eliminate newspaper advertising.
Wasylow stated that it wasn’t the administration’s intention to eliminate newspaper advertising through the bylaw. Krywiak then stated that he didn’t understand why the bylaw was necessary, since the municipality is currently using digital methods for sharing 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. It was reported that the paper would be shut down. And that’s not true,” said Reeve Barry Kalinski. “There has to be room for newspaper. There are still many seniors. That’s where you get most of your information from seniors. Even me, I have trouble with computers and all of that. I’d rather read them in a paper myself.”
Weighing in, Fadeyiw added, “I received a couple of calls as well [with] These are the same concerns. We think we’ll drop it all. 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. Advertising costs are being reduced… This is not about reducing newspaper circulation. 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.
They are both a communications media clerk, and a digital media technie to create digital content for their municipality.