The Town of Turner Valley is proposing using its website to assist in notifying residents of bylaws and public hearings to reduce its use of newspaper advertising.
A 2017 provincial amendment to the Municipal Government Act allows municipalities to use alternate forms of advertising, such as electronic.
“It will reduce our advertising costs – we are not going as far as not using the local newspaper (Okotoks Western Wheel) because council needs to be satisfied that the methods will bring the matter to substantially all the residents of Turner Valley,” said Heather Thomson, manager of legislative services. “We will still be utilizing the services of the Western Wheel. Just not two consecutive weeks in a row.”
Turner Valley council gave first reading to changing the advertising bylaw on July 20.
A public hearing concerning the issue is scheduled for Aug. 17.
Western Wheel publisher Shaun Jessome will speak at the Aug. 17 hearing.
“The biggest concern that I’ve got is if you look at the articles of the MGA that allows a community to look at alternative means of advertising including electronically, that doesn’t mean they have to move away from the one and only source that people have been using to find out what is going on in the community,” Jessome said.
“The suggestion that they can pull back the advertising to only one time instead of two (in the newspaper) and take only the highlights of a bylaw or a meeting without giving any detail and then suggesting (residents) have to go to the website to find the information, that is not meeting the obligation of a municipality to inform the constituents of what is going on.”
Jessome added it costs a newspaper a lot of money to cover all the municipalities within our distribution and the only way we have to recover these costs is through advertising.
Turner Valley has advertised bylaws for two consecutive weeks, as required by the MGA. The Town has chosen to advertise in the Western Wheel.
Turner Valley is proposing to run the initial advertisement in the Western Wheel and then posting further details concerning the bylaw and public hearing on its website.
“Our council is being very cost conscious,” Thomson said. “We have done a lot of minor changes which have all added up to a budget change for them… that is why we are moving forward on this. Administration is always looking for cost saving and efficiencies, this is just one of them… every little bit helps.”
She said neighbouring businesses and residents directly affected with a public hearing decision will continue to receive notice from the Town. The Turner Valley advertising amendment is related to items covered by the MGA.
Thomson said the proposal would cut the annual cost of advertising such items by approximately half. Turner Valley still plans on advertising job postings, town events and other items in the Western Wheel, Thomson said. In 2019, Turner Valley spent $8,100 on print advertising in the Western Wheel, representing 0.14 per cent of Turner Valley’s balanced budget of $5,786, 971 last year. Of that $8,100, approximately $2,250 was spent on advertising under the guidelines of the MGA.
Jessome said he doesn’t believe the Turner Valley amendment meets the requirements of the MGA.
He said the MGA is clear that municipalities must use a source that reaches the majority of its residents and provides the information it needs.
“And I don’t think this does,” Jessome said of the proposed advertising bylaw.
He stressed he doesn’t believe Turner Valley is trying to hide issues from the public, but is doing it for budgetary reasons.
However, he said the proposed advertising bylaw is not serving its residents.
“My concern is they are not providing enough information to their constituents,” Jessome said. “They are putting the onus on constituents to go find that information.”
Jessome added it is important for communities to continue to support their local newspapers.
He said in 2019, the Western Wheel had 283 stories concerning Turner Valley and its residents.
He said studies have shown the loss of media in an area has led to a lessening of public participation as well as transparency in decision-making
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