As Banff mulls a new public notification bylaw, some raise concerns about transparency

The Town of Banff is considering a new public notification bylaw that's being criticized by the publisher of the local newspaper as a potential hit to public transparency. 

Currently, the town is required by law to advertise public notices through direct mail or print newspaper ads. The new bylaw would allow it to potentially use other methods instead, such as social media and online ads. 

Jason Lyon, publisher of the Rocky Mountain Outlook, worries that could lead to a situation where people have to go in search of public information online — rather than having it served up in the local paper. 

"This specific bylaw change targets newspapers directly," said Lyon, who will be speaking at a public hearing about the bylaw on Monday. 

"Our concern is that when you remove newspapers from [public notification] you remove a piece of that transparency." 

It isn't just a debate happening in Banff. 

Calgary, for instance, has been transitioning away from posting notices of public hearings in the newspaper, since it passed a bylaw in November 2022 to allow online ads. 

For now, a spokesperson said it continues to post a small ad in the paper that directs people to calgary.ca/planningmatters. That will end at the end of May, at which point "our focus will be on online advertisements going forward," they said. 

Similar bylaws have been passed in municipalities across the province in recent years, says Alberta Weekly Newspapers Association executive director Dennis Merrell, who sees the trend as a move in the wrong direction. 

"We feel citizens have a right to be informed, and the best way to do that, we feel, is still carrying that information in the local paper of record," said Merrell, who is also slated to present in Banff on Monday.

Times have changed, says report

Historically, all municipalities in Alberta have been required by the Municipal Government Act to notify the public about bylaws, resolutions, public meetings and similar events through the newspaper or direct mail. 

That changed in 2017. Now, towns have the ability to pass bylaws that add other forms of communication to the list. 

In Banff's case, the town hopes to add a range of methods, including e-newsletters, online ads and posters as potential options. It can already use these methods as a complement to print newspaper or direct mail ads, it just can't supersede them.

So why the change?

In a report to council, Jason Darrah, the town's director of communications, says print newspapers used to be a reliable way to reach the majority of people in a community, but times have changed. Many people now read articles online, the report says, while some don't read the newspaper at all. 

If a new bylaw is passed, the town would continue to use newspaper ads most of the time, in combination with other forms of advertising, Darrah says. In certain cases, he notes, digital communications can be more effective in delivering information. 

Oftentimes, he says, it's also faster than taking out an ad in the paper.

"If you can put a digital notice out sooner, you have people who are aware of an issue sooner, and you can still complement with the print ads as required," said Darrah in an interview.

He added the town has no plans to reduce its newspaper advertising budget.

Newspaper still a go-to, says industry group

For their part, Merrell and Lyon argue that while not everyone checks the town's website regularly or subscribes to its newsletters, people in the Bow Valley still pick up the Rocky Mountain Outlook. 

Merrell described it as one of the associations' "flagship" papers, and Lyon estimates they get somewhere between 15,000 and 17,000 print readers a week. 

Lyon is concerned that if the town moves away from newspaper ads, it would put the onus on residents to go in search of public information online rather than having it served up in the local paper. 

Even if the town decides to maintain its current level of newspaper advertising, Lyon says passing the proposed bylaw would open the door for a future administration to slash or scrap it altogether. 

"We worry about the erosion of transparency in the community, and that's something that could happen with this bylaw being passed," he said. 

Sylvan Lake mulls similar bylaw

Banff won't be the only municipality mulling a new advertising bylaw Monday. 

The Town of Sylvan Lake is also hosting a public meeting on the subject, something that worries Barb Pettie, regional publisher for the Sylvan Lake News and the Lacombe Express. 

As in Banff, the Town of Sylvan Lake says its aim is to bring notices to more people by advertising both online and in print — but in urgent cases, "having the ability to post on our website will allow us to turn things around quicker," a spokesperson said. 

Like Lyon, Pettie is concerned about what this could mean for transparency, especially for those who don't have access to the internet. She also noted that a potential loss of advertising revenue — while not huge — makes a difference for small town papers. 

If, at some point, Sylvan Lake were to stop putting notices in the paper, "it would make a difference between a full-time journalist that we have now or possibly a part-time journalist," Pettie said. 

Ahead of Monday's meetings, both Lyon and Pettie say they hope residents will consider what they see as the potential "unintended consequences" of their towns' proposed bylaws.  

"I think that keeping everything in the public eye and readily accessible and freely accessible is important," said Pettie.