BARRHEAD — In accordance with a new advertising bylaw, Woodlands County will now use a hybrid approach of print and online ads when it comes to giving the public notices of proposed bylaws, public hearings and other information required by the Municipal Government Act (MGA).
After a brief public hearing that only lasted five minutes, county councillors passed second and third reading on Bylaw 597/23 during their June 7 meeting. They had previously passed first reading on April 26.
The bylaw was prepared by communications co-ordinator Koren Scott, though communications assistant Nikita Ganovicheff presented it on her behalf during the June 7 meeting.
Ganovicheff said council had previously reviewed the bylaw at a governance and priorities committee meeting.
As per the MGA, municipal council must give public notice of certain bylaws, resolutions, meetings, public hearings and other things by advertising in a newspaper or publication circulating in its area, or by mailing a notice to every residence in an affected area.
Prior to this bylaw’s passage, Woodlands County abided by this requirement by publishing all necessary municipal notices in full detail within local newspapers.
However, in accordance with this new bylaw, the county will now publish abbreviated notices of bylaws, resolutions, meetings and public hearings in at least one newspaper or publication circulating in the municipality.
These shortened notices will contain a title; a statement of the general purpose of the required bylaw, resolution or hearing; and a date, time and location where a hearing or meeting may be held.
The full details of these notices will then be published on the Woodlands County website.
“Woodlands County does not intend to go strictly electronic. It will be using a hybrid approach of using both print and electronic, with a condensed version of notices being posted in newspapers and full details of the notices being posted on the website,” Ganovicheff said.
“This bylaw helps promote fiscal responsibility by using advertising dollars wisely while still informing residents who primarily use newspapers to stay up to date.”
It was noted in a report that publishing print advertisements in four local newspapers, as well as providing a $15,000 grant to the Woodlands Express, cost the county $127,165 in 2022.
Ganovicheff added that the county has the ability to publish full notices in the newspaper when necessary.
Council had no comments or questions regarding the bylaw at the public hearing and Ganovicheff said they had not received any writen or verbal submissions from the public.
One Whitecourt resident who identified himself as Dan Moore indicated at the hearing that the Alberta Newsprint Company (ANC) was in favour of the county taking a hybrid approach to advertising.
