Councillor Typifies Print Media As "Ancient and Outdated" Calls For Advertising Policy Review

Typifying print media as “ancient and outdated” a Moose Jaw City Council member wants to see a review of not only the City’s advertising policies but also if it is legally possible a move away from using print media for the presently Provincially mandated publication of legal and other notices.

Speaking in support of her notice of motion Councillor Dawn Luhning said she would like to see the City, in her opinion, more effectively communicate and get their message out through other forms of communication most notably social media.

“Cities are bound by legislation from the Province and in the Cities Act there are rules to be followed in how we advertise for certain things such as bylaws, zoning amendments etcetera and social media and other forms of advertising for the times we live in and I think we need to re-evaluate how we advertise for these types of issues for the City and its citizens to get that information out in an efficient manner. Where do the majority of citizens go for their information? Where would the City reach a wider array of citizens on these important issues and in keeping with the times we are in? I think it is important for City council to review the pieces of the Cities Act and other legislation that requires us to advertise in any type of local newspaper or otherwise as this is becoming part of an ancient and outdated reach to all citizens in the community and I think we need to expand that,” Councillor Luhning said.

“I believe it is a necessary thing we should try and do at this time and I would like to urge my colleagues to support that motion,” she said.

Councillor Luhning has in the past issued some disparaging remarks about the media both at Council and in City business emails that were only discovered as a result of FOI requests.

Speaking in favour of the motion Councillor Cryrstal Froese asked if money was being spent advertising with DiscoverMooseJaw. DiscoverMooseJaw is an on-line web-site that is used by the local radio stations as an informational portal. It is not governed at the present moment by the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) as the radio stations are.

Communications manager Craig Hemmingway told Council that the City spends money on advertising through DiscoverMooseJaw and that money is now being spent but “not on a regular basis” through social media firms.

Councillor Crystal Froese said she supported the motion because it was “just part of the way to continue to modernize the way we are approaching things here and to continue to into the times we are in and also to take advantage of the opportunities we have with social media and on-line advertising. But with some policies around those things for sure.”

It needs to be noted that Councillor Froese makes extensive use of social media for communicating City business.

MJ Independent has in the past attempted to access Council members social media interactions - including Councillor Froese’s - as part of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request but no documents were forthcoming despite the rules and guidelines of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of the Province of Saskatchewan. MJ Independent has verbally pointed out the omissions to City Administration.

Additionally MJ Independent has raised the issue with the Privacy Commissioner’s office about the use of social media and texting (even during a Council meeting with outside third parties and Council members) and the necessity to ensure transparency such interaction be open and available to an FOI request. The issue has moved to the backburner due to the effect of the COVID - 19 pandemic on the operations of the Information Commissioner’s office.

Councillor Heather Eby said she would support the review motion.

“I will support his motion maybe for different reasons than other people around the table. In this day and age of communication where we do feel so well communicating with people I think it is very difficult if not harder to find one medium that reaches everyone. In the past it was newspaper, I am an old newspaper person. It was newspaper radio had a far reach and thigs were so different. So I think it will be good to review this and see where we are at so I don’t think there is a one size fits all anymore and I am not going to pre-judge what this type of review may come up with,” Councillor Eby said.

“It may say something none of us are expecting and it might still be print media to get bylaw information out. It might be radio for certain things. But really I think the review is good but I don’t imagine it is going to say what we think it is going to say because we think social media is the be all and end all hmmmm I have my doubts about that,” she said.

Councillor Doug Blanc said he had seconded the motion because “I think we have to look at everything. I agree with Councillor Eby not everybody has social media. There are lots of people who do not have Internet at all. I have numerous friends that they got off of it. They got off of Facebook, they got off of all of that stuff. They don’t bother with it anymore. Other than emails to their children that’s all they use it for. They never use it to look at Global News, CTV News, Moose Jaw Today, DiscoverMooseJaw none of it.”

“We need to have some form of mechanism to get to those people. As Councillor Eby said maybe a mailout. My understanding is we are currently sending out water bills we could put something in water bills it is not going to have an extra big cost to us than the printing of that one page if something has to go out,” Councillor Blanc said. “We have to look at every avenue we have out there. Right from the radio to the weekly paper we have to mail to everything. It all has to be there.”

It should also be noted in a related issue in the move to on-line learning for students, as a result of the COVID - 19 pandemic, one of the main public concerns and stumbling blocks were many families cannot afford computers nor access to the Internet. And lack of such access would not allow their full participation in learning activities.

In a unanimous vote Council supported Councillor Luhning’s motion.

It is unknown if the City does opt for a more social media based advertising and communications policy if the review will extend to Council members having active, open and unblocked social media accounts to communicate with residents.

Editor’s Note - For the record MJ Independent does not and will not pursue nor carry any advertisements from the City of Moose Jaw. Additionally we turned down funding from the Federal Government under their local reporters initiative.