Cities aim for the 21st century with Internet advertising law

KELOWNA – Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran is leading the charge to drag the way municipal governments communicate with citizens into the 21st century.

Kelowna is sponsoring a resolution at the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities convention underway in Vancouver, which would allow so-called statutory notifications – information cities are currently required by law to publish in newspapers – to be placed online, emailed or direct mailed to residents.

“We just feel it's outdated,” Mayor Colin Basran says. “It’s become pretty clear with continued technological innnovations, that people are getting their news from sources beyond just newspapers.”

Print media has had a lock on statutory notifications for decades and it formed a small but consistent part of their advertising revenue.

“We’re not abandoning newspapers, we just want to have the flexibility as a community to choose other options,” Basran says.

The resolution will be debated Friday, Sept. 25. although Basran pointed out the UBCM has recommended it not be supported.

Should the resolution pass, it wlll be handed on to the provincial government for consideration.

The resolution is non-binding and if acted upon, would require a change to the Local Government Act.

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.