Paradise CAO, director move to pull development notices from newspaper

By Mark Squibb

Senior staff at the town of Paradise are asking council to cut back advertising in The Shoreline in favour of advertising online.
Councillor Sheldon Antle brought forward the motion during the December 16 public meeting, telling his fellow councillors that senior staff recommended council no longer post discretionary use, variance and other development notices in the local newspaper for public comment.
Antle cited a change in legislation made by the previous Liberal provincial government last year that allows municipalities to opt out of posting public notices in newspapers. The government changed the legislation for towns that don’t have a local newspaper. Antle said chief administrative officer Lisa Niblock and planning director Kim Blanchard are recommending that instead of posting Paradise’s notices in the newspaper, the Town use Canada Post to notify residents who live within 200 metres of any proposed discretionary use or variance application. That would mean fewer residents would be notified of the applications, but Antle argued it would cut back on processing time.
“The intent of this (legislation) change was in recognition that many parts of our province are no longer serviced by local, circulating newspapers, which had been the principal means of informing the public about planning matters,” said Antle. “In Paradise, The Shoreline is the print newspaper that circulates in our area, and hence, the Town has for many years arranged newspaper ads to comply with legislative requirements.”
Notices would continue to be advertised on the Town’s website, social media, and the Voyent Alert app. The option to print ads in the paper for broader notices would remain on the table, he said.
“It would still be a tool in our toolbox, but not our primary tool,” said Antle.
Staff also recommended council authorise staff to publish routine development notices on social media without seeking council’s prior approval. Council would get a say afterwards.
Antle admitted there are many residents who rely on print media for council information. So, he recommended staff draft a communication plan to inform them of the changes before they are implemented. Antle added the money paid to publish ads could be spent elsewhere.
The motion raised questions and concerns among other councillors.
“I’m not sure how I feel about this one,” said councillor Glen Carew. “The Shoreline is a useful piece of media for a lot of residents including seniors. There are lots of residents out there that do not subscribe to Voyent Alert. They don’t have smartphones. I know one resident, and this is probably an extreme case, who asks the Town to print off the minutes of the meeting so he can come and pick them up.”
Carew pointed to the effectiveness of The Shoreline in reaching Paradise residents by citing its recent coverage of the swimming pool feasibility study that had been discussed at council.
“My phone and inbox didn’t start ringing until people saw The Shoreline last week,” he noted. “I think The Shoreline is still a relevant piece for us, personally speaking, and for the Town. It’s a good vehicle.”
Deputy Mayor Kimberley Street said she supported Antle’s motion but she added she hopes the Town will continue to advertise in The Shoreline, and use the space formerly allotted for discretionary ads for other municipal information.
Councillor Jennifer Hiscock asked whether the Town could continue to advertise notices in The Shoreline while still giving staff the ability to publish notices without bringing them to council first. Antle countered that council would still be beholden to a print deadline.
Councillor Erin Furlong said Antle’s motion seemed to contain two different objectives and suggested there should be two separate motions; one being whether to publish the notices in the newspaper, and the other whether to authorise staff to post notices without bringing them to council first.
Antle agreed to split the motion into two separate motions and bring it back to council.