While we understand the changes to the Public Notification Bylaw could save Rocky View County (RVC) money, we have concerns. Our main objection centres on the issue of transparency.
Openness, accountability, and honesty define government transparency. In a free society, government’s obligation is to share information with citizens.
These changes limit the ease of access to information, which should be upsetting to all those who value a government’s responsibility to inform residents.
Just today, we received a phone call from a reader claiming biased reporting and praising the County for its ad outlining frequently asked questions about the sanctions, making it clear residents see print ads as an important source of information. (We should note, we have never said the councillors shouldn’t have been sanctioned, but have asked why mediation hasn’t occurred and questioned the effectiveness of a divided council.)
Yes, RVC said it will continue advertising notifications in print, but the full details will no longer be there. The senior less familiar with Internet navigation or the resident who can’t afford access will be expected to call the County to gather this information on their own.
The Rocky View Weekly is a free resource and is delivered to every mailing address in RVC, making information truly available to everyone. While we appreciate RVC’s position, we hope it will continue valuing the resource of print advertisements, as well.
