Whereas the Local Government Act and the Community Charter require that all Public Notices be published in a newspaper; And whereas printed newspapers are no longer the only or most effective means of giving Public Notice: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the provincial government amend the Local Government Act and the Community Charter to allow statutorily required Public Notices to be published using a variety of media channels, including but not limited to: newspapers, social media, web sites and online advertising, as long as reasonably equivalent or better reach than that of solely using printed newspapers can be demonstrated.
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing In 2018, the Ministry started work to better understand the challenges that local governments face with the current notice provisions and the policy implications of different options. Since then steps have been taken to analyze the current notice provisions, including completing cross-jurisdictional research, working with a group of Corporate Officers from communities of various sizes and geographies, and articulating principles of effective public notice e.g. timely, geographically appropriate, accessible, reliable. Research and policy work will continue to focus on balancing key local government system principles such as transparency and accountability - with local governments requests for additional flexibility in statutory notice requirements. Once the work is completed, outcomes and findings will be shared with the UBCM Executive for discussion and consultation on possible next steps.