My perspective - Perception is what matters
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- Published on Monday, September 17, 2018
By Kate Jackman-Atkinson
Neepawa Banner & Press
A bill proposed by the provincial government could result in a lot of unhappy Manitobans, just ask Neepawa residents.
Earlier this year, the Manitoba government introduced Bill 8, The Government Notices Modernization Act. This bill would change the public advertising requirements related to 24 statutes. Instead of requiring notices be advertised in local media outlets, the advertising would only need to occur in the Manitoba Gazette, the government’s newspaper of record, which would now only be online and free to the public.
In theory, it sounds like a good idea. Advertising is expensive and the internet is free, but Neepawa council just found out how it works in practice. On March 20, council approved the sale of a parcel of undeveloped land at the south end of town for $20,000. The property, which was already subdivided into four lots, had been maintained by neighbours and used as green space by area residents. For most neighbours, they only heard about the sale at the end of July, when the developer who purchased the land began landscaping to prepare for its redevelopment. And they were mad. Area residents started a petition, which as of mid-August, had 45 signatures.
The Town has a policy for the sale of surplus municipally-owned land, which states that council may ask for proposals from at least three real estate agencies. The proposals are to include a recommended listing price, an evaluation of the property’s fair market value, as well as a listing agreement. The property is then to be listed publicly on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). In this case, the piece of property, along with others, was only listed by the Town on its website.
Though some area residents said they were told in the past that the land was set aside as green space, an official with the Town recently told the Banner & Press that the property has been for sale for over three decades. The Town has taken the stance that in this case, there was no need to have it officially listed through a realtor, an online posting was enough.
While some felt its sale price was too low, at the end of the day, area residents are most upset about the perceived lack of transparency. The property was listed publicly, but to know about it, a prospective purchaser had to be specifically looking for lots to develop. Anyone who wasn’t specifically looking for this, didn’t know until it was too late. There was no secret deal and so it was, by definition, transparent, but it didn’t feel that way to those blindsided by the sale.
That’s the problem with advertisements that aren’t where someone can stumble upon them. Unless someone already knows about something, they’re very unlikely to go to the Manitoba Gazette and learn about changes that might have a very significant impact on themselves, their family, neighbourhood or business.
Notices should remain in newspapers or any other general interest location. Municipal newsletters, flyers distributed by post or in Neepawa’s case, a $5 “For Sale” sign, all provide the type of notice that matters to regular citizens. A lot of voters citizen signing petitions, writing letters to the editor and venting on social media isn’t what elected representatives want three months before an election and could have been easily avoided.
Notices are about people being notified of important policies and changes. If they weren’t deemed important, there would be no notice requirement. Putting notices online in the Manitoba Gazette meets the letter of the law when it comes to informing citizens, but is far from meeting its spirit. In the end, what really matters is whether people feel there has been proper notice. According to the residents in Neepawa’s south end, an online listing doesn’t feel that way.
