OCNA - Ontario Community Newspapers Association

Public Policy Positions

1. Provincial Government Advertising

Community newspapers serve practically every corner of the province; they are the preeminent source of news and information in rural Ontario. Community newspapers have the highest average reach in their markets of any media. The total combined first edition circulation of OCNA’s 280 member newspapers exceeds 4.1 million, while about 73% of Ontario adults read the last weekday edition of their community newspaper.

Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA) supports Bill 25 - legislation that would ban the use of government funding for partisan political advertising. In addition to Bill 25, OCNA believes Management Board of Cabinet should adopt guidelines or best practices for media planning. These practices should be included in any and all instructions issued to advertising agencies contracted by the government to prepare media plans for advertising campaigns. The provincial government should also instruct its communications staff and media planning agencies to actively explore opportunities to use community newspapers more for government advertising, particularly in rural and suburban Ontario.

Community newspapers are cost effective. They connect with readers interested in knowing what’s happening in their communities and the province. They are read by most Ontarians - including many adults who do not read daily newspapers. Still, community newspapers are not used for government advertising as much as they should.

All Ontarians are not receiving the government’s messages: Research conducted by the Mike Harris government found many Ontarians don’t hear about the activities of the provincial government through the national and regional media.

OCNA wonders if rural Ontarians are receiving the government’s messages. Only a small percentage of advertising expenditures are directed to media serving rural Ontario; while almost 3 million Ontarians or about 25% of the population lives outside larger urban centres (CMAs). All to often, media for government advertising is selected by rote, across-the-board (go with dailies assuming they reach most people); rather than analyzing media strategically, market-by-market to find the best value for money. Daily newspapers mostly serve urban and suburban markets, not small-town or rural Ontario.

2. Blue Box Recycling Through Stewardship Ontario and Waste Diversion Ontario

In 2002, the Progressive Conservative Government passed the Waste Diversion Act, which requires brand owners to contribute 50% of the cost of recycling materials that end up in municipal Blue Box programs. The Blue Box Program Plan developed by Stewardship Ontario in conjunction with Waste Diversion Ontario outlines levies for recycling various materials including newsprint.

Newspapers have a unique role to play in educating Ontarians about recycling. Ontario Community Newspapers Association supports the government’s waste diversion programs. OCNA members regardless of their obligation to pay fees for Blue Box recycling voluntarily give $300,000 in unpaid advertising every year to Waste Diversion Ontario to promote recycling.

Still the costs passed on to industry to fund the Blue Box have escalated dramatically since the inception of Stewardship Ontario. Therefore OCNA believes stringent cost control measures must be brought in immediately before fees are set for 2005. Standards must be set to sustain the quality of recycled materials and to ensure municipalities are getting market prices for processed materials they sell. And, efficiencies must be found for the Blue Box system in Ontario as a whole. Finally, the complex formulae for assigning fees to various materials must continue to accurately reflect real life conditions.

3. Community News Tax Credit

To sustain and develop book publishing in Ontario, the provincial government makes tax credits available through the Ontario Book Publishing Tax Credit program administered by Ontario Media Development Corporation (up to $30,000 per book).

Ontario Community Newspapers Association asks the government to provide similar tax credits to community newspapers. Many of the objectives set for book publishers also apply to local newspapers, e.g., preserving and protecting media of critical importance to Ontarians. These credits would offset the cost of obtaining/assembling community news and information - up to 50% of such expenses, to a maximum of $10,000 annually for every eligible community newspaper.

Tax credits will preserve/develop the newspaper’s pivotal role as the local communications centre by enabling community newspapers to maintain their news and information gathering capabilities, which are critically important to communities.

The credit would also preserve editorial jobs, maintain community life, local culture and nourish local economies. Community newspapers are substantial employers and often average 9 to 14 employees with 3 to 4 editorial staff. Newspapers facilitate commerce by linking buyers and sellers. They maintain the community’s capacity for economic renewal - informing/engaging citizens in problem identification and solving and spurring action.

4. Interpretations Act

Under the Interpretations Act, half of OCNA members are not considered newspapers because they are controlled or free distribution publications. To quality as a newspaper, the Act says the publication must be sold to the public and to regular subscribers. Similarly the Acts states newspapers must be published regularly at intervals no longer than a week,. The Interpretations Act informs other legislation dealing with newspapers such as the Planning Act and Liquor Licence Act and hence arbitrarily disqualifies provincial bodies from doing business with bona fide newspapers.

Ontario Community Newspapers Association encourages the provincial government to remove the outdated definition from section 29 of the Act and insert the following:

"newspaper", in a provision requiring publication in a newspaper, means a printed publication in sheet form, intended for general circulation, published regularly at intervals no longer than a month, consisting in great part of news of current events of general interest circulated to the public and to regular subscribers.

Using this comprehensive, inclusive definition for guidance, media planners can use generally accepted criteria such as circulation, readership and rates to select the newspaper best suited to the target audience and specific application in question, rather than be restricted by an obsolete and exclusionary definition. Readership research shows free distribution and paid newspapers are equally well read. The economic model behind the newspaper has no bearing on its effectiveness.

5. Transparency in Public Matters Acts

The old Municipal Act outlined instances where a meeting of a municipal Council, local board or committee may be closed to the public. It also mandated these bodies to publicly declare the meeting and the general nature of the matter to be considered at the closed meeting. The Progressive Conservative government introduced a new Municipal Act, which took effect January 1, 2003 that essentially kept the same provisions for in-camera meetings as the old act - with one exception, they added the disposition of land as another topic that could be discussed in camera.

Ontario Community Newspapers Association applauds the provincial government's initiative for introducing Private Members Bill 123, Transparency in Public Matters Act. This new legislation outlines for municipal boards, commissions and other public bodies the conditions where in-camera meetings can take place and prescribes consequences for contraventions to the Act.

Community newspapers have a deep and abiding interest in local community life and play a vital role in preserving fundamental democratic principles. Ontarians rely on their community newspapers as their source of local news and information. We see local government in action on a regular basis, perhaps more than any other group and our knowledge is forged from experience.

OCNA encouraged the legislature to pass second reading of Bill 123 and to send the document to committee for hearings. OCNA is now consulting members and conducting an extensive analysis of the Bill and we look forward to participating in the upcoming hearings.

6. Workplace Safety and Insurance Board

Some community newspapers contract with outside truckers or drivers to pick up newspapers and deliver them in bundles to readers or to carriers, as well as with freelancers who work in various capacities.

Ontario Community Newspapers Association is working with members who are in discussions with WSIB representatives about procedures for screening such personnel and to determine their status vis a vis workplace insurance.

7. Property Taxes

At one time, newspapers were considered commercial use under regulations pertaining to the Assessment Act. A few years ago the Progressive Conservative government changed the regulations to classify newspapers as industrial use.

Ontario Community Newspapers Association encourages the provincial government to classify newspapers as commercial use under the Assessment Act. The change made by the Progressive Conservatives is based on a misunderstanding - today most community newspapers do not operate their own printing press, which might be considered an industrial use. This reclassification has meant that community newspapers can be unfairly taxed at the rate of 10.9% rather than the 7.51% level applied to commercial properties - a significant difference. A typical community newspaper office operates no differently than other businesses that are assessed commercial.

8. Publication Bans

Courts can ban media from publishing certain information but there is no system for ensuring that these bans are known to the people who must comply with them, and this puts all parties at risk.

Ontario Community Newspapers Association asks the government to establish a simple registry that would enable the media and members of the public to know what orders have been made about publication bans.

9. Rural Economic Development

Many small town and rural communities and hence their local businesses are facing serious economic challenges. Strong and vibrant community newspapers go hand in hand with strong and vibrant communities.

Ontario Community Newspapers Association encourages the Government of Ontario to develop a comprehensive plan to sustain and grow strong rural communities, and to continue to make them attractive places to live and work.