Free 95 day digital subscription

It’s The Pass Herald’s 95th anniversary!

To celebrate both The Pass Herald’s 95th anniversary and the 95 readers who cited us as their source in the municipal survey, we’re launching a special give-away: the first 95 people to email us will receive 95 days of free digital access to the paper, no subscription required.

First and foremost we want to thank our loyal subscribers. You truly do read The Pass Herald. The results from the Municipality’s 2026 Budget Survey prove it.

In a town like ours with a permanent population of about 6000 it often feels like everything has shifted online. Social media and municipal websites now dominate many conversations about where people find their news. But the results from this survey show that local newspapers continue to play an essential role in civic engagement.

Out of 435 people who completed the survey nearly 22 per cent or 95 people said they learned about it through the local newspaper. That ranks alongside social media which accounted for about 31 per cent of responses and the municipal website which accounted for nearly 29 per cent. While digital platforms brought in slightly more responses the newspaper’s impact stands out.

Our newspaper reaches roughly 1500 subscribers in the community. From that readership 95 people said they took action because of what they saw in our pages. That is a remarkable level of engagement and one that few digital platforms can match.

To put that into perspective about 3000 utility bills go out in Crowsnest Pass each month which is a strong indicator of the number of households in our community. That means The Pass Herald lands in one out of every two homes. Even more telling one in every 32 households completed the survey specifically because of something they read in our newspaper. That is the kind of influence digital platforms can only hope to replicate.

And here is a moment of serendipity we could not ignore: The Pass Herald celebrates its 95th anniversary this year. The fact that exactly 95 people responded to the municipal survey because of the newspaper feels like more than a coincidence. It is a timely reminder of the impact a longstanding local institution can still have even in a digital world.

Unlike the fleeting attention spans often associated with online media newspaper readers tend to be more focused and intentional. They are not simply scrolling past headlines. They are reading, thinking and responding. The numbers prove it.

Many assume that social media is the go to platform for reaching the public but the data tells a different story. The survey results show that newspapers still play a powerful role in driving civic engagement. As municipalities and other organizations increasingly turn to digital campaigns it is worth remembering that meaningful public response often starts with readers who trust and act on what they see in their local newspaper.

In a world filled with online noise, misinformation and endless distractions, print continues to stand strong. Our newspaper is not just surviving. It is making a difference one reader at a time.

To celebrate both The Pass Herald’s 95th anniversary and the 95 readers who cited us…