Media policy request shelved by Mayor Rypien
Crowsnest Pass council did not proceed with a planned discussion about developing a municipal media policy at its Feb. 24 meeting, despite a written request that laid out what such a policy could include and why it was being considered.
The agenda included a media policy discussion that had been deferred from the previous meeting. Mayor Pat Rypien said her intent in raising the issue was to improve communication and transparency, but she told council she no longer wanted to focus on a stand-alone media policy and instead wanted to pursue a broader communication plan informed by the public.
CAO Patrick Thomas clarified there was no active motion to create a media policy. The prior motion simply deferred the discussion to Feb. 24, placing the topic back on the agenda for councillors to decide whether to move forward.
Rypien said she had reviewed the concept further and found overlap with communication planning. She asked council to shift away from a media policy debate and instead take communications to residents for discussion at a future town hall session.
Council later carried a motion to defer suggestions and discussion about a communication plan to a future agenda after seeking public input at a town hall meeting.
The written media policy material presented alongside the agenda framed the proposal as a set of rules explaining how council would communicate with the media and use media platforms. The document said the policy should outline clear expectations for ethical and consistent use of media to protect municipal values, reputation and residents.
It also stated the municipality “currently does not have a media policy” and said there have been incidents that “could and should have been addressed by policy to protect council, administration and the public.”
The proposed scope included rules for how council communicates with the media, the public and each other, and how the media should communicate with council. It also suggested a structured approach for handling media inquiries, clarifying what can be shared and how confidentiality should be maintained. The material proposed that the Mayor be authorized to speak with input from council and administration and included guidelines on how council should and should not use social media and traditional media.
The document also highlighted crisis communication. It called for rules on what to do if there is bad press or an emergency, including acknowledging a crisis and the speed at which to intervene.
The rationale section said a media policy should provide clear direction to protect the municipality’s reputation and minimize legal and ethical risks in every media engagement. It also listed key areas such as definitions, roles and responsibilities, procedures, compliance, review, stakeholder relationships, implementation, resources and training.
The document said a policy could support consistent and accurate messaging, protect council and administration, support a professional relationship with media, correct misleading or inaccurate information and make clear when confidential information cannot be shared. It also stated expectations for respectful and ethical engagement from the media.
While council did not debate those details at the meeting, the discussion points are expected to inform future communications work as the municipality gathers public input through planned town halls. Residents with suggestions on how the municipality should communicate can watch for town hall dates and bring feedback forward during those sessions.