BEAVER BANK: Councillor Lisa Blackburn is weighing in on the contentious topic of flyer delivery in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM).
The representative of Middle/Upper Sackville-Lucasville-Beaver Bank told The Laker she will be bringing forward a motion to the Environmental and Sustainability committee, which she is on, regarding making flyer delivery an opt-in service.
“I’m crafting a motion right now for the Environment and Sustainability committee with regards to flyers, flyer delivery,” Blackburn said in an interview on June 16 at a local coffee shop in Beaver Bank. “It will be looking at making it a by subscription or opt-in only option, where you would opt-in rather than opt-out.
“I will be asking for a staff report on that at the next environment and sustainability committee meeting.”
She explained her reasoning behind doing this, despite attempts in the past to do this with no success.
“The motivation behind doing this is the number of phone calls and emails I get from people who don’t want them, are tired of having them thrown in their driveways, tired of phoning of the originator of the flyers and cancelling them time and time again only to have them show up the next week.
“It’s very frustrating not just for residents of District 14, but all over HRM.”
Blackburn said she knows it’s a free-speech issue in considering the flyers as litter, which is how it was approached in the past. She’s taking a different spin on it.
“There is a place for flyers, absolutely there are people who live and die by them, they love their flyers every week,” she said. “The motion I’m bringing forward will be giving them the opportunity to subscribe to it. If you want it, call and say you want it delivered to you.
“If you don’t want them, they shouldn’t be tossed at the end of your driveway like it or lump it.”
phealey@enfieldweeklypress.com
