I just received my latest utility bill from the City of St. Albert. On the bill was a request to make my meter visible to their meter readers. All I had to do was access their website to learn how.
There was complete information on the curbside recycling program plus other frequently asked questions on the city’s website. There was enclosed an insert on the upcoming civic election and where I should vote — as long as I accessed their website. And, also on their website, optional voting opportunities I could avail myself of.
In short all of this information that the city felt I needed to see is available only if I have access to the Internet and go and find it myself. And if I want a copy, print it out myself. This is just fine for those folks who have Internet access, but where does it leave the significant percentage of St. Albertans who either do not have access to the Internet or do not use it regularly? Perhaps there is a reason I request that my utility bills be mailed out to me rather than receive them electronically. If the city has information that it deems is important for me to see, why not enclose it with my mailed utility bill; they are paying the postage in any case.
If they really want to get fancy and accommodate those who do not want such information mailed with their utility bill, offer an opt-out program. This is all computer generated and controlled. Computers are very good at handling such things, and can make the process very cost effective. Redundancy in information dissemination is good; restricting its availability will invariably cause problems and extra work and costs.
Peter Johnston, St. Albert
