After the historic remaining of the Village of Daajiing Giids, officials have found the most appropriate website domain name is unavailable for use unless the municipality can purchase it for $25,000.
The municipality is still using its previous web address with its former name, Queen Charlotte.
The web address www.daajinggiids.ca was bought in 2019 around the same time initial conversations about restoring the Haida name were taking place, village staff explained during a general council meeting on Aug. 15. The forward-thinking buyer is now selling it for a premium price.
However, there are other less expensive domain name options the village is looking into, including having a hyphen between the words Daajing and Giids.
The web address is not the only thing that still dons the former alias. The Queen Charlotte logo and branding welcomes readers on the website homepage. Village staff stated it is because the company that used to provide web support has discontinued the service.
While changes to social media platforms were easy, the website is proving to be more difficult.
Daajing Giids’ had been using Diligent to host their website for more than 10 years but more recently the company stopped providing web support services, Carolyn Beaumont, finance and communications clerk at the village said. Without their help, the village cannot change the main banner on the website homepage.
When the first discussions about changing the name arose, the village decided to put off changes to the website which had been requested over the years. This was so a rename and rebrand could happen simultaneously, she said.
The village will be applying for grant funding to move a full rehaul forward including the design of a new logo, re-branding, developing a new website and conducting a content review, Courtney Kirk, chief administrative officer at the village said.
“Because the ranges for that are basically $40,000 is very low-end, you’re looking at more like $100,000 plus to do the standard of job you see many municipal governments using,” she said.
In the meantime, the village has the option to create a mirror of the current site so the internal IT department can make small cosmetic changes, including changing the front banner, but they are not sure at this point if this $4,000 cost is required.
If it’s not required there is an option to wait to change the banner until they do a full rehaul of the website.
Council weighed in on how much of a rush they felt it would be to change the front banner on the website.
Counsellor Ayla Pearson said that it depends on how long the overhaul takes, suggesting that if it’s going to be six months it wouldn’t be worth the $4000 but if it’s going to be five years then it might make sense to make the change now.
“I think it’s also indicative of what the community members will be facing with changing the name themselves, so it is reflective of how some of their situations are as well,” counsellor Lisa Pineault said, adding a few businesses with Queen Charlotte in their names have been approached to change their name.
Village staff said they would look into the issue further.