Community leaders in both Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge are praising a new technology that enhances The TIMES, and makes it easier and more convenient for residents to access additional information - whether it be with a news story or an advertisement - from their smartphones and tablets.

Pitt Meadows Mayor Deb Walters and Maple Ridge Mayor Ernie Daykin were among the first to congratulate The TIMES for introducing Layar into the pages of its paper, and in doing so making interaction between print and digital media possible.

"As the mayor of the City of Pitt Meadows, I realize the significance of both print and digital media, as well as the role they play in today's society," Walters said.

"Written stories that concern Pitt Meadows can have more detail and background added, thereby enhancing the complete story and helping to fill in any gaps that may occur," the City mayor added.

She described it as "cutting edge" and said the City will use all the benefits offered through this augmented reality, including sharing links to their website, videos, photos, and other social media venues.

"Increasing our ability to connect with our citizens is a good thing," Walters said.

Daykin shares her sentiment, describing the new dimension of The TIMES as a "great new innovation" that brings the digital and print media together.

"Back in the 90s, the District of Maple Ridge, along with a lot of other organizations hit the web," he said. Fast forward almost two decades, and now thousands of people a month visit www.mapleridge.ca.

Thanks to Layar links offered through The TIMES to such things as council meetings, event calendars, and parks and rec information, even more people can discover all that Maple Ridge has to offer.

"Layar technologies ties right in with Maple Ridge's focus on the technology industry and again it combines print technology with digital media and how people get their information," Daykin said, also hailing it as a "great" way for businesses to reach out, too.