Lethbridge Minute: Airport Upgrades, Council Recess, and a Third River Crossing

Lethbridge Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Lethbridge politics

This Week In Lethbridge:

• It’s going to be a busy week at City Hall with the last City Council Meeting of the year scheduled for Tuesday. The meeting will start with an hour-long in camera session from 12:30 pm and then open to the public at 1:30 pm. Council isn’t set to return until January 5th, 2022 when there will be a meeting of the Audit Committee.
  
  
• Tuesday’s meeting is jam-packed though. Council is also set to receive a number of presentations and updates, including the 2021 operating forecast, the Council Work Plan update, the Operational Review Implementation Plan, and an update on cycling.
  
  
• Finally, Council will also give second and third readings to several bylaws as well as discuss a proposal from Acting Mayor Rajko Dodic on the viability of a third river bridge. The proposal would ask administration to explore additional options for potential sites and to assess the approximate cost to construct the third river crossing at said sites.

Last Week In Lethbridge:

• Upgrades to the Lethbridge Airport totalling $25.6 million were unveiled ahead of schedule. The upgrades aim to address passenger traffic, revenue diversification, and fire safety, among other things. Investment into the airport includes $2.6 million by the City and an additional $23 million in Provincial and Federal grant funding.
  
  
• A lawyer representing five Lethbridge police officers has filed a complaint to the provincial Legislature's Speaker against MLA Shannon Phillips over what he calls slanderous tweets. The complaint alleges that Phillips made inappropriate social media comments, including a suggestion that the police disciplinary hearing intentionally covered up evidence. Meanwhile, it was also announced that, by early next year, Lethbridge Regional Police will need to complete a 90-minute online course aimed at preventing bullying, abuse, harassment, and discrimination in the workplace.
  
  
• An employee of the University of Lethbridge is pleading not guilty to stealing more than $580,000 from the organization. The accused is a long-time employee with over 30 years of experience at the university. The alleged fraud was initially uncovered by fellow employees in early March 2018. Police believe the thefts occurred over the period of one year and that the accused abused her detailed knowledge of the financial systems at the U of L to falsify records and conceal the theft. The University says it has since recovered the majority of the missing money through an agreement with its insurer.

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