Lethbridge Minute: Ambulance Remounting, Business Motions, and a Friday Night Event

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

This Week In Lethbridge:

• There will be a meeting of City Council on Tuesday at 9:30 am. Council will discuss the financial fiasco at the Lethbridge and District Exhibition. Councillor Carlson will bring forward an Official Business Motion to implement a Pay As You Go program to fund utility-supported capital projects. The Pay As You Go program is a financial strategy used by the City to fund capital projects without relying on debt. Implemented in 1994, it involves budgeting annual amounts from the operating fund to cover the costs of tax-funded projects in the Capital Improvement Plan. Councillor Crowson will also bring forward an Official Business Motion, this one to direct Administration to create an Asset Management Policy. There is also a third Official Business Motion on the agenda, being brought forward by Councillors Crowson and Carlson, affirming that the City Manager can approve hiring full-time staff without Council approval.
  
  
• The Downtown Lawlessness Reduction Task Force will meet on Thursday at 7:30 am. The Task Force will discuss its transition to an Administrative Committee. A meeting of the Economic And Finance Standing Policy Committee meeting, originally scheduled for Thursday, is cancelled.
  
  
• We are hosting a Pints & Politics event on Friday in conjunction with our friends at the Alberta Institute. Please join us for some casual drinks and an opportunity for everyone to get together with like-minded Albertans to chat about politics. There's a lot going on, so there will be plenty of conversation topics! The event will be held at Mojo’s Pub & Grill from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Please RSVP here.

Last Week In Lethbridge:

• Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services (LFES) said they are saving money and reducing waste by remounting ambulance boxes onto new chassis instead of replacing entire vehicles. So far, two remounts have been completed, with five more planned by 2026. This approach costs about 31% less than purchasing new ambulances, allowing LFES to allocate saved funds towards equipment upgrades. Remounting also addresses supply chain issues, as it reduces the time needed to get ambulances on the road by about a year. The remounting process is carried out by Saskatoon-based company Crestline.
  
  
• The University of Lethbridge has launched the "i4Geo, Institute of Geospatial Inquiry, Instruction, and Innovation" with support from TECTERRA, a company that has been funding Alberta's geospatial sector since 2009. The $1.3-million donation from TECTERRA, matched by the University, will fund research, scholarships, and academic programming in geomatics-related fields. The Institute aims to bring together leading academics and researchers to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and community outreach.
  
  
• The Alberta Party has entered a candidate in the upcoming Lethbridge West by-election. Layton Veverka says he wants to provide voters with a centrist alternative to the NDP and UCP. A power engineer with experience in oil, gas, and hydrogen production, Veverka advocates for using both renewable and non-renewable energy resources in Alberta. He supports integrating artificial intelligence in education to assist teachers and students, as well as promoting local power plants to stabilize energy prices. Other candidates are John Middleton-Hope (UCP) and Rob Miyashiro (NDP). The by-election will take place on December 18th, but early voting is available too. You can find your voting place - and dates and times for early voting - online.

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