Lethbridge Minute: Arches Audit, City Donation, and Airline Takes Flight

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

This Week In Lethbridge:

• It’s going to be a steady week at City Hall with three meetings scheduled. The first is a City Council meeting on Tuesday at 1:30 pm. At this meeting, Council will give first reading to Bylaw 6362, which will bring the role of the newly formed ‘Integrity Commissioner’ one step closer to fruition. After that, second and third reading will be given to Bylaw 6351 and Bylaw 6353, a pair of land use bylaws. Council will also receive a submission from the Cultural and Social Standing Policy Committee regarding funding for the 2023-2026 Salute our Veterans Project.
  
  
• On Wednesday, there will be a meeting of the Audit Committee at 1:30 pm. At this meeting, the Committee will receive the 2021 Annual Report and the 2021 Audit Report. Unfortunately, there’s not much to say about these reports as they are confidential, at least for now. Council will also attend a private meeting between elected officials and auditors.
  
  
• On Thursday, there will be a meeting of the Civic Works Standing Policy Committee at 1:30 pm. At this meeting, Council will receive several presentations, including a presentation on the results of the new redesign of the cityLINK transit system, a presentation from the Senior Community Planner on a proposed update to the Outline Plan, a Waste & Recycling Utility 2021 Annual Report, and a presentation on Streets Bylaw 6285, which provides updates to the use of sidewalks for patios, vending, and other activities.

Last Week In Lethbridge:

• Residents will soon be able to board a plane at the Lethbridge Airport and head on down to Arizona, thanks to Flair Airlines. The new airline announced plans for a direct flight to Tuscon. Flair hopes to bring Lethbridgians to Arizona’s second-largest city by December 1st. In response to the news, Mayor Blaine Hyggen said "The City of Lethbridge has been proactively preparing the airport for an opportunity just like this and we are thrilled to welcome Flair Airlines to southern Alberta".
  
  
• On Tuesday, City Council unanimously gave the green light to Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services to donate surplus items to relief efforts in Ukraine, following a presentation from Fire Chief Greg Adair. Several of the items that were identified for donation include disposable wound care items, bandages, medical aid kits, personal protective equipment, helmets, gloves, boots, and retired safety equipment. The items will be transported by one local Lethbridgian to Calgary, where they will then be shipped to Toronto and on to Europe.
  
  
• The Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addiction says a report by the Office of the Auditor General sheds light on the botched handling of grant funding for ARCHES in Lethbridge, confirming that the former government removed accountability and oversight. The independent grant expenditure review of ARCHES, completed by third party Deloitte, found over $1.6 million in monies unaccounted for, in addition to trips to Europe and luxury staff retreats.

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