Lethbridge Minute: Bee City, Curbside Organics, and a Designated Trail System

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

This Week In Lethbridge:

• There will be a City Council meeting on Tuesday at 1:30 pm. At this meeting, Council will proceed with second and third reading of the bylaw authorizing the Mayor and City Clerk to sign a renewed franchise agreement with ATCO for natural gas delivery. Additionally, there will be a verbal update on the 2023 Census results, as well as a public hearing to discuss a few land use bylaw amendments.
  
  
• There will be a meeting of the Advocacy Advisory Committee on Thursday at 1:30 pm. The Committee will discuss a new Advocacy Framework, which outlines how the City will strategically advocate for the priorities of the community.
  
  
• At a future meeting of Council, a new method of electing City Councillors will yet again be discussed. At the last Governance Standing Policy Committee meeting, the proposed “precinct system”, now renamed the “Councillor Representation Rotational Model”, was reviewed at the request of City Council. The Committee did not recommend moving forward with the model, instead pushing further discussion to Council. Councillors expressed concern with a lack of public consultation on the issue. However, the public has been consulted - Lethbridgians voted for a ward system, before Council turned it into the new mouthful of a system. We have a petition on the go calling on Council to listen to the original vote and implement the ward system. If you agree, you can add your signature here.

Last Week In Lethbridge:

• Just over a month into operations, the City of Lethbridge has claimed that its Curbside Organics program is already making an impact. City officials provided an overview of the program so far and shared some preliminary data. According to the City, roughly 1,300 tonnes of organic waste have been successfully rerouted away from the landfill through the use of green collection carts, along with an 85% compliance rate among residents who placed their bins out for collection on the designated date during the program's inaugural month. What do you think? Has it been worth the cost?
  
  
• During International Pollinator Week, Lethbridge was declared a Bee City by Bee City Canada. This title was sought after Councilor Jeff Carlson's May 2nd proposal, in which he urged Administration to apply for the recognition. After devoting significant time and resources towards the creation of a more bee-friendly city, one can't help but wonder whether there might be enough time and funds left over to make the city safer for its human residents as well.
  
  
• At last week's City Council meeting, City Council unanimously approved the development of a designated trail network in the Coulees. The completed project will span 37 kilometres of single-track trails on the east side of the Oldman River. The network will be sectioned into north and south parts, primarily connected by a path between the Helen Schuler Nature Centre and the Six Mile Coulee. The City says this formal trail network will provide numerous community benefits, including fostering greater public knowledge about trail etiquette and restrictions, safeguarding culturally and ecologically significant areas, and ensuring improved maintenance of approved trails.

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