Lethbridge Minute: Election Systems, Plot Hop, and a Historic Business Killed

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

This Week In Lethbridge:

• Not a very busy week down at City Hall with no meetings scheduled. There is a Priorities and Agenda Review listed on the calendar, but it doesn't show up on the agenda, so it looks like it's not going ahead. We will update you on the status of that meeting once more information is available.
  
  
• Whoop-Up Days will be returning to our city September 2-5 at Lethbridge's Exhibition Park. Do you plan on attending this event? What are you looking forward to most? We can't wait to get our hands on some mini donuts and enjoy some live music.
  
  
• Farming Smarter is holding the Lethbridge Plot Hop on Thursday. If you’re a crop producer or just interested in anything agriculture, check out their website for more information and to register for their event. They will hop around the various Lethbridge-area farming plots and explore some of the ongoing research from this growing season.

Last Week In Lethbridge:

• On Tuesday, Lethbridge City Council voted 8-1 to add a referendum question to this year's municipal election. The question will ask whether councillors should be elected using a ward-based vote, rather than a City-wide vote, from 2025 onwards. The only Councillor who was opposed was Joe Mauro, who cited a lack of public engagement and low voter turnout as his primary reasons for voting against putting the question on the ballot.
  
  
• A family-owned business that has been operating in the city for nearly 100 years has been forced to shut its doors thanks to miscommunication between the owner and the Downtown Lethbridge Business Revitalization Zone. The owner of the historic Bow On Tong store says he recalls being approached by the Downtown Lethbridge BRZ in 2013 and being told that if the building were designated as a historic site, they would be able to renovate it: "At that time, I was told that I had to move out for three months while they did the restoration. After three months, they said in another three months, and then come April, then September. All of a sudden, it was five years and they came to me and said, oh, we're out of money, we’re going to stop working on it. You have to sell the place. Now, it’s been eight years."
  
  
• A proposed disc golf course in Peenaquim Park sparked debate, as councillors accused City staff of not being transparent about the project. Councillors inquired of City staff why the project was never formally brought before Council before advancing the plans with one local community group on City lands. We're pretty torn on this one as it's kind of nice to see things actually getting done without interference from Council for once. But then, it's also pretty worrying that our elected officials don't seem to even know what's happening in the City, and that administration seemingly prefer it that way!

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