Lethbridge Minute: Encampment Strategy, Community Survey, and Street Machine Weekend

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

This Week In Lethbridge:

• It’s a slow week at City Hall with no Council or committee meetings scheduled. Summer must officially be here!
  
  
• Several events kick off this week. The fun begins on Wednesday with the Discover Downtown Lethbridge Festival. Formerly known as the Taste of Downtown, this event offers sample menu items at restaurants and cafés around the city as well as tours of the businesses and an opportunity to learn about the history of downtown historic buildings. Over 20 businesses have signed up to take part and proceeds go towards renovations at the Galt Museum. Then on Thursday, residents can enjoy live music during Upside Downtown, a weekly concert series in Rotary Square at Casa.
  
  
• The City is looking for feedback from residents on its Waste and Recycling Cart Relocation Project. The project began in 2017 and about 3,800 households are now getting their waste carts collected from the front of their residence rather than rear lanes. The City says changing the location of collection services resulted in cost savings, as well as reduced financial liability for things like snow and ice control and premature lane degradation. The survey is available until August 1st.

Last Week In Lethbridge:

• City Council voted unanimously to direct City Administration to investigate strategies on how to deal with the recent increase in encampments and how to best advocate for long-term solutions.​​ There were 135 encampments in Lethbridge in 2021, a more than 50% increase over the previous year. Currently, there are encampments along the edge of Civic Centre Park and outside of Lethbridge Shelter and Resource Centre.
  
  
• Thousands descended upon Lethbridge for the 44th annual Street Machine Weekend which featured some of the slickest rides in the city - and the country. The event was hosted by the Street Wheelers Car Club and attracted car enthusiasts from far and wide. The event has become a staple for the city and southern Alberta.
  
  
• The City released the results of its 2022 Community Survey. The data doesn't paint the rosiest of pictures, indicating that one-third of residents feel their quality of life has worsened. Residents cited crime, the economy, and COVID-19 as reasons for the decline. The survey also showed that Lethbridgians are concerned about social issues such as homelessness, affordable housing, poverty, transportation, and drugs/injection sites. Do you agree with these findings?

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