Lethbridge Minute: Gym Expansion, Supportive Living, and a Council Workload Analysis

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

This Week In Lethbridge:

• On Tuesday, at 12:30pm, there will be a meeting of City Council. There are several confidential reports on the agenda, including one regarding a lease opportunity and another regarding a land development matter. Councillor Schmidt-Rempel will bring forward a Notice of Motion aimed at addressing Councillor workloads. The motion will direct the City Manager to hire an independent third-party consultant to provide recommendations, options, and costs for a survey of Council members on their essential duties and time dedicated to these duties, and an analysis of the work and time Councillors spend on Council and Committee meetings, operating and capital budget deliberations, orientation and training sessions, community meetings, conferences and intergovernmental meetings, professional development, and public events. The review would also include a comparative study of similar Canadian municipalities, elected officials' compensation, and Council budgets and staffing. The information uncovered in the review would also be made available to future candidates to illustrate the work required for the role.
  
  
• The Downtown Lawlessness Reduction Task Force will meet on Thursday at 7:30 am. The Task Force will consider extending its tenure, and will recommend that Council appoint the Task Force as the Steering Committee for a review and update of the Community Clean and Safe Strategy Program.
  
  
• Also on Thursday, the Economic and Finance Standing Policy Committee will meet at 11:00 am. The Committee will hear a Municipal Housing Update and discuss two confidential items regarding Naming Rights Agreements. There are also several submissions on the agenda, including one from Opportunity Lethbridge on a 2026 Memorial Cup Bid, and an update on the Development Incentive Program.

Last Week In Lethbridge:

• Council approved a $1.2 million investment to expand the gymnasium at Galbraith Elementary School. The gym expansion will add 200 square meters of space, with City funding sourced from $10 million that was being held for future projects from previous capital budget deliberations. As part of a long-standing joint use agreement between the City and the Lethbridge School Division, funding terms will be developed that increase community access to the gym.
  
  
• A bylaw to enable an additional 24 people to live in a supportive living home operated by the Streets Alive Family Support Association has received First Reading. The proposal seeks to rezone the property at 925 15 Street South from eight apartment units to a 32-resident facility. In October 2023, Council approved $560,000 for the project, making the rezoning process the next step. The new facility would include shared amenities and 24-hour staff to ensure safety. A public hearing is scheduled for July 23rd to address the proposal further.
  
  
• Four new traffic monitoring cameras have been installed on Whoop-Up Drive, capturing images every two minutes. These cameras cover both directions and the exit ramps at University Drive and Scenic Drive, helping assess traffic system effectiveness and signal timing. While the public can view real-time traffic conditions online, the cameras do not monitor individual vehicles or people and do not collect personal information. The City of Lethbridge emphasized that the footage is solely for traffic management purposes.

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