Lethbridge Minute: Issue 222

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

📅 This Week In Lethbridge: 📅

• On Thursday, at 9:00 am, the Economic and Finance Standing Policy Committee will meet. The Committee will receive the 2025 Utility Comparison Report presentation, analyzing residential and commercial utility rates - including electricity, water, wastewater, and waste services - across Alberta municipalities. Using publicly available data as of January 2025, the report finds that Lethbridge offers the lowest combined utility costs among comparable cities in the province. According to the report, for residential customers using typical amounts of electricity (600 kWh), water (20 m³/month), sewer (20 m³/month), and garbage (240L cart), Lethbridge has the lowest total monthly utility cost at $185.70. For commercial customers with typical usage (5300 kWh electricity, 5000 m³/month water/sewer, 2.2 m³ waste bin), Lethbridge also has the lowest total monthly utility cost at $9,513.35.
  
  
• Also during the meeting, at 3:00 pm, the Committee will hear a Municipal Controlled Corporation Development Update. No documents are available at this time, but we’ll be watching this item closely and bringing you updates. Any time the City chooses to get into business, it’s of interest to us - and usually, not for good reasons!
  
  
• Lethbridge’s new Animal Care and Control Bylaw is now in effect, consolidating existing animal regulations and introducing several updates. Key rules remain unchanged, such as mandatory leashing, annual dog licensing (limited to two per household unless otherwise licensed), and requirements for waste cleanup and noise control. New provisions now limit households to six cats, with existing cats grandfathered in. All animals must receive basic care and are restricted from certain public spaces, and leaving animals in vehicles requires climate control if temperatures are extreme. Dog owners can now use customized tags displaying their licence number. The bylaw also raises fines for serious dog-related injuries.
  
  
• Construction has officially begun on a new K-6 elementary school in the Crossings neighbourhood of West Lethbridge, expected to open in August 2026. The $18 million project will accommodate over 400 students and help relieve overcrowding at Father Leonard Van Tighem and St. Patrick Fine Arts schools. With enrolment in the Holy Spirit Catholic School Division growing by 4.35% this year and over 5,400 students currently enrolled, officials say the new facility is urgently needed. The west side of Lethbridge, home to more than 44,000 residents, has seen rapid growth, prompting the call for more educational infrastructure. The new school will make use of existing playgrounds and green space and be designed to support modern learning methods. A boundary review is underway to determine which students will attend the new school, with decisions expected by the end of the school year. A name for the school has not yet been announced.
  
  
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has broken ground on a new temple in west Lethbridge, marking Alberta’s fourth temple and the first since Calgary's. Located across from the Cavendish Farms Centre, the temple will serve over 20,000 members from Lethbridge and nearby communities such as Taber, Raymond, Fort Macleod, and Medicine Hat. Church leaders emphasized that the two-storey, 44,500-square-foot building will be a welcoming place for all, with representatives from various faiths attending the sod-turning ceremony. The temple is expected to ease demand on existing temples in Cardston and Calgary while supporting anticipated membership growth. A public open house will be held after completion.
  
  
• Conservative MP Rachael Thomas has been re-elected in the Lethbridge riding for a fourth term, securing over 60% of the vote in one of her strongest showings yet. Celebrating with supporters at Paradise Canyon Golf Resort, Thomas described the win as an honour and a joy. Liberal candidate and former mayor Chris Spearman finished second with about 33% of the vote - a historically high result for a non-Conservative in the area - while the NDP’s Nathan Svoboda placed third. Thomas will now return to Ottawa as part of the official opposition.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

The federal election may have just wrapped up, but we can’t forget that the municipal election is fast approaching this October. 

At Common Sense Lethbridge, we’re committed to driving real change at City Hall, and we need your support to make it happen. If you care about priorities like increasing transparency, protecting the freedom of residents and businesses, and bringing common sense back to the city, now is the time to get involved. 

Volunteer with us today and help ensure a better future for Lethbridge:

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

This week's sponsor is you! We don't have big corporate backers, so if you like what you're reading, please consider making a donation or signing up as a monthly member.

Having said that, if you are a local business and are interested in being a sponsor, send us an email and we'll talk!