Lethbridge Minute: Issue 245

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

📅 This Week In Lethbridge: 📅

• Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen and the Lethbridge Lodging Association (LLA) are denying allegations of a conflict of interest raised during an October 7th mayoral forum. The concern stems from the LLA’s $750,000 deal for naming rights to the former Enmax Centre, now the VisitLethbridge.com Arena, which Hyggen and City Council approved. A resident alleged Hyggen should have recused himself because of his friendship with LLA Project Manager Shilpa Stocker. Hyggen acknowledged the friendship but said the process was fair, transparent, and based on merit, emphasizing that such partnerships reduce costs for taxpayers. Mayoral candidate Ryan Mennie argued the situation should have been flagged as a potential conflict and claimed City Hall provided $400,000 in public funds for the deal. The LLA and Hyggen refuted this, clarifying that the association is a not-for-profit funded by local hotels, not by the City. LLA President Bruce Primeau stated that members are local employers and community contributors, not private outsiders.
  
  
• A new report from Avison Young suggests growing business confidence in Lethbridge as more companies choose to buy rather than lease office space. Office sales in 2025 are projected to match last year’s strong performance, which more than doubled compared to 2023. The trend is driven largely by professional sectors such as medical and dental services, where ownership is seen as a strategic investment for cost control and long-term value. Suburban office markets are showing particular strength, with vacancy rates dropping to 3.31% from 5.82% a year ago. In contrast, downtown vacancies have risen slightly to 12.07%, reflecting lower demand for older buildings and high renovation costs. Businesses are increasingly drawn to newer properties in suburban areas, and developers are responding with mixed-use projects that combine office, retail, and residential spaces, particularly in the city’s expanding west side.
  
  
• The City of Lethbridge is permanently closing the Dave Elton Skate Park, its first skate facility, after 26 years of operation. The decision followed months of review and consultation with the skateboarding community, which was notified in June. City officials cited declining usage, vandalism, and non-recreational activity as key reasons for decommissioning the park. Maintaining the site would have cost up to $20,000 annually, while restoration and removal are expected to exceed $200,000. The area will be cleared, backfilled, reseeded, and eventually fenced off before being incorporated into an expansion of the neighbouring BMX track, allowing for larger events. The City says skaters still have access to three newer parks: Wade Galloway in the south, Watermark in the west, and Legacy in the north, which better reflect current design standards and user needs.
  
  
• New speed limits and merge changes on Whoop-Up Drive in Lethbridge took effect Friday, following the completion of bridge maintenance work. Westbound drivers will see the alternating merge relocated to the east end of the bridge, with the speed limit increasing from 50 km/h to 70 km/h after crossing. Eastbound drivers will have a relocated merge zone midway across the bridge and a post-bridge speed increase from 50 km/h to 60 km/h. Heavy trucks, excluding standard pickups, remain prohibited from travelling westbound on the route. The City said new signage will be in place to notify motorists of the adjustments. While the major bridge maintenance has concluded, some repair work continues after a large truck struck the underside of the structure on August 7th, damaging four of the six steel girders that support the bridge.
  
  
• The City of Lethbridge has partnered with Call2Recycle Canada to launch a pilot curbside battery recycling program, making it easier for residents to safely dispose of used household batteries. Between October 6th and 10tj, 15,800 households received collection bags with instructions for packing batteries, which will be picked up during the last two weeks of November alongside green cart collection. The program accepts most single-use batteries under 5 kg, but excludes rechargeable, car, and industrial batteries. Residents are asked to tape the positive terminals and secure the batteries in the provided bags to ensure safety. Collected batteries will be transported to approved recycling facilities for processing. Households that do not receive a bag can pick one up at City yard waste sites or use a store-bought resealable bag. The initiative aims to reduce the risk of fires or explosions from improper disposal and encourage participation through convenience. Call2Recycle Canada says that Lethbridge is the first city in Alberta to offer this curbside program, reflecting the success of similar pilots in other provinces.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

Advance voting is underway!

You can find all of the times, locations, and additional voter information online:

🪙 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!