Lethbridge Minute: Issue 252

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

📅 This Week In Lethbridge: 📅

• On Tuesday, at 12:30 pm, there will be a City Council meeting. Acting Mayor Belinda Crowson and Deputy Mayor Jenn Schmidt-Rempel will make an Official Business Motion to refer discussion on implementing a ward system to the Governance Standing Policy Committee (SPC). This follows a 2021 non-binding plebiscite in which 55.69% of residents supported a ward system, and continued interest expressed during the 2025 municipal election. The SPC will gather and review resident feedback and concerns, determine whether a formal review of a ward system is warranted, and, if recommended, outline a proposed process with cost estimates and next steps for conducting the review. See this week’s action item for how you can help promote this idea!
  
  
• A second motion will be brought forward by Acting Mayor Belinda Crowson, to direct the City Manager to conduct a comprehensive review of all municipal fees and charges. The review will include permits, licenses, service charges, and other user fees to identify outdated, excessive, or undercharged fees. Administration will be tasked with providing a report to the Economic and Finance Standing Policy Committee by Q2 2027, including rationales for each fee, benchmarking against comparable municipalities, and recommendations for adjustments or eliminations to inform the 2028-2031 Operating Budget. Additionally, all fees and charges will be summarized and published in a single, accessible document, with any costs for the review covered by the current approved Operating Budget.
  
  
• Mayor Hyggen will motion to direct Lethbridge City Council to request the Alberta Government conclude the temporary mobile overdose prevention unit in Lethbridge, aligning with the Province’s shift toward a recovery-oriented system of care. The motion highlights the City’s prior investment of $760,000 annually in outreach and encampment programs, which have supported over 20 individuals exiting homelessness and responded to more than 2,200 encampment-related sites. It also notes the upcoming end of the federal Building Safer Communities Fund in March 2026, creating a service gap for high-risk youth facing challenges like justice involvement, mental health issues, and substance use. The motion suggests that ongoing funding be reallocated to continue youth prevention programs under the Building Safer Communities Program and to support City initiatives that connect vulnerable populations with health, wellness, and recovery services.
  
  
• Councillor Ryan Parker will make a motion directing Lethbridge City Administration to provide detailed employee staffing statistics. The report will compare workforce numbers on November 1st, 2024 and November 1st, 2025, categorized by employment type - permanent full-time and non-permanent (seasonal, casual, term) - and by department. The motion also requests semi-annual reporting for the remainder of the Council term to monitor workforce composition and departmental staffing levels over time, including definitions and classifications for full-time, part-time, and term positions.
  
  
• Lethbridge Police Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh has been awarded the 2025 Workplace Wellness Award by the Canadian Mental Health Association, Alberta South Region, in recognition of his leadership in prioritizing employee mental health and well-being. The award highlights initiatives and programs at Lethbridge Police Service that support officers’ physical and mental health, benefiting both employees and the community they serve. Mehdizadeh emphasized that while leadership sets the tone, every employee plays a role in maintaining mental wellness, and the organization provides tools and support to make that possible. Key measures include a full-time Wellness Coordinator, efforts to reduce stigma around mental health, follow-ups on stressful incidents, and promoting both physical and mental self-care. By focusing on proactive wellness, Mehdizadeh said officers are better equipped to handle the demands of policing while maintaining balance in their personal lives. 

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

We’re glad to see the discussion around a ward system back at Lethbridge City Council! Residents voted in 2021 in favour of having wards to elect Councillors, and it’s time for the City to implement the system Lethbridge asked for.

Make your voice heard - sign our petition today to ensure Councillors follow through on what voters want.

🪙 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!