Lethbridge Minute: Issue 262

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

📅 This Week In Lethbridge: 📅

• This morning, at 9:00 am, there will be a Special City Council Meeting. The agenda is devoted to a confidential report on the Tourism Lethbridge Fee for Service Cost Benefit Analysis.
  
  
• On Tuesday, at 12:30 pm, where will be a City Council meeting. On the agenda is a discussion about Strategic Planning. The goal of Strategic Planning is to set clear priorities for the Council term, align expectations, and create a consistent framework for decision-making and measuring success. The updated approach includes a discovery phase in February and March, followed by a two-day facilitated planning workshop on March 30th and 31st, and final documentation and approval in April. No new public engagement is planned, with recent community and stakeholder surveys instead informing the process. The planning sessions will focus on identifying strategic priorities, goals, and outcomes, supported by digital collaboration tools and live documentation. 
  
  
• Council will also discuss the 18th Street Functional Planning and Design Study to evaluate the corridor from 26 Avenue North to Scenic Drive South as a potential future bicycle boulevard. The study, part of the 2022-2031 Capital Improvement Program with a 2026 start and $300,000 budget, includes community engagement, traffic and road safety analysis, utilities and stormwater assessment, and concept options with cost estimates. Early engagement showed largely negative sentiment (75%) from 196 participants, with concerns about costs, perceived lack of need, and impacts on vehicle traffic, while 15% were neutral and 10% supportive. Council will be presented with three options: continue the study, cancel it and reconsider in the 2027-2036 Capital Improvement Program, or cancel it entirely. The functional plan and study are purely planning exercises, with no construction included, and results from the survey will guide Council’s next steps.
  
  
• The Economic and Finance Standing Policy Committee will meet on Thursday at 12:30 pm. On the agenda is an update on the 2026 Airport Workplan, covering the airport’s operating budget, capital reserve, and strategic roadmap. Since acquiring the airport in 2018, Lethbridge has seen changes in airline service, including Air Canada exiting before the pandemic and WestJet reducing flights and moving to larger aircraft. The airport continues to support non-commercial aviation such as Medevac operations, flight training, agricultural aviation, and private charters, with aircraft movements reaching record levels in 2024. Infrastructure limitations, particularly wastewater capacity, restrict potential commercial and land development. Major terminal renovations were completed in 2022 to modernize facilities and improve safety. In 2025, the City conducted a market analysis and route viability study to inform future air service strategies.
  
  
• A new report for Economic Development Lethbridge highlights that Lethbridge will need 10,800 new housing units by 2045 to keep up with population growth, a 26% increase over current supply. The city’s population grew by 4.16% in 2024 to 111,400, and housing supply remains tight despite a surge in construction in 2024 and 2025. Businesses are also facing challenges, with rising rents, low commercial vacancy, and industrial spaces at less than 4% vacancy, partly due to limited water infrastructure. The report makes ten recommendations, including prioritizing economic sectors, aligning infrastructure and workforce development, addressing housing gaps, and creating monitoring metrics.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

We’re planning to host events soon and we want your input!

What types of events would you like to see? Casual get-togethers with like-minded people? Speakers? 

Let us know!

🪙 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!