Lethbridge Minute: Issue 278

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

📅 This Week In Lethbridge: 📅

• The Community Issues Committee meets tomorrow at 1:30 pm, and one of the items on the agenda is a progress report on the Lethbridge Airport's 2026 strategic plan - arriving just three weeks before WestJet ends all scheduled passenger service to Lethbridge on June 24th. Administration's presentation shows that scheduled passenger flights make up only 2% of total airport activity, with the other 98% comprising medevac operations, flight training, charter services, RCMP operations, and agricultural aviation. The City is in active discussions with potential replacement carriers and has hired a marketing consultant to develop a 12-month regional campaign to attract new service. Administration is also exploring land development at the airport site - including possible utility-scale energy generation - as a way to generate non-aviation revenue and reduce dependence on passenger service.
  
  
• Also on tomorrow's agenda is an update on the ongoing wage dispute between the City and the firefighter-paramedics who staff Lethbridge's integrated Fire and Emergency Medical Services. The City asked firefighter-paramedics to accept wage reductions to help sustain the integrated service model, but the union - International Association of Fire Fighters Local 237 - rejected the proposal. The City released a wage comparison showing Lethbridge firefighter-paramedics earn $125,456 annually, compared to $106,835 for provincial Advanced Care Paramedics and $90,011 for Primary Care Paramedics. Mayor Blaine Hyggen has said some ambulance staff earn close to 40% more than the provincial benchmark. The union argues the comparison is unfair, saying wages should be measured against other integrated Fire-EMS services in cities like St. Albert and Red Deer rather than standalone paramedic positions. The union says it has submitted a counter-offer and is waiting for the City's response.
  
  
• The Committee will also consider approving a $462,941 provincial grant to fund subsidized transit passes for low-income residents. The transit fee assistance program is projected to cost approximately $650,000 in 2026 - $465,000 for transit and $185,000 for recreation and culture subsidies - against only $290,000 in approved municipal operating funding, meaning the provincial grant covers a significant portion of the gap. The grant, which comes from the Province's Low Income Transit Program, has been renewed annually since 2023 but is not guaranteed in future years. Administration warns that if the grant is not renewed, the City would face pressure to either increase its own contribution, tighten eligibility requirements, or pause the program. 
  
  
• Excite Lethbridge CEO Kim Gallucci will present the organization's March 2026 financial update to the Committee, showing the venue operator's cumulative cash balance dropped by $276,456 in a single month - falling from $678,525 in February to $400,069 by the end of March. Excite was forced to draw $233,088 from its City grant in March due to cash flow pressure as expenses outpaced revenues and invoices came due. Elevated costs included $89,228 in show and event expenses, primarily deposits for Whoop Up Days entertainment, and $31,920 in maintenance costs, with a review underway to identify savings. Rental income was a positive offset at $208,869 for the month, but wage expenses also rose due to position changes. 
  
  
• City Council unanimously approved a $285-million expansion and upgrade of the Lethbridge Wastewater Treatment Plant, with construction expected to begin in early 2027 and be completed by fall 2030. The plant - last expanded in the 1980s - will have its daily processing capacity increased by 50%, adding 20 million litres per day through a parallel system designed so that construction does not disrupt existing operations. To service the debt, annual wastewater utility rates will increase by 18.05% each year from 2027 through 2030. Funding will come through borrowings and City reserves, and the City is pursuing grants that could reduce the rate impact.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

The City of Lethbridge is accepting public input on proposed service-level changes ahead of its 2027 Operating Budget deliberations on June 10th and 11th.

This is a direct opportunity to tell Council which services matter most to you before decisions are made - deliberations are open to the public.

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

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