Lethbridge Minute: Issue 287

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

📅 This Week In Lethbridge: 📅

• There are no City Council or committee meetings scheduled in Lethbridge this week. Meetings resume the week of September 6th.
  
  
• Today is Heritage Day, and the City has adjusted several services for the holiday. Lethbridge Transit's fixed routes and Ride on Demand are running on Sunday service, and the transit customer service desk at City Centre station is closed, along with Access-A-Ride booking and customer service. The 311 contact centre, the Waste and Recycling Centre, Community Animal Services, and all branches of the Lethbridge Public Library are also closed for the day, with regular 311 hours resuming tomorrow. Curbside collection is unaffected, as pickup does not occur on Mondays. 
  
  
• Mayor Blaine Hyggen confirmed last week that the City will not renew its EMS contract with the Province when it expires on September 30th, meaning a contracted company could take over Lethbridge's ambulance service as early as March 31st, 2027. The decision holds to Council's May vote against accepting new contract conditions from Alberta's Emergency Health Services, which would require the City to commit in advance to covering any costs above the provincial benchmark rate. Administration estimates that commitment would cost an extra $3.7 million in 2027, rising to $4.2 million in 2028 and $4.6 million in 2029, on top of the $3.5 million the City already contributes each year to the integrated model. Hyggen argues that health care is a provincial responsibility and that residents would effectively pay twice for EMS, once through provincial taxes and again through municipal taxes. Moving to a fire-only model carries its own costs, including a $600,000 transition expense in 2027, tax increases of 0.5% to 0.8% per year, and the loss of 70 EMS and support jobs. The Province has meanwhile ordered a third-party review of the benchmark rate, due by the end of September, and Lethbridge Firefighters union president Brent Nunweiler is urging Council to reconsider, saying he is "deeply disappointed" that Council is standing by a decision that puts integrated fire-based EMS at risk.
  
  
• In other Council news, at its meeting last Tuesday, City Council unanimously passed second and third readings of a borrowing bylaw for the Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion, authorizing the City to borrow up to $261 million for a period of no more than 20 years. Following public hearings, Council also passed the overhaul of the London Road Area Redevelopment Plan and a rezoning of 550 and 554 W T Hill Boulevard South. On the consent agenda, Council approved several Community Issues Committee recommendations, including confirming Council's confidence in the Lethbridge Public Library, a budget amendment for the Southern Alberta Art Gallery facility enhancement project, and the Triple M Housing application under the Business Development, Expansion and Retention Program. Council also gave first reading to a bylaw closing a road right-of-way next to 1521 7 Avenue South, with a public hearing set for September 15th at 3:00 pm. 
  
  
• The Lethbridge Police Service says a new community survey shows public confidence in the force is rising. The poll asked residents about their satisfaction with police, community safety, and where the focus of policing should be. Overall satisfaction with police came in at an 85% approval rating, and 83% of respondents said they feel safe in the city. Speaking at a news conference last week, Police Chief Shahin Mehdizadeh called community trust the biggest measure of the service's success and credited a strong public presence in the community for the rise in support.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

Eligible Alberta voters can now apply to vote by mail in the upcoming provincial referendums.

Special ballots are available to any eligible elector, including those who will be away during advance voting or on election day, and ballot packages will begin being sent out on September 1st.

Completed mail-in ballots must be received by Elections Alberta by 5:00 pm on October 16th, while advance voting runs from October 13th to 17th before election day on October 19th.

Learn more at the link below:

🪙 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!