Lethbridge Minute: Leadership Change, Shelter Operations, and Two Interesting Events

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

This Week In Lethbridge:

• The Downtown Lawlessness Reduction Task Force will meet on Thursday at 7:30 am. The Task Force will have an in-camera (in secret) strategic planning discussion. The Governance Standing Policy Committee will meet on Thursday at 1:30 pm. The Committee will discuss a request from the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden Society to rename the Visitor Centre as the “Yanoshita Centre” and to rename the Pavilion located in the Garden as the “Kumakura Pavilion”. The Committee will also hear an update on the Lethbridge Reconciliation Advisory Committee.
  
  
• There are also two excellent events happening this week. First, our friends at Project Confederation are hosting an Alberta Pension Plan town hall on Thursday night at 6:00 pm at Hudsons. Josh Andrus, Executive Director of Project Confederation, will be providing information, answering questions, addressing concerns, and gathering feedback for potential improvements. The event is free, but registration is required. Click here to RSVP.
  
  
• The second event is one of our own - Common Sense Lethbridge is hosting a Pints & Politics event on Friday night at 6:00 pm at Hudsons. We're going to keep things simple and just have some casual drinks, with no formal agenda, as an opportunity for everyone to get together with like-minded Lethbridgians. Come out and meet the Common Sense Lethbridge team. The event is free, but registration is required due to capacity limits. You can RSVP by clicking here. Hope to see you all there!

Last Week In Lethbridge:

• The Province signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Blood Tribe Department of Health (BTDH) to continue the operation of the Lethbridge shelter. Previously managed by Alpha House for three years, the BTDH took over the shelter's operation in early 2023. As part of the MOU, the Province is providing a $4 million capital grant to support the shelter's expansion through the Lethbridge Housing Authority, and the City of Lethbridge is contributing $1.4 million for the property transfer. The shelter's capacity will increase from approximately 120 to over 200 shelter spaces and at least 30 stabilization spaces, with expanded services including social benefits, healthcare, addiction treatment, and housing connections.
  
  
• The Lethbridge and District Exhibition has undergone a change in leadership following the Province’s approval of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Exhibition and the City. The MOU led to the replacement of the existing Board of Governors with a new one, including members from the City of Lethbridge and Lethbridge County. Kim Gallucci, General Manager of ENMAX Centre, has been named the Interim CEO, with Co-Chairs Lloyd Brierley (Lethbridge City Manager) and Cole Beck (Lethbridge County Chief Administrative Officer).
  
  
• The Lethbridge Police Service said it is implementing the CompStat system to enhance the management of prolific offenders and optimize resource deployment for crime reduction. CompStat utilizes analytics to identify high-crime areas and prolific offenders, to allocate police resources. By targeting hotspot areas and addressing a small group responsible for a significant portion of crimes, LPS aims to reduce crime rates in the city as part of a four-year strategic plan.

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