Lethbridge Minute: Parking Changes, Water Consumption, and a Tourism Initiative Launched

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

This Week In Lethbridge:

• The Downtown Lawlessness Reduction Task Force will meet on Thursday morning at 7:30 am. The Task Force will receive three presentations, one from the Lethbridge Police Service, another from Fire and EMS Service, and the third from Community and Social Development. There will also be a confidential discussion related to the Task Force’s strategic planning.
  
  
• Also on Thursday, at 1:30 pm, there will be a meeting of the Economic and Finance Standing Policy Committee. The Committee will hear a presentation regarding upgrades to the Water Treatment Plant, and another regarding asset management. There will also be a closed session to discuss the disposition of surplus City of Lethbridge assets, a tax cancellation request under compassionate grounds, and a lease agreement.
  
  
• Lethbridge residents should notice some changes to parking, like new enforcement hours from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm on weekdays, a paid parking top-up grace period increase from three minutes to seven, and a longer early payment reduction period. There will also be some new, free parking days coming this year.

Last Week In Lethbridge:

• Tourism Lethbridge has launched a new market readiness program in collaboration with the SouthGrow Regional Initiative and the Alberta SouthWest Regional Alliance. The program is designed to get 15 southern Alberta tourism businesses ready for the challenges of hosting travelers. It focuses on the capacity to serve large tour groups through the implementation of things like efficient point-of-sale systems, ample parking, accessible washroom facilities, and clear signage. The program also emphasizes working collaboratively with other tourism businesses. The initiative is in response to the Sustainable Journeys Prairies to Pacific Corridor tour by Destination Canada, promoting Highway 3 as a national and international tourist attraction. Funding for the program is provided by the Government of Canada's Tourism Relief Fund and the Government of Alberta's Northern and Regional Economic Development Program. Quite why taxpayers should be subsidizing point-of-sale machines and such for private businesses was not explained.
  
  
• Lethbridge's residential water consumption, ranked among the highest in Alberta after Coaldale and Medicine Hat, was discussed at the Assets and Infrastructure Standing Policy Committee. Lethbridge residents use 232 liters of water per capita per day, surpassing Calgary and significantly exceeding Edmonton. Administration emphasized the urgency of water conservation, especially with forecasts indicating a high chance of continuing warm, dry conditions.
  
  
• A City Committee recommended continuing with the micro-mobility program after the pilot project with Neuron concludes. The pilot was deemed successful, with Neuron making expansions into the north side and the river valley. Concerns about improperly parked e-scooters and e-bikes, as well as riding on sidewalks, were initially raised but were largely addressed within the first few months. The recommendation to extend the program will still need to go through City Council for approval, and an application process will be implemented for potential service providers if the program proceeds.

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