Lethbridge Minute: Police Demotions, Teddy Bears, and a Doctor Shortage Plan

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

This Week In Lethbridge:

• Council is set to get down to business this week with two meetings scheduled. This is the second-to-last meeting until the new year as Council gets set to recess for Christmas break.
  
  
• Today there will be a Special Meeting of Council at 1:00 pm. However, there’s not much to report as the single item on the agenda is a closed item with no information available.
  
  
• On Wednesday, there will be a meeting of the Audit Committee at 1:30 pm. At this meeting, the Committee will elect a Chair and Vice-Chair, receive a presentation from Derek Taylor, a partner at KPMG, on the roles and duties of the Audit Committee, and discuss several confidential items including an organizational review and employee training update, and hold a private session with auditors.

Last Week In Lethbridge:

• Two Lethbridge Police Officers have been demoted for one year following guilty pleas to misconduct charges earlier this month. The misconduct dates back to an incident in July 2018, when a private group chat was created through WhatsApp. The group chat, dubbed "the meme militia," was used for sharing texts and images that breached LPS policy. One meme named a political figure and garnered widespread media attention that ultimately harmed the reputation of LPS.
  
  
• The growing doctor shortage was the top item at the Cultural and Social Standing Policy Committee on Wednesday. The Committee unanimously approved a resolution calling on the City Manager to continue developing an action plan to bring to City Council. Although there seems to be no shortage of finger-pointing concerning this issue, the ongoing doctor shortage in Lethbridge isn’t new and seems to be a combination of factors including doctors choosing to leave the City coupled with a dismal recruitment strategy. Representatives from Alberta Health Services and the Chinook Primary Care Network noted that 20–30 physicians are needed in the Lethbridge area.
  
  
• The Lethbridge Hurricanes’ annual Toque and Teddy toss returned for the first time in more than two years. Fans packed the Enmax Centre Friday night and when the first goal was scored, thousands of toques and teddy bears rained down from the stands onto the ice. Donations that were collected will be split up between 15 different community organizations.

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