Lethbridge Minute: Public Hearings, COVID Rules, and Recreation's Impact On Climate Change

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

This Week In Lethbridge:

• There's another busy week ahead for Council this week, starting with a Public Hearing on the Municipal Development Plan. This Public Hearing is set to meet at 4:00 pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to receive a variety of presentations from the City's Manager of Planning and Development and City staff followed by public submissions.
  
  
• Also on Wednesday, there will be a meeting of the Audit Committee at 1:30 pm. The Committee will receive information from the Integrity Commissioner, review Draft Annual Financial Statements, review Audit Findings, and several other technical items. All these items will be held in secret, however.
  
  
• Finally, also on Thursday, there will be a meeting of the Civic Works Standing Policy Committee at 1:30 pm. The Committee will receive presentations and information from the City's Transportation Engineer, Corporate Sustainability Manager, and Parks Manager.

Last Week In Lethbridge:

• On Monday, the Province announced Alberta would not be moving to Step 3 of the government's reopening plan, despite the Province being below the 300 hospitalizations threshold required for Step 3 for quite some time. The Province cited the spread of variants as their justification, and have since suggested that restrictions may even have to be increased again. It's true that since the announcement cases have risen slightly, but hospitalization numbers have actually dropped. When are we going to start following the actual data, rather than models and predictions? If you haven't signed our petition to Reopen Lethbridge yet, you can do so here.
  
  
• Council voted 7-2 to defeat a rezoning application for 110 13 Street South to allow for a drop-in center, food bank, resource center, shelter, and soup kitchen, as permitted uses, to be operated as part of a merger between the Mustard Seed and the Lethbridge Soup Kitchen. The Mustard Seed announced they would be leaving Lethbridge, at least for now, following Council's decision.
  
  
• Council also voted unanimously to adopt the City's Recreation and Culture Master Plan. The City claims the plan will result in significant efficiencies being realized and commended itself on ensuring the Master Plan "aligned with city priorities". In case you hadn't already guessed where this was going, one of the priorities is "ensuring the master plan addressed the potential impacts that Recreation and Culture programs and services can have on climate change". You can't make this stuff up.

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