Lethbridge Minute: Shelter Plans, Curbside Organics, and Police Commission Bylaw

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

This Week In Lethbridge:

• On Tuesday, at 1:30 pm, City Council will begin the public session of its meeting. On the agenda is the establishment of a permanent homeless shelter. This discussion comes after the provincial government pledged $1 million towards the shelter, provided the City has a suitable location and approvals in place, so the main question at the meeting will be determining the most appropriate location for the shelter. Council will also discuss other issues, including tax classes and subclasses. The meeting will conclude with a series of public hearings related to land use amendments.
  
  
• The Governance Standing Policy Committee will meet on Thursday at 1:30 pm. During the meeting, a presentation will be given about a proposed amendment to the Police Commission Bylaw. The amendment would change the process for appointing members of the Lethbridge Police Service, giving the Commission the power to appoint only the Chief of Police, whose appointment would then be ratified by City Council. The Committee will also hear a presentation on the implementation of a new electoral system (a precinct system) despite it going against the wishes of residents who voted in favour of a Ward system during the last election.
  
  
• A meeting of the Advocacy Advisory Committee, initially scheduled for Friday, has been cancelled on account of a lack of agenda items.

Last Week In Lethbridge:

• It was announced that the annual Lethbridge Home and Garden Show will not take place this year. BILD Lethbridge Region has opted to take the show in a new direction in 2024. According to the President of BILD, this year without the show will give event organizers more time to prepare for the 2024 event, which is set to be hosted at the yet-to-be-completed Agri-Food Hub and Trading Centre. BILD also hired Meibel Consulting, who produce shows like the Alberta Food & Beverage Expo, to help make the event a success when it returns in 2024.
  
  
• The City of Lethbridge has reported positive results from its curbside organics collection pilot project. Results showed that 78.1% of respondents were happy with the system. While feedback was mostly positive, some residents offered suggestions such as a bin cleaning service, no fee increases for the program, and more educational resources on proper bin use. The City plans to expand the program in the spring of 2023 by distributing green bins to single-family homes throughout the city and will include multi-family dwellings in the future. How do you think the program is going?
  
  
• Last Thursday, the Federal Minister for Prairie Economic Development, Dan Vandal, visited the Galt Museum in Lethbridge to announce the opening of a new PrairiesCan service location in the downtown area. Additionally, it was announced that six more regional offices will be established throughout the prairie provinces, with an allocation of $11 million in federal funding for projects in Southern Alberta.

-----

Donate:

Common Sense Lethbridge doesn't accept any government funding and never will. We think you should be free to choose, for yourself, which organizations to support. If you're in a position to contribute financially, you can make a donation here.

-----

Share:

If you're not in a position to donate, we understand, but if you appreciate our work, you can help by spreading our message. Please forward this email to your friends, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and help make sure every Lethbridgian knows what's really going on at City Hall.