Lethbridge Minute: Surgical Capacity, Hockey Funding, and a School Choice Event

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

This Week In Lethbridge:

• A meeting of the Governance Standing Policy Committee is scheduled for Thursday at 1:30 pm. The Committee will receive a presentation regarding options for increasing the efficiency of Council and its Standing Policy Committees' governance process. The Committee will also consider a motion from Council to prohibit the installation of election signs within the public road right-of-way as well as look at whether or not to formalize the Historic Places Advisory Committee’s status as a Committee of Council. A meeting of the Advocacy Advisory Committee is scheduled for Friday at 1:30 pm. Deputy Mayor Middleton-Hope will speak on the subject of a basic income. The Committee will also consider an application by the Alberta Midsized City Mayors’ Caucus for a grant from the Alberta Community Partnership – Strategic Initiatives program.
  
  
• Tonight, the Alberta Institute and Alberta Proud are holding the next event on the “Can’t Stop Alberta Tour” in Lethbridge. Two expert panels will discuss the economy, affordability, inflation, jobs, and our energy industry, as well as municipal governance, downtown safety, and the future of our cities. Mayor Blaine Hyggen and our own Ronnie DeGagne from Common Sense Lethbridge will be speaking on the second panel. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased by clicking here. Get them soon because there are capacity limits.
  
  
• On Saturday, April 29th, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the Lethbridge Public Library, the Alberta Parents’ Union team will be hosting a discussion about school choice and other pressing issues in education. They will be dispelling some school choice myths and speaking about the changes needed to protect and strengthen school choice. The event is free, but RSVPs are required due to capacity limits. Click here to register.

Last Week In Lethbridge:

• Alberta’s Minister of Infrastructure, Nathan Neudorf, made an announcement regarding the expansion of surgical capacity at Chinook Regional Hospital as part of the Alberta Surgical Initiative Capital Program. There will be five new surgical in-patient rooms and two operating rooms will be increasing in size. Redevelopment should be complete in Fall 2024 and is expected to create around 80 construction jobs.
  
  
• Premier Danielle Smith spoke at the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce and took questions from the local business community. The Premier's discussion primarily revolved around the factors that have been affecting southern Alberta's economy, with a significant focus on the Highway 3 twinning project. Business leaders shared their concerns with the Premier, which included continued pandemic recovery and increasing the amount of skilled labour available in the city.
  
  
• The Downtown Lethbridge Business Revitalization Zone (BRZ) requested financial and logistical support from the City to host the PlayOn! Canada Street Hockey Festival for three consecutive years, starting in 2024. A Council Committee approved $150,000 cash and $60,000 in in-kind donations over three years from the Major Community Event Grant budget, provided that the BRZ secures provincial and/or federal funding for the event. The festival will be a two-day event held in May, with an estimated 70 participating street hockey teams.

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