Lethbridge Minute: Transit Ridership, Credential Funding, and Social Services Recommendations

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

This Week In Lethbridge:

• Today, at 9:30 am, there will be a meeting of the Economic Standing Policy Committee. The agenda features more than a dozen presentations from various groups as part of the Community Groups 2023-2026 Budget Presentations for Grants & Fees for Service. Groups presenting include the Spitz Stadium Society, Economic Development Lethbridge, Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden, and the Southern Alberta Art Gallery among others.
  
  
• On Tuesday, there will be a City Council meeting at 1:30 pm. City Administration will give presentations regarding the 2023-2026 operating budgets for three areas - the Waste & Recycling Utility, Electric Utility, and the Water and Wastewater Utilities. Council will also give second and third reading to a bylaw that designates the Oliver Block (316-5 Street South) as a Municipal Historic Resource.
  
  
• There will be a second meeting of the Economic Standing Policy Committee on Wednesday at 9:30 am. At this meeting, the Committee will hear 2023-2026 budget presentations from the City’s Boards and Commissions, including a presentation from the Lethbridge Police Commission, the Lethbridge Public Library, the YMCA of Lethbridge, and more. The Governance Standing Policy Committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday at 1:30 pm to discuss a Community Engagement Program that can be used in preparing a new Operating Budget Initiative and the Reconciliation Lethbridge Advisory Committee.

Last Week In Lethbridge:

• Lethbridge Transit reported a 53% increase in ridership as students returned to class for a COVID-restriction-free semester. The average weekday ridership rose from 3,042 in 2020 to 6,126 in 2022. The City noted in a press release that, as ridership increases, Lethbridge Transit is expected to make some minor adjustments to routes.
  
  
• At last week's meeting of the Cultural and Social Standing Policy Committee, the Social Services Integration Group laid out a list of recommendations for identifying appropriate location criteria for social services within the city. Among the recommendations was to look at refining definitions in the land use bylaw when it comes to sites like healing lodges and permanent supportive housing. The Committee passed a resolution to have the recommendations referred to Administration for more robust analysis and response by March 2023.
  
  
• The Province announced $8 million in funding for the creation of micro-credential programs at the post-secondary level. Lethbridge College and the University of Lethbridge will receive $376,150 and $838,750 respectively. The College will be developing five new programs over the next two years including Indigenous Policing, Introduction to Game Design, and Trades Math. The University is not yet certain which programs will be offered.

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