Lethbridge Minute: Water Agreements, Administrative Inquiries, and Tourism Numbers Rebounding

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

This Week In Lethbridge:

• On Tuesday, there will be a City Council meeting at 12:30 pm. Councillor Crowson and Councillor Schmidt-Rempel will formally inquire with Administration as to the City’s industrial land attraction plan, and Councillor Carlson will inquire as to the status of the missing section of the 7th Street South Protected Bike Lane between 5th and 6th Avenues South connecting 4th Avenue South and 7th Avenue South. There are three confidential reports on the agenda as well - one regarding the U-Pass and two relating to lease agreements.
  
  
• The Downtown Lawlessness Reduction Task Force will meet on Thursday at 7:30 am. The agenda includes several submissions, including one regarding the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Grant.
  
  
• Later in the day, at 1:30 pm, the Governance Standing Policy Committee will convene. The agenda includes a submission regarding an update to the Heart of Our City Committee Terms of Reference as well as a presentation on advocacy surrounding Reaching Home funding.

Last Week In Lethbridge:

• Tourism Lethbridge said that 2023 was a good year and expressed optimism for continued growth. Despite a 51.4% decrease in economic impact compared to 2022, there were positive trends, like a 28.3% rise in attendance at local events, a 32.8% increase in airport travelers, and an additional 5.6% uptick in highway traffic. The economic impact of events in the city last year exceeded $18.9 million. Earlier this month, Travel Alberta reported that province-wide tourism had rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. 
  
  
• Speaking of events, it was announced that Lethbridge will host two major curling championships in 2025 - the U SPORTS/Curling Canada Canadian University Championships and the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association/Curling Canada Canadian College Championships.
  
  
• The City of Lethbridge has agreed to take proactive steps to reduce water usage in anticipation of potential drought conditions, signing on to a 10% reduction in water use as part of water-sharing agreements, with voluntary conservation measures already in place for residents. Measures under the Water Conservation Plan may be implemented by early-to-mid May, affecting agricultural water usage based on snowpack data and water levels. Lethbridge County and Medicine Hat are also part of these efforts to save water.

-----

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.