City Council has approved a move on Tuesday, that saves more than $1.4 million in loan interest and initiates next steps in meeting the new provincially mandated recycling regulations.

City Council was provided an update from administration on the limited funding available in the next Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and the planning challenges that lie ahead.

With today being March 11, 3-1-1 day, it has now been six years since the City of Lethbridge launched its 311 service for the community.

The City of Lethbridge was pleased last week to learn about a specific area of the 2025 Alberta Budget: the restoration of Grants in Place of Taxes (GIPOT). Properties belonging to the Government of Alberta are exempt from municipal taxation. To account for this, municipalities are paid a GIPOT on eligible properties within their boundaries. Starting in 2025-26, GIPOT funding will be paid to municipalities at 75 per cent of the property tax amount that would be owed, equal to $55 million. Next year it will increase to 100 per cent.  

I was pleased to attend yesterday’s budget announcement in Edmonton, on behalf of Lethbridge City Council. One of our biggest priorities remains the need for future expansion plans for water and wastewater, so it was encouraging to see that Budget 2025 allocates $520 million across three years to support small and mid-sized municipalities in building or enhancing drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.  

Seniors, women, children, families, vulnerable individuals and new immigrants looking for housing may soon have more options in Lethbridge. Through the Affordable and Social Housing Capital Fund, Lethbridge City Council on Tuesday conditionally approved several capital funding requests that would result in the development of 112 housing units, 82 of which would be held at affordable rates. 

Lethbridge City Council has re-committed its opposition to any and all coal developments that risk damage to the Oldman Watershed.

With winter conditions expected to persist over the next month, Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services urges residents to stay off frozen waterways. 

Unstable ice poses a serious risk. Lethbridge’s fluctuating temperatures and frequent Chinook winds can cause rapid changes in ice thickness, making frozen water surfaces extremely dangerous. 

Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) sector members using City of Lethbridge water are invited to discuss proposed Scaling Water Rates. The City is hosting two open houses, in the Culver Meeting Room at City Hall, on Monday, March 3 from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.