Council Advocacy

Our Goal:

Phase 1: Secure capital funding to increase the capacity of the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant by 20 ML/day (to 60 ML/day from 40 ML/day). 

Phase 2: Secure additional capital funding to complete significant lifecycle upgrades to existing plant assets not directly associated with plant expansion, but based on asset condition, criticality, and remaining useful life. 

Phase 3: Long-term growth subject to long-term demand, development of a new treatment train or construction of a net new greenfield WWTP. This would only proceed if supported by separate planning study that shows demonstrated demand. 

The Facts:

• On peak days, the wastewater treatment demand exceeds 90% of the current design capacity of the system.
• Future growth and economic development opportunities depend on Lethbridge increasing its wastewater treatment capacity.
• Opportunities in the agri-food sector have exceptionally high demands for wastewater.
• The City’s wastewater system supports regional economic growth with 20% of the wastewater received at the plant coming from regional partners.

Our Goal:

Phase 1: Secure capital funding to increase the capacity of the City’s Water Treatment Plant by 30 ML/day (to 180 ML/day). 

Phase 2: Secure additional capital funding to increase capacity by a further 70 ML/day (to 250 ML/day from 180 ML/day).

The Facts:

• On peak days, water demand exceeds 90% of the current design capacity of the system.
• Future growth and economic development opportunities depend on Lethbridge increasing its water treatment capacity.
• Opportunities in the agri-food sector have exceptionally high demands for water.
• The City’s water system supports regional economic growth with 20% of our treated water going to regional partners.

Our Goal:

Have the Government of Alberta replace the existing 2-lane eastbound Highway 3 bridge over the Oldman River with a 4-lane bridge (to enable 3-lane divided traffic in each direction) and improve the interchanges at Highway 3 and Bridge Drive, with construction starting in 2028.

The Facts:

• Highway 3 is a provincially owned and managed corridor, and we appreciate the planning and preliminary work Alberta Transportation continues to advance to keep this critical route functioning safely and efficiently.
• We encourage Alberta Transportation to move from planning to implementation by acting on the long‑standing recommendations in the 2009 AECOM report.
• The Highway 3 bridge is a key link in Alberta’s agri-food corridor, strengthening trade and enabling continued economic growth in southern Alberta.
• Lethbridge serves as the regional hub for southern Alberta, and the Highway 3 bridge is the primary link connecting thousands of commuters every day. Modernizing this route benefits multiple municipalities and supports regional growth.
• Collision rates along the Highway 3 bridge corridor are more than double those on the Whoop‑Up Drive crossing, underscoring the need for targeted safety and capacity improvements.
• Highway 3 is a key connector in case of emergencies on the west side of Lethbridge, and implementing upgrades will improve emergency response reliability and enhance safety and access for motorists and pedestrians.

Our Goal:

Restore provincial funding allocations for capital infrastructure to an adequate level that ensures the City of Lethbridge can meet essential infrastructure needs.

The Facts:

• The City of Lethbridge continues to face budget pressures for capital investment in the community. The City’s 10-year capital plan (2022-2031) includes more than $259M of unfunded capital projects that put pressure on our ability to maintain essential infrastructure, support community safety, growth, and long-term economic competitiveness.
• The City also needs to expand its Water and Wastewater systems to meet growing demands in the city and surrounding region.
• To support growth, increased and predictable LGFF funding is essential.
• The LGFF Capital funding allocation for Lethbridge is projected to average $13.3 million annually (2022-2031), which is 37% less than the previous decade.

Our Goal:

Collaborate with the Government of Alberta to improve funding frameworks and reverse provincial policy changes that have reduced municipal funding offsets.

The Facts:

• Traffic Fine Revenue: The reduction in the municipal share of traffic fine and penalty revenue has created an ongoing budget pressure of approximately $2.2 million, which the City will need to address in future budget cycles, potentially through increases to property taxes. This pressure is a direct result of recent provincial changes to Traffic Safety Act enforcement revenue distribution.
• Grant in Place of Taxes (GIPOT): Proposed Budget 2026 will restore GIPOT funding to 100% of 2019 levels in the 2026-27 fiscal year. Moving forward GIPOT should be indexed, as it currently remains fixed at 2019 levels.
• Bill 20: The changes brought by the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, such as the full exemption of non-profit subsidized affordable housing from property taxation, will have an estimated ongoing annual impact to the City of more than $270,000.   

Our Goal:

Strengthen Alberta’s FCSS funding program so municipalities can reliably deliver prevention-focused supports that keep pace with community needs, population growth, and rising service pressures.

The Facts:

• In Lethbridge, demand for FCSS-funded prevention programs is significantly outpacing available resources. In our 2023 Call for Proposals, 25 organizations submitted 37 proposals requesting more than $4.5 million annually, but we were only able to fund $2.7. million (about 60% of the need).
• Even modest, incremental increases to FCSS funding would make a meaningful difference, locally. We have evidence-informed programs that we are currently unable to support; not because they don’t work but because funding hasn’t kept pace with Alberta’s growth, inflation and increasing complexity of needs. This has shifted costs to municipalities and put prevention programs at risk.
• FCSS works because it is legislated, outcomes focused, cost shared, and puts local decision making at the municipal level, where gaps are best understood. From our perspective, it’s one of the strongest examples of an effective provincial–municipal partnership.
• By not investing in locally driven prevention programming, the province is missing a critical opportunity to bend the cost curve on already stretched systems such as healthcare, emergency services, and policing.

Our Goal:

Advance a shared responsibility funding partnership with the province and federal government to support programs that address social disorder in public spaces and currently require more than $2.5 million annually in municipal funding.

The Facts:

• The City’s homelessness reduction and community safety programs are having a positive impact with a reported 3% year-over-year decrease in homelessness in 2025. This is the first recorded drop in local homelessness since counts began in 2014. 
• The City of Lethbridge believes in supporting a clean and safe environment for all community members in all public spaces.
• Provincially-, federally- and municipally-funded programs that keep our community clean and safe support our local economy.
• The operational capacity of existing programs that address cleanliness or safety concerns is often insufficient to meet high demand for such services.

Our Goal:

Advocate for the increased provision of predictable capital and operational funding for the development of additional supportive housing units in Lethbridge, with appropriate supports for high acuity individuals and needs.

The Facts:

• The housing continuum in Lethbridge has critical gaps, the most dire being shortages of capacity and options for supportive housing.
• Increased investment in supportive housing can support individuals with the highest needs by providing a pathway out of homelessness and emergency shelters.
• Investing in supportive housing produces a return on investment by reducing the use of emergency services and impacts of social disorder.

Our Goal:

Extend and secure multi-year provincial funding to maintain affordable, accessible low-income transit support.

The Facts:

• Low-income transit funding enables affordable and accessible transit, which removes economic and social barriers for individuals. 
• This funding makes it affordable for program users to access jobs, education, health care, community resources and government services.
• The City of Lethbridge faces growing financial pressure to sustain a low-income transit pass program and requires an ongoing funding commitment from the province.