As the glorious summer weather starts to creep to the cooler side of the thermometer, many residents are getting back into the swing of school, work and routines. For City of Lethbridge operations staff though, it's been a busy summer of planting, mowing, paving, call taking, and waste disposal.

As many in the city take part in Reconciliation Week, a unique media partnership will ensure the story of what reconciliation in our community looks like is told for more than just one week a year. The City of Lethbridge is proud to partner with Global News Lethbridge and the Lethbridge Herald in a monthly update with experts from the community on what reconciliation looks like within our community.

​When Kathryn Linder headed off to work on July 14 it was a normal Thursday. She had no idea that a traumatic hostage taking at her office would leave her gravely injured with her survival in the hands of police officers, paramedics and a hospital trauma team.

​The arrival of the Labour Day weekend means the unofficial end of summer. It can, however, also be a time to look back at a summertime that featured a full return of happening events in Downtown Lethbridge.

Thank you, Lethbridge! Following the parade on Tuesday, Mayor Blaine Hyggen celebrated the return of Whoop-Up Days with the first Mayor's Community Barbecue. Thanks to a group of sponsors, 1,300 people outside Lethbridge City Hall on 4 Avenue were fed a free lunch.

​When staff at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo wanted to learn about the Japanese-style pruning for their Exploration Asia exhibit, they reached out to Cody Fong, Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden (NYJG) Foreman with the City of Lethbridge. Soon after, the opportunity to set up an internship on Japanese-style pruning was created.

​The Lethbridge Fire Department has deep-rooted history in the community. For context, Lethbridge was incorporated as a town in 1890 and as a city in 1906 – 20 years after LFD's origins in 1886. In July 1886, the Steamship Alberta was docked for the last time in the Lethbridge river valley and the bell was then taken and hung up downtown as the combined fire/curfew bell. Now, 136 years later, a recent addition to the LFD fleet downtown features throwback looks to honour their distinguished past.

​Nearly two decades ago, as Lethbridge grew in size and the scope of work required to complete the job of recording residents water usage increased, water meter reading shifted from City of Lethbridge operations and was awarded to a contractor. As water meter technology has advanced over the years, it's provided an opportunity to bring this work back under the City's Water Waste Water operations which has created three new full-time Customer Serviceman roles as of April this year. 

​The ability to explore City of Lethbridge facilities will soon be in the hands of the students of Dr. Robert Plaxton Elementary School – literally! Several Virtual Reality (VR) experience videos are in development so students can learn about City facilities without even leaving their classroom.

​Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services (LFES) hosted the Nozzle Forward program in collaboration with other fire departments across Alberta and Saskatchewan. For the past decade, this two-day, 20-hour program has been one of the most sought after fire training programs in North America as it emphasizes efficiency through modern firefighting techniques.