August 2025 Mayor's Column

I want to begin this month by addressing the many, many calls, texts and emails I have received since the Whoop-Up Drive incident on August 6.

As our experts continue to analyze, monitor and plan next steps, on behalf of Lethbridge City Council, I want to thank our residents for their continued patience as we address these matters. We understand this is frustrating for motorists, especially those who live and commute to and from the westside daily.

As stated in our news release earlier this week, some of the top bridge experts in Canada have been engaged and have advised the City of Lethbridge that Whoop-Up Drive remains safe for motorists. This advice comes in response to damage sustained to four of the six steel bridge girders during an incident involving a flatbed trailer carrying heavy equipment that struck the underside of the Whoop-Up Drive bridge on August 6.

Since August 6, several incidents have been reported around unsafe driving in the impacted areas. While I understand the slowdown is an inconvenience, I am imploring drivers to please respect each other’s safety by following reduced speed limits and construction signage. Zipper merges remain in place on Whoop-Up Drive. Using a zipper merge helps traffic flow when there is a lane closure. See this video for reminders on how to properly navigate through a zipper merge.

Shifting gears from Whoop-Up Drive to Whoop-Up Days – I’m happy for the return of the Mayor’s Community Barbecue for its fourth year. With a direct tie-in to Lethbridge’s biggest festival, this event will take place on Tuesday, August 19, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. outside Lethbridge City Hall on 4 Avenue, following the Whoop-Up Days parade.

The first 1,000 people can enjoy a free burger or hot dog, chips and pop, as well as face painting for the kids. My good friend Trevor Panczak will again be performing a full concert on the steps of City Hall during the event and there will be a special appearance by Chanse Vigen, the 2025 Calgary Stampede chuckwagon champion. Thank you to VisitLethbridge.com for sponsoring Trevor’s performance and to South Country Co-op for sponsoring the barbecue.

This event was such a huge success in its first three years that I had to bring it back again. The feedback I have received has really lined up with my goal of making the barbecue and concert a real community celebration to focus on all the great positives we have going on in Lethbridge. I encourage you to avoid the post-parade traffic and come down to enjoy live entertainment and a free lunch.

If you’re looking for information on other pancake breakfasts and barbecues going on in the city, the Lethbridge & District Exhibition website has a list of community events.

Whoop-Up Days is truly one of my favourite weeks of the year in our city. I look forward to seeing our community come out in large numbers for the parade on Tuesday morning, then for the rest of the week at the midway, rodeo and concerts. I encourage everyone to come check out all the fun activities, as well as to explore the fantastic Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre. Advance kudos to all the staff and organizers at Lethbridge & District Exhibition for putting together the 2025 edition of Whoop-Up Days.

This next topic slid a bit under the radar last week, but the City of Lethbridge is moving forward with critical upgrades to its Water Treatment Plant. This phase begins thanks in part to a $9.2 million grant from the Province of Alberta. This investment is a major win for our community. It protects our water, helps support future growth and meets the needs of residents, businesses and industry. And the best part – there’s no increase to residential water rates for this phase.

Thanks to Nathan Neudorf, Minister of Affordability and Utilities and MLA for Lethbridge-East, and Dan Williams, Minister of Municipal Affairs, for the Provincial-level contribution to this vital project.

The increased capacity is especially important for the region’s thriving agri-food and manufacturing sectors. The Water Treatment Plant runs 24 hours a day. It serves more than 133,000 southern Albertans across 10 municipalities.

The first phase includes two major projects: a new high-capacity clarifier to back up older equipment, as well as electrical upgrades to swap out aging equipment and add extra power sources. Both projects ensure the plant can keep working smoothly, even during unexpected problems. Phase one of construction is scheduled to begin later this month, with completion planned for December 2027. The City will continue to explore funding options, including with the Government of Alberta, to support future phases of expansion.

In some other great news last month, it was reported that our overall Crime Severity Index (CSI) number for the 2024 reporting period was down nearly 19 per cent from the year before. And while there will still be work to do in Lethbridge to keep our numbers dropping even further, we are very pleased with the way we are trending in the right direction.

Safety is a result of more than just police and enforcement, of course. So, on that note, I do want to thank our Community Social Development (CSD) department for their role regarding public safety in the community. Their work with our local social service providers, the Encampment Strategy, the Municipal Housing Strategy, the Community Wellbeing and Safety Strategy, the Building Safer Communities Fund and our Community Safety Strategy Committee, which will be providing some updates later this year, is something to be commended.

Lethbridge City Council and City of Lethbridge staff care deeply about the wellness of our community and public safety will always be our top priority. I want to thank Chief Shahin Medizadeh and Deputy Chief Gerald Grobmeier for their leadership. I look at our police service and the work that they do, and I want to make sure that I give a shout-out to each one of them because it’s not easy.

The Lethbridge Police Commission recently announced the extension of Chief Mehdizadeh’s contract until August 2029. Since his appointment in 2020, LPS has strengthened its commitment to community safety, accountability and public trust. Through Chief Mehdizadeh’s leadership, LPS has also included a focus on community engagement, proactive policing strategies, and the successful implementation of data-driven initiatives. Congratulations, Chief!

Economic development is a core part of being a municipality, with Lethbridge City Council having an essential role in providing good governance and ample opportunities for businesses to succeed. Late last month, City Council approved funding to provide temporary resources to complete and implement its Economic Development Strategy. Funding this strategy will allow Administration to move faster through the work and to be less reliant on outside funding sources.

We also recently released an updated one-page graphic, based on data sourced from each municipality directly, that shows how Lethbridge ranks within the 23 largest municipalities in Alberta for:

• Average cost of a single-family home (10 out of 23)
• Annual property tax on median value single-family home (14 out of 23)
• Annual residential combined utility charges (lowest in Alberta)

The combination of these factors continue to make the cost of living in Lethbridge very attractive.

As always, please be safe and kind to one another.