August 2026 Mayor's Column

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

Mid-August in Lethbridge means it’s time for Whoop-Up Days and the return of the Mayor’s Community Barbecue, for its fifth year! With a direct tie-in to our city’s biggest festival, this event will take place on Tuesday, August 18, 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. Thank you to VisitLethbridge.com for sponsoring Trevor’s performance and to South Country Co-op for sponsoring the barbecue.

As added attractions this year, we are bringing Indigenous dancers to perform, plus the grail of Canadian football – the Grey Cup – will be here on display! Come get your photo taken with the trophy!

This event was such a huge success in its first four 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 Excite Lethbridge 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 Lethbridge Trade and Convention Centre. Advance kudos to all the staff and organizers at Excite Lethbridge for putting together the 2026 edition of Whoop-Up Days.

There has been lots of chatter and commentary in the community again about the future of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Lethbridge due to changes in the Provincial funding model. Rightly so.

But to further correct the record of some misinformation being spread – let me again be crystal clear: I have stated repeatedly that I support keeping Lethbridge’s Integrated Fire and EMS system. So do my colleagues on City Council. Read my latest Mayor’s statement here and review my May 2026 column here. Public safety will always be Lethbridge City Council’s top priority.

On that note, public confidence in the Lethbridge Police Service is also at its highest level in recent years, according to the recent release of 2026 Community Survey results. The survey interviewed Lethbridge residents and measured public satisfaction, perceptions of policing, community safety and policing priorities.

Overall satisfaction with LPS reached 85 per cent – the highest result recorded in the past four surveys – with respondents expressing increased confidence in the service's ability to meet community expectations, deliver professional policing and respond effectively to public safety.

Respondents also reported a significant improvement in perceptions of safety across the community. In coincidental timing, the latest Stats Canada’s Crime Severity Index (CSI) numbers were also released last month. Even with a slight CSI increase in 2025 from 2024, a slim 1.87 per cent, I firmly believe we continue to trend in the right direction.

Chief Shahin Medizadeh noted that our overall crime was down 13 per cent. To me, this is the most important number to focus on. The CSI small bump was due to a few isolated incidents in 2025, as well as an increase in crimes being solved. This is great news for our community.

I want to thank our Chief 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. We will continue our collective efforts to keep Lethbridge a safe and welcoming community. The recent crime stats reinforce our positive direction.

I was pleased to attend a groundbreaking event last week in advance of the significant transformation coming to downtown Lethbridge’s Southern Alberta Art Gallery (SAAG). 

The SAAG Facilities Enhancement project is part of the City of Lethbridge 2022 – 2031 Capital Improvement Program. This revitalization will transform existing interior spaces and add new indoor and outdoor amenities. The project supports Lethbridge City Council’s Strategic Plan by advancing priorities connected to a culturally vibrant city. It is an important investment in downtown revitalization and the community’s cultural infrastructure. We’re proud to support this initiative that will serve our community for generations to come.

We are grateful for the significant investments from our provincial and federal partners. Those funds have reduced the cost to local taxpayers​​ to slightly more than six per cent of the total project budget. 

I have seen a few uninformed roasts in the Herald this week, as well as some online commentary, suggesting that City taxpayers paid the full $7.7 million. They then ask why we couldn’t use this money for EMS. To further clarify to those who choose to omit key details on both separate topics:

• The SAAG funding breakdown is clearly stated in the news release
• The City of Lethbridge’s funding contribution is $469,000, approved in the last CIP budget (which was in 2021, before the current EMS issue), as linked earlier
• These provincial and federal grants are tied directly to specific areas (details in the release link) and can’t be used as a general fund
• I wrote about the latest EMS update earlier in this column. For full background and clarity, visit our Get Involved Lethbridge webpage on the topic

As part of my Listening to Lethbridge series, I recently enjoyed great conversations at Little Nicaragua Coffee Shop. A big thank you to everyone who took the time to stop by and share their thoughts, ideas and concerns. These informal conversations are a valuable way to hear directly from residents and learn what's important to our community.

My next Listening to Lethbridge session will be at Lavenza Cafe, located at 812 3rd Avenue South. Meet me there on Sunday, August 16, at 2 p.m. Come join me for some constructive conversation.

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