City of Lethbridge brings together regional municipal partners for infrastructure summit

Regional partnership, knowledge-sharing and breaking down silos were key takeaways from the City of Lethbridge’s first Infrastructure Services Regional Summit this week. 

The initiative traces back to the fall of 2025, when City of Lethbridge officials visited municipalities across the region to begin conversations about shared infrastructure needs and opportunities for closer collaboration. Those early discussions helped identify common challenges and laid the groundwork for a more coordinated, regional approach—ultimately leading to the creation of this week’s summit. 

“We wanted to bring our municipal neighbours together to better understand how we can work collaboratively on the shared challenges and projects we all face in our daily operations,” says Joel Sanchez, Director of Infrastructure Services. “We heard many innovative approaches and ideas related to maintaining fleet vehicles, waste and recycling collection, and saving money through coordinated purchasing of municipal resources. Events like this allow our neighbours across the region to build stronger connections while finding opportunities to make public dollars go further.” 

“When municipalities collaborate regionally, they create stronger economic corridors that benefit industry and business,” says Lloyd Brierley, City Manager. “This fosters a more predictable, efficient and opportunity-rich environment in which businesses can invest, grow and operate.” 

More than 50 infrastructure specialists and chief administrative officers (CAOs) from Claresholm to Cardston attended the Summit, which included tours of the City’s water and wastewater treatment plants. 

“I think every municipality is facing similar challenges related to budget pressures and not wanting to download those pressures to taxpayers,” says Dustin Yanke, Director of Infrastructure for the Town of Coaldale. “We’re always looking for solutions, so hearing about the wins other partners are finding and sharing those successes across the region helps us grow stronger together.” 

Regional collaboration was the focus of the summit’s keynote address, delivered by Dr. Brad Donaldson, President and CEO of Lethbridge Polytechnic. Earlier this month, the Polytechnic joined a historic collaborative agreement with the University of Lethbridge, Red Crow Community College and Medicine Hat College. The agreement aims to create a shared vision for the future of higher education in southern Alberta. 

“In many ways, collaboration becomes even more important when resources are tight,” says Donaldson. “When resources are tight, duplication is more expensive. Silos are more expensive. Protectiveness is more expensive. In that context, collaboration is not a luxury — it is a strategy. It’s how we do more with less, not by asking people to simply work harder, but by asking organizations to work smarter, together.” 

That message resonated strongly with Anthony Burdett, CAO of Fort Macleod. 

“I really appreciate the regional approach to these discussions, because everyone here is in the same boat,” says Burdett. “We understand our purpose as municipalities and the services we must provide, but that doesn’t mean we have to deliver them in the same way we always have. This event supports finding new approaches to providing the services our residents rely on, potentially in more cost-effective ways.” 

For Keith Davis, CAO of Picture Butte, the benefits of working more closely with regional partners extend beyond discussion and idea generation. 

“I’ve always appreciated being able to pick up the phone and call our neighbours when we run into a challenge,” says Davis. “A good example is when our garbage collection truck broke down. I called James at the City and he helped us by providing collection services for our residents. Meeting him in person at the summit was great — it put a face to the name. Events like this make working together more personable, which helps build stronger regional relationships.” 

The Infrastructure Services Regional Summit supports and aligns with City Council’s newly launched 2026–2029 Strategic Plan. A City That Partners is one of Council’s six strategic goals and focuses on achieving shared prosperity through intentional community and regional partnerships. This is achieved by: 

• Strengthening purposeful partnerships with other levels of government, public institutions and community and regional partners 
• Leveraging strategic partnerships to expand collective capacity and enhance programs, services and community outcomes 
• Partnering in regional planning and collaborative advocacy to understand and advance shared priorities

Collaboration provides industry and business with access to larger labour pools and customer bases, stronger positioning for trade and logistics, and, in many cases, a more coordinated advocacy approach with other levels of government. 

“We’re very grateful to all the municipalities and partners who were able to attend the Infrastructure summit,” said Sanchez. “We look forward to continuing to support the region and positioning it as a place that is built for business and made for living.”