January 2026 Mayor's Column

Let me welcome you to the first Mayor’s Column of 2026.

To those new to reading this: I write this monthly feature on behalf of Lethbridge City Council to keep people informed on matters of importance in the community, as well as to highlight achievements by members of our community. I try to use this space to focus on the positive pieces and the good news stories we have in the wonderful city we all call home, as well as to provide further context on some of the more complicated matters.

One of the first big events of the year took place Thursday morning, as the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce hosted the 2026 Mayor’s State of the City address. I was very pleased at the turnout and was happy to share a full presentation on a variety of matters.

During my opening remarks to the audience, I mentioned that the gathering represented an important cross section of people in the city. They collectively represented the business, education and agriculture sectors, public sector and private entity, as well as a wide variety of organizations, who all have the common goal of living in the best city we can possibly live in.

Lethbridge is the third-largest city in Alberta and we consistently demonstrate a sustainable and healthy rate of growth. This stability, as well as steady growth and retention, allows the City of Lethbridge to plan effectively for the future of our community. I want to be open and transparent that this Council term will largely be focused on asset management and maintaining current infrastructure. We have heard loud and clear that holding the line is what a lot of people are hoping we do for the next several years.

The full State of the City presentation will soon be available on the City’s website and my social media pages. Rogers TV Lethbridge will also have the video on broadcast and on its YouTube page.

In the past couple of weeks, I have received a lot of phone calls, text messages and emails regarding a few high-profile crime incidents in Lethbridge.

Lethbridge City Council and City of Lethbridge staff care deeply about the wellness of our community. 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.

We will always advocate for the resources we need, but Council does not direct the Lethbridge Police Service. That is the role of the Police Commission. The City has the role of ensuring a clean and safe community, facilitating partnerships and advocating other orders of government for the services needed. Much work has been done from City administration and past City Council to move this forward.

On the note of advocacy, I brought a motion forward this past Tuesday and received Council’s unanimous support. It asked me to write a letter to the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, that advocates and supports the Alberta Provincial Government’s position to enhance and prioritize public safety, increase accountability and address specific crime trends by accelerating bail reform Bill C-14. That bill, which was introduced in late 2025, aims to increase public safety by making bail harder to get for a variety of crimes by imposing: reverse onus expansion, stricter bail conditions, new bail considerations and tougher sentencing. 

As per usual in January, I have also had a lot of calls, emails and social media comments (on that topic: in the coming weeks, please stay tuned for some positive changes to my social media pages) in the past few weeks regarding property assessments. This is a complicated subject as there so many variables, including home features, renovations, a hot housing market, and that your current assessment is based on the market value as of July 1 of the previous year. 

Property tax bills are specific to each property. Anyone with questions can contact 311 to get information specific to their assessment and tax bill. You can also visit https://www.lethbridge.ca/taxes to learn more about property taxes. We have a wealth of information on our website, including the City’s Property Information WebMAP online to compare your assessment to your neighbours’ and other similar properties that have recently sold. You can also contact our Assessment Department with any questions or for more details on your assessment. They would be happy to assist you and answer any questions.

On the note of answering questions, the City’s next Community Conversation event is coming up at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena on Thursday, January 29, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

This is our biggest public engagement event of the year, as it brings together all of the City projects requiring community engagement in one convenient location, thus making it easier for residents to participate. Public participation helps build a strong and connected community, informs Council decision making and helps improve the city we all call home.

I encourage everyone to come to this event and we look forward to seeing you there.

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