June 2025 Mayor's Column

Next week is Canada Day and plans are all set for a big July 1 party!

The City of Lethbridge and Lethbridge & District Exhibition (LDE) have partnered to host the community celebration of Canada’s 158th birthday. There also events at Galt Gardens.

The main entertainment stage and food truck alley (with more than 25 food trucks) will be found outside the Agri-Food Hub & Trade Centre, while the Kids’ Activity Zone and Youth Entrepreneur Market will remain at the east end of Henderson Lake Park. There is a full list of vendors and events lethbridge.ca/canadaday.

Weather permitting, fireworks will cap off the celebration at 11 p.m. at the west end of Henderson Lake. Final confirmation will be shared on the City’s social media channels and announced at the event once a decision is made.

The City is pleased to provide free extended transit service for the celebration. Route 3 cityLINK Green and Route 4 cityLINK Orange will begin transporting passengers to Henderson Lake Park starting at 7 p.m. Both routes will also be available following the fireworks display.

While we hope for clear skies on Canada Day, that certainly was not the case last weekend as heavy rainfall arrived instead. Thank you to our City crews for their hard work before, during and after the storm to help keep our community safe.

Regarding water, the City has plans to make impactful upgrades to the Lethbridge Water Treatment Plant – without having to raise water rates for residents. With a need for increased capacity at the plant, the projects will help to ensure a stable supply of clean water for the growing community and region. 

City Council earlier this week voted to amend the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget for the addition of a new, larger capacity clarifier and power upgrades. These are essential first steps to increase Lethbridge’s water treatment capacity and address critical aging infrastructure within the existing plant. 

These are significant projects estimated at $67.2 million but – again – will not require any water rate increase to residents. Thanks to strong financial planning over the years, the City has water capital funding available to support this work. With potential grant funding, and responsible debt servicing already factored into water rates, construction is ready to move forward.

Here is a background news release from the Economic and Finance SPC meeting on June 12: https://www.lethbridge.ca/news/posts/safe-supply-of-clean-water-on-tap-at-economic-finance-spc/.

Last week, both the Lethbridge Herald and Calgary Herald ran my recent op-ed regarding southern Alberta as a dynamic, thriving region. If you missed it, please read it here: https://lethbridgeherald.com/commentary/opinions/2025/06/21/alberta-should-turn-its-attention-to-the-south/.

Last month, Council approved the Business Development, Expansion and Retention Incentive Program, a grant-based program developed with the input of local industry and informed by recent reporting and data. The short message: “Lethbridge is open for business.”

The program provides a grant, tied to property taxes, to businesses and other investors that spend $2 million or more in key industries. The grant covers the incremental increase in property taxes due to the new investment—starting at 100 per cent in year one, tapering to 50 per cent in year five.

The program supports businesses in three key areas: Agrifood and Agribusiness, Trade and Logistics, and Alternative and Renewable Energy. These sectors were strategically chosen to align with the long-term economic development goals of Lethbridge, offering opportunities for innovation, sustainability and global competitiveness. They also align with the priorities of the provincial and federal governments for the southern Alberta region.

In addition to that, Council also recently supported updates to Long-Term Financial Sustainability Framework and Economic Development Research and Support. 

The first goal is to formalize the longstanding financial principles and practices that guide the organization in making financial decisions, while also allowing for flexibility for future Councils to achieve their strategic vision. A full update is anticipated by the end of Q1 2026. There will be a presentation on Economic Development Strategy at the July 10 Economic and Finance SPC meeting. The City’s fee-for-service funded partners, Economic Development Lethbridge and Tourism Lethbridge, are also invited to attend.

Last Friday, there was an official grand opening of a new project rooted in Indigenous culture and community. Thanks in part to $1.8 million of funding support from the City of Lethbridge, an Aboriginal Housing Society project has added 132 new housing units to the city’s inventory. Known as Iinii’toyis in Blackfoot, the Buffalo Lodge project (located at 2901 Stafford Drive North in Legacy Ridge) consists of townhouses and apartments. It aims to provide a “community within a community” for its residents and to help meet demands amid the ongoing housing crisis across Canada.

Access to affordable and social housing options is identified as a major gap within the city. This project helps meet the housing needs of the Indigenous community – identified as a high priority in the City’s Municipal Housing Strategy.

The City’s funds helped secure the Federal funding for the Iinii’toyis project, which also includes: $34,997,000 from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Affordable Housing Funding and a $1.9 million grant from the National Indigenous Collaborative Housing Incorporation. Read the full story here: https://www.lethbridge.ca/news/posts/city-leverages-federal-funding-to-support-aboriginal-housing-society-project/

As we officially entered the summer season last week, there are of course a whole host of events coming up (or recently held) including:

• Nature Play Fest 2025 at Henderson Lake Park June 14
• Downtown 6 Street Block Party June 14
• National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21
• Lethbridge Bulls games at Spitz Stadium
• Lethbridge Rotary Dragonboat Festival June 27-29
• Lethbridge Pride Fest on June 28
• Street Machine Weekend July 11-13

Henderson Pool is also set for its full public opening today, June 27.

Congratulations this month to:

• The 2025 Police Cadet Graduates! I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the newest graduates of the Police Cadet Training Program at Lethbridge Polytechnic. Your dedication, discipline, and commitment to public service are truly commendable
• Dr. Simon Schaerz of Lethbridge Polytechnic, along with David Selles and Xander Fox from the University of Lethbridge, who have been selected to present their research at the prestigious European College of Sports Science (ECSS) Conference in Italy! Their dedication to advancing sports science and representing Lethbridge on an international platform is truly inspiring
• Kylar Bloomberg, a third-year Plumber Apprentice at Lethbridge Polytechnic, who will be representing Canada at the 2026 WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, China!
• To the LCI Rams varsity girls rugby team on capturing their second consecutive 4A Provincial Championship, and to the Winston Churchill Griffins varsity girls rugby team for their dominant win in the 3A Provincial Championship! 

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