March 2026 Mayor's Column

As typical of March, we have seen the return of winter, the start of spring, and a whole host of events going on in Lethbridge.

Following the recent announcement of the proposed 2026 Alberta Provincial Budget, our residents may be wondering what changes within it may impact their local property taxes this year.

Our Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer provided a verbal update to Lethbridge City Council at the March 10 meeting including explanations of the increase to the Provincial Education Tax, changes to infrastructure funding and other potential impacts that will place financial pressures on municipalities and local taxpayers.

For Lethbridge, the proposed Provincial Education Property Tax amount will be going up by 12.9 per cent – meaning an increase of about $117 for the average single-family detached household, assessed at approximately $389,000.

On behalf of City Council, I just want to reiterate to our residents that this part of their property tax bill is not a municipal decision or a municipal tax and we have no control over this amount. As per the Municipal Government Act, the City simply collects the education property tax on behalf of the Province and remits it back to the Government of Alberta.

The Alberta budget is anticipated to be passed on March 31. The proposed Provincial Education Tax 2026 increase to Lethbridge follows a 13.8 per cent increase in 2025 and a 6.1 per cent increase in 2024.

A further detailed visual explanation is here in our 2025 tax brochure, breaking down how your property tax dollar is allocated. A 2026 updated brochure will be available in late May to coincide with the release of 2026 property tax notices. For property owners, assessment notices were sent out in the first week of January. Tax notices will be sent out at the end of May and property taxes are due on the last business day of June.

Our CFO also spoke about how municipalities across Alberta now receive roughly half the per-person provincial funding, to help support local services and infrastructure, that they did 15 years ago. He also spoke about several of the other Provincial funding impacts, including to Family and Community Support Services (FCSS), the Policing Support Grant and Grants in Place of Taxes (GIPOT).

Council will need to consider these pressures as part of upcoming discussions on the 2027 Operating Budget update, set for June, as well as the 2027–2036 Capital Improvement Program deliberation, which will be brought forward later this year. Read our full news release on Provincial Budget impacts here.

Last week, I was encouraged by information released by Dr. Nathaniel Day, Chief Scientific Officer at The Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence (CoRE). Scientific journal Addiction published findings from a CoRE study which examined outcomes following the closure of the Red Deer Overdose Prevention Site (OPS).

This study is the first to look at the consequences of site closure using linked administrative health care data. Early results indicate that the site closure did not result in an increase in mortality or acute health care services for site users. However, the closure was associated with a statistically significant increase in the number of people accessing treatment. Stable EMS and Emergency Department use of addiction-related visits is reassuring for the overall health system.

Read the full report here. I anticipate knowing more about the Lethbridge OPS status in the next few weeks.

Many people have reached out to me in the past several weeks following the announcement from WestJet that they will discontinue their Lethbridge to Calgary route on June 24.

As the only commercial air carrier currently servicing YQL, the WestJet announcement is disappointing. We value this partnership and the important service they have provided to our community. We also know there is still lots of activity at the airport and we are actively engaging other air carriers to bring new passenger routes to YQL. For those residents looking for more information, we have an FAQ available online here.

March 11 was 311 day! This year celebrates seven years of 311 service in Lethbridge. Since its launch in 2019, the City’s 311 team has supported residents through more than 750,000 calls and continues to be a central point of contact for information and service requests. 

In 2025, activity across both the 311 Contact Centre and 311 at City Hall included: 

• 103,515 phone calls 
• 7,276 online chats
• 31,563 in-person visits
• 128,206 information requests
• 21,430 service requests 

Residents can continue to rely on 311 for current details on City programs, events and service availability. Service requests, including pothole repairs, graffiti cleanup or arranging for large item pickup, can also be submitted through 311. Live agents are available Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. An afterhours trouble line remains in place for urgent issues, including power outages and watermain breaks. 

What else is going on?

• We recently celebrated International Women’s Day. Thanks to all the incredible women who shape our lives and our community. A special shout-out to my colleagues on City Council: Rufa Doria, Belinda Crowson and Jenn Schmidt-Rempel
• Congratulations to the organizers of the recent Ag Expo and Southern Alberta Home, Garden and Leisure Show. Excite Lethbridge says more than 7,800 guests packed the Lethbridge Trade & Convention Centre for Ag Expo, up over 10 per cent from 2025
• I’m excited for the return of Aggie Days, set for March 25-26 at the Lethbridge Trade & Convention Centre
• Good luck to all those set to participate in the upcoming Moonlight Run March 21!
• April 7 is Green Shirt Day. Join us for a free skate that day from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Logan Boulet Arena. Following the tragic crash, Logan Boulet’s organ donation saved lives and his inspiring legacy will continue to save lives. I commend his parents, Toby and Bernie, and sister Mariko, for continuing efforts to promote Green Shirt Day. I am pleased that my colleagues on Lethbridge City Council have supported my resolutions, first in 2019 to rename Adams Park Ice Centre to Logan Boulet Arena, then each year since 2021 to declare April 7 as Green Shirt Day. I want to keep bringing this item to Council annually (as I will again next week), rather than as a one-time declaration, to continually highlight Logan’s impact.

To wrap up this month, I’d like to wish everyone an early Happy Easter! I hope you can take the coming weekend to enjoy with your family and friends.

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