Air travel discussion and Team Lethbridge meetings on horizon

By Lethbridge Herald on October 19, 2024.

FROM THE HALL
Blaine Hyggen – mayor of Lethbridge

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving long weekend surrounded by family, friends and food.

It was a big weekend for my family. We added a new addition – and with that, I have added another new title: grandpa Hyggen!

Everyone is happy and healthy and I am beyond excited for my daughter and her family. We are still working on what my grandpa name will be. Maybe Papa or Pops. But it will certainly not be ‘Your Worship’!

I really want to end the column there, as this is the most important news in my life this month – but my mayoral duties also continue and there are some events and people I want to highlight.

I want to commend Sgt. Ryan Darroch of the Lethbridge Police Service for proposing, planning and hosting a recent three-day Social Disorder and Urban Crime Conference. The event drew dozens of frontline police, justice, health and social service workers from across the province.

As there are similar issues happening in nearly every community in North America, the goal was to share what has and hasn’t worked when dealing with addictions, mental health issues and crime. Thank you, Sgt. Darroch for your continued commitment and efforts to help our city.

There has been a lot of chatter recently about changes to WestJet service to and from Lethbridge Airport. Although the new schedule is less frequent, there are positive reasons for this change.

We, along with WestJet, have consistently heard concerns around the reliability, inconsistency and cancellations in the past several years. The good news is that their flight capacity is moving to an aircraft with 78 seats, rather than 34, on WestJet Encore, rather than a subsidiary. From Calgary, there is optimal connectivity to basically anywhere within their expansive network.

There will be opportunities to increase airport traffic in the future and this is not an impediment when it comes to attracting people and businesses to the city. We are also encouraged that WestJet officials will review with City of Lethbridge officials, community partners and various organizations twice yearly to ensure the best possible outcomes for everyone.

It is possible that air travel may come as a topic this week at the next Alberta Mid-sized Cities Mayors’ Caucus (MCMC). Spanning 28 provincial constituencies, and representing one in four Albertans, the MCMC works together to solve common challenges and leverage opportunities that matter to the one million Albertans living in our mid-sized cities. The MCMC was established among Alberta municipalities with a population of more than 15,000 residents, not including Calgary or Edmonton.

Also coming up, from November 5-7, is the next Team Lethbridge trip to Edmonton to meet with representatives from the Alberta government. Team Lethbridge consists of a group of community leaders interested in raising awareness of how Lethbridge contributes to the province and how we can work with our government representatives to support long-term success for Alberta.

I will have more to share on both meetings in the future.

At the end of September, myself and several council members, as well as City Manager Lloyd Brierley, all attended the latest Alberta Municipalities Convention in Red Deer.

Expansion of Lethbridge water and wastewater treatment infrastructure, Highway 3 bridge and interchange improvements plus continued collaboration on physician recruitment were our top advocacy items. It was a great opportunity for members of council and the City Manager to meet with provincial ministers and continue to advocate for the supports we need in our city to best serve our residents. We were very clear in our objectives.

I want to thank Deputy Mayor Jeff Carlson and Acting Mayor Mark Campbell for their efforts during the past several months. 

The responsibilities of Deputy Mayor and Acting Mayor change every six months, with each member of council spending time in each during their four-year terms. The next rotation began on October 1, with Nick Paladino stepping in as Deputy Mayor and Carlson becoming Acting Mayor until April 1. More information here: https://www.lethbridge.ca/council-administration-governance/mayor-and-councillors/.

In advance of Remembrance Day on November 11 (as my next column will be after), I want to provide my most sincere thanks to all those who have served this country at home and abroad. I encourage residents to check out the local veterans’ banners placed around the city. Lest we forget your sacrifices.

Congratulations this month to:

 • All those recognized at last month’s Reconciliation Awards evening. Eight community members and organizations were recognized for helping set their community on a meaningful path to Reconciliation. Award recipients’ efforts showed dedicated support to partnership building between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and groups, leading to a more equitable, inclusive society.

• All the nominees and winners at the 2024 Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year Awards held recently. For a full list, visit http://www.lethbridgechamber.com/

• To those involved with the City’s Civic Culture Plan, which prioritizes the role of culture in advancing Lethbridge as an inclusive, innovative and sustainable community. The plan revolves around three key outcomes: dismantling barriers, fostering connections and prioritizing diversity. It integrates input from 400 community members and more than 65 local organizations. Calling it a ‘forward-thinking initiative’, the Creative City Network of Canada (CCNC) recently recognized the plan with a national Cultural Planning Award. The awards were presented at the CCNC’s national summit in Vancouver in early October 

Coming up in November, the Economic and Finance Standing Policy Committee will meet for several days to discuss a number of budget-related items. Please check https://agendas.lethbridge.ca/AgendaOnline for updated agendas and schedules.

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