State of the City, crime issues top of mind to start 2026
By Lethbridge Herald on January 27, 2026.
From the Hall- Blaine Hyggen
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.
19-18
Crime
Mayor, I appreciate all you have done over the years, although we have disagreed on some issues, I stand behind you! You stood with us during protests when you were a Coucillor, when we protested to close the SCS and were attacked on Council during meetings by 2, sometimes three Councillors who can now eat crow, because you were right and we were right . . . SCS’s enable and encourage addiction, they do not reduce addiction. The proof is evident after the treatment recovery programs are not being implemented and results, tangible proof with the low fatal overdoses show we were on the right track!
As a Councillor, you stood for what was right, in now we see many lives saved by doing so! We won’t jab at the Councillors who attacked you! They probably still don’t see the light!
I also remember you suggested that there should be an oversight committee for the new exhibition building project, in the early stages of you being a Councillor . . . sadly, that was shot down as well by the same people who attacked you for wanting to close the SCS!
Now . . . you have heard me state this over and over again, but one more time!
Encampments/Sleeping rough/Loitering
LPS has stated several times those living in encampments/sleeping rough are perpetrating 60%-70% of the crimes in the area! They also have a high fire/EMS response rate!
The shelter has room for these people but they will not stay in the shelter for a variety of reasons: they have warrants, they cannot do drugs inside, they cannot conduct their criminal acts from a shelter, etc.
Putting an end to the encampments, the sleeping rough and loitering would reduce the crime, reduce fire/EMS responses and free up resources!
The problem I faced when bringing forth the concerns were LPS saying it was the cities area of concern and the city saying it was LPS’s area of concern.
Can both not get together and work out the issues since the encampments are taking away large amounts of resources??
I pushed for the encampment strategy . . . I sat with you and outlined the best way to proceed . . . right now it is completely ineffective, because as soon as LPS/Fire/outreach team/encampment specialists/city clean-up crews leave the area, the encampments return to that same area . . . a complete waste of tax dollars, because no one will address the issue of securing the area and putting signs no encampments while monitoring the area.
It is not that hard! Right now there are too many agencies involved, it takes too long to move these people along and then they are allowed to move right back in again!
Every police force across Canada acknowledges the encampments are hotbeds of crime, assaults, sexual assaults and drug use and they create lawless behaviours!
Allowing encampments, sleeping rough, and loitering all night on our streets increases organized crime and when organized crime increases, every other vile crime increases.
The more prostitutes you have, the more John’s (those using prostitutes) you have when you have sexual services increase, the demand for other vile sex services increases, such as trafficking 12-14 year olds.
For years we have heard of these incidents in Calgary, and we have had some issues in our city, but it is becoming more prominent!
In a business, in the military, or even fighting fires, you focus on areas that are causing all of the issues! Are not areas where 60%-70% of the issues where the focus should be?
A service station nearby has been a base of operations for some of the pimps and other criminals, and staff is not just allowing it, but some appear to be friends with these people! Good for them for benefiting off the proceeds of crime . . . I guess??? They think they own the streets now!
After the Skye Atoa arrest, it has been quiet there, but now it is slowly seeing the criminals in their vehicles return.
This is a high cost to all services when these criminals are allowed to take over our streets and they are getting more aggressive and random!
I was informed yesterday of a woman going to her car after work on the westside, getting in and one of the ‘city’s most vulnerable’ got in the passenger side and refused to leave. He had a knife and a torch!
Luckily LPS was able to immediately respond and arrest the person, but it could have gone bad!
We don’t hear of all the issues in our city . . . I would guess only about 1% of what happens if not less!
We need to address the problem and LPS and city administration need to resolve their issues of whose are of concern it is and work together to end this!
We do not have to allow encampments full of criminals to take over our streets because other cities have them! They are there to commit crime, not exist because for one unfortunate reason or another, they ended up homeless . . . these are the criminals who come to our city to commit crimes and live off the proceeds of crime, increasing organized crime in our area!
I am the only one that notice that huge influx of Tattoo places, Thai massage places and even barbers that arrived as the Hells Angels increased their presence in our city? Perfect for laundering money?
Or all of the rideshare vehicles of a certain descent who drive lawless? Or the delivery drivers of same descent who also drive lawless? I used to say that women 25-40 were the ones always on the phone driving, tailgating, sitting distracted when the red light turned green, doing illegal U-turns or backing across 3 lanes of traffic to go the other way, but now, by far it is this new group mentioned, some who also hang out at the service station.
Where are most of those selling drugs, prostituting, destroying property, and breaking and entering staying? And why do many disappear in the winter and return when it warms up? I know!
This happens because leadership allows it to happen! We can change this but there needs to be a will to do so! It will save money and resources in the end!
I appreciate the work you have done so far Mayor, but we are not done yet!
That is why you are getting all of the calls, texts and messages! Lethbridge is not Calgary or Edmonton, we are much smaller!
Where there is a will . . . there is a way! I know it can be done!
I like your optimism, and would like to see an end to this gong-show!
I am going to state I believe there are many non-profits and even one or two government organizations who are getting paid well from drug addiction crisis. I am not referring to the long term non-profits who were years before 2015, but the ones who jumped on board, mimicking the BC model, which now has a billion dollar annual non-profit industry!
I would remind you that just because it says, non-profit it doesn’t mean the administration is working for free . . . most are well paid and addicted to the funding they receive. Then there is a large number of people the city has had to hire or contract for various duties related to the crisis. No encampments, not work for them! No bio-hazards, garbage or graffiti to clean up, then no work for that group!
I am not going to start calculating all of the people employed because of the drug addiction crisis, but there are a lot, just like there are a lot of non-profits!
Many of them do not want to see this end because that means it is an end to their paychecks.
Just saying! Wouldn’t it be nice to walk around downtown and not see drug use, be threatened, or go to an event at Galt Gardens where you could use a clean, well looked after washroom if needed? Or that I could come to work not expecting to see ‘presents’ left around my doorway or building when I arrive?
We have lost a stand alone washroom downtown, nice corner benches will large flower planters, bus shelters where users can stand out of the elements waiting for a bus, flowerbeds in Galt Gardens that enhanced the park and are left with scarred sides of buildings from removed graffiti, or remaining graffiti, basically, nothing nice is left! Why? Because the druggies and hookers were allowed to take over the streets!
I am not as optimistic! I have lost too much!