Former mayor Chris Spearman running for Liberals in Lethbridge
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on March 25, 2025.
Herald photo by Al Beeber
Former Lethbridge mayor Chris Spearman is representing the Liberal party in the Lethbridge riding in the April 28 federal election.LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com
Former Lethbridge mayor Chris Spearman will be representing the Liberal Party of Canada in the Lethbridge riding when voters go to the polls April 28 to elect a new federal government.
Spearman, who now lives in the Pincher Creek area, didn’t run for re-election in the 2021 municipal election and has since become a strong advocate for a safe water supply in the Oldman River.
The Lethbridge riding is represented by three-term MP Conservative Rachael Thomas who was first elected to the House of Commons in 2015.
Spearman, who served two terms as mayor here, spearheaded numerous initiatives including the establishment of the Reconciliation Lethbridge Advisory Committee and the adoption of the Blackfoot greeting “Oki.”
In 2022, Spearman was awarded Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun for his efforts in strengthening Canada’s relations with that country.
Aside from his role in municipal politics, he has served with the Holy Spirit Catholic School Board, Economic Development Lethbridge (of which he was a founding member in 2003) and other advisory committees and boards.
And he has served spokesperson for the Water for Food group, which is opposed to coal mining on the Eastern Slopes.
Spearman knows he’s running in a riding where no Liberal has ever been elected federally and in an interview with The Herald, he said it’s important for him to run a centrist campaign to attract a wide range of voters, including Conservatives and more left-leaning voters.
“I’m not embarrassed to run as a Liberal,” says Spearman, who feels he has much to offer the riding given his previous experience in government and also in business where he spent 32 years at Black Velvet Distilleries. He also organized the industrial association of Southern Alberta to advocate for good conditions for food processors to locate here.
“I have a diverse business background,” and as mayor attended numerous events during nights and weekends, he said.
During his time as mayor, Spearman led initiatives to attract millions of dollars in federal and provincial money for Lethbridge and says he made sure that Lethbridge got its fair share of tax dollars invested back into the city.
“I think I’ve got a balanced background and a diverse experience.”
He said Liberal leader Mark Carney is infinitely more qualified to lead the country than Conservative Pierre Poilevre.
“It’s going to be much easier for (Carney) to build relationships and new trade routes” with his background, he said.
If Spearman wins and Carney loses, he said he will reach out to co-operate with the government Canadians elect to do the best he possibly can for Lethbridge.
His biggest disappointment with Thomas, said Spearman is that, like Poilevre, she has limited experience and was never involved in the projects Spearman was successfully able to get done when he was mayor.
“She was never part of it, she never got involved, she never helped me get the money. . .Rachael Thomas has served for 10 years and really has no accomplishments,” said Spearman. “But she shows up to every grand opening.”
What prompted Spearman to run in part was the Grassy Mountain mine situation.
“Politicians today aren’t responding to the people they represent and the thing that really flagged that for me was this coal issue to be honest. I’ve written to the premier, I’ve written to the Minister of Energy, I’ve written to MLAs and I have not got an answer back to any of my letters,” said Spearman.
“So I just find that when you have a serious issue, when you’re going to have an industry that has the potential to harm your existing industry and the potential to harm your water supply for 200,000 people you should get answers from your elected people.
“When there is communication, it’s focused to a narrow base of the population and I think we can do better than that,” said Spearman, who remembers politics in the 1970s when political opponents respected each other and could disagree in the House of Commons but could collaborate to get work accomplished.
“These were honourable people.”
Spearman, whose slogan is “A Strong Voice for Lethbridge,” says if elected he wants to see pressure put on airlines to make the Lethbridge more useable.
“It’s been a big disappointment to me that we’ve upgraded the airport and it’s under-utilized. I think smaller cities need to be better served.
He believes smaller market airports can be successful and would like to see Lethbridge’s become a pilot project for western Canada to make it a viable airport.
The Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce will be hosting an all-candidates forum April 8. Details of the location are yet to be announced.
28-27
Mr. Spearman’s comments regarding our MP Rachael Thomas are totally without merit, in particular “Rachael Thomas has served for 10 years and really has no accomplishments,” said Spearman. “But she shows up to every grand opening.””
Actually, MP Thomas, currently sitting as a member of the Official Opposition, she (Thomas) has served in Parliament extremely well. Her demeanour, education and style are very well suited for that as our Member of Parliament.
Her office conveniently situated in Lethbridge, has served thousands of constituents with their issues respectively and with due diligence. In particular with assistance in Passports,Immigration, Federal Social Programs, representing agri-food and agricultural concerns.
Contrary to Mr. Spearman’s depiction of MP Thomas, she is a true “Southern Albertan “born and raised on the family farm”. Currently sitting as a member of the Official Opposition she (Thomas) has served in Parliament extremely well. Her demeanour, education and style are very well suited for that as our Members of Parliament.
MP Thomas has regular “Town Hall” meetings where constituents are welcome to engage in as well she is keen to host Christmas open house events, pan cake breakfasts and the like which engage the community. Her news letters always have “feed back “ options that provide constituents opportunities for keeping in touch with her.
In closing, Mr. Spearman, in his self depiction, failed to mention that he was (as Lethbridge Mayor) a strong supporter and advocate of the “Supervised Consumption Site” (SCS) that was an abomination to Lethbridge and area, one of which we are still recovering from. He (Spearman) also pushed for “Blue Bin Recycling” to be operated by the City. His resolve forced three local, private recycling operations out of business. (So much for free enterprise).
Yes, the legacy of Mr. Spearman, Mayor of Lethbridge, is not a good one and constitutes of Lethbridge know
and remember.
(BTW, as Mr.Spearman advises that he now resides in Pincher Creek, why doesn’t he run as a candidate in that constituency?)
Oh please. Lot of verbage but not one accomplishment.
You forgot to say Mr. Spearman that you are the reason we had a safe drug consumption site forced on us and we had to fight you and Miyashiro to remove it, but that fell on deaf ears! We had to get the UCP to shut it down!
My business has never recovered the losses and I will be retiring with less to live on because of those bad decisions you and Miyashiro made!
We now have tangible proof that harm reduction only pours gasoline on the fire and that a treatment recovery policy works, with a 63% reduction in fatal overdoses in Lethbridge last year and over 40% reduction province wide!
The Liberals were the biggest factor I believe, in promoting drug addiction with their drug consumption sites and safe drug supply policies ( all drugs are toxic and people are dying on these supposed safe supply drugs ).
Your decisions destroyed many lives and many businesses! But, those same decisions fall in line with the Liberal line of getting everyone high on drugs!
Then there is the Liberal-NDP coalition that destroyed a once great country in just 10 years, bankrupting us in less, where we face a debt wall after doubling our national debt to almost $1.3 trillion dollars, so we now pay over $53 billion in interest annually on that debt, leaving us nothing to show for it! A bankrupt military that cannot even defend our own soil and porous borders that have caused strife with our biggest trade partner! And the list goes on!
And now what, would we have to drive to Beaver Mines to bring our concerns to you if you were elected in this constituency? Or would you be like Shannon Phillips and have an office that was always closed but the sign said Lethbridge West NDP Constituency? That office was closed that last few years and most of the concerns had to go to the Lethbridge East office!
I and many of my fellow business owners still remember how you turned your backs on all of us!
Chris I did support you on the coal mining issue but I cannot support you in this decision to run for the Liberals.
We had many conversations when you were Mayor regarding the impacts of the SCS on our city, and although you disagreed with my thoughts, I respected you for always listening and responding, sometimes as late as 10 pm by text . . . but you responded and I respect that!
I do not appreciate the path the Liberals have taken us on their World Economic Forum, Globalist ideology path and although many other Canadians in Ontario and Quebec, don’t see the path Carney will lead us, many of us who have paid attention do and it will devastate Canada further.
The SCS is in the past, but we called it out and it manifested, but thankfully we changed the path we were headed and avoided becoming another encamped city.
You mention the airport . . . I volunteered for the airshows every year and the last airshow we were told that due to the Snowbirds CAF aerobatic teams new policies after some of their recent crashes, that the Lethbridge airport runway was too short, so they were no longer able to perform here.
I can’t remember whether it was 500 ft or 1000 ft too short, but the Red Deer airport still is able to bring them to their airshows and that runway is 7500 ft, while our longest is now 6500 ft!
There needs to be better regional tourism and connections where people can fly in and use Lethbridge as a base to visit those areas, or stay part time while visiting Waterton and overnighting there and other areas. We have a lot to offer and I agree, we could be utilize tourism and the airport . . . it was spoke of, but I guess getting the region together to come up with a plan must have been difficult! Too many other issues at hand I guess!
I wish you well even though I won’t be supporting the Liberals I still respect you!
a good option for a federal liberal vote. we need a wise balance between a sustainable, healthy land that respects all life – one we can pass on to our young with a sense of compassion and pride – and a place that provides for a good quality of life. spearman has stepped up in this regard, quite unlike the compliant and ever mustier and cobwebbed puppet thomas. thomas has proved ever the servant – to her masters; she has sure found herself a grand living, in return for doing very little except being a window dressing for her party.