Funding a main topic at the mayor’s annual State of the City
By Lethbridge Herald on January 23, 2026.
Herald photo by JOE MANIO
Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen delivers his State of the City address at Excite Lethbridge Thursday as members of the business community, city officials and other organizations in the audience look on.By Joe Manio
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter- Lethbridge Herald
Mayor Blaine Hyggen used his State of the City address on Thursday to frame the year ahead as one of tough choices, cautious optimism and doing more with less, telling business leaders the city must decide between “needs” and wants.
His address, delivered during a Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce breakfast, was Hyggen’s first since winning another term as mayor. It came as the city faces ongoing budget constraints, public safety concerns, housing demand setting the tone for council’s priorities in 2026.
Speaking to a room of 200-300 business and community leaders over breakfast at Excite Lethbridge, Hyggen struck an earnest but cautiously optimistic tone as he outlined his vision for the months ahead.
One of the several topics the mayor discussed was the state of funding and how it has been changing; saying both the provincial and federal governments have been providing less money to municipalities.
“Everything is costing more and everyone wants to pay less, so of course, anytime you’re building new infrastructure, operating costs come from taxation. A lot [of funding does] come from grants, but a lot of the grants are lowering now,” says Hyggen.
One example was the Alberta Government replacing the Municipal Sustainability Initiative with the Local Government Fiscal Framework in 2024, resulting in a 37 per cent reduction in provincial funding to all municipalities.
This prompted a warning from Hyggen of a “tight” upcoming capital budget; one in which needs would have to be prioritized over wants and will impact which projects in the current Capital Improvement Plan get funded.
“They’re projects that people want to move forward, and they will move forward when funding comes for them. The problem with that is, currently, there’s not that funding,” says Hyggen. “We’re looking at other levels of government for this additional funding so we don’t have to go to the taxpayers for these different ‘wants’ that I’ll say are in our community – a performing arts centre, a third bridge.”
Hyggen says Lethbridge is in great shape overall, and progress has been made on a lot of important issues. Hyggen says public safety is an area in which he is particularly proud; where the crime rate fell by 16 per cent in 2024 while the Crime Severity Index declined by 19 per cent.
Another major success from this past year was the City securing $9.2 million in funding for phase one of “critical upgrades” to the Water Treatment Plant, which on peak days is operating between 90 and 100 percent capacity.
Hyggen reports that the current infrastructure is still in decent shape overall, but with the city’s population continuing to grow, and with major developments planned on the west side, expanding the facility is now more important than ever.
The mayor commended Excite Lethbridge (formerly known as Lethbridge & District Exhibition) for meeting its year-end fiscal goals and for successfully splitting into two new groups, Excite Lethbridge and the Lethbridge & District Agricultural Society.
The mayor also spoke about unexpected challenges, where routine maintenance didn’t go according to plan.
During the summer of 2025, the City launched a bridge maintenance program on Whoop-Up Drive intended to be completed with minimal impact to commuters. That plan went south on Aug. 6 when a flatbed trailer hauling heavy equipment struck the underside of the bridge, damaging four of its six steel girders and causing months of traffic delays.
“Some things are just out of your hands and out of your control, so when that happens, you do (the best) with what you’ve got,” says Hyggen.
He commended the city staff, repair crews and bridge experts (who were summoned from around the world) for their efforts, making the best of a bad situation; also adding that one lesson he learned from the ordeal was the importance of communication and keeping the public updated.
The themes outlined during Hyggen’s address are expected to shape the new term as 2026 gets underway. As the breakfast wrapped up Hyggen told the crowd to be safe and kind to one another.
“We’ll continue our advocacy toward making Lethbridge the best city it can be,” he says.
22-21
Who gave it the silly name “The State of the City Address”?
Is Hyggen hung up on Alberta separating and joining the United States of America? “State of the Union”.
Sounds like the UCP has been whispering in his ear.
I’m worried there was no mention of preliminary property tax increase. I’m assuming there have been discussions and a ballpark figure is on the table for review. They know since our property evaluations have increased substantially that will increase income. They should have an estimate for operating and capital costs which can be adjusted. I am hopeful the 2026 tax will be lower than 2025 and with the huge property value increase much lower. My optimism is at risk because Hyggen did not suggest property taxes would be lowered from 2025.
I saw this in Common Sense Lethbridge email. What I find sad, is I’ve been emailing the City Council for a long time. Fed up with their lack of responses, gaslighting and condescending attitudes. They then complained they were receiving too many emails from me, so they banned me from emailing them, the elected officials and was told to go through 311.
I specifically explained, showed records, articles and links to the Federal Government’s own webpages and how there was no money left.
BOC back in early 2025, officially said, they could not borrow nor lend any more money. Claimed we were headed for a bad recession. Even Carney agreed however, claiming it would be mild. Which was false.
Meanwhile the Government claimed the debt was $1.3 Trillion in fall 2025, then just before the election it was $1.7Trillion, then Carney took $736B without a budget, which makes the debt $2.4 Trillion, then poof after the election it dropped back to $1.7 Trillion, at that time with no budget no proof of what funds were taken. It’s been projected the Debt is actually $3Trillion.
PBO officially stated, Canadians were about to default on $2.5 Trillion personal debt, it’s now over $3Trillion, that’s mortgages, loans, lines of credit, credit cards.
Which makes all Canadians on the hook for $6Trillion, because the banks aren’t going to take on all those personal defaults, the bank clients will, not the managers or executives.
I tried telling the City council, that spending $300M on a bridge we don’t need, and can’t afford at this time was not looking after taxpayers. THEN we find out about the Agri-Hub / Agri-plex.City Council allowed a Bureaucrat, Joel Sanchez to decide that Project managers outside the city bureacracy would AUDIT their own projects.
Lethbridge Agri-Hub and Agri-plex:
There were some that posted that this was fake……… I did a deep dive, and found an article by CTV whereby the entire budget for the Agri-hub was $62M, which included the Agri-plex was $16M = $78 M. The city turfed the Agri-plex citing funding.
So the Entire Agri-hub which should have cost $62, cost $78, and the Agri-plex is defunct.
We were overcharged by $16M just for the Agri-hub, and the $16M for the Agri-plex disappeared. Meanwhile our taxes went up to cover the losses. As mentioned before, this was $30M overbudget and we got less for the money spent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC3cUYm-4zY&ab_channel=CTVNews
Confidential reports and documents highlighting LDE financial fallout released
By Karsen Marczuk
Published: May 13, 2025 at 6:12PM EDT.
In it, a submission made to the City of Lethbridge dated June 17, 2019, shows that Phase 1 of the Agri-food Hub and Trade Centre, with a cost of $62 million, would focus on the convention side of the project, with an indoor open tradeshow space, commercial kitchen, meeting and convention spaces, and lobby area.
Phase 2 would’ve included the Agri-plex – an additional $16 million dollars – to include seating capacity for 1,000 to 1,500, a dirt floor area, 150 to 175 livestock pens and wash bays.
The documents show the potential to include a hotel within the LDE grounds, citing a lack of hotel rooms that a business/convention traveller would consider booking into. It also included a shuttle to the airport.
It was also proposed to install solar panels on the roof of the Agri-food Hub and Trade Centre to offset electrical use of the facility.
The idea of paid parking was also being explored.
Only phase 1 was completed, yet the budget was for the entire project.
In 2023, it was discovered that despite the project being completed, the LDE was experiencing significant financial challenges and was on the verge of having to shut down operations.
https:// www. Ctv news. ca/calgary/article/confidential-reports-and-documents-highlighting-lde-financial-fallout-released/
Lethbridge and District Exhibition financial fallout: potential property tax increases, millions in loans
By Karsen Marczuk
Published: November 27, 2024 at 6:33PM EST
https:// www. Ctv news. ca/calgary/article/lethbridge-and-district-exhibition-financial-fallout-potential-property-tax-increases-millions-in-loans/
My question becomes, the taxes have already been raised to 5.1% to cover the Agri-Hub/Plex debacle, which was supposed to go to the third bridge, where’s the money? Where’s the reduction in taxes? WHO lost their jobs / paycheques over this mismanagement? Joel Sanchez? Other Bureaucrats within the city?
I understand Joel Sanchez still works for the city, even got a raise.
Yet here we are, I’m banned from emailing City Councillors. I suffer from CPTSD so can only communicate through emails, don’t do telephone, I don’t own a cellphone, and don’t do in person.
Yet apparently what I told them back in 2024-2025 means I was correct.
I suppose that’s something, but moreover, just because you are in a position of “power” remember that is only given to you by the people, and YOU are the employee.
What I also find sad, is that many bureaucrats, municipally, provincially, or federally are not impacted by their own decisions. They still have jobs, paycheques, and benefits, all the while condescending and patronizing those they are employed by.
Why? It doesn’t affect them, doesn’t concern them, which were the ACTUAL statements City Councillors gave to me when I mentioned the pending facts / data about the Federal and Provincial governments current spending and lack of abilities to spend more. City Councillors believed they would just talk to the other levels and poof the money would appear.
How blind, willfully naieve or ignorant is that? Huge.