Kimmie Hovan, the People’s Party of Canada candidate for Lethbridge Alberta, proudly places a campaign sign along the boulevard on 28 Street North on Sept. 9, 2021. Get your pencils sharpened, election time is just a week away. Every federal election there are always at least one or two candidates promising to offer an alternative…
Lethbridge Police feel impacts of budget reduction
The Lethbridge Police Commission presented a report to city council, highlighting the implementation strategy for the $1 million reduction in their budget early last week. Lethbridge city council passed a resolution on Dec. 14, 2020 that the Lethbridge Police Service Budget be reduced by $1 million for 2021 and 2022. Council voted unanimously to accept…
Temporary mandatory face covering bylaw extended until April 30
The temporary mandatory face covering bylaw was extended by Lethbridge city council early last week. The bylaw has been in place since Aug. 24, 2020. The Community Standing Policy Committee recommended to city council in early February, to let the bylaw expire on Feb. 23, 2021, as it was intended from the previous extension back in…
Lethbridge College provide initiatives to support financially struggling international students
The average tuition fees for international students increased by 25 per cent in Alberta for the 2020/2021 academic year. This change was a result of the change in the province’s international tuition model according to Statistics Canada. This increased the financial strain international students are facing, especially amid the pandemic. In an effort to support…
Time to retire for Spearman
After almost eight years as the mayor of the City of Lethbridge, Chris Spearman has made the decision to not run for re-election in October. He recently announced his decision during a press conference to give possible candidates time to prepare for the Oct. 18 election. Spearman believes that anyone running for city council…
New city bylaw may potentially see newspaper advertisements trimmed
City council began budget deliberations on Nov. 23, part of the process includes the new bylaw 6251, which was brought forward by the city clerk’s department to potentially save money. A new city bylaw had its first reading last week resulting in the possibility of newspaper advertisements published by the City of Lethbridge to be…
Some local businesses report growth decline over past six months
Many businesses have shut down due to COVID-19. But, despite the challenges of the pandemic, many local businesses in Lethbridge are still able to sustain themselves. According to Cyndi Vos, CEO of the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce, businesses used to a large customer base, struggled to grind out a profit. The chamber saw a decrease…
EMS dispatch consolidation creates risk for rural Albertans
Alberta Health Services has made the decision to cancel its contract with the City of Lethbridge for ambulances to be dispatched from the Lethbridge Public Safety Communication Centre and onto its own dispatch centre, the Southern Communications Centre in Calgary. Currently, the fire department in Picture Butte Emergency Services has a contract with Alberta Health…
Two Lethbridge men struggling with homelessness share their experience
The program coordinator at Lethridge’s Alpha House Society says many people don’t see the story behind people struggling with homelessness, they only see the addiction. This stigmatization can prevent someone from getting the supports they need to break the cycle. “At first, [substance use] may just be a few every weekend,” said Rebecca Lane on…
Networking around the world has changed due to COVID-19
At the beginning of the webinar Marg Lange, the host of the webinar series, Survival to Relaunch, introduces the panelists to the audience and giving an overview of how networking has changed due to COVID-19 on Oct. 14, 2020. COVID-19 has changed the way people interact, network and hold meetings with each other all over…