Medicine Hat Minute: Issue 232

Medicine Hat Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Medicine Hat politics

📅 This Week In Medicine Hat: 📅

• This evening, at 6:30 pm, there will be a meeting of the Council Committee of the Whole. This meeting will be closed to the public while the Committee discusses what is listed as an “Energy Business Matter.”
  
  
• City Council postponed decisions on budget and bylaw amendments during their November 17th meeting. Presentations were made by Energy Marketing and Business Analysts Jasmin Gross and Joel Higgins on recommended changes to the Electric and Gas Utility Bylaws, followed by a presentation on the 2026 Operating and Tangible Capital Asset Budgets for the Land and Real Estate department. Councillor Ted Clugston said he wanted Council to review the information and make decisions at the next meeting. Discussion on the budgets will resume at the next Council meeting on December 8th, 2025.
  
  
• Medicine Hat is urgently seeking a temporary shelter as winter approaches after the permanent site for the Mustard Seed’s community facility failed to open. City officials, the Alberta government, and the local housing society are working with the charity to secure a site that could immediately add 20 beds to the existing 30 in the emergency shelter. The temporary location may also provide daytime services to fill the gap left by the closure of the Mustard Seed’s facility earlier this year. While the permanent all-in-one site for daytime and nighttime services remains in planning, officials hope to have a temporary solution in place before February or March. The Province is supportive but emphasizes a community-led approach in partnership with the City and local organizations. 
  
  
• Catherine Wilson, recently elected to her fourth term as a trustee for the Medicine Hat Public School Division, is raising concerns about declining voter engagement in local school board elections. Despite slightly higher overall turnout compared with similar municipalities, trustee races saw significant drops, with Wilson receiving 3,432 votes compared to 4,942 in her previous run, and the top candidate’s votes falling by 22%. She cites procedural issues, including separate ballots for trustees, fewer polling stations, and election staff not offering school board ballots unless asked, as major contributors to low participation. Wilson also notes a common misconception that only parents can vote for trustees, which she wants to correct. In response, the board is seeking ways to better connect with the community, including monthly reporting on trustee attendance at school councils and increasing transparency in public meetings. Wilson hopes these efforts will strengthen engagement and ensure trustees effectively represent the community.
  
  
• Tourism Medicine Hat’s Sunshine Trolley program is expanding with the addition of a new trolley, bringing the fleet to two and allowing the organization to run simultaneous tours. The program, which began in 2018 with a modified 1985 GMC bus and added a purpose-built trolley in 2022, now hosts nearly 300 trips annually, including popular city and holiday-themed tours. Manager Mo Cranker highlighted high demand, noting summer tours consistently run over 90% capacity and Christmas lights tours sell out quickly. Importing the newest trolley from Texas presented challenges, including engine replacement and customs coordination, but it now seats 35 passengers, complementing the 26-seat Newfoundland trolley. Most patrons are local, though visitors from over 10 countries and nine Canadian provinces also ride. The program also offers discounted classroom tours, with 2,500 students and teachers participating in 2025. Cranker emphasizes the trolleys provide both a fun way to explore Medicine Hat and support local businesses through themed events.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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