Medicine Hat Minute: Issue 268

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

📅 This Week In Medicine Hat: 📅

• The Budget Committee will meet tomorrow at 9:30 am, the only meeting scheduled this week. The next meetings on the City's schedule are the Governance Committee on August 11th and a regular City Council meeting on August 17th.
  
  
• The City has opened a second online survey asking residents whether they support or oppose its Alcohol in Parks Pilot, which since the beginning of July has allowed residents to consume a responsible amount of alcohol at designated picnic tables in Strathcona Island, Kin Coulee and Echo Dale Regional parks. The pilot stems from a motion by Councillor Cheryl Phaff, which Council adopted after other cities, including Calgary and Edmonton, reported success following the Province's 2019 lifting of a long-standing liquor ban in parks and campgrounds. The new survey is available on the City's Shape Your City webpage, and residents will have a further opportunity to give feedback after the pilot wraps up on September 30th. City staff will then report the findings back to Council, with recommendations on whether to expand, modify or discontinue the program.
  
  
• Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Justin Wright has announced he will run for re-election in the 2027 provincial election. Wright was first elected in 2023 with 61.9% of the votes cast in his riding. He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health for the south region in February 2025, took on the role of Chief Party Whip in January, and was promoted to Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services following a cabinet shuffle in May. 
  
  
• Organizers of the 2026 Special Olympics Canada Summer Games are making one last major push for volunteers, with 100 to 200 more people still needed to help the Games run smoothly when they open in Medicine Hat. Games chair Natalie Sauer says volunteers with first aid certification are particularly wanted, along with help in areas such as event support and security, social media and filming for streaming, parking, and packing lunches for athletes. The opening ceremony takes place on August 11th at Co-op Place, athletes and coaches will be arriving from across Canada.
  
  
• Medicine Hat will become the first city in a prairie province to offer the Oasis program, a nationally recognized initiative designed to help older adults age in place and build stronger community connections. The program is expanding to the city in August through funding from Healthy Aging Alberta and a partnership involving the Neighbourhood Associations of Medicine Hat and Area, Queen's University, and Oasis, with the City of Medicine Hat supporting the initiative as a community partner. Developed in Kingston over 15 years ago, the member-led model lets older adults shape the activities, services and supports available in their own communities, focusing on social connection, physical activity, nutrition and a sense of purpose. Up to three seniors communities in Medicine Hat will receive the program, including groups such as condo boards and resident associations without paid programming staff, with support from a shared program coordinator to help residents develop and implement their ideas. 

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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