Medicine Hat Minute: Library Cards, Whistleblower Policy, and Loud Vehicle Enforcement

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

This Week In Medicine Hat:

• This afternoon, at 4:45 pm, there will be a City Council meeting. The meeting begins with a closed session to discuss facility naming rights, before opening up to the public at 6:30 pm. During the open session, Council will receive a presentation from the Medicine Hat Police Service regarding the 2024 Downtown Strategy. A revised Respectful Workplace Policy will be discussed, as well as a new proposed Whisteblower Policy and Mayor Linnsie Clark’s request for detailed expense reports from Administration.
  
  
• Council’s Committee of the Whole will meet on Tuesday at 3:45 pm. No agenda is available for this meeting yet. The Corporate Services Committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday at 4:00 pm. No agenda is available for this meeting yet, either.
  
  
• Public pools are extending operating hours before the Kinsmen Aquatic Park closure on May 15th. The Kinsmen Aquatic Park will be closed until September 15th for a $2.8 million upgrade, with a one-day power outage planned on May 15th affecting various facilities at the Big Marble Go Centre. Membership fees will be adjusted during construction, with discounts and extensions offered to passholders.

Last Week In Medicine Hat:

• The Medicine Hat Public Library has introduced a new pay-it-forward sponsorship program to make library cards free for all residents. Previously, library cards cost $5 annually, but with the "A Library Card for Every Hatter" initiative launched three years ago, sponsored by local businesses and community members, the cards became complimentary. The recent update allows individuals to contribute on a smaller scale by donating toward library card fees when they register or renew their cards. Once $1,000 has been collected in donations, the library will add a special sticker to the cards to indicate they were funded by community generosity.
  
  
• Medicine Hat's bylaw officers have been granted the authority to pull over and issue tickets to vehicles with excessively loud exhaust systems, a decision announced at a recent police commission meeting. This enforcement action comes in response to community complaints about noisy vehicles, particularly noticeable in the spring. Previously, the responsibility for managing traffic disturbances fell to the limited number of police officers, many of whom were occupied with other crimes. After receiving the necessary training, bylaw officers, who are unarmed and operate marked "municipal enforcement" vehicles, are now actively targeting these violations.
  
  
• The City has agreed to reduce local water use by 10% as part of voluntary water-sharing agreements announced by the Province. These agreements, while not legally binding, involve 38 major water licensees in southern Alberta. Medicine Hat's commitment aligns with its existing Water Shortage Management Plan, which includes both mandatory and voluntary measures for water conservation.

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