Medicine Hat Minute: Scooters Arrive, Gas Skyrockets, and Additional Shelter Services

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

This Week In Medicine Hat:

• There are three meetings down at City Hall this week, starting with a Regular City Council meeting today at 6:30 pm. Council will begin this meeting in-camera, but once the meeting has opened back up to the public, Council is set to receive presentations on the Shortgrass Library System, Bylaw 4696 - a Land Use Bylaw Amendment for High Density Mixed Use, and Bylaw 4697 - a Land Use Bylaw Amendment for Remote Work and Home Business. Council will also hold a public hearing concerning both the aforementioned bylaws as well as discuss Bylaw 4667, a new bylaw that will look to give partial exemptions from taxation to encourage development or redevelopment of non-residential properties and brownfields.
  
  
• On Tuesday, there will be a Council Employee Committee Meeting at 1:30 pm. At this meeting, the Committee will receive a verbal update concerning two new positions within the Mayor's Office, and another update concerning the 2022 Employment Engagement Survey. Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot more to report as the Committee will close out this meeting in-camera.
  
  
• On Thursday, there will be a meeting of the Audit Committee at 3:30 pm but no agenda is available for this meeting yet.

Last Week In Medicine Hat:

• After months of consultation and planning between the City of Medicine Hat and Bird Canada, e-scooters have officially hit Medicine Hat streets as part of a year-long pilot project. Scott Richter, the City’s Interim Recreation Manager, says he will be paying close attention to the pilot program to evaluate whether or not micro-mobility could be a viable mode of transportation for years to come. With scooters set up at various locations and at various trailheads throughout the city, do you plan on taking one for a spin?
  
  
• The retail rates for natural gas hit a 10-year high last week, approaching $10 per gigajoule in parts of Alberta. According to default rates released last Wednesday, surging rates are pushing the price of natural gas in Medicine Hat to $8.70 per gigajoule. City Administrators told Council at a meeting of the Utility and Infrastructure Committee in May to expect a sustained period of high prices in the year ahead.
  
  
• On Wednesday, the Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society (MHWSS) officially launched a set of new text and web support options aimed at improving accessibility for individuals requiring its services. The new services are intended to support those who are experiencing family violence. They provide the ability to speak with MHWSS crisis intervention staff members who can then provide support, offer resources, and facilitate shelter intake or make referrals to other community services.

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