Medicine Hat Minute: Transparency Motions, New CFO, and a Tree Planting Proposal

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

This Week In Medicine Hat:

• The Public Services Committee will meet this afternoon at 3:45 pm. The Committee will discuss 2025 Community Vibrancy Grant distribution and the Community Well-Being Plan, and hear from the Managing Director regarding Sensory Inclusive certification for Co-op Place and Esplanade, Transit shuttle service for Tigers playoffs, and a Resilient & Inclusive Community Task Force update. Also on the agenda is a Parks and Recreation budget amendment request for the City’s Growing Canada’s Community Canopies (GCCC) initiative. The City’s proposal has been rated “excellent” by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and is expected to have a high chance of success. The project aims to plant 2,400 trees in public spaces over three years, significantly exceeding the total number planted in the past 20 years. To secure the grant, the City must confirm its matching contribution of $1,750,000 before applying.
  
  
• The Corporate Services Committee will meet on Thursday at 4:00 pm. No agenda is available for this meeting yet.
  
  
• The City is seeking public applicants for its Resilient and Inclusive Community Task Force, which was launched to address social disorder. The task force will meet bi-weekly for six months and aims to develop strategies to combat homelessness, mental health issues, addiction, and poverty. Residents have until March 26th to apply for one of two public seats available. The group will include various community stakeholders, including local leaders, healthcare providers, and nonprofits, and will submit monthly reports to Council. The task force's efforts will focus on innovative, made-in-Medicine Hat solutions to these pressing issues. Application information is available online.

Last Week In Medicine Hat:

• The City has hired Jilian Campbell as its new Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director of Corporate Services. Campbell, who is relocating from Edmonton, brings over 20 years of municipal leadership experience, including her recent role as Manager of Strategic Planning and Financial Coordination with Strathcona County. She replaces Dennis Egert, who left the position earlier this year. Campbell holds a degree in accounting science from the University of Calgary, a CPA designation, and various certifications in leadership and project management. She is set to begin her role on March 31st.
  
  
• Councillor Shila Sharps previewed several motions aimed at improving transparency in City operations. One proposal requests the publication of HR metrics, including employee totals, terminations, and safety statistics, similar to other municipalities like Calgary. Another motion focuses on creating a transparent reporting mechanism for severance payments to ensure accountability. A third proposal encourages prioritizing local suppliers over larger US-based companies, aiming to boost local spending. These motions will be formally reviewed at the April 7th Council meeting.
  
  
• Justin Wright, MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat, has been appointed as the new Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health in southern Alberta. He will work alongside Health Minister Adriana LaGrange to address healthcare access in rural communities. Wright’s role comes amid physician shortages in southeastern Alberta, leading to clinic and hospital closures. His appointment does not come with a raise.

-----

Donate:

Common Sense Medicine Hat doesn't accept any government funding and never will. We think you should be free to choose, for yourself, which organizations to support. If you're in a position to contribute financially, you can make a donation here.

-----

Share:

If you're not in a position to donate, we understand, but if you appreciate our work, you can help by spreading our message. Please email this post to your friends, share it on Facebook or Twitter, and help make sure every Hatter knows what's really going on at City Hall.