Council will push province for regional COVID approach
Poll
Too strict
Medicine Hat city council will request the province take a regional approach that they say could mean local pandemic restrictions lifted sooner.
Council approved sending a letter requesting the change from a province-wide view with a 9-0 count, though as many as four said they hope it at least would “start a dialogue” about why or why not.
Coun. Darren Hirsch raised the issue through a notice of motion, stating that Medicine Hat’s active case number – 16 on Monday – is below the point when stricter rules were implemented in early December.
Power sale opposition taking action
Poll
Do you agree with the city’s decision to collapse certain advisory boards into one, nine-member Community Vibrancy Board?
Yes
A local advocate for retaining public ownership of the city’s power generating company says a “strategic review of alternatives” is beginning to form even though council members say they have heard relatively little feedback on the subject.
Alison Van Dyke says that might be compared to the recent debate about public mask use, when councillors say up to a thousand emails were received, but the potential sale of a public asset demands local government solicit substantial public consultation.
Only bid for Veiner Centre off to council
Poll
Yes
City Hall officials are recommending that operations at the Veiner Centre and municipal seniors’ programming be run by a Calgary-based not-for-profit society – a state of affairs they say would cut city costs and potentially increase offerings and membership.
The Kerby Centre Society was the only group to complete a request for proposal process launched last year as the city looked to cut costs at the seniors centre.
At the same time as that was launched, councillors questioned how to best boost flagging membership figures at the centre that reopened three years ago following the 2013 flood.
Chief McGrogan retires after 40 years
Poll
Looks great
There have been no lack of interesting days at work for Andy McGrogan over the last 40 years, and though most were centred on something bad, the retiring police chief says that over time, he’s learned to also see, then evetentually focus on, the good all around him.
“There are tragedies and bad things that happen, and people that make your head shake,” he told the News, stating 95 per cent of people are simply “good people trying to live their lives.”
“I concentrate on the behaviour not the person… and I run into old criminals now that I’m an old cop. They’re good people who’ve straightened their lives out.”
Post-COVID future for rec centres depends on a lot
Poll
Yes
On Monday night, council agreed to a 2021 budget plan that would keep the Moose Rec centre arena, the Heights outdoor pool and the Crestwood Rec centre closed through the end of 2021.
Those were the only facilities to not reopen from health restrictions this summer and fall as administrators weighted cost benefits of reopening them with reduced demand during the pandemic.
Now, keeping them closed for all of 2021 will contribute an unspecified amount toward the goal of cutting $14 million out of the city’s operating budget.
Coun. Julie Friesen stressed that no final decision has been made on the facility’s future, but hard decisions may have to be made.