City Notebook: Back to school… sigh

By Collin Gallant on August 31, 2024.

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The dog days of summer produced a litter of story-of-the-year candidates during this last week – the time when reporters usually search for stories and regular folks slump their shoulders at the sight of Halloween candy on store shelves.

Instead of searching for lunch ideas, or the ideal watermelon for a Roughrider’s hat, Hatters are left to ponder potential sea-change at its 110-year-old public power utility and a first big step into solar energy production.

As well, city council meets Tuesday for the first time in seven weeks and the first time since a court ruling this week in a very public dispute.

Also with policy changes on reserves (albeit not spending), issues involving close to $1 billion are on the table, not to mention a city budget by December and surely some other curveball.

So, homework on all subjects above commences immediately.

Perhaps Hatters are repeating a grade considering last year’s power price hikes sent folks off to cram on the Alberta power market and local budget process.

New to the curriculum is economics, engineering and law – few people understand how solar makes money, works, or is regulated.

Here, the city faces a huge task to explain it all to convince the public the purchase of Saamis Solar field is sound.

The gravity of the decision is right up there with acquiring gas fields in early 1900s or decommissioning most of them in the late 2010s.

People hate, hate, hate the carbon levy that will help pay it off, and generally, it seems, doing nothing is an easier option than trying something and risk having it backfired.

Any action, these days, requires leadership.

That’s something Mayor Linnsie Clark has demanded she be able to provide.

It’s also something other councillors say has been lacking, though they aren’t legally barred from providing it themselves.

Hatters heading back to class are hoping for less time in drama.

This and that

– Chitter chatter about town points to a continuation of a busy summer well in to the fall at CFB Suffield and the Defence Research station.

– Research turns up the weirdest things, such as the fact there’s a point near Bakersfield, Calif. named Pelican’s Jaw (there’s a solar plant going in there).

– Just when this column asked about who’s doing corn roasts anymore, Darryl Eagles, of the Redcliff Legion, reports their’s last week was a big success, including a special meat draw. “We’re doing pretty well with the help of some tremendous volunteers,” he says.

– Speaking of, the News has been providing profiles of local service clubs in the paper lately. It’s not too late to make or meet a New Year’s resolution to be positive, get involved and help out your community.

– It’s also Labour Day on Monday, and a message from UFCW No. 401 reminds members that it’s been 20 years since the union began representing workers at then-Lakeside Packers, now JBS Canada. Of note, railway workers in Medicine Hat formed the first labour union in what would become Alberta. Its successor union, Teamsters Rail Conference Local 322 (locked out last week), turns 138 years old on Sept. 8.

A look ahead

Council sits Tuesday for the first time since late July with lots to talk about (see above). The provincial news cycle seems to be ramping up as well, so catch up on your chores, or golf game, or whatever this weekend.

100 years ago

The Medicine Hat Typos took the Alberta junior baseball championship rallying with three straight wins over the Drumheller Miners, including both ends of doubleheader on Labour Day, the News reported this week in 1924.

It was the second ever such title earned by a Hat ball team, the other being the Rotary Juniors several years earlier, and both did after falling back 2-0 in a five-game series.

The team was sponsored by the International Typographical Union, Local No. 451 and the pressmen at the News.

Hatter Kenneth Basset was named the Alberta All-around athletics champion for his feats in track and field meet in Lethbridge on Labour Day.

The first ever initial payment from the Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba Wheat Boards was made, representing $1 per bushel in early payment.

In Los Angeles, former pugilist Kid McCoy was ordered to stand trial for murder.

Collin Gallant covers city politics and a variety of topic for the News. Reach him at 403-528-5664 or via email at cgallant@medicinehatnews.com.

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