Council meets for its final open meeting Monday evening where they approved the establishment of the Southeast Alberta Economic Opportunity Advocacy Committee and will be appointing a new elected official as committee member following the municipal election.--NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
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City councillors unanimously passed a motion this week to establish a Southeast Alberta Economic Opportunity Strategy (SAEOS) Advocacy Committee, which will work in collaboration with five other municipalities in a five-year regional initiative.
Back in 2023, Medicine Hat, in partnership with Foremost, Bow Island, Redcliff, County of Forty Mile and Cypress County, received a $200,000 Northern and Regional Economic grant used to develop the creation of the strategy, aimed at enhancing business attraction, retention and explosion in the region.
In 2024, partners developed the SAEOS and Action Plan, which calls for a six-member Regional Steering Committee representing each municipality that will oversee the implementation of economic development strategy.
A Medicine Hat elected official will be appointed to the committee following the results of the upcoming election, and will meet with other appointed committee members during an upcoming municipal organizational meeting planned in November.
According to a letter, the purpose of the SAEOS is to build stronger advocacy under a unified voice or message to lobby for funding, policy and infrastructure, as well as collaborating to enhance regional visibility and appeal.
It says regional projects are more competitive when seeking grant funding from the provincial or federal government, and the strategy will improve funding success chances for those grants.
Using shared resources and expertise, the committee plans to grow the region’s profile, which would allow more access to specialized programs and opportunities.
Additionally, it seeks to work with education providers and employers to address talent attraction and retention.
The strategy outlines five high-growth priorities it will work to address.
Industry-driven talent attrition and development;
Aligned service delivery and unified voice;
Expansion of the aerospace and defence sector;
Attract investment in value-added agri-food production;
Boost the economic impact of regional tourism offerings.
“A connected economic development ecosystem increases our ability to compete, grow and be seen,” reads the letter. “These priorities are nationally competitive and require strategic collaboration to elevate southeast Alberta, increasing our visibility and investment readiness.”
In terms of agriculture and agri-food development, the strategy says it identifies a major opportunity around Lethbridge and Taber, located along Highway 3, as Canada’s Premier Food Corridor, and believes there is an opportunity to extend that corridor to the eastern most part of the province.
Community Service Level Inventory
On Monday, council received a presentation on the Community Service Level Inventory’s first project phase, which identified service levels across external operating departments that deliver public-facing services.
Service levels outlined in the report are internationally reported from the customer’s point of view in an accessible, non-technical language to communicate the quality and extent of service that residents and stakeholders can reasonably expect to receive.
This will provide a comprehensive view of service delivery across all city functions, and future phases of the initiative will expand the inventory to include internal support services provided by the city.
Salary budget approved
Council also approved the total increase of $107,571 to next year’s budget for salary and wage increases for the incoming council, funded through operating reserves.
At open council Sept. 15, the approval of an increase of $7,259 to the annual base salary of city councillors was approved, increasing their annual wage to $60,236 from $52,977.
At the beginning of council’s term in 2021, annual pay for their role was set at $45,476. That figure, which is also tied to inflation, has increased by $7,501 over the past four years and will now increase another $7,259, a total of 32.4% in four years.
Medicine Hat’s next mayor will maintain the current annual base salary for the position at its rate of $159,176.
Parkview trail rename
After a unanimous motion, Parkview Trail, along Police Point Drive, will now be named Parrish Trail, after a former alderman.
The Municipal Names Committee brought the motion forward after a spelling error was identified on “Parish Way.”
Changing road names now, such as Parish Road, Parish, Way and Parish Court, would be costly and led staff to look at other solutions.
Following consultation with parks and recreation staff, the committee proposed to name the trail adjacent to Parish Way, which runs along the South Saskatchewan River, as Parrish Trail.
Physical signage will not be installed, however the designation will be reflected in digital mapping systems.
