Letters to the Editor
Letter: Too much time spent behind closed doors at public school board meetings
By Letter to the Editor on April 23rd, 2024
Dear editor, What is the point of local government bodies establishing policies for their conduct when they do not even abide by their own policies? Case in point, the Medicine Hat Public School Board’s policy pertaining to “Meetings of the Committee of the Whole.” Meetings of “Committee of the Whole” are conducted behind closed doors, ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Letter: No accomplishment merits abandonment of democratic principle
By Letter to the Editor on April 18th, 2024
Dear editor, There are Hatters who believe the accomplishments of city council over the past two years merits blind faith in their decision-making capability, and innuendo is a perfectly acceptable way to undo the democratic will of citizens. Such individuals aren’t likely going to try to rationalize the need to redact the names of the ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Letter: Everyone needs to do their part to be water conservation AWARE
By Letter to the Editor on April 17th, 2024
Dear editor, We all need water. But will it be available for everyone this summer? Last year in Alberta, several agricultural states of emergency were declared across the province due to drought. Some municipalities implemented water restrictions for residents. This year could be worse with a current low snowpack in the mountains, limited precipitation, a ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Letter: Both sides of the council riff have behaved in disappointing ways
By Letter to the Editor on April 16th, 2024
Dear editor, The last few weeks have been very disappointing watching the events with the city council. When all the elected candidates were running in the election, they all spoke of how they would work together and eliminate the problems of the previous administrations. It appears that what we now are witnessing is a lack ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Letter: The Medicine Hat Public School Division also needs a lesson in transparency
By Letter to the Editor on April 16th, 2024
Dear editor, Alex McCuaig’s April 11 letter cuts to the heart of the matter concerning transparency in local government. Medicine Hat city council is not the only body that deserves attention. The board of the Medicine Hat Public School Division could also be doing more to make its operations visibly accountable. At one time I ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Letter: Former mayor right about the unrest with city council – it’s bad all around
By Letter to the Editor on April 16th, 2024
Dear editor, I was not a big fan of our previous mayor, however he won my agreement when speaking out on his recent appearance on CHAT TV, regarding our current city council’s future. To put it bluntly, I agree! Our current city council governance is in big trouble. In my view, the penalty imposed on ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Letter: Hatters suffer while council bickers like feuding parents
By Letter to the Editor on April 11th, 2024
Dear editor, One of the best analogies describing the current state of city council is that it’s like a divorce. But in this case, instead of a child receiving the brunt of the fallout coming from litigious, bickering parents who claim they are looking out for the best interests of their son or daughter, it’s ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Letter: Optimist Club of Medicine Hat thanks community after tough decision to disband
By Letter to the Editor on April 10th, 2024
Dear editor, The end came quickly at the April 3, 2023 regular meeting of the Optimist Club of Medicine Hat as it voted unanimously to disband. The club, whose international motto is “Friend of Youth,” chartered in December of 1961, and has been a major player and supporter of local youth programs in the City ... Read More »
1 responseLetter: Glowing praise for the city and a promise to be back soon
By Letter to the Editor on April 9th, 2024
Dear editor, Until this week, all I saw of Medicine Hat was from the window of a Greyhound bus. That was enough to suggest to me that it’s a city of rich character, so this week when I got the opportunity to come down and have meetings with several people about climate change and the ... Read More »
1 responseLetter: Petition committee pens letter requesting sanctions on mayor be lifted
By Letter to the Editor on April 4th, 2024
Mr. Dumanowski, Ms. Hider, Mr. Hirsch, Ms. Knodel, Mr. McGrogan, Ms. Robins and Ms. Van Dyke, We are writing to you to ask that you rescind the sanctions you applied to Mayor Clark. In spite of an investigator finding Mayor Clark contravening the council’s Code of Conduct, many in this community strongly disagree with him. ... Read More »
2 responsesLetter: Mostly-redacted ‘public’ report the kind of secrecy meant for dictatorships
By Letter to the Editor on April 2nd, 2024
Dear editor, There simply isn’t a democratic norm, policy or procedure which Medicine Hat councillors and staff won’t break to fit their own purposes. Councillors voted to receive the Kingsgate Legal report for the public record and in doing so, verbally named Coun. Shiila Sharps and Mayor Linnsie Clark as the complainant and respondent respectively. ... Read More »
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