City Notebook: Six weeks of winter, and then some…

By COLLIN GALLANT on April 30, 2022.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant

It’s a wonder why Canadians observe Ground Hog Day on February 2.

Has spring ever begun on that particular day north of the 49th parallel?

It is more like at least six weeks later, no matter what a variety of rodents have to say on the matter.

Canucks accepted the reality of our weather and set our Thanksgiving celebrations six weeks earlier than our American friends more than 100 years ago.

Spring beginning in mid-March (when most of the world is already dealing with dandelions going to seed) makes a lot more sense.

Likewise, what are odds on it snowing on May long weekend?

But, there’s some notable, if futile, bravery involved in hoping for an early spring. Who doesn’t want to pack up the coats and get raking the yard around St. Patrick’s Day?

And after some fits and starts this year, it appears spring has sprung.

Temperatures are supposed to reach the mid to high 20C range this week, which is a good thing, considering expected home heating prices (see below).

The Rattler Run is a go on Saturday morning. There’s no WHL playoff hockey, but there’s already been a rodeo held in town, and opening day at the renovated Athletic Park is a mere four weeks away.

Are people still growing tomatoes and tending their yards like they did to while away the pandemic? We can hope so, and ditto walking and saying hello to neighbours.

While you were sleeping

If you’re only now poking your head out of your hole, you may notice some changes about town. Gone is the weird mid-block U-turn on First Street by the train underpass (a victim of the Towne Square project).

Also evaporated are the sign on top of the Imperial Motel on 13th Avenue and the second “Dominion Glass” smokestack at the insulation plant in Redcliff.

It’s like the Dunmore Road overpass. Can you remember how it looked before hand?

Climate change

A report out now states the Hat could spend an entire summer with daily highs above 30C by 2051 (it was discussed in Thursday’s edition).

That’s no matter what can be done between now and then to cut carbon dioxide emissions, according to the report from researchers at the University of Waterloo.

It calls for action to avoid strain on cities.

Practical steps include improving homes with insulation, windows, light-coloured roofs and city actions involving urban tree canopy and greater attention to green space.

A lot of people are triggered about climate change and dig their heels in, but what’s the downside in planting trees?

Just imagine what Medicine Hat would look like if early town fathers hadn’t promoted a massive tree-planting program as a civic beautification program, or if Hatters in the meantime hadn’t given a darn to keep it up?

Bringing it full circle… Friday, April 29 was Arbour Day.

WHL lease rates

Few things are more secretive than what WHL teams pay to use the arenas in their home towns… the News is still waiting on a formal request to review privacy concerns over the rate at the old Arena.

Some view of the league-wide rates came from financial documents disclosed in a lawsuit by former players seeking minimum wage remuneration for their service in the Canadian Hockey League.

This month, a lawsuit in Cranbrook provides a picture of that city’s agreement with the now-departed Kootenay Ice.

The City of Cranbrook is seeking to recuperate $178,000 in annual income after the franchise left the southeastern British Columbia town for Winnipeg with three years left on their lease.

This and that

Drew Barnes was just one of three MLAs in the province presented with a pin commemorating 10 years of service this week, which is a real statement about the amount of turnover in provincial politics since the 2012 election.

The Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA also lamented at a property rights legislative hearing in town that this month also marks the first time in his tenure his name has come up on a list to present a private member’s bill. It asks the government to move more swiftly on the recommendations of the Fair Deal Panel.

A look ahead

City council sits Monday, the same day gas and power prices for May are due. Sorry folks, it doesn’t look great. The crystal ball here at the News (actually a list of early submissions to Alberta’s utility regulator) suggests floating power prices again over the fixed rate in the Hat, and natural gas going somewhere around $6.

The calendar turns over, the Alberta Crop Report fires back on May 6.

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