City Notebook: Local census idea gaining traction

By Medicine Hat News Opinion on January 25, 2025.

The idea of a municipal census to figure out population trends and a housing crunch in the Hat is gaining some consideration among city hall decision-makers, the News is told.

Such endeavours, costing in the $100,000 range, are not cost effective anymore as ever since 2020 the results aren’t factored into provincial per capita grant increases.

But, some city council members have said dislodging the tightly-held local belief that the Hat is a low-growth centre may have value.

The issue has turned elections and been a common grumble for about 15 years.

For a while now, the Hat has recorded more deaths than births – unique among Alberta’s cities – whenever the annual vital statistics are released.

But, housing demand is up, which can’t be explained away by inflation. Actually, inflation should do the opposite.

For the record, the province now estimates the city’s population at 66,381, about 1,000 more than two years ago, and 5 per cent higher than the common guess of about 63,000.

One financial consideration though, is that the next federal census, which is official, is set to take place in 2026.

Counting head

The next official census of cattle in Alberta, done by Alberta Agriculture will also be released next year, and could prove interesting after discussion of herd reductions due to past drought and trade trouble on the horizon.

For the record, there were 158,000 cows on Cypress County ranches in 2021. Sure, they outnumber Cypress County residents about 20 to 1, but that’s down about 10,000 from five years earlier, but well up from 140,000 in rough times of 2006.

Tigers travel

There’s no trifling about it, the Tigers are on an uptick in 2025 as they embark on their six-game, nine-day road trip through the WHL’s U.S. division.

As noted in the News on Friday, trip will feature the only head-to-head match-up between the two current conference leaders. The Tigers visit the (Bill Yuill-owned) Everett Silvertips on Wednesday in Washington State.

It’s also bound to bring to mind the 2004 league title series that was waged between the two cities. Could a repeat be in the works?

This and that

– If you missed the fine print, the City of Medicine Hat placed a disclaimer on its website noting that past financial reports and even minutes and committee meetings should be considered as part of required archive keeping and not a current statement.

Wait? What? Why? Well, it’s a lawyerly response to the federal “greenwashing” legislation that could be applied to statements about the city’s boisterous support for natural gas over the years.

– It took some gumshoeing but Esplanade archivist Jenni Barrietos has determined that the “Medicine Hat man” that appears as the News logo was likely first drawn by former News commercial artist Ted Tate.

She explained in a recent history column that the 65-year-old logo first appeared in 1959 to commemorate the News’ 75th publishing year. It has since been lent to numerous local groups, including the city (for its flag), BATUS, and others.

A look ahead

Expect the issue of a new grandstand at the Medicine Hat exhibition grounds to arrive back at council in early February in some way shape or form.

It’s doubtful that U.S.-Canada trade tensions will be resolved anytime soon, but expect several updates and potential left turns every few days or hours for the foreseeable future.

Weatherwise, what do you know, March is only five weeks away.

100 years ago

The News began providing a nightly radio programme schedule from Calgary and Seattle as well as far off locales of Omaha, Pittsburg, and San Fransisco in late January 1925.

That came as a new signal boosting international tie-in agreement was struck between U.S. station owners and facilities o the Canadian National Railway system.

The New Zealand All-Blacks rugby football team would be honoured guests at the Banff-Calgary Winter Carnival, where they would take part in the polar bear swim before travelling east.

The United Farmers of Alberta adopted a party resolution that the UFA government withhold $5,000 grants to fairs in Calgary and Edmonton unless suggested changes were heeded, including a ban on games of chance.

UFA leader Henry Wise Wood also advised against inviting “Ginger Group” progressive MPs from Alberta, including Medicine Hat’s member Robert Gardiner, of Acadia, to the UFA’s spring convention.

Wheat prices at the Winnipeg grain exchange rose to $2.20 per bushel in the most frenzied run-up of prices ever recorded outside of war time.