City Notebook: Too busy even for a ‘Go get em, fellas’?

By Collin Gallant on May 24, 2025.

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It causes groans in some circles when politicians don hockey jerseys, but in an age when politics are truly no fun, where every thing is a crisis, every joke an insult and every move horrendous to at least half of everybody, that old tried and true hackneyed bit of politicking is conspicuous by its absence.

Medicine Hat city council failed to make note of the Medicine Hat Tigers’ Western Hockey League title win when it opened its meeting on Tuesday.

To not express devotion to the local hockey team is like not kissing a baby on the campaign trail, but perhaps it too is now of a bygone era.

Even Premier Danielle Smith – the area’s MLA who’s typically a whiz at popular politics – waited more than 72 hours to congratulate the Tabbies on their WHL title with a brief social media message.

Granted, everyone’s more than a little busy at the moment, what with the world collapsing and all, and politics-as-usual entering strange new dimensions.

City council, for example, dealt with an 814-page agenda packet at the meeting chaired by deputy mayor Andy McGrogan.

It featured another chapter of back and forth over Stampede grandstand expansion (with six options to choose from four years later). There’s growing opposition to a new transportation plan that a number of Hatters clearly see as a sort of war on cars, and now a public hearing on the horizon.

Another newly set public hearing involves the monumental decision of creating a separate corporation to run the city’s claim-to-fame utility business.

That’s on top of the closed discussions about the shape-shifting goal of creating a workable complaint process between the public and City Hall.

So maybe it’s forgivable that part-time city councillors might not have had additional mental real estate to wish the Tigers well at the Memorial Cup (see “A look ahead,” for more proof).

As for MLAs, there’s been issues on top of issues in the headlines and a new national framework to build, but as of yet no side bets between premiers of Alberta, Ontario, Quebec or New Brunswick on the Memorial Cup outcome.

Such bets – a steak dinner vs. poutine, or whatever – would be typical in normal times. Like new shoes for a new budget, maybe the time has passed.

We’ll chalk it up to the hectic pace this spring, though will note that in the 2024 Oiler’s run to the Stanley Cup finals, Smith was quick to challenge both the governors of Texas and Florida.

Ah, simpler times.

Missed it?

The province announced that the new Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir is complete in time for the traditional flood season on the Elbow River near Calgary. Hatters will recall the flood here in 2013 first occurred in downtown Calgary and the new $850-million diversion is meant to take the top off a cresting river.

On the calendar

– Delegates arrive later this week for the Alberta Chamber of Commerce annual general meeting and policy conference;

– The Redcliff Days schedule is out for events in the town from June 13-15;

– The Alberta Pickleball championship tournament will be staged here July 10-13.

A look ahead

While the Tigers are playing the Moncton Wildcats on Monday, city council will hold a committee of the whole meeting to hear an overview of economic development, a financial reserve overview and the new land and real estate strategy.

The public services committee will also hear a formal capital grant request from the Medicine Hat women’s shelter earlier in the day.

100 years ago

A roundup of free-ranging horses organized by the Municipality of Excelsior captured 1,500 lost mounts over two days, the News reported in late May 1925. About 1,200 had been claimed by owners and 300 more could be viewed in pens at Dunmore.

From the sporting pages, the Hat’s lacrosse squad won King’s Birthday exhibition matches over Moose Jaw and Calgary teams.

A program of horse racing was set at the turf club, and the senior amateur baseball season would begin with the Typos hosting the Lethbridge Fencebusters.

The management of the Monarch Theatre apologized to patrons as the latest picture featuring Mary Pickford was delayed in a shipping error.

The Royal Bank acquired the Union Bank of Canada after Ottawa approved the sale.

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