City Notebook: It’s not goodbye, but a change has arrived

By COLLIN GALLANT on July 12, 2025.

@CollinGallant

Immediately after I arrived in Medicine Hat 20 years ago – and then for a decade after – Hatters’ first question for me when I was out doing interviews was: How long do you think you’ll stay?

After another 10 years, the answer is still the same – What do you mean? I live here.

This is however, my last column for the News, and last column for a while anyways.

After writing maybe 10,000 stories about this or that, I am moving off to another opportunity … but not out of Medicine Hat … with the CBC as it expands its coverage of Alberta outside the major centres.

More on this in the days to come, and the News has some moves planned as well.

In 2005 when I started here, the News still had a reputation as a farm team for larger newspapers. Reporters would put in their time waiting until some spot in the bigs opened up.

Over the years however, that changed.

The Hatters who now staff the News are fully invested in the community of their birth or adoption, and do their utmost to do their best despite the pressures that have befallen all media.

What’s that saying about so few doing so much with so little?

I’m proud of the News, how it’s persevered, what it represents and what it can be. Hatters should be, too. It’s yours after all.

Enough being maudlin, except to say the News appreciates you reading, but subscriptions and advertising go further to support local media.

This column

My career began as a sportswriter, putting university courses toward a political science degree to good use. It was fun to write because it had better verbs than your average economic report or council meeting.

But times and people change, and over to city hall I went, and this column provided some of that past latitude.

It began as a fill-in for Angus Henderson’s “Talk of the Town” column. He knew the town, all the background and shared his sly sense of humour with readers. I miss him.

“City Notebook” was so-named for all the bits in my own notebook that didn’t have a place in the paper … odds and ends … maybe not worth a whole story, but interesting, or contextual, explanatory or, maybe, (hopefully) entertaining.

More’s been left out of this column over the years than has made it in.

I’ve never liked “I” or “me” columns, but usually gave in on Boxing Day for lighter holiday fare. One predicted the end of neck ties years before the pandemic.

When my daughters were born I threatened to employ this space exclusively to embarrass them. That didn’t materialize, partly out of exhaustion, but mostly out of amazement. Not long ago one remarked that “seagulls” should actually be called “everywhere gulls.” It’s true.

I’ve tried to outline other angles to stories, point to emerging trends or pitfalls, examine the issues behind the issues, or shake the tree for story ideas or solicit feedback.

You also learn some issues are evergreen when you read 100-year-old papers every Friday for 13 years.

And humble.

Few Hatters can name a mayor before Harry Veiner, and I bet not one can name a reporter from that era.

The news and the News marches on, made by Hatters on both counts.

Comic relief

It’s been eight years since TV sportscaster turned bank robber, Stephen Vogelsong, attempted to pull off a couple jobs in the Hat (that was an autumn full of crazy crime), but was caught.

Now, there’s a new documentary out exploring his transformation and downfall. “The Sexiest Man in Winnipeg” is now showing on Amazon Prime. And speaking of … seen recently on a tourism ad: “Canada’s middle child should not be ignored: Visit Winnipeg!

A look ahead

Life goes on.

Council next meets July 21 for what’s shaping up to be a big one.

That leads up to Stampede Week and also the one-year anniversary of municipal affairs staff arriving in town for meetings to cool down the troubled relationship between council and mayor in the Hat.

It’s also the one-year anniversary of the Jasper fires that pulled MLA and Premier Danielle Smith away from her role as honorary parade marshal (as well as the council confab).

More rodeo… “Downtown Bull-a-palooza” will be held in Brooks on July 16, or if you’re looking for a more relaxed outing the 117th edition of that Murraydale Stampede will be held today in the Saskatchewan Cypress Hills.

100 years ago

Walking into the Medicine Hat police station, a man named Stinson admitted to burning down his hardware store 25 years earlier near Manor, Sask., the News reported on July 6, 1925.

“My conscience has been troubling me since my wife died three years ago,” said the 70-year-old vagrant, who collected $1,000 in insurance proceeds from the arson.

Initial details were being checked and the man was awaiting transport to Weyburn.

Fourth of July celebrations in New York state left 117 people dead and 175 injured due to firework mishaps, motor accidents, drownings and even two in a plane crash. That’s a small increase from the prior year.

Local lawyer Lorne Laidlaw regaled a Rotary Club luncheon with a recounting of his three-man boat excursion to Saskatoon by way of the South Saskatchewan River.

Collin Gallant covered sports, city politics and a variety of topics for the News since 2005. The News plans to continue the 100 years ago feature in another format in the future.

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