State of the City: New mayor says better days on horizon

By COLLIN GALLANT on February 23, 2022.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant

Medicine Hat’s future is bright but “we’ve got to calm down and sink some putts,” said Mayor Linnsie Clark in her first “State of the City” address on Tuesday afternoon.

How the greens are running however, may not be known for a while yet.

Clark used the event – typically laden with economic announcements – to advertise and lay out the city’s hydrogen hub and carbon capture strategy, as well as a workforce attraction program, but she also gave an outline of a mental health and community health strategy promised in last fall’s election.

More information on all will be available after strategic planning sessions are completed by the largely new elected council next month

“You’ll be hearing that a lot, but stay tuned,” Clark told about 240 people at the Medicine Hat Lodge ballroom on Tuesday afternoon in a return to the Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis Club event after it was broadcast online last year.

She said City Hall is putting in the work to ensure the city emerges from the pandemic.

“Maybe you’ve noticed that everybody lately is feeling a little tense, on edge,” she said in her conclusion.

“We all know that we’re in the midst, and hopefully the end, of” the pandemic, and can emerge stronger.

“This will take time and resources and thoughtful consideration by all of us.

“We need to remember to calm down and sink some putts. Bit by bit, we can all contribute to the success of our city. Council is excited to work toward that common goal.”

The event – the first in-person edition of the Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis Club annual lunch – was the first in two years owing to the pandemic and the first major speaking engagement for Clark.

The 41-year-old lawyer was elected in her first try at public office last October, along with six new members of an nine-person council.

Each council member was also featured in video message, though the key point of the speech – a video explaining the hydrogen and carbon capture hub – was stopped due to technical difficulties (a version is now on the city’s website.”

That industry attraction study launched was made public in the thick of the municipal election campaign last August.

Clark, who had made an “industrial cluster” strategy a key point of her campaign, was critical of the seeming late-hour timing of the details of the strategy and said more study was needed.

On Tuesday, she spoke strongly about the project that is being jointly developed by Invest Medicine Hat officials and the utility division (the city’s gas-fired power plants are central to the issue).

“We want to make sure we can protect our energy assets but also along with local industry avoid the costs (of carbon levies),” she said. “We can offset them and thrive in the low-carbon economy of the future.”

She later told reporters there is no new information or timetable for the city-led projects that seek private-sector partners and could see provincial government regulatory or funding announcements this winter.

“I thought it was a good speech,” said former alderman Bill Cocks, who said he had had some sympathy for new council members coming up to speed on myriad issues.

Chamber of Commerce chair Scott Lehr said sections on social well-being speak to the times.

“It was very future-facing and looking forward to the end of the pandemic,” he told the News.

One new announcement was directed at the social service sector in the city.

Earlier Tuesday, Clark took part in a federal government announcement that Medicine Hat will be an initial location in a “super cluster” announcement that will see Medicine Hat Community Housing partner with “HelpSeeker Technologies” to bring new digital co-ordination to social service offerings.

The city is also planning to maintain ongoing support for programs to tackle mental health issues in the city.

The “Project Hope” and “Choose” online awareness programs were unveiled recently.

A new survey of community policing perceptions and study to bring in trained mental health staff to non-emergency calls to police is forthcoming.

Council will consider recommendations related to “Truth and Reconciliation” action that are expected from an ad hoc committee in June.

The city’s planned work to create a “environmental framework” this year was also outlined.

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