Local News
Council hits brakes on future south-side rec facility development
By BRENDAN MILLER on January 8th, 2026
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com After looking over city finances council has decided to stop accepting applications from developers on design proposals for a new large-scale recreation and aquatic facility that would be constructed on the south side. Last October before the election, the city’s previous council approved a motion to accept requests for proposals from developers on preliminary ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Medicine Hat Catholic school tour dates announced
By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on January 8th, 2026
newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com Parents and guardians will have the opportunity to visit local Catholic schools and meet educators and staff during open houses and school tours announced Tuesday. Dates for open houses, tours and drop-ins have been released for each school within the Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education, allowing parents to explore schools before choosing where ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!It’s Old News: Runaway train rocks downtown in fatal crash
By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on January 8th, 2026
A CP Rail lumber train making its annual trip from Calgary turned wrong very quickly the morning of Jan. 7, 1984. Around 9:45 a.m., the train was unable to slow down as it approached Medicine Hat and sped up to approximately 100 km/h as it approached a curve rated for no more than half that ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!SafeLink says drop-in centre will close without funding
By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on January 8th, 2026
asmith@medicinehatnews.com Following an update at Monday’s city council meeting, SafeLink tells the News it may have to close its drop-in centre should the current funding situation not change. The centre is currently the only low-barrier daytime space within the City of Medicine Hat, says executive director Katie Ayres. She says the centre serves as a ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!City’s affordable housing units slow to develop
By ZOE MASON on January 7th, 2026
zmason@medicinehatnews.com Medicine Hat’s most recent housing needs assessment, the city is making slower than anticipated progress toward addressing the demand for affordable housing. As of the most recent census in 2021, Medicine Hat was home to 7,930 renter households. Of those households, 21 per cent were in core housing need. According to the most recent ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Province launches pipeline website in name of ‘transparency’
By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on January 7th, 2026
newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com The province launched a webpage Tuesday dedicated to the proposed oil pipeline to the northwest coast. The webpage is designed to be a central hub for project information and updates. It will feature information about ongoing engagement with Indigenous communities and the expedited process underway to seek approval from the federal Major Projects Office. ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Council to advocate for urban electoral boundary reversion
By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on January 7th, 2026
newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com Council will submit an application next week to change the city’s current electoral boundaries to represent a more “urbanized” riding of Medicine Hat voters. Coun. Bill Cocks confirmed that council will present its submission to the Alberta Electoral Boundary Commission next Friday, Jan. 16, and will advocate a return to similar electoral boundaries from ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Local man gets probation over assault of golf course employee
By ZOE MASON on January 7th, 2026
zmason@medicinehatnews.com Gerald Freedman, retired investment broker and prominent local philanthropist, was sentenced in Medicine Hat Court of Justice on Tuesday for an assault that occurred at Desert Blume Golf Course last spring. Freedman was originally charged with sexual assault, but pled guilty to the lesser charge of simple assault. The offence took place in May ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Province denies SafeLink working with city on shelter space
By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on January 7th, 2026
asmith@medicinehatnews.com The hunt continues for a long-term solution in the wake of the closure of the Mustard Seed’s Community Impact Centre on Allowance Avenue, as the province has denied an application for the city to partner with SafeLink. At a media scrum following the Jan. 5 city council meeting, Coun. Bill Cocks explained that SafeLink ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Trustees vote unanimously to close two local elementary schools
By BRENDAN MILLER on January 7th, 2026
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com Medicine Hat Public School Division school trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to close both Webster Niblock and Southview Community schools at the end of the current teaching year. “It was a hard decision, but the board has made the one that I think is going to bring resources back to schools and benefit kids in ... Read More »
Be the first to comment!Pecha Kucha Night returns to the Esplanade on Jan. 17
By Medicine Hat News on January 7th, 2026
Pecha Kucha Night Medicine Hat has announced the first event of the year, set for Jan. 17. The event aims to start the year off strong with a varied list of speakers, including a social worker reconnecting adults with play, a soldier who served in Afghanistan and is now a mental health therapist, a mother ... Read More »
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