Neat to Know: October 24, 2024
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Please enjoy this week's edition of Neat to Know, a roundup of City news, updates, and other important information. You can expect to see the week's most interesting content and even some that may have not been delivered through our regular channels.
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WestJet flight time change
New flight times for WestJet’s route between Medicine Hat and Calgary will come into effect in early December after community feedback highlighted a need for a change.
Starting December 5, 2024, WestJet’s YXH–YYC route will have the following schedule:
Medicine Hat to Calgary
- Depart: 7:30 a.m.
- Arrive: 8:16 a.m.
Calgary to Medicine Hat
- Depart: 6:35 p.m.
- Arrive: 7:30 p.m.
At a roundtable event hosted by the City of Medicine Hat and Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce on October 2, feedback to WestJet officials noted that a late arrival into Medicine Hat was not ideal for most travellers.
Oops! Technical difficulties
While we weren’t able to stream Monday’s Council Meeting live due to technical difficulties, we were able to upload the recording from the Teams meeting (thank you Microsoft!) to the 2024 Council Meeting playlist on our YouTube channel. It looks a little different than normal, but you’ll be able to see the meeting in its entirety.
Read the highlights
Or, if you prefer to read rather than watch, we publish "Council Highlights" to recap the main decisions after each regular City Council meeting. Read the highlights at medicinehat.ca/CouncilHighlights.
Receive the highlights
You can even subscribe to receive the highlights right in your inbox by selecting the Council Highlights box at subscribe.medicinehat.ca.
Water Shortage Management Plan measures deactivated
We deactivated our Water Shortage Management Plan measures on Tuesday, October 22. The decision comes after the deactivation of the Government of Alberta's Oldman/South Saskatchewan River Water Sharing Agreement.
This was not possible without YOU, the residents of Medicine Hat, who reduced your water usage by nearly 1.8 billion litres compared to 2023. Thank you!
Round and round we go
One mini roundabout is complete, and another nears completion on 8 Avenue SE as part of a traffic calming pilot project.
What are they? A roundabout is a circular design to manage traffic flow and improve safety at an intersection by reducing the potential for severe collisions, reducing vehicle speeds, and minimizing traffic delays.
These two mini roundabouts, located at the intersections of 2 Avenue SE and 4 Avenue SE, have brought forward some questions from residents on how best to navigate this new type of intersection in the city.
How to navigate a mini roundabout:
- Slow down, scan for and yield to pedestrians
- Yield and give right-of-way to drivers already in the intersection
- If you enter a traffic circle at the same time as another driver, the vehicle to the right has the right-of-way
- Turn right and travel through the intersection in a counterclockwise direction
- After you’ve passed the exit prior to your intended exit, activate your right-turn signal
- Watch for, and yield to, pedestrians when exiting the intersection
For more information on these and other traffic calming measures in Medicine Hat, visit:
The Great Pumpkin Smash
1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, October 26 at the Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre
Join us for a smashing good time! Enjoy live music, treats, hands-on activities and of course smashing pumpkins at this FREE all ages Halloween event. COSTUMES ENCOURAGED!
Head up to the terrace where you can smash your pumpkin onto the drop zone below. While you make your way to the front of the line, you will keep warm with complimentary hot chocolate and enjoy sweet treats, a view that can't be beat and the toasty vibes of our patio heat lamps. Free pumpkins for the smashing, while they last!
Vote for your GOATs (Greatest of All-Time)
Voting is live for our Name the Fleet contest as we move into the next stage of this opportunity to name the 15 vehicles in our snow and ice control fleet. Thank you to all who submitted names – we received nearly 200 submissions from residents.
- Grader category: 12 finalists for four graders
- Sander category: 31 finalists for 11 sanders
Voting is live until October 31 at 5 p.m. Winners will be announced November 1.
View the finalists and vote below!
Rate-based utilities… “check!” Next up: energy production
On Tuesday, October 22, Council joined together for another Committee of the Whole meeting dedicated to the 2025-2026 budget, this time to hear about the Rate-Based Utilities including water, sewer, solid waste (garbage/recycling), and electric and natural gas distribution.
All told, the proposed rates for 2025 should amount to an average increase of only 1% on household utility bills – even under incredible inflationary pressures – thanks largely to operational changes and a reduction in recycling charges.
We’re proud to say that the proposed fees still leave you paying the lowest combined utility rates among the six largest cities in the province.
Utility rates cover the fixed charges and usage charges to cover the City's cost to provide the service to you, including power plants, infrastructure, pipes, wires, maintenance, staff, vehicles, and planned capital costs (like adding Unit 17), etc. They do not include the commodity price of electricity and natural gas.
To understand more about your rates, visit medicinehat.ca/UtilityBill.
The next Council Committee of the Whole for Budget 2025-2026 is Wednesday, October 30 where we will learn about the budget for Energy Production.
For full details of the 2025-2026 budget deliberations, visit https://shapeyourcity.medicinehat.ca/budget-2025-2026.
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