Council Highlights June 1, 2026

Jun 02, 2026

This summary provides a brief overview of City Council meetings and does not reflect all discussion and debate. For full details, download the agenda package or watch the full meeting on the City of Medicine Hat’s YouTube channel.

Councillor Hellman announced the launch of an interactive tool on the City website to help the community navigate municipal parks and recreation amenities. The Parks and Recreation Explorer provides residents and visitors an easy-to-use directory of destination parks, playgrounds, pools, spray parks and recreation facilities. 

Councillor Reynish acknowledged Pride Month and shared a message of welcome and inclusivity. 

City Council received the following items for the corporate record. 

  • Public Services Committee Meeting Minutes of May 11, 2026 

  • Corporate Services Committee Meeting Minutes of May 14, 2026 

  • Energy, Land and Environment Committee Meeting Minutes of May 21, 2026 

  • Development & Infrastructure Committee Meeting Minutes of May 21, 2026 

City Council received the following items for information. 

  •  Police Commission Meeting Minutes of March 18, 2026  

  • City of Medicine Hat 2025 Annual Report 

  • Public Services Committee Meeting Action Items - May 11, 2026 

  • Energy, Land and Environment Committee Meeting Action Items - May 21, 2026 

  • Development & Infrastructure Committee Meeting Action Items - May 21, 2026 

Councillor Hellman spoke to the Corporate Services Committee Meeting Minutes of May 11, specifically acknowledging the City’s 2025 Annual Report, advising that it will now be published on the City’s website, along with previous annual reports.

 

Bylaw 4853-2026 - Land Use Bylaw (LUB) Refresh 

First reading of the bylaw occurred on May 4.  

John Popoff, Director of Planning and Development Services, Robert Sissons, Manager of Planning, and Shawn Champagne, Superintendent of Planning, presented Bylaw 4853-2026 - Land Use Bylaw Refresh. They summarized the public engagement activities that informed the recommended changes to the bylaw. The proposed changes include more specific Land Use Districts (from 18 to 21) and Use Definitions (from 69 to 139) meant to improve clarity, reduce the need for discretion, provide clearer expectations, reduce the number of appeals and improve usability for the public and development industry. 

Following the public hearing, Council approved the following amendments to the proposed bylaw.   

  1. Delete and replace section 9 (p. 4) of the Bylaw with the following: “The following districts are established, the locations of which are shown on the Land Use District Map attached to this Bylaw as Schedule “A”.” 
  2. Delete and replace the definition of Land Use District Map in Part 18: General Definitions (p. 157) with the following: “Land Use District Map means a map of the City or a portion of the City, showing the land use district classifications of the sites covered by the map, that is adopted by Bylaw and attached to this Bylaw as Schedule “A” and is available for inspection in electronic format on the City’s website.”  
  3. “The new Land Use District Map provided by staff at this meeting, is added as Schedule “A” to Bylaw 4853-2026”. 
  4. The Land Use District for the following parcels of land (Lot 8; Block S; Plan 59191 and Lot 9; Block S; Plan 59191) to be changed in the Land Use District Map – Schedule “A” from Neighbourhood Residential 2 District (N-R2) to Light/Medium Industrial District (I-LM). 

Following a public hearing, City Council passed Bylaw 4883-2026, as amended.  

Destination Marketing Organization Annual Report 

Jace Anderson, Executive Director of the Destination Marketing Organization (DMO), presented their Annual Report, summarizing the efforts and activities of Medicine Hat Tourism in 2025.

Council approved a motion to postpone items 10.1 (Development and Expansion Incentive Program Bylaw 4885-2026 and Bylaw 4886-2026), 12.2 (Food Waste Organics Composting), and 12.5 (Hedging Policy Amendments) to the June 15 City Council meeting.  

Gas Distribution Custody Transfer Meter Program Budget Increase 

Council approved a budget amendment of $1,057,000 for the Utility Distribution System’s 2026 Gas Custody Meter Transfer Program. The 2026 budget will increase from $679,000 to $1,736,000, with the increase coming from Capital Reserves.  

To meet federal requirements set by Measurement Canada, the Gas Distribution department regularly tests a sample of gas meters each year. If the tested meters don’t meet standards, all meters in that group must either be approved for continued use or replaced within the same year. Failing to comply can result in financial penalties. In 2023, the department identified a large number of meters from 2013–2014 that did not meet performance requirements due to normal wear over time. Replacing these meters required significant funding and used most of the available budget. As a result, the department began switching to a newer type of meter that is more reliable and widely used across the industry. In 2024 and 2025, further testing showed that many of these older meters could safely remain in service for a limited time, helping manage replacement costs. However, in May 2026, new test results found that several groups of these older meters must now be replaced. Because the number of required replacements exceeds the remaining budget, additional funding is needed to complete the work and stay compliant with federal regulations. 

Financing Electric Utility Service Upgrades to Support Continued Development of Backyard and Secondary Suites 

City Council approved a motion directing Administration to continue offsetting the cost of electric utility service upgrades for development of backyard and secondary suites by maintaining the backyard and secondary suite provisions contained within Residential Tax Exemption Bylaw 4851 as amended from time to time. The item came forward as a result of public inquiries. Other options to offset these costs were examined, but following evaluation, the existing Residential Tax Exemption Bylaw 4851 was deemed the most appropriate option based on alignment with existing principles, legislation, and regulations, the financial benefit to the customer and the municipality, and feasibility of implementing the solution.  

Committee Meeting Agendas and Minutes
medicinehat.ca/AgendasMinutes 

 Next City Council meeting to be held in Council Chambers in City Hall on
Monday, June 15 at 6:30 p.m.

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