Council Highlights September 2, 2025

Under Councillor Announcements:

• Councillor Sharps shared that she and Mayor Clark had the opportunity to meet with Just Serve, a group that coordinates volunteer opportunities within Medicine Hat, and encouraged the community to visit their website.
• Councillor Van Dyke and Councillor Dumanowski offered congratulations to Andre Mueller who recently discovered a new dragonfly species in the Drumheller area.
• Councillor Dumanowski offered congratulations to the organizers of Porchfest, Shannon and Rob Pape, which occurred over the Labour Day weekend.

City Council received the following items into the corporate record: 

• Administrative and Legislative Review Committee Meeting Minutes of August 12, 2025
• Municipal Planning Commission Meeting Minutes of August 20, 2025
• Development and Infrastructure Committee Meeting Minutes of August 21, 2025

City Council received the following items for information: 

• Medicine Hat Resilient and Inclusive Community Task Force Meeting Minutes – August 5, 2025
• Third Street SE Construction Project Schedule Update
• Development Permits Update
• Development Permit Application – PLDP20250522 – Community Food Service
• Development Permits approved by the Development Officer – July 10 to August 10, 2025
• Administrative and Legislative Review Committee Action Items of August 12, 2025
• Development and Infrastructure Committee Meeting Action Items of August 21, 2025

Under Delegations, City Council:

• Received a verbal update from Dwight Kilpatrick, Mayor of Redcliff, on Regional Food and Organics Waste. He shared that Ambipar, an environmental managment group, is involved in food composting in Redcliff as a contracted service and they are looking to expand. Mayor Kilpatrick requested that Medicine Hat City Council consider a regional approach to food composting. Following the discussion, City Council approved a motion as follows:

WHEREAS the regional management of food and organic waste presents an opportunity to reduce environmental impacts, improve sustainability, and optimize waste diversion efforts across the region;

AND WHEREAS Ambipar, as a service provider, has expertise and capabilities in managing and updating regional food and organics waste systems;

AND WHEREAS the current regional waste diversion strategy may require updating to reflect evolving best practices, regulatory frameworks, and new technological advancements;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Council directs the Administration to engage with Ambipar to gather relevant data, technical assessments, and cost-benefit analyses to support an informed decision on participation in a regional food and organics waste update by Q4 2025;

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Administration work with Ambipar to compile the necessary information and present it to the next Council for review and decision on the best path forward regarding participation in the regional update by Q4 2025.

Under Unfinished Business, City Council:

• Received an update from Managing Director of Public Services, Joe Hutter, on the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede (MHES) Funding Request. MD Hutter indicated that the MHES has indicated they would like to put their request for financial support on hold to allow time to bring forward an updated request in the future. City Council then approved a motion to postpone the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede funding request pending further discussion with the Medicine Hat Exhibition and Stampede Board.
• Received a presentation from Acting Director of Municipal Works, Sandeep Pareek, regarding the proposal to postpone the adoption of the Transportation Master Plan (TMP), the Active Transportation Strategy (ATS), and the Transportation Safety Strategy (TSS) due to questions and concerns from the community. The postponement is intended to provide an opportunity for further public engagement related to the plans. Following the presentation, City Council approved two motions:
  • to postpone the consideration of the plans for adoption until Q1 of 2026.
  • Council direct Administration to review and revise the Public Participation Policy to include options for the next Council that ensure: all public comments received through engagement processes are provided to Council in their original, unedited form; Summaries or thematic analyses, if included, are supplementary and not a replacement for the full record of public input; Clear mechanisms are established to ensure transparency and accountability in how public feedback is collected, reported, and considered in decision-making. AND THAT Administration present these policy options to the next Council no later than December 2025, allowing sufficient time for review and implementation by the next Council.

Under New Business, City Council:

• Approved a motion to add a City Council meeting to be held in Council Chambers, following regular procedures, on Monday, September 29, 2025 at 4 p.m.
• Gave first reading to Bylaw 4860 - Rezoning of 2055 Saamis Drive NW. The proposed amendment to the Land Use Bylaw would see the property rezoned from Highway Commercial to Direct Control to accommodate the future development of a community shelter. According to the applicant, “The operations are intended to provide emergency and temporary shelter for individuals in need of daytime and overnight accommodation of approximately 30 to 50 beds. The location will also include space for food services and other support services for shelter residents and other vulnerable community members including programming, health and wellness support services, volunteer and staff office space. This location will ideally consolidate these services into one location.” A public hearing will be held on September 29, 2025.
• Approved the recipients of the City of Medicine Hat’s biennial Community Spirit Awards as per the Community Vibrancy Advisory Board’s recommendation. The award ceremony will take place on October 8 at The Esplanade and will recognize the following individuals and organizations.
  • Arts/Culture: Bev Duke
  • Community Inclusion: Davie James; Dan Hager & Julie Lacasse
  • Compassion: Shae Fedorak; Paul Carolan
  • Environment: Marilyn Kusler
  • Sports/Recreation: Glen Mori
  • Heart of Medicine Hat: LaVerne Noble
  • Change Maker: Medicine Hat Skateboard Association
• Approved administration’s recommendation to provide Audit Committee with a detailed report of Senior Administration expenses, with adjustments to specific transaction details, each June as part of year-end reporting. This report provides detailed transactions for each senior leader by account. The report would be presented in open Audit Committee and flow through to open Council as part of the consent agenda. This option balances the public transparency as well as the Audit Committee oversight.
• Approved a motion directing staff to bring forward a land use bylaw amendment for Council’s consideration, for 1064 1 Street SW to be rezoned to Medium Density Residential, and that height of development on the Property be restricted to a maximum of 10.5 metres or two stories and managed through the conditions of a Purchase and Sales Agreement between the City and the potential purchaser.
• Approved a motion directing Administration to engage a qualified consultant to deliver respectful workplace training, in accordance with Directive 3 of the Municipal Inspection, as mandated by the Minister of Municipal Affairs.

Under Committee Business, City Council:

• Approved a motion to refer amendments to Council Remuneration Policy 8043 back to Administrative and Legislative Committee for further review.
• Approved a motion for the appointments to the Community Vibrancy Advisory Board and Subdivision and Development Appeal Board, as presented:
  • For Community Vibrancy Advisory Board:
    • Sarah McNeill, with appointment expiring December 2027
    • Jim Kuehn, with appointment expiring December 2026
  • For the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board:
    • Erin Onoferychuk, with appointment expiring December 2025