Neat to Know: January 8, 2026 | City of Medicine Hat

Jan 08, 2026

Your weekly roundup of City news, updates, and other important information.

Grant application windows open for 2026

We’ve begun accepting applications for two of our grant programs!

Community Vibrancy Grant

The Community Vibrancy Grant has one funding stream in 2026 – Community Project and Activities. The current application window is now open until Friday, February 6, 2026 at 3 p.m.

The Community Project and Activities application window has $55,000 in funding available.

Learn more about this grant program and how to apply.

Community Microgrant

The Community Microgrants program offers up to $500 in two funding categories:

Neighbourhood Connections
Community Arts and Culture

There is $10,000 available for each funding category. The 2026 application window will remain open until the end of the year or until all available funds have been allocated.

Learn more about this grant program including each funding category and how to apply.

Real tree recycling reminder

With the holidays in the rearview mirror, don’t forget we have several locations to dispose of your real Christmas trees!

Drop off real trees at any of our bulk recycling depot locations:

20 Northlands Way NE – Northlands Co-op Recycling Depot
240 Kipling Street SE – Kipling Street Recycling Depot
3292 Dunmore Rd SE – Southwest corner of the Medicine Hat Mall parking lot

Residents can recycle their real trees until January 30, 2026.

We ask that you please remove all plastic bags, stands, tinsel and decorations. You can also dispose of real trees at the Compost Facility located within our Waste Management Facility.

But what about artificial trees?

Please note that artificial trees cannot be recycled in this program, nor Circular Materials’ blue recycling cart service.

Artificial trees that can no longer be used or donated should be discarded in your grey waste collection carts or taken to the landfill located within our Waste Management Facility.

For more information on this tree disposal service, download the Recycle Coach App, contact Environmental Utilities at 403-529-8176 or visit our website at: medicinehat.ca/landfill.

Outdoor rink and pond ice conditions

The latest weekly ice conditions report is out for our skating rinks and ponds, and it brings more good news:

Two more outdoor rinks in the city now have ice!

Jeffries Park
Southlands Park

We appreciate our dedicated Adopt-a-Rink volunteers and staff for their efforts to take care of these amenities.

Want to stay up to date on ice conditions at our outdoor rinks and ponds? Check out our weekly updates on our Skating and Shinny webpage.

January 5 City Council Meeting

During the January 5 City Council Meeting, Council considered several key items related to housing, recreation planning, and leadership.

Three public hearings were held regarding proposed residential rezoning. Following the hearings, Council approved all three bylaw amendments. This included rezoning 1064 1 St SW in the Harlow neighbourhood to Medium Density Residential in response to community feedback, as well as rezoning parcels in Southlands and Somerset to allow for secondary suites.

Council also directed administration to pause the RFP process for a new south-end recreation facility, allowing the incoming Council the opportunity to review future plans.

Additionally, Joseph Hutter, Managing Director of Public Services, was appointed Interim City Manager through March 31, 2026.

Read the full highlights | Watch the meeting

Three cheers for our volunteers!

The City of Medicine Hat’s volunteer program had a BIG 2025.

Our volunteer program includes general work, events and programming at the Esplanade, Co-op Place, Big Marble Go Centre, Adopt-a-Rink, and more.

Last year, people who volunteered for these opportunities contributed 6,859 shifts and 24,022 total hours!

These incredible stats are a testament to the passionate volunteers in Medicine Hat, and they reflect just how vital volunteers are to our community!

Learn more about current City of Medicine Hat volunteer opportunities and more on our Volunteering webpage.

Are you a local organization that utilizes our community's volunteers and want to understand the ins and outs of the volunteer landscape? Check out an upcoming volunteerism learning opportunity in our Upcoming Events section below!

Rooted in Action: Volunteerism Learning Series

Session 3 – Youth Engagement Matters
Thursday, Jan, 15 | 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. | Microsoft Teams

As we hinted in our That’s Neat section above, the third session of a five-part free volunteerism learning series is coming up!

The series, hosted in partnership with Volunteer Alberta, aims at rejuvenating and educating the volunteer base in the community. These sessions are a mix of in-person workshops and virtual webinars.

The third session will be held virtually on Microsoft Teams and will focus on youth engagement in volunteerism. Community wellbeing is linked to youth civic engagement and the organizations that facilitate that engagement. The webinar will discuss general practices and success stories.

Learn more about each of these engaging sessions, and register, on our event series page.

YXH Night at the Tigers Game

Saturday, January 17 | 7:00 p.m. | Co-op Place

YXH – our regional airport – is sponsoring the up-coming battle between the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday, January 17, as part of an airport appreciation night at Co-op Place. Fans in attendance will have the opportunity to interact with airport staff, participate in an aviation-themed on-ice game during intermission, and have a chance to win a signed Tigers jersey through the Take to the Skies game at their interactive booth on the concourse.

Get your tickets to the game by visiting tixx.ca

To view all our career opportunities at the City of Medicine Hat, visit our website and sign up for job alerts.

View all career opportunities

Curatorial Assistant

Permanent | Full-time | On-site

The Curatorial Assistant is a rare and exciting opportunity for museum professionals seeking meaningful, hands-on work with collections, exhibitions, and public engagement.

This role offers the chance to work closely with diverse artifacts and artworks, contribute to curatorial research and exhibition development, and play an active role in shaping how stories are shared with the community.

Visit our careers page to learn more and apply for this job.

Engineering Coop Student

Temporary | Full-time | On-site

Reporting to the Engineering Supervisor and working in collaboration with the Engineering team, the Engineering Coop Student will support and contribute to various exciting projects, supporting the design of gas distribution projects.

Visit our careers page to learn more and apply for this job.

Customer Service Representative

Temporary (up to six months) | Full-time | On-site

Are you passionate about delivering exceptional customer service and thrive in a fast-paced environment? As a Customer Service Representative, you will be the first point of contact for residents and businesses, providing support for utility, tax, and general accounts receivable.

Visit our careers page to learn more and apply for this job.

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