A number of City of Lethbridge departments presented their future wish lists to members of city council on Wednesday at the Economic Standing Policy Committee meeting.
City staff pitched potential projects for the 2022-31 Capital Improvement Program, with CIP budget deliberations set for May 10-14, 2021.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/lethbridge-city-council-vacant-lot-taxes-builders" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="City council votes down proposal to cut taxes on vacant Lethbridge lots in half" target="_blank">
				City council votes down proposal to cut taxes on vacant Lethbridge lots in half			</a>
		
	
While many of the proposals won&#8217;t make the cut, they do highlight future priorities identified within the city.
Lethbridge Fire and EMS Chief Marc Rathwell explained the need to relocate Fire Station 3 in South Lethbridge; the building was constructed in 1963, and Rathwell says the city has outgrown the station in the nearly 60 years it&#8217;s been in service.
Building a new station to replace the current facility would also relieve pressure on Station 1.
&#8220;Can you [explain] relieving pressure from Station 1,&#8221; Coun. Jeff Carlson asked Rathwell on Wednesday. &#8220;Did we not build that big enough?&#8221;
&#8220;At the time, yes,&#8221; Rathwell answered, &#8220;but over time, we&#8217;ve filled it up, and we&#8217;ve had to deal with many more issues as we&#8217;ve gone along.&#8221;
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/green-shirt-day-lethbridge" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Lethbridge city council supports Green Shirt Day with official proclamation" target="_blank">
				Lethbridge city council supports Green Shirt Day with official proclamation			</a>
		
	
According to Lethbridge Fire and EMS, Station 3 is also not strategically located to mitigate the current risks in South Lethbridge, with the city significantly growing since the small facility was constructed.
The estimated cost to relocate Station 3 to a new building is estimated at more than $27 million. Rathwell says the need for a new station was presented in the previous CIP cycle but was postponed.
Another project not deemed a high priority in prior CIP deliberations was a new twin ice arena, which would eventually replace the aging Civic Ice Centre.
The city&#8217;s recreation and culture general manager Robin Harper says the need for more available ice in Lethbridge has been apparent for quite some time.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve been tracking the usage of the arenas, and what we have found is that prime-time usage &#8212; which is roughly between 4 p.m. and 10-11 p.m. and weekends &#8212; the usage is anywhere between 90 and 95 per cent,&#8221; Harper said. &#8220;There really is a shortage of ice in those prime times.&#8221;
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/shannon-phillips-mla-police-surveillance" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="MLA Shannon Phillips discusses &#8216;shocking&#8217; information about Lethbridge police revealed in FOIP request" target="_blank">
				MLA Shannon Phillips discusses &#8216;shocking&#8217; information about Lethbridge police revealed in FOIP request			</a>
		
	
The price tag for a new arena with a pair of ice surfaces &#8212; including the demolition of the civic facility &#8212; is pegged at about $38.6 million. Harper&#8217;s department is also proposing a $5.8 million renovation to the Henderson Ice Centre as well as a $530,000 renovation for the Fritz Sick Pool and a pair of planning studies.
The list of pitches made so far is <a href="https://agendas.lethbridge.ca/AgendaOnline/Meetings/ViewMeeting?id=2967&amp;doctype=1" target="_blank">available on the city&#8217;s website</a>. More proposals will be made in the next two weeks before CIP budget deliberations begin on May 10.

A number of City of Lethbridge departments presented their future wish lists to members of city council on Wednesday.  Continue reading →

News

Politics

Arenas

Civic Ice Centre

Lethbridge

Lethbridge Cip Projects

Lethbridge City Council

Lethbridge Fire And Ems

Lethbridge Infrastructure

Lethbridge News

Pitches begin for potential 2022-31 Lethbridge Capital Improvement Program projects

Flying Eze

A southern Alberta father said he did all he could to try and protect his family&#8217;s property near <a href="https://globalnews.ca/tag/claresholm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Claresholm</a> before the smoke became too much last Sunday.
Abram Friesen was spending a normal — albeit windy — Sunday with his wife and four kids, before chaos erupted in the area.
&#8220;We sat in the house, just relaxing, and then all of a sudden one of our daughters said, &#8216;I think I smell smoke,&#8217; and then my wife said, &#8216;I smell it too,'&#8221; he said.
&#8220;We ran to the door to see where the smoke was coming from, and we saw this huge cloud of smoke coming from the west.&#8221;
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Friesen said the cloud — and fire that was causing it — was moving quickly toward his family&#8217;s property. Within minutes, a police officer arrived, telling them to evacuate as soon as possible.
His wife and kids — who are between the ages of 11 and 20 — left immediately, but Friesen said he stayed another ten minutes, trying to protect the property.
&#8220;Instantly we were kind of in a panic mode,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote>&#8220;I just ran into my tractor and I started cultivating behind my yard, hoping that the fire wouldn&#8217;t cross.&#8221;</blockquote>
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/southern-alberta-wildfires" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Evacuation order for Carmangay, Alta. ends as wildfire in Vulcan County contained" target="_blank">
				Evacuation order for Carmangay, Alta. ends as wildfire in Vulcan County contained			</a>
		
	
With the smoke becoming too much to handle, Friesen said he knew it was time to leave. Before fleeing himself, the father opened the gates for the family&#8217;s two horses and more than 60 sheep.
He said all the animals survived, thanks to the barrier he created in just a few minutes on his tractor.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Spent the morning near Claresholm, talking to a man who’s family lost everything in Sunday’s wildfire. He said he and his wife and 4 kids had just 10 minutes to evacuate. Driving past some of the damage 4 days later&#8230; absolutely devastating. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ABwildfire?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#ABwildfire</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yql?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#yql</a> <a href="https://t.co/utcg46yUeZ" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/utcg46yUeZ</a>
&mdash; Danica Ferris (@danicaferris) <a href="https://twitter.com/danicaferris/status/1377721049098317826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">April 1, 2021</a></blockquote>

&#8220;If I would have had a little more time, I could have made that stretch a little longer, and maybe we could have saved this property,&#8221; Friesen said.
But when he and his family returned home a few hours later, their fears had come true: the home they had moved into less than six months ago had been levelled by the blaze.
<blockquote>&#8220;There was nothing that could be recovered.&#8221;</blockquote>
The foundation and a brick chimney is all that remains of the house.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/blood-tribe-wildfire" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="15,000 acres burned in Blood Tribe wildfire Sunday, caused by sweat lodge session" target="_blank">
				15,000 acres burned in Blood Tribe wildfire Sunday, caused by sweat lodge session			</a>
		
	
In the four days since the wildfire, Friesen says he and his family have been overwhelmed. The plan is to eventually rebuild — but after losing everything, he says it&#8217;s hard to know where to start.
&#8220;Now that everything is history, all these memories come back — maybe I should have done this, or I should have done that — and when I think about all of our kids living with us, you know there&#8217;s things we miss now, looking back,&#8221; he said.
Friesen said the community support in the days since the fire has been incredible, with neighbours supplying feed for his animals, and a <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/abram-and-lisa-friesen-house-fire-recovery-fund" target="_blank">pair of Go Fund Me page</a>s, including one <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/friesen-farm-fund" target="_blank">started by his children&#8217;s school </a>—Immanuel Christian School in Lethbridge — raising more than $20,000 combined for the family.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://www.flyingeze.com/p/alberta-wildfire-season-2021" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="After dry Alberta winter, what will 2021 wildfire season look like?" target="_blank">
				After dry Alberta winter, what will 2021 wildfire season look like?			</a>

An Alberta man says he did all he could to try to protect his family’s property from a wildfire near Claresholm last Sunday, before the smoke became too thick and he had to flee. Continue reading →

Canada

Weather

Abram Friesen

Alberta Fire

Alberta Wildfire

Alberta Wildfires

Claresholm

Claresholm Fire

Claresholm Wildfire

Grass Fire

Lethbridge Wildfires

Claresholm father recounts futile attempt to save family home from wildfire

A student-lead initiative at the University of Lethbridge is hoping to help those who might be going hungry while pursuing an education.
The U of L&#8217;s student union (ULSU), PACT (Philanthropy, Advancement, Community and Traditions) student alumni council, and Organization of Residence Students (ORS) teamed up to organize this month&#8217;s Swipe Out Hunger campaign, with the goal of tackling food insecurity experienced by students.
&#8220;When the university did some research, we found that one in four students have been affected by food insecurity in some way,&#8221; said PACT president Holly Kletke. &#8220;There are lots of students who access the student&#8217;s union food hampers.
<blockquote>&#8220;It&#8217;s definitely there, even if you don&#8217;t think it is.&#8221;</blockquote>
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7661508/olympic-trials-3-lethbridge-swimmers/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Olympic trials on the horizon for 3 Lethbridge swimmers">
				Olympic trials on the horizon for 3 Lethbridge swimmers			</a>
		
	
Members of PACT, the ULSU and ORS formed a committee in the fall and began brainstorming ways that food scarcity could be addressed.
&#8220;Do we fundraise funds? Does advocacy to government work? Do we provide services? There&#8217;s a lot of things that students need,&#8221; said Amy Lambert, who&#8217;s a member of both the ULSU and PACT.
&#8220;There are so many intersections of insecurity, and that&#8217;s kind of what makes it really complex.
<blockquote>&#8220;We don&#8217;t know all the different ways in which students are struggling to nourish themselves. And it&#8217;s a really personal thing.&#8221;</blockquote>
COVID-19 has also had an impact on food insecurity for students. Lambert says normally, first-year students living on campus are required to purchase a U of L meal plan, but the option is not being offered this year due to the pandemic.
&#8220;The option of having food integrated into your learning experience is no longer a thing,&#8221; Lambert said.
Residence assistant Tess McNaughton says capacity in U of L residence is about 1,000 students, but less than one-third of that is occupied this year. For those who are living in residence buildings, food has been harder to come by.
&#8220;Because nothing is open,&#8221; McNaughton said. &#8220;I think that&#8217;s something that is a big struggle, especially for first-year university students, because while they do have access to a kitchen &#8212; they have their own kitchen in their building &#8212; they don&#8217;t have access to easy, on-campus food.&#8221;
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7694142/lethbridge-post-secondary-schools-covid-19-campus-fall/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Lethbridge post-secondary schools prepare to welcome more students to campus this fall">
				Lethbridge post-secondary schools prepare to welcome more students to campus this fall			</a>
		
	
The committee decided to pursue the Swipe Out Hunger campaign, teaming up with California-based not-for-profit <a href="https://www.swipehunger.org/">Swipe Out Hunger</a>. The U of L is the first Canadian university to partner with the organization, which does advocacy work surrounding food security on post-secondary campuses.
Using PACT, ULSU and ORS funding, as well as receiving a <a href="https://www.uleth.ca/agility/food-thought">Food For Thought</a> grant through the university&#8217;s donor-funding Agility program, the committee was able to approve more than $5,000 for this month&#8217;s event.
175 Pad Thai food baskets are available on a first-come, first-served basis through Lethbridge&#8217;s <a href="https://umamishop.ca/">Umami Shop</a>, complete with a virtual cooking class to learn how to make the dish.
McNaughton says the social aspect of cooking a meal together is something that&#8217;s really exciting for students right now, who are largely isolated.
<blockquote>&#8220;Make this food together, be together and learn together,&#8221; she said.</blockquote>
&#8220;There&#8217;s a few people who have roommates, but quite a few don&#8217;t, so if you&#8217;re alone in these rooms, I think you kind of lose that social aspect that comes with eating together.&#8221;
Lambert says it was important that the recipe be something that students could recreate.
&#8220;Something where they actually learn the skills to cook a well-balanced meal,&#8221; Lambert said. &#8220;Something that is relatively inexpensive&#8230; as well as this is a gluten-free, vegetarian option.&#8221;
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7670643/university-of-lethbridge-virtual-indigenous-awareness-week/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="University of Lethbridge kicks off virtual Indigenous Awareness Week">
				University of Lethbridge kicks off virtual Indigenous Awareness Week			</a>
		
	
Those involved with the campaign hope to see further action regarding food insecurity for students, including on an even bigger scale.
&#8220;It&#8217;s crucial that &#8212; especially in these times &#8212; our administration needs to know that to support students, they need to support students, not just academically,&#8221; Lambert said.
<blockquote>&#8220;Students will not thrive in our institution if they don&#8217;t have access to food.&#8221;</blockquote>
Kletke says the biggest key is acknowledging that food insecurity is a common issue for post-secondary students.
&#8220;As long as there&#8217;s awareness, we&#8217;ll always have students that are passionate, and we&#8217;ll hopefully be able to work to where there are no more starving students,&#8221; Kletke said.
Non-students can also purchase the same baskets through Umami Shop by March 22, for $24.99 each plus GST; with the option for community members to donate to support the university&#8217;s <a href="https://www.ulethbridge.ca/advancement/nourish">Nourish programs</a>.

A student-lead initiative at the University of Lethbridge is hoping to help those who might be going hungry while pursuing an education.  Continue reading →

U of L student initiative looking to combat hunger on campus

Lethbridge city council voted unanimously on Tuesday to proclaim April 7, 2021 Green Shirt Day in Lethbridge.
<a href="https://greenshirtday.ca/">Green Shirt Day</a> honours Logan Boulet, whose choice to be an organ donor spurred an estimated 150,000 Canadians to do the same in the weeks following the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7676406/humboldt-broncos-crash-logan-boulet-organ-donation/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Three years after Broncos bus crash, Logan Boulet still inspiring organ donation">
				Three years after Broncos bus crash, Logan Boulet still inspiring organ donation			</a>
		
	
The decision to proclaim just April 7 of 2021 was made with a purpose by members of council.
&#8220;From last year when we brought it forward, I looked forward to doing it again this year,&#8221; said Coun. Blaine Hyggen, who was behind the motion on Tuesday. &#8220;I think it&#8217;s something that&#8217;s really important that we have yearly, and brought forward so that we can have those questions, comments, and debate throughout council.&#8221;
Logan&#8217;s father Toby Boulet says he was grateful for council&#8217;s support.
&#8220;I really appreciate that it&#8217;s not in perpetuity, it&#8217;s every year they have to sit back, look at it, discuss it, and remember the Humboldt Broncos tragedy and Green Shirt Day,&#8221; Boulet said.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/5037344/green-shirt-day-vancouver/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="&#8216;Be a giver, not a taker&#8217;: Parents of Humboldt Bronco Logan Boulet promote Green Shirt Day, organ donation in Vancouver">
				&#8216;Be a giver, not a taker&#8217;: Parents of Humboldt Bronco Logan Boulet promote Green Shirt Day, organ donation in Vancouver			</a>
		
	
The third annual Green Shirt Day will be held virtually for a second straight year due to COVID-19 restrictions, with a focus on the hashtag #TogetherStrong.
Boulet says he was blown away by the online response and the number of social media impressions in 2020, and he hopes to see another uptick this year, sparking even more conversations about organ donation.
&#8220;It will be virtual, it will be people wearing green shirts &#8212; whatever green they choose to wear &#8212; and post themselves on social media, push it as much as you can,&#8221; he said.
<blockquote>&#8220;It&#8217;s about organ donation and awareness, we&#8217;re not trying to raise any money, we&#8217;re just trying to get people aware and registered.&#8221;</blockquote>
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/5012980/logan-boulet-green-shirt-day-humboldt-broncos-organ-donation/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Family of Humboldt Bronco Logan Boulet announce April 7 as Green Shirt Day &#8216;to honour his legacy&#8217;">
				Family of Humboldt Bronco Logan Boulet announce April 7 as Green Shirt Day &#8216;to honour his legacy&#8217;			</a>
		
	
Boulet says the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on organ donation across the country that could be felt for years to come.
Canadian Blood Services estimates a 39 per cent drop in organ and tissue donor registration numbers in 2020, citing a lack of in-person opportunities to raise awareness and prompt registration.
According to preliminary data from 2020, Canadian Blood Services is estimating a decrease of about 30 per cent for living donation, and deceased donation was down about 21 per cent.
&#8220;That&#8217;s certainly a focus of ours, to try and turn that around,&#8221; Boulet said. &#8220;We really need to push people to think about registering to be organ donors, to get that back &#8212; not into the front part of people&#8217;s minds &#8212; but you know, think about it. It&#8217;s now online almost everywhere in Canada.&#8221;
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April 6, 2021 will mark the three-year anniversary of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash. Logan Boulet succumbed to his injuries the following day.

Green Shirt Day honours Logan Boulet, whose choice to be an organ donor spurred an estimated 150,000 Canadians to do the same in the weeks following the Humboldt Broncos bus crash. Continue reading →

Lethbridge city council supports Green Shirt Day with official proclamation

Lethbridge-West MLA Shannon Phillips has revealed shocking details around unauthorized police surveillance of her when she was the NDP&#8217;s environment minister.
The details come after the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) announced last month that it was launching a second investigation into the circumstances surrounding a series of potentially unauthorized uses of police databases by members of the Lethbridge Police Service.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7630884/asirt-lethbridge-police-shannon-phillips-surveillance/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="ASIRT launches 2nd investigation into Lethbridge police&#8217;s surveillance of MLA Shannon Phillips">
				ASIRT launches 2nd investigation into Lethbridge police&#8217;s surveillance of MLA Shannon Phillips			</a>
		
	
Phillips says she put in a request under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) last year, to give her and her lawyer a better understanding of what they were dealing with in relation to alleged unauthorized surveillance of the MLA by LPS.
&#8220;I got that freedom of information request back in December, it was more than 9,000 pages, mostly redacted, which doesn&#8217;t at all seem normal when you&#8217;re doing just a simple freedom of information request on yourself,&#8221; Phillips said.
A CBC report stated that over the course of 11 months, Phillips&#8217; name was searched eight times by five former and current LPS officers, and a civilian employee.
Phillips confirmed those details to Global News on Monday, saying that LPS deputy chief Scott Woods was among the officers listed in the FOIP information.
She added that many of the searches of her name did not include a lawful reason for doing so.
&#8220;Accessing someone&#8217;s records for no law enforcement purpose is unlawful, and it&#8217;s deeply concerning,&#8221; Phillips said. &#8220;That was the first thing that caused me quite a bit of alarm.&#8221;
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7618406/alberta-lethbridge-mla-shannon-phillips-police-officers/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Alberta MLA Shannon Phillips granted complainant status against LPS officers">
				Alberta MLA Shannon Phillips granted complainant status against LPS officers			</a>
		
	
The Lethbridge-West MLA says the second thing she found troubling dated back to 2016.
&#8220;There was a record in there of a complaint that was made about something that happened at a pub in 2016, of which I had no awareness,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;Four-and-a-half years later I’m opening up this file for the first time and I see that someone complained that they had reasonable grounds to believe that they had been given a drink that had a drug in it, and they also had reasonable grounds to believe that that drink had been intended for me.&#8221;
<blockquote>&#8220;I am listed as a complainant in that police file. I was never told.&#8221;</blockquote>
Phillips says she keeps an extensive calendar and was able to check back to that week in 2016, she believes that she was in fact at the Lethbridge bar with members of both her Edmonton and Lethbridge staff.
&#8220;The Lethbridge Police Service &#8212; just as all police services do &#8212; have a duty to warn, and they didn&#8217;t uphold that duty, and that revelation was shocking to me,&#8221; she said.
&#8220;They cared so little about my personal safety that they didn&#8217;t even pick up the phone, and they all have my phone number, they all know where to find me.&#8221;
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7172819/lethbridge-police-officers-demoted/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="2 Lethbridge police officers demoted after using positions for personal, political agendas">
				2 Lethbridge police officers demoted after using positions for personal, political agendas			</a>
		
	
Phillips says LPS needs to repair the trust that has been lost by her and all Lethbridge residents when it comes to the community&#8217;s police service.
&#8220;All of this has had a tremendously corrosive effect on people&#8217;s willingness to engage in the democratic process,&#8221; Phillips said. &#8220;And I want no one to have any hesitation to do that because of police intimidation or surveillance, or any of those things.&#8221;
The Lethbridge Police Service was asked for comment by Global News on Monday and the following statement was given:
&#8220;The Lethbridge Police Service is unable to provide comment on the matter as it is part of an ongoing investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team.&#8221;
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7175068/lethbridge-police-chief-officers-sanctioned-shannon-phillips/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Lethbridge police chief weighs in after ASIRT launches investigation into surveillance of former minister by officers">
				Lethbridge police chief weighs in after ASIRT launches investigation into surveillance of former minister by officers			</a>
		
	
NDP leader Rachel Notley mirrored her colleague&#8217;s comments at the Alberta Legislature on Monday, citing a lack of trust in Lethbridge with LPS.
&#8220;No matter what, it is fundamentally important that police earn and maintain the respect and the trust of the people that they serve, and this is obviously a very troubling revelation,&#8221; Notley said.
Notley says she believes consequences need to be seen at the end of the ASIRT investigation, to begin to repair the damage done.
&#8220;We need the police service to restore trust in itself within that community, within the processes that have been in place,&#8221; Notley said. &#8220;There needs to be an opportunity for the system to fix itself, because if it doesn&#8217;t then we have a real problem.&#8221;

Lethbridge-West MLA Shannon Phillips completed a freedom of information request on herself and Lethbridge police last year.  Continue reading →

Lethbridge MLA discusses ‘deeply concerning’ information about police revealed in FOIP request

When the Lethbridge Hurricanes open the season on Friday night in Edmonton, it will be 356 days after their last WHL game.
The team had no way of knowing at the time that their final goal of the 2019-2020 season &#8212; Dylan Cozens from Calen Addison &#8212; would also mark the end of an era, with the club&#8217;s two superstars graduating to NHL jobs.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6417968/lethbridge-hurricanes-cozens-addison-return-world-juniors-hockey/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Hurricanes teammates return to Lethbridge after World Junior Championship win">
				Hurricanes teammates return to Lethbridge after World Junior Championship win			</a>
		
	
&#8220;You can&#8217;t fill a Dylan Cozens&#8217; role,&#8221; head coach Brent Kisio said Thursday.
<blockquote>&#8220;He&#8217;s a special player and a special kid, and we were lucky to have him.</blockquote>
&#8220;Same with Addison there as well, we can&#8217;t just expect a guy to fill those points or play the way he did.&#8221;
Cozens looks to be a key piece for the Buffalo Sabres already, and Addison has suited up for three games with the Minnesota Wild so far. Kisio&#8217;s club is now tasked with filling the offensive hole left by the pair; Cozens notched 38 goals and 85 points in 2019-20, and from the backend, Addison recorded 52 points in 50 games.
A number of returning players are expected to take on some of the offensive pressure in the 24-game 2021 season. Up front, over-agers Dino Kambeitz &#8212; named captain of the Hurricanes last week &#8212; and Mitch Prowse will be relied upon, as well as 18-year-old Lethbridge native Zack Stringer.
A line that included Justin Hall and Logan Barlage last season was impressive during an extended absence for Cozens and Addison, who were away at the 2020 World Junior Championship. Over that 10-game stretch, Barlage recorded 14 points, and Hall had 15.
<blockquote>&#8220;I think we have all the confidence in the world that we can recreate that stretch for the entire 24-game season here,&#8221; said Hall.</blockquote>
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7606979/lethbrdige-hurricanes-gm-whl-pandemic-season/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Hurricanes GM credits players&#8217; patience as province gives Alberta WHL teams green light to play">
				Hurricanes GM credits players&#8217; patience as province gives Alberta WHL teams green light to play			</a>
		
	
Defenseman Alex Cotton will be a focus for many opponents this year after a breakout season in 2019-20. The Langley, B.C., product lead all WHL defensemen in scoring, with 67 points in his 63 games; the outburst was enough for the Detroit Red Wings, who picked Cotton in the fifth round of October&#8217;s 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
&#8220;I just gotta top it, I mean, that&#8217;s my goal,&#8221; Cotton said. &#8220;I did have a pretty good year last year, but I think I can be better, for sure.&#8221;
Both Cotton and Hall are newly-minted alternate captains for Lethbridge, along with Barlage, Prowse and captain Kambeitz.
The leadership group will help the team navigate a season of living together, as well as introducing rookies to the WHL game during a season like no other.
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&#8220;Being around the boys 24/7 is good, there hasn&#8217;t been much conflict yet,&#8221; Hall said with a laugh.
<blockquote>&#8220;But it&#8217;s a lot of fun, it&#8217;s kind of like being on the road 24/7.&#8221;</blockquote>
The Hurricanes have <a href="https://lethbridgehurricanes.com/roster/205/273">nine rookies currently listed on their roster</a>. Cotton says while it&#8217;s an unusual year to break into the league, the group has fully embraced the unique vibe.
&#8220;For our young guys I think our team is pretty close this year,&#8221; Cotton said. &#8220;Like sometimes in the past maybe our older guys and younger guys were a little split up, but I think this year we&#8217;re a pretty tight-knit group.&#8221;
Cotton says with the team only facing four opponents this year in Alberta&#8217;s central division, the rookies will be thrust into the deep end of intense rivalries right off the bat.
&#8220;I&#8217;m pretty excited, I think the rivalries are just going to grow and grow.
<blockquote>&#8220;Games are going to get a little chippy sometimes, but those games are fun to play in,&#8221; he said.</blockquote>
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7586493/lethbridge-hurricanes-covid-19-season-finances/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Lethbridge Hurricanes projecting &#8216;worst case scenario&#8217; loss of $1.3M to play upcoming 24-game season">
				Lethbridge Hurricanes projecting &#8216;worst case scenario&#8217; loss of $1.3M to play upcoming 24-game season			</a>
		
	
So far the Hurricanes only know what the first two weeks of the regular season will look like for their schedule: the team will open in Edmonton on Friday night with a home-and-home against the Oil Kings, before a bye weekend the following week.

The Lethbridge Hurricanes are set to kick off the 24-game WHL regular season in Edmonton on Friday.  Continue reading →

Lethbridge Hurricanes prepare for unusual WHL season after Cozens and Addison graduate to NHL

The province announced a new initiative Monday in support of junior hockey as Alberta&#8217;s WHL teams prepare to kick of their 24-game season on Friday.
Jackpots for Junior Hockey is a province-wide 50/50 draw that will take place each weekend in March, aimed at easing the financial burden being felt by WHL and AJHL clubs; but the announcement didn&#8217;t include any government dollars or guaranteed funding.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7655254/alberta-junior-hockey-50-50/?preview_id=7655254" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Alberta launches online 50/50 draws in support of junior hockey teams">
				Alberta launches online 50/50 draws in support of junior hockey teams			</a>
		
	
The Lethbridge Hurricanes missed out on about $177,000 in revenue when the remainder of the 2019-2020 season was cancelled due to COVID-19, and the club is projecting a loss of $1.3 million to play the upcoming 24-game season.
<blockquote>&#8220;My palms are sweaty every day for the last little while, trying to figure out ways that we&#8217;re going to overcome this year&#8217;s financial losses,&#8221; said Hurricanes GM Terry Huisman.</blockquote>
&#8220;Based off the announcement today, and the situation that we announced at the AGM &#8212; that we have some financial obstacles that we have to overcome this season &#8212; I thought that today&#8217;s announcement was significant in turning that in another direction for us.&#8221;
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7586493/lethbridge-hurricanes-covid-19-season-finances/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Lethbridge Hurricanes projecting &#8216;worst case scenario&#8217; loss of $1.3M to play upcoming 24-game season">
				Lethbridge Hurricanes projecting &#8216;worst case scenario&#8217; loss of $1.3M to play upcoming 24-game season			</a>
		
	
The initiative differs drastically from <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7578749/coronavirus-saskatchewan-funding-whl-sjhl-covid-19/">Saskatchewan&#8217;s $4-million commitment</a> to junior teams in January, which saw WHL clubs receive $600,000 each.
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Huisman says in Alberta, the amount that each of the province&#8217;s five WHL and 15 AJHL teams receive through the 50/50 will depend on fans buying in.
<blockquote>&#8220;I do think that that number is going to be significant, it&#8217;s going to be substantial, and at the end of the day hopefully it&#8230; mirrors something like what Saskatchewan was given,&#8221; he said.</blockquote>
Minister of Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women Leela Sharon Aheer echoed the idea that aid for teams is riding on the support of Albertans.
&#8220;This is very, very dependent upon Albertans, all of us, going out there and buying our tickets and supporting these teams that we love,&#8221; she said.
Aheer emphasized that the 50/50 program was made possible by changes to a provincial policy.
<blockquote>&#8220;This initiative is actually as a result of changes that were made to the AGLC in order to allow these organizations to actually be able to have 50/50s,&#8221; she said.</blockquote>
&#8220;It became a lot more flexible for a lot more organizations to be able to do that, so that&#8217;s how this initiative goes forward.&#8221;
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7594569/bchl-whl-request-relief-funding/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Coronavirus: BCHL, WHL requesting relief funding from provincial government">
				Coronavirus: BCHL, WHL requesting relief funding from provincial government			</a>
		
	
According to the province, WHL teams in Alberta contribute about $56 million annually to the economy. WHL commissioner Ron Robison says 90 per cent of revenues in the league are generated through ticket sales and local sponsorship.
<blockquote>&#8220;You can understand where all of the expenses now are borne by the ownership of those teams,&#8221; Robison said.</blockquote>
Robison said he hopes Albertans realize how important junior teams are to their communities, and rally around the draws in March.
&#8220;Like anything, we can&#8217;t predict what the 50/50 results are going to be, but if the indications are &#8212; of any of the 50/50s that have been conducted in association with hockey in this province &#8212; we&#8217;re looking forward to some great results and some real enthusiasm,&#8221; he said.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7606305/alberta-whl-teams-condensed-season-covid-19/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Alberta-based WHL teams receive approval to play condensed season">
				Alberta-based WHL teams receive approval to play condensed season			</a>
		
	
Huisman says the joint 50/50 still holds some unknowns for teams, including whether WHL and AJHL clubs will receive equal shares, and how much they will be required to give to local charities.
Albertans across the province will be able to buy their tickets online.
The draws will take place every weekend in March, opening each Friday at 9 a.m. and closing each Sunday at 9 p.m.
The tickets can be purchased through the AJHL and WHL websites. The first draw will open on Friday, March 5.
The 2021 regular season begins for Alberta&#8217;s central division clubs on Friday.

The province has announced a new initiative in support of junior hockey, as Alberta’s WHL teams prepare to kick of their 24-game season on Friday.  Continue reading →

Lethbridge Hurricanes react to Alberta’s 50/50 draw in support of junior hockey

James Campbell says he&#8217;s been stuck in his 11th floor west Lethbridge apartment building all week.
Both elevators in his Skyline Terrace building at 37 Berkeley Place West are out of commission, and a spinal injury prevents him from braving the stairs.
&#8220;I can&#8217;t walk up and down the stairs, I&#8217;ll injure myself, and if I injure myself I&#8217;ll need an ambulance to get me out of the stairwell,&#8221; Campbell said.
&#8220;So essentially, I&#8217;m trapped in the building.&#8221;
<blockquote>&#8220;I&#8217;m already kind of isolated, but now I&#8217;m really isolated.&#8221;</blockquote>
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7632103/lethbridge-apartment-death-homicide-arrest/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Police investigate death of man found inside Lethbridge apartment as homicide, one man arrested">
				Police investigate death of man found inside Lethbridge apartment as homicide, one man arrested			</a>
		
	
Campbell says one of the building&#8217;s two elevators has been down since the end of December, and the second stopped working on Valentine&#8217;s Day.
He says his frustration is heightened by the fact that the building went through a similar situation with elevator breakdowns in August.
A letter from building management on Wednesday told residents that it could be as long as four weeks before they would have a working elevator.
The following day, a notice from building management company Northview Canadian High Yield Residential Fund &#8212; provided to Global News by Campbell &#8212; said:
&#8220;We continue to work with Thyssennkrupp, our elevator supplier, on expediting the repairs to our elevators.
<blockquote>&#8220;While we continue to push for quicker timing, we have been told to expect the repairs for the first elevator in the first week of March and mid-March for the second elevator.&#8221;</blockquote>
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7646825/taber-lost-paws-society-new-shelter-dogs/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Taber Lost Paws Society opens new dog shelter backed by massive community support">
				Taber Lost Paws Society opens new dog shelter backed by massive community support			</a>
		
	
Thyssenkrupp Elevator responded by way of a statement to Global News, saying it was committed to promptly addressing the issue after servicing Skyline Terrace for more than a decade.
&#8220;During that time, we have worked hard to successfully keep the building&#8217;s two 45-year-old Otis elevators running safely, when the typical lifecycle for an elevator is approximately 25 years,&#8221; the statement read.
<blockquote>&#8220;Unfortunately, without modern upgrades, antiquated elevators like these are more susceptible to frequent breakdowns.&#8221;</blockquote>
Northview did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Global News.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7606400/mustard-seed-lethbridge-ramada-housing-plan-axed/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Mustard Seed halts plans for permanent supportive housing facility in Lethbridge">
				Mustard Seed halts plans for permanent supportive housing facility in Lethbridge			</a>
		
	
In the update sent to tenants Thursday, building management did provide the some options to residents; including a credit of $100 towards March rent, and the option to temporarily relocate to vacant suites on lower levels or in another building until repairs could be completed.
Campbell says while he can appreciate the offer, he doesn&#8217;t see it as a solution.
&#8220;It&#8217;s my home,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And because I am homebound, it has a lot more importance to me.&#8221;

A resident of a west Lethbridge apartment building has been trapped in his unit all week.  Continue reading →

Elevator issues at Lethbridge apartment strand resident with mobility challenges

What started as a community goal to replace an aging animal shelter has resulted in a new permanent home for the Taber Lost Paws Society.
TLPS opened the doors to its new dog shelter on Friday, and on Tuesday night it had its first furry visitor, a pup who was picked up by his owners the next morning.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7626356/lethbridge-animal-services-stray-dog/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Lethbridge Animal Services asks public for help in month-long stray dog case">
				Lethbridge Animal Services asks public for help in month-long stray dog case			</a>
		
	
The organization&#8217;s president Carolyn Terpstra said the new shelter had a price tag of about $260,000, and the group was able to reach that thanks to overwhelming support from all corners of the community.
&#8220;We started the society to build a brand new shelter with the help of our partners &#8212; the Town of Taber and Taber Police Service &#8212; and we&#8217;ve been actively fundraising ever since,&#8221; Terpstra said.
&#8220;We&#8217;re still waiting for final numbers, but we&#8217;re pretty close to that ($260,000). We fundraised well over $140,000, not including the $100,000 that the Town (of Taber) has given us on top of that.&#8221;
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7482562/lethbridge-pandemic-surrendered-pets/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Lethbridge sees surge in abandoned, surrendered pets as adoption numbers rise">
				Lethbridge sees surge in abandoned, surrendered pets as adoption numbers rise			</a>
		
	
Taber&#8217;s chief of police Graham Abela said when TPS took over the town&#8217;s animal control responsibilities about five years ago, it became clear that a new shelter was needed in the community.
TPS aided the Lost Paws Society over the last two-and-a-half years as the group tried to get off the ground.
&#8220;I guess what you see now is the culmination of those efforts,&#8221; Abela said.
&#8220;We got together about three years ago, started broaching the subject with council, and they knew that they were going to have to make a capital investment in order to assist us, and they did that. They provided us with the land and some funds.&#8221;
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6708241/lethbridge-animal-rescue-adoption-covid-19-coronavirus/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Lethbridge animal rescue encourages interested quarantiners to adopt">
				Lethbridge animal rescue encourages interested quarantiners to adopt			</a>
		
	
The facility can house up to 12 dogs at a time, with six kennels intended for animal control purposes, and the other six for adopting dogs out.
Terpstra said when a dog that&#8217;s lost or found is brought in by bylaw, it can be held for up to five days.
&#8220;If the owners never claim the dog, then it becomes a Lost Paws Society dog,&#8221; she said.
Abela said the format is a win-win for all involved.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve got a situation where, economically, we&#8217;ve been able to create a building, we&#8217;ve got a group of volunteers that are willing to involve time and effort in assisting with looking after the dogs that we take in there under animal control options &#8212; like under bylaw &#8212; but the end result being fostering and adoption programming,&#8221; he said.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6830523/adopt-a-pet-covid-19-pandemic/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Should you adopt a pet during the COVID-19 pandemic?">
				Should you adopt a pet during the COVID-19 pandemic?			</a>
		
	
The society&#8217;s executive board is now focused on gathering more volunteers and scheduling them to feed and walk the dogs every few hours. More information is available on the Taber Lost Paws Society Facebook page.

The Taber Lost Paws Society has opened a new dog shelter after more than two years of fundraising efforts.  Continue reading →

Taber Lost Paws Society opens new dog shelter backed by massive community support

Co-founder of VR game studio <a href="http://simulacruminteractive.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Simulacrum Interactive</a> and Lethbridge College instructor <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7310615/lethbridge-vr-industry-canada-media-fund/">Allyson Cikor</a> says she&#8217;s thrilled to have an opportunity to offer her hard-learned lessons in tech to other women starting out in STEM-related fields.
STEM sectors are science, technology, engineering, and math.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6539219/women-stem-gender-inequality/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Women in STEM: the ongoing struggle against inequality">
				Women in STEM: the ongoing struggle against inequality			</a>
		
	
<blockquote>“I feel like I get to give that opportunity to people who didn&#8217;t have it, like myself, when they were first starting out,” Cikor said Thursday.</blockquote>
“I&#8217;m seeing a lot of women, especially during the pandemic when we&#8217;re spending more time at home, pick up pet projects or take coding courses online or join these communities and just get involved in the discussion,” she added.
These entrepreneurial women in southern Alberta are getting a boost thanks to Economic Development Lethbridge and <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/5689829/lethbridge-stem-tecconnect-women-professional/">Tecconnect</a>, which are offering Women Entrepreneurs in STEM or &#8220;<a href="https://westem.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WESTEM</a>&#8221; courses led by women in STEM to teach complementary technologies that are crucial to business.
“[It’s] everything from artificial intelligence to machine learning, block chain, VR, augmented reality,” VP of Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Economic Development Lethbridge Renae Barlow said. 
<blockquote>“Those are all potentials for what we can bring to training for women who are identifying that as something that they&#8217;d like to do or just want to learn more about.”</blockquote>
The program is completely free to any women looking to start a business or up their game and will be offered through March 2022 thanks to funding from Western Economic Diversification Canada.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7633466/lethbridge-girls-in-science-programs/" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="Lethbridge educators say more girls are going into science-based programs">
				Lethbridge educators say more girls are going into science-based programs			</a>
		
	
“If you&#8217;re in Calgary or Edmonton, you have ready access to almost anything,” Barlow said. 
“So the geographic disadvantage that we had was one that we felt was really hurting women&#8217;s opportunity to engage in these fields, which is why we brought this programming down.”
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Lori Olson says her first attempt at building an app took three years, despite her extensive software development experience, and she can’t wait to help other women avoid common pitfalls.
<blockquote>“Because we need to have apps that are created by women for women,” Olson said.</blockquote>
This community of women is not ending its networking efforts there.
		
			Read more: <a class="c-readmore__link" href="https://globalnews.ca/video/7634110/international-day-of-women-and-girls-in-science-2" data-track-region="content-read-more" title="International Day of Women and Girls in Science">
				International Day of Women and Girls in Science			</a>
		
	
“I&#8217;m going to be setting up monthly coaching calls [in the future] if they have any problems and they need help,” Olson said.
Women in southern Alberta who are interested in participating can fill out the <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MWNF8PG" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online survey</a> and find applicable courses online at any time.

“I’m seeing a lot of women pick up pet projects or take coding courses online or join these communities and just get involved in the discussion.” Continue reading →

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Pitches begin for potential 2022-31 Lethbridge Capital Improvement Program projects

Claresholm father recounts futile attempt to save family home from wildfire

U of L student initiative looking to combat hunger on campus

Lethbridge city council supports Green Shirt Day with official proclamation

Lethbridge MLA discusses ‘deeply concerning’ information about police revealed in FOIP request

Lethbridge Hurricanes prepare for unusual WHL season after Cozens and Addison graduate to NHL

Lethbridge Hurricanes react to Alberta’s 50/50 draw in support of junior hockey

Elevator issues at Lethbridge apartment strand resident with mobility challenges

Taber Lost Paws Society opens new dog shelter backed by massive community support

Women entrepreneurs in southern Alberta get free STEM resources

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