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City Council provides first quarterly report on Gateway to Opportunity Action Plan

Apr 27, 2022 | 9:58 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Lethbridge City Council has voted to accept the first quarterly report for the City’s Gateway to Opportunity 2022 Action Plan.

Council voted unanimously to accept the report at its meeting Tuesday. The Action Plan outlines the status of each initiative Council has identified as priorities.

READ MORE: City launching “Gateway to Opportunity 2022 Action Plan”

Mayor Blaine Hyggen stated, “the idea is to set specific and measurable goals and then report back to our residents about how we’re progressing each quarter.”

“This new approach clearly articulates priorities, creates transparency, reports performance and builds community trust.”

More from Mayor Hyggen can be seen in the following video.

(Video: CityofLethbridge on YouTube)

The Action Plan was created using the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) as a guiding strategic document. The initiatives included in the plan are each connected to one or more of the MDP’s six strategic themes: Economically Prosperous; Healthy and Diverse; Culturally Vibrant; Well Designed; Environmentally Responsible; and Supports the Region.

Some highlights from the first quarter of 2022 include:

ECONOMICALLY PROSPEROUS

HEALTHY AND DIVERSE

  • The City cited work with health and community partners to develop an action plan to support a family physician recruitment and retention strategy.

READ MORE: Report shows declining number of physicians in Lethbridge

WELL DESIGNED CITY

  • Council and City Administration are undergoing a review of the cityLINK transit network. Council voted on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 to have cityLINK continue – with quarterly adjustments being made to reflect feedback, changing travel patterns and metric indicators.

READ MORE: CityLINK transit becomes permanent, funding decision delayed

  • Council has tasked City Administration to initiate a ward system study to outline a process to examine, develop options, decide and implement for as early as the 2025 Municipal Election. Administration will report back to the Governance Standing Policy Committee on April 28, 2022.

SUPPORTS THE REGION

  • Work is underway to set up a Regional Economic Development and Tourism Strategy. This work, in partnership with a broad stakeholder group, will entail the creation of a storybook – a document that articulates the City’s economic and tourism vision.

Mayor Hyggen said, “as we continue to tackle initiatives we’ve prioritized for the community, our now-next-later model is helping guide both Council and Administration on the work ahead.”

“In this first quarter, I’m proud to see that we have a good start on some very impactful work. In the next quarter, I expect to see more of these items completed and a focus on some further initiatives specific to the strategic areas of being culturally vibrant and environmentally responsible.”

During its four-year term, City Council will develop annual Action Plans and have committed to report progress back to residents every three months.

Additionally, residents who want to stay in the loop can subscribe to quarterly update newsletters, beginning the second quarter, as well as take a look at the Action Plan through the City website.

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