Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen looks back on 2024. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

2024 year-in-review: Lethbridge Mayor Blaine Hyggen

Dec 30, 2024 | 6:00 AM

The mayor of Lethbridge says a lot of progress was made on key issues in 2024 and he expects the same to be true of 2025.

Something that Hyggen says a major issue that has been ongoing for several years now is the availability of doctors.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta reports a net increase of 22 physicians (family medicine and specialist) in Lethbridge between September 2023 and September 2024.

READ MORE: Number of physicians in Lethbridge increases over last quarter

Because the provincial government manages healthcare, Hyggen says municipalities are limited in what they can do to attract and retain doctors. There are, however, some ways that the City of Lethbridge can ensure doctors want to work here.

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“We want to make sure that it’s a welcoming community, something that for retention purposes, make sure that it’s a community that they’d really like to be a part of,” says Hyggen. “So, if it’s kids going to school, post-secondary or elementary through high school, make it a welcoming community so that they’re telling their friends to come and practice within the city of Lethbridge, and not only that, southern Alberta.”

In recent months, Hyggen says he has personally taken several doctors on tours of the city in hopes of enticing them to start practicing in Lethbridge.

Advocacy is another common strategy for municipalities to try to get more medical staff. Earlier this month, the City of Lethbridge and Town of Coaldale agreed to work together to encourage the Ministry of Health to increase the number of doctors in their communities.

READ MORE: Lethbridge & Coaldale to work together on attracting medical specialists

Housing was once again a significant issue in the community as more people moved to Lethbridge than homes were being built.

That has not only lead to a lack of available homes, but prices are increasing at high rates.

The Alberta Real Estate Association reported in October that the average cost to buy a house had risen 12.6 per cent over the past year, a much higher pace than inflation.

Housing is also not under municipal jurisdiction, meaning the city can only do so much about it. Hyggen says that is a shame because the cost of homeownership, especially for first-time buyers, is not attainable for many.

“As we work with other levels of government and bringing down some of those rates or the cost to get into homeownership, and what are some of the incentives that, you know, can be provided? As a municipality, I think our work around there really focuses on advocacy work.”

READ MORE: Lethbridge home prices among fastest-rising in Alberta

Blaine Hyggen says the year started off with a big focus on water.

Due to lower precipitation over the winter, city council voted in May to join several other Alberta municipalities in enacting water restrictions. This meant that decorative water fountains were shut off and there was less watering of city infrastructure. Residents were also asked to use less water voluntarily.

“Kudos to the community for really, you know, conserving the water and maybe not watering every single day on that lawn, but, you know, every three or four days or whatever that was like,” says Hyggen.

Some of Hyggen’s other highlights from 2024 include the start of construction to expand the Lethbridge Shelter and Stabilization Centre, securing more funding to build a catheterization lab at Chinook Regional Hosiptal, and receiving additional dollars for updates to the Lethbridge Water Treatment Plant.

Heading into 2025, the mayor’s biggest priorities will continue to be housing and doctor staffing levels.

As far as next fall’s municipal elections, Hyggen says it is too early to say whether or not he will run for re-election, but he hopes to figure that out soon.

READ MORE: Alberta funding improvements, expansion for Lethbridge Water Treatment Plant

READ MORE: Lethbridge Shelter and Resource Centre to undergo major expansion

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