Lethbridge City Council is set to vote on potentially revisiting the idea of creating a ward system. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Motion to revisit ward system for Lethbridge to be introduced Tuesday

Dec 1, 2025 | 2:51 PM

UPDATE (Tues. Dec. 2 at 3:30 p.m.): Ward system vote defeated in Lethbridge City Council

Lethbridge City Council will be asked if they want to give the potential creation of a ward system another shot.

Councillors Belinda Crowson and Jenn Schmidt-Rempel are set to introduce a motion at Tuesday’s council meeting to further review the potential implementation of wards at an upcoming Governance Standing Policy Committee (SPC) meeting.

City councillors are currently elected to serve the entire community. Under a ward system, Lethbridge would be divided into smaller sections, and councillors would be assigned to one ward. They would then represent all residents and businesses in that area.

The creation of a ward system was brought to a non-binding referendum in the 2021 municipal election.

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Residents voted 55.69 per cent in favour of the question, “Do you support using a Ward System to elect City Councilors (other than the Mayor) starting with the 2025 municipal election?”

READ MORE: City of Lethbridge to examine possible ward system

During the 2021-25 council term, members considered establishing an Electoral Ward Boundary Commission to further evaluate such a system, including associated costs, number of wards, and number of councillors.

The matter did not receive majority support, and a motion to instead pursue a “precinct model” was also voted down in 2022.

READ MORE: City of Lethbridge to explore “precinct” electoral model, not creating ward commission

The motion from Crowson and Schmidt-Rempel states that during this year’s municipal elections, some residents expressed a continued desire for a ward system and promoted the implementation of such a system of governance.

If Tuesday’s motion were to pass, the Governance SPC would gather and review feedback and concerns related to the ward system, provide recommendations to city council on whether to proceed with a formal review of a ward system, and if proceeding is recommended, outline a proposed process to determine the next steps.

Some of the other items on the agenda include a review of all fees and charges for municipal services and activities, creating a gravel roadway to connect Fire Station 5 to nearby communities on the west side, and a potential review of City of Lethbridge employment levels.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2. The full agenda can be viewed here.