Lethbridge City Council will be transitioning its Standing Policy Committees to Community Issues Communities. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

New committees to allow better public & council involvement

Dec 16, 2025 | 2:52 PM

The City of Lethbridge is looking to replace its committee structure.

Members of city council voted 7-2 on Tuesday to replace most of the current Standing Policy Committees (SPCs) with Community Issues Committees (CICs).

The motion, introduced by Mayor Blaine Hyggen and councillors Al Beeber, Rajko Dodic, and Ryan Parker, aims to provide focused oversight, policy review and recommendations, along with greater transparency and more public participation.

Currently, most SPCs have four voting members of council. The only exception to this is the Economic and Finance SPC, which has all nine elected representatives.

Parker says the change to CICs will ensure all members of council get the same information concurrently and can participate meaningfully in a focused, issue-driven environment.

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“The CIC is also intended to provide enhanced opportunities for community participation, with better opportunities for our residents, stakeholders, and organizations to bring forward perspectives, information and concerns during focused discussions on issues of community interest,” says Parker.

Hyggen adds that, although all members of council can attend and participate in discussions at SPCs, the restricted-voting structure limits full council involvement in shaping policies and responding to community priorities.

Administrative staff at city hall will develop and present a comprehensive governance framework for CIC operations, including:

• Amending the Procedure Bylaw
• Mandates, roles and scopes of responsibility for CIC
• Procedures supporting full Council participation and administrative support
• Meeting procedures, public participation guidelines, reporting requirements and transparency standards
• Processes for receiving, scheduling and managing public input during CIC meetings
• Any required amendments to Council policies or bylaws necessary to implement this structural change
• Updating all official records, schedules, bylaws, and public-facing materials to reflect the dissolution of SPCs (excluding the Audit SPC and Economic SPC) and the establishment of CIC

The only SPCs that will remain after the change are the Audit SPC and Economic and Finance SPCs.

The matter is set to return to council at the January 20, 2026, meeting.