City News

The growing trend of eating locally doesn’t mean one is limited to what a specific climate is able to produce. In fact, there are hundreds of varieties of vegetables, fruits and herbs that can be grown as long as it’s done right, even in the prairies with its short, cool growing season.
Local horticulturalist and expert gardener June Flanagan offers detailed advice on what’s best to grow and when in her new book, “Edible Plants for Prairie Gardens.”
Growing one’s own food  not only provides healthy eats, but also satisfaction in producing it.
“It’s really satisfying to grow something, and if you’re going to put the effort into growing something why not grow something that you can use?” said Flanagan. “You get really good, fresh food at its peak. You can’t get that anywhere else unless you go to a farmers market and it’s harvested that day.”
Planting a garden can also produce a wider variety of food, such as purple carrots, golden beets, and yellow, pear-shaped cherry tomatoes, that are not available in stores.
“You can grow a lot of things that you would never find in the grocery store. And a lot of our prairie fruits, they’re just not available in the store and they’re really healthy and they’re delicious,” Flanagan said.
Although there are plenty of gardening how-to books on the market, Flanagan noted that not one is climate specific for the prairie region, which is what she set out to do in her new book.

Bridge Drive to close in August
A year-long closure of Bridge Drive is to begin in August.
Planned upgrades to underground water, sewer and storm sewer lines will require the closure of the West Lethbridge access route until the fall of 2012. Reconstruction of the drainage system along the route is expected to prevent recurring erosion and flooding which have forced numerous road closures during inclement weather, according to the City of Lethbridge.
The upgrades are needed to allow healthy growth to continue on the westside, Byron Buzunis, the city’s urban construction manager, said in a news release.
The added infrastructure capacity will facilitate future commercial and residential expansion on the westside, including a future business park in the area.
The project is being funded from fees collected from new land development.

Trees an energy saving for city
Dave Ellis can’t be accused of not seeing the forest for the trees. The city’s parks manager has done exactly the opposite by releasing a new study of more than 38,000 trees in the city and figuring out the financial and environmental value of each and every one.
According to the study, the city saves more than $3.9 million a year in energy costs because of all the trees, which absorb carbon dioxide from the air, soak up storm water, give shelter from the sun and rain and increase property values.
City trees also take in more than 8.4 million kilograms of carbon dioxide each year — enough to make up for the annual average emissions of 1,600 cars.
It’s handy information to have during national Environment Week, which ends today, particularly since the United Nations has named this the International Year of Forests — and it’s completely changed the way Ellis sees the city’s “urban forest.”
“We’ve got lots of trees, and we spend lots of money on trees, but it’s nice to be able to say they save us money,” he said. “Trees make the city much more liveable — it’s hard to imagine what Lethbridge would be like if there were no trees.”
Apart from naturally occurring trees in the river valley and those on private property, all of Lethbridge’s trees have been planted by the city, costing about $300 each to buy, plant and maintain.

LCI team captures JA crown
For the first time ever, a team of three Lethbridge Collegiate Institute students took top spot in Alberta in the stock market simulation portion of Junior Achievement’s Investment Strategies Program.
 Jordan Fenz, Dylan Krampl and Michael Shewchuk called themselves Duh Winning and their investment in CDTI (Clean Diesel Technologies Inc.) paid off to bring them into the top spot. They won $500 for their investing acumen, $250 for the school and the rest to split between them.
Kristin Kirkpatrick, a volunteer with Junior Achievement Southern Alberta and a stockbroker at National Bank Financial, led students in Michaela Dilworth’s Career and Life Management class through the basics of investing in the stock market. Then they got the opportunity to put their learning to the test through an online stock market simulation where they had $100,000 to invest and another $50,000 to borrow. LCI teams competed against hundreds of others across the country.
Two LCI classes participated, Kirkpatrick’s class and another led by Nick Polychronopoulos with CIBC Wood Gundy. Tamara Nelson, JA regional co-ordinator, said they all performed well in the simulation.

Lethbridge residents can count on receiving their city utility bills on time, even if there is a postal strike.
City of Lethbridge officials plan to have utility bills hand delivered to homes and businesses if postal workers take to the picket lines. Anyone who doesn’t receive a bill on time can call 403-320-3111.
Bills can still be paid in person at local financial institutions, online or at city hall. Residents are reminded they can save 60 cents per invoice by having their utility bills sent to them electronically. To do so, visit www.lethbridge.ca/eUtility.
As of June 6, rotating strikes haven’t reached Alberta just yet. But local business people are scrambling for alternatives to Canada Post when they need to mail invoices, payments or products.
Winnipeg was the first city to lose service, followed Friday by Hamilton. Officials at the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have not said which cities would follow, as their members put pressure on post office management after months of unsuccessful negotiations.
In Lethbridge, at least, some people are not prepared to see their mail stranded by the strike. For now, postal service remains undisrupted in southern Alberta.
“We began getting busy earlier this seek,” says Cheryl Kyllo, manager of the UPS location on 2A Avenue North. “It’s hard to tell how much more business we’ll see.”
Kyllo says courier service continues as usual. She’s monitoring customer volume to see if more staff or longer hours might be needed.
Elsewhere in Lethbridge, health services officials say they’re also ready with contingency plans. Documents normally sent by mail may be scanned and sent electronically, for example.
Alberta Health says patient charts and other sensitive documents are already handled by delivery companies. Other documents such as contracts will be delivered by courier.
For daily newspaper subscribers, says Lethbridge Herald general manager and publisher Coleen Campbell, a postal strike should have little impact. Readers who have copies mailed to distant cities will have their subscriptions put on “vacation” status if service is disrupted in Lethbridge. They’ll be extended once service is restored.
Campbell, who’s also publisher of the Alberta Community Newspaper Group, says alternate plans are in place for readers of the Sunny South News and other community newspapers such as the Taber Times, Vauxhall Advance and Westwind Weekly News. But she points out Canada Post officials promise managers at rural post offices will remain on the job — and handling newspapers — if strikes continue on a rotating basis.
In the event of a longer strike, which cancels all regular postal operations across the nation, Campbell says pick-up points will be provided in each community, along with the local publication’s office. Details will be posted on each newspaper’s website.
For seniors and others who count on pension and benefit cheques through the mail, meanwhile, union officials have confirmed members will also deliver child benefit cheques from Ottawa along with provincial assistance cheques in Alberta and several other provinces.

Minimum wage rises Sept. 1
An increase in Alberta’s minimum wage is getting a lukewarm reception from the head of the local chamber of commerce.
The general minimum wage will rise Sept. 1 by 60 cents to $9.40 per hour from $8.80, but workers who serve alcohol will only see a 25-cent per hour raise to $9.05.
“The business community overall would never view the minimum-wage increase as a positive thing. Nobody wants to see their costs increase, but realistically, it’s been two years since we’ve had an increase,” said Wayne Brewer, president of the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce.
“Costs of labour are going up in the province of Alberta. We are entering once again an area of labour shortage.”
He noted the increase to the general minimum wage amounts to an annual increase of 3.5 per cent over the last two years.
“I think the chamber overall is pleased to see some differentiation relative to the serving of liquor and the effect of gratuities on their income,” he said.
“The other thing I think we have to keep in mind with all of this is that this affects in the order of about one per cent of the employees across Alberta. There’s 99 per cent making more than the minimum wage, already, so it isn’t a huge effect.”
The increase comes too late for students working summer jobs who will be returning to school this fall.
Employment Minister Thomas Lukaszuk said the government wanted to ensure the raises are reasonable to employers and employees.
“We want to maintain the important balance between attracting people into entry-level positions and helping their employers remain competitive,” he said Wednesday.
“Having a different minimum wage for liquor servers recognizes that these individuals earn a significant part of their incomes from tips.”
The changes are expected to affect about 20,000 workers in Alberta.
Alberta’s new minimum-wage rate is in the middle of the pack compared with other provinces and territories. Right now Alberta has the second-lowest rate after British Columbia. Ontario’s general minimum wage of $10.25 is the highest in the country.

McClellan sworn in as new U of L chancellor, Dunford honoured

More than 1,450 graduands were eligible to attend four convocation ceremonies at the University of Lethbridge June 2-3.
During the morning ceremonies Thursday, Shirley McClellan was officially sworn in as the university’s 12th chancellor. She replaces Richard Davidson whose four-year term ended March 15.
Several honorary degrees were also bestowed. Kim Phuc, a renowned humanitarian and the subject of the famous photograph of the young Vietnamese girl fleeing her village after a napalm attack, founded the Kim Phuc Foundation and is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for a Culture of Peace. She was honoured during this morning’s ceremony. Gordon Semenoff, a theoretical physicist who hails from Pincher Creek, is a University of British Columbia professor and an expert in quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, statistical mechanics and string theory. He was honoured at this afternoon’s convocation ceremonies.
Friday, Maude Barlow, an author, leader in the International Water Justice Movement, senior adviser on water to the United Nations General Assembly and founder and national chairwoman of the Council of Canadians, received an honorary degree. Former Lethbridge MLA Clint Dunford, a business consultant and four-term member of the Alberta legislature who played a key role in the launch of Campus Alberta and WorkSafe Alberta, received his honorary degree Friday afternoon.
In addition, Hans-Joachim Wieden, a chemistry and biochemistry professor, received the Distinguished Teaching Award and Jennifer Mather received the Ingrid Speaker Medal for Distinguished Research, Scholarship or Performance.
Elisha Rasmussen, a community leader, media personality and a strong advocate for the U of L, received the 2011 Senate Volunteer Award. Among other activities, she has led the Senate Honorary Degree Search Committee and welcomed many international students to the university as a member of the hospitality committee. Rasmussen received her award at the chancellor’s dinner Thursday.

Bike ride celebrates Environment Week

Lethbridge residents can register for a free bike ride and barbecue while helping celebrate Environment Week
The City of Lethbridge invites residents to celebrate Environment Week until Saturday by participating in the free annual Bike Ride & Barbecue on June 16 at 5:30 p.m. The event was rescheduled to accommodate the weather forecast.
Those interested in promoting alternative transportation and eating locally produced food can go to www.lethbridge.ca/bikeandbbq for details. Register by calling 403-320-4996 or by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Participants who register will be treated to a free, locally produced bison dog at the end of the bike ride. Helmets are required equipment for this event.

New home starts on the rise
Sunny days are here for southern Alberta’s home builders and sellers.
And although prices continue creeping upward, officials predict Lethbridge buyers will still find lower prices than in comparable cities such as Red Deer or Grande Prairie.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says after starting 770 housing units last year, Lethbridge-area builders are on track to launch 860 by the end of 2011 — an 11 per cent increase. Its prediction of 560 single-family homes is just marginally ahead of last year, but CMHC forecasts show 300 multiple-family units by year’s end compared with 216 in 2010.
Home listings through multiple listing service (MLS) agents are expected to result in 1,945 sales, meanwhile, and the average MLS selling price will reach $250,500 by year’s end. That keeps Lethbridge-area prices below Red Deer (a predicted $270,000), Grande Prairie ($257,000) and much higher price points in Edmonton ($329,000) and Calgary ($403,000).
Cheryl Dick, the CEO of Economic Development Lethbridge, cites increased demand for apartments, townhouses and duplexes as one of the factors in the steady growth here.
“While single family starts are down, this has been the highest first quarter building of multi-family units in the 21st century — since 2000,” she says.
“Lethbridge is relatively unique in this aspect in the province . . . as many other cities have been building up multi-family over the past few years.”
The Lethbridge housing market had lagged behind, she adds.
“So it is likely we have the most capacity for new multi-family, which is reflected in the investment we’re seeing now.”

Ride raises funds for therapeutic riding program
Senator Joyce Fairbairn was one of about two dozen riders taking part in the Lethbridge Therapeutic Riding Centre’s annual Ride for Dreams event at Pavan Park on June 4.
“I spent quite a lot of time on horses with my father,” she said as riders saddled up for trip up the river valley. “That really got me started.”
There’s not much opportunity to ride in Ottawa. But when Fairbairn returns home to Lethbridge, she loses little time getting out to the Rainbow Riding Centre, where children living with a physical or intellectual disability have been welcomed for decades.
It was also home to the senator's favourite horse, Dooley.
“He came to the riding centre in 1998 at the age of 16, and improved the lives of his many friends with his skill and good spirit,” she said. He died in March, so for Fairbairn, this year’s ride was in his memory.
“He has been a part of my life for many years, and I miss him terribly.”
More than 300 riders are involved in the non-profit program, she pointed out.
“The riders gain confidence and a sense of accomplishment through the partnerships with the specially trained horses and encouraging volunteers,” she said. “The physical connection between the movement of the horse and rider can make a tremendous difference where other efforts have failed.”
Some riders are living with cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Down’s syndrome, autism or Alzheimer’s. Their ages have ranged from five to 65.
The program is not recognized by health or sports organizations, she added, so it depends on the public's support of events like the annual ride and its golf tournament — June 15 this year at Land-o-Lakes.
Saturday's events concluded with a silent auction and social, featuring the music of Trevor Panczak.
“He was one of our riders a few years ago,” said Will Crust, the association’s president.
The group also raises funds by boarding Lethbridge-area residents' horses, he said, and by offering riding lessons through a series of “summer camp” events at the centre. (Information on the lessons or the golf tourney is available by phone at 403-328-2165.)
Crust said other people support the program by donating tack, by “sponsoring” a horse as Fairbairn does, or by actually donating a horse that’s not being ridden as much as its owners had hoped. Quarter horses are the most commonly offered.

The sun may be shining but the recent rain raises warnings about the possibility of flooding and its impact.
The City of Lethbridge, through Alberta Environment is continuing to monitor the water flow and levels of the Oldman River.
“We will continue to monitor the levels on a regional basis all weekend and until the rain starts to subside,” said Brian Cornforth, chief of fire and emergency services.
Care should be taken by anyone in and around the river valley as the river is flowing rapidly and overland drainage may have weakened the banks.
As a precaution, the city closed the boat launch ramp in Botterill Bottom Park as well as the parking lot near the water treatment plant. It has since been reopened.
Lethbridge residents, meanwhile, are asked to take proactive steps to limit the possibility of flooded basements.
Homeowners are asked to check and make sure all drain pipes are in working order, are not plugged and that they are extended away from the home by two metres, where possible.
Sump pumps or back-flow prevention devices should also be checked, as should catch basin grate on the street. Residents are asked to clear any debris if possible, and, if problems continue, to contact the Public Operations office at 403-320-3850.
County of Lethbridge Reeve Lorne Hickey, meanwhile, issued a statement May 26 that some roads there have washed over and, where roads have not been barricaded, that drivers take extreme caution as some have become stuck in soft spots and other damaged areas.
Those driving heavy farm trucks are asked to limit their use of roads, to reduce further damage, to essential livestock feeding and dairy operations.

Downtown fire dept. headquarters unveiled

City fire department staff have begun moving into their new downtown headquarters, and fire trucks start should start rolling out of the new facility in about a month.
The long-awaited move into the new three-storey facility at the corner of Scenic Drive and 4 Avenue South is occurring in phases, said Deputy Chief Roy Pollmuller.
Administrators and fire prevention officers are getting settled in their new second-floor offices, and front-line responders are expected to complete their transition by June from the existing downtown fire hall a few blocks away at the corner of 6 Avenue South and 5 Street South.
The city’s Public Safety Communications Centre, which handles emergency dispatch for police, fire and ambulance calls, is expected to move this fall into the top floor of the new fire hall from its existing location at Lethbridge regional police headquarters.
“You wouldn’t find a better facility anywhere else in North America,” he said. “It’s going to give us tremendous long-term capacity.”
Construction of the building began two years ago. It’ll also address the problem of emergency vehicles having to negotiate an awkward exit from the existing downtown fire hall. Right now, they have to stop traffic and drive the wrong way in the westbound lanes for several metres before they can enter the eastbound lanes of 6 Avenue South.
The press of a button in the new hall will trigger new emergency lights that will allow emergency vehicles to make much smoother, safer entries onto Scenic Drive and 4 Avenue South.
The nearly $20-million cost of the project was funded with provincial grants and included renovations to convert the former fire department headquarters on 5 Avenue North into a training facility.

School cuts worry parents

Public school administrators were peppered with questions Wednesday evening as Lethbridge School District No. 51 presented its preliminary budget to the public.
Between 50 and 60 people attended the session. They questioned why the district would eliminate school fees when that revenue could allow the district to retain an additional teacher; they asked how students can get the education to which they are entitled when special education funding hasn’t increased in three years and about 30 education assistants will lose their position next year and they relayed their frustration at not being informed sooner their child won’t have the same access to assistance next year.
Superintendent Barry Litun agreed that larger class sizes and fewer education assistants are not what anybody wants.
“The board is not the one that dictates the revenues,” he said.
Funding from the provincial government to the district for the 2011-2012 school year increased by about 0.5 per cent overall. Some grants, such as class size funding for Grades 4 to 6, were reduced or eliminated. When it came time to look at the amount of funding and the increased costs of operating, Christine Lee, director of finance, said the district would face a shortfall of $5 million if the current level of services was maintained. The majority of the district’s expenses, about 75 per cent, is salaries. The Lethbridge public school district had originally forecast the loss of approximately 30 teachers and 30 education assistants but it now expects the loss of teachers to be about 25.
The preliminary budget includes reductions in professional development for staff, a decrease in supplies and services such as computers, software, furniture and equipment, a slight decrease in utility costs with a new electricity contract effective in 2012. Administration will see no increase and as a percentage of the budget, administration costs are at 3.56 per cent when four to six per cent is allowed.
The board approved the elimination of the $41 per student district fee for students in Grades 1 to 5, as well as lunch supervision fees, as a way of easing the financial burden for parents and making the public school district the first choice for resident families.
Litun said eliminating the fee would mean the loss of about $120,000 to the district. In answering the question from the floor, he said the district anticipates the increase in enrolment resulting from the fee reduction will offset the loss.
Litun assured the audience the district was using every nickel and a little from what’s left in its reserves to keep as many assistants as possible in the classroom and ensure all students receive the best education possible.
 

‘Surplus’ land for sale

A decade after the City of Lethbridge bought it, a vacant downtown block that was once home to the Bridge Inn is now up for sale.
The various planning documents that govern development in the area encourage developers to “dream and think outside the box” and to “think about the future rather than just the status quo,” said Micheal Kelly, manager of real estate and land development for the city.
The city has issued a request for proposals which includes an asking price of $2.75 million for the 0.67-hectare property along 1 Avenue South, between 3 Street and 4 Street, across from Park Place Mall. The city bought the land in 2001 for $1.9 million. It included the Bridge Inn, which was later demolished.
Until about 18 months ago, the property was earmarked for a future performing arts centre. It was ruled out for that use in February 2010, however, after council endorsed a conceptual plan which would see such a facility built instead along 3 Avenue South, immediately east of Galt Gardens and next to a community arts centre due to start construction this summer.
The property was put up on the market after city administration completed a review of city-owned downtown properties and determined there was no immediate or long-term municipal use for it.
“We deemed that it was surplus, that we don’t have a municipal need for it. We’re looking to dispose of the property, and there is apparent indication from the marketplace that there is interest in it. We know that there’s three groups who have expressed some interest in the past year, so there may be an opportunity,” said Kelly.
Any sale of the property will come with strings attached. It will have to mesh with planning documents such as the city’s Downtown Area Redevelopment Plan which encourages a mix of retail, commercial and residential in new developments.
The city is reserving the right to reject any or all proposals it may receive by the June 29 deadline that aren’t judged suitable for the type of development the city is seeking.
During July, the city intends to review all the proposals it receives. If none are deemed appropriate, it will again invite proposals until a suitable one is submitted.

Province lifts fire ban

A provincewide fire ban has been lifted, but campers may have a tough time finding dry firewood.
The ban was lifted May 17, a week after it was imposed, because wet weather has reduced the wildfire hazard in many areas of Alberta, according to a release from Alberta Sustainable Resource Development.
The number of wildfires in the province has dropped, reducing pressure on provincial firefighting resources, the release stated.
Even so, the province is still urging the public to take extra care with campfires and all other types of fires this summer to ensure they don’t accidentally cause forest fires.
Since the beginning of April this year, Alberta has recorded 511 wildfires which have burned more than 330,000 hectares of forest. The province typically deals with about 1,600 wildfires each year. About half of those are caused by human carelessness.

Wildrose seeks candidates

The Wildrose Alliance party seeks nominations for candidates for four constituencies across Alberta including Lethbridge-East.
Those interested can request a nomination application on the party’s website at www.wildrosealliance.ca in the Party/Nomination Central section. The application deadline for these constituencies will be 5 p.m. on June 10.
 

Slave Lake may be some distance from Lethbridge, but it’s obviously close to the hearts of southern Albertans.
Several individuals have stepped up to the plate to help those displaced from their homes by the raging wildfire.
Among those is Lethbridge’s Gayle Sabey, who watched her hometown burn on television coverage of the tragedy. She called her parents, who still live in Slave Lake, to see if they were OK.
“They told me they were told to wait for word of evacuation. I told them to get the heck out of there now,” said Sabey.
Her family escaped with only moments to spare but still have no word on whether their home west of Slave Lake has survived.
Not waiting for someone else to start the ball rolling, Sabey called members of her Kinette Club.
“For Slave Lake we are set up to collect donations. We plan on pooling the money from all the Kinette Clubs across Alberta and make one large donation,” she said.
Various organizations and business around the city collected material items and most were transported Friday.
Meanwhile, relief officials have been overwhelmed by the number of donations they've been receiving to help people displaced by the fires. The Canadian Red Cross on Tuesday asked people not to bring them household goods, food or clothing, but give financial aid instead.

Albertans reminded to donate carefully to wildfire relief

Albertans donating to relief efforts in Alberta communities affected by wildfires are reminded to ensure they donate carefully and only to legitimate charitable organizations.
“Albertans are compassionate, generous people and it is very humbling to see them pulling together to help the residents of Slave Lake,” Service Alberta Minister Heather Klimchuk said in a news release. “Unfortunately, there are also people who use any opportunity to take advantage of that generosity. A few simple steps can ensure your money actually goes to help those in need.”
Albertans being asked for a donation (either over-the-phone, through an email request, or in person) should ensure the organization is a legitimate charity. They can do this by:
• asking door-to-door canvassers for identification or printed information about the charity;
• doing an Internet search for the charity’s name and background;
• asking telephone solicitors to provide a website address or to mail information; and,
• contacting Service Alberta to find out if a charity or fundraising organization is properly licensed or registered. Alberta’s Charitable Fundraising Act lays out specific rules that must be followed when charities ask Albertans for donations.
When making a donation, Albertans should avoid giving cash or using wire transfer services. Cheques should be made out to an organization, not an individual, and all receipts should be kept.
Donations made online should only be done on secure websites.
Caution should be used in responding to email solicitations, particularly those that may appear to be coming from friends or family.

McKenzie to remain police chief

City council has ratified a three-year contract extension for Lethbridge regional police Chief Tom McKenzie.
The extension will see McKenzie remain chief until July 31, 2014. His original contract expired at the end of 2010, and he’s currently working under a short-term agreement put in place last December to allow him and the Lethbridge Regional Police Commission time to negotiate a new, longer-term contract. 
When McKenzie was appointed police chief on Jan. 1, 2007, he became the first chief to be named from within local ranks in more than 20 years.

Bingo halls seek tax relief

City council is considering a plea for property tax relief from local bingo halls.
Representatives from the associations which operate Lucky’s Bingo and Winner’s Bingo in Lethbridge took their request to council May 16, citing their need to cut operating costs in the face of sharply declining revenues in recent years. Their request would amount to a combined saving of $75,000 in property taxes for the organizations this year.
“All we’re trying to do is generate more funds for this community,” said Gwen Tietz, spokeswoman for the Southern Alberta Bingo Association, which operates Lucky’s Bingo.
Revenues from Lucky’s and from the Lethbridge Community Bingo Association which operates Winner’s Bingo are allocated to about 55 local charities and non-profit groups whose members volunteer regularly at the bingo halls.
“If they reduce those taxes . . . it just means that more money goes back through the charities into the community,” she said. “The more breaks we get, the more (the community gets).”
Council referred the matter to administration for study. A report is expected back to council by June 13. 

Affordable housing units in the works

A dozen new affordable housing units are expected to make a small but important dent in the long waiting list of families in Lethbridge who need a place to live.
Construction of an eight-unit townhouse complex on the northside and a four-unit project on the westside is to begin within the next six weeks following city council’s unanimous approval May 16 of $1.14 million in grants toward the projects, both spearheaded by the Aboriginal Housing Society.
Over the past three years, the waiting list for affordable family rental accommodations has often topped 300. Society Chairman Roland Cotton attributed that in part to an ongoing influx of aboriginal people from various reserve communities.
The bulk of the grant money is being allocated from provincial affordable housing funds administered by the city while the remaining $43,000 comes from the city’s own affordable housing fund. The grants will help cover the $2.66-million combined overall cost of both projects.
The grant funding includes $640,000 toward the $1.64-million cost to build two four-unit townhouse complexes — dubbed Pee-Toe-Peah-Pisce — at 1620 Stafford Drive North. Each of the three-bedroom units is to be rented at 10 per cent below the market rate for similar units in the city.
The other project — dubbed Eneeskim — is to be comprised of two duplexes on Silkstone Close West in Copperwood. Grant money totalling $500,000 will go toward the $1.02-million cost of the westside project.
Design work is already complete, and both projects are considered shovel-ready. Construction is expected to begin by early July and to be complete by early next spring.
A condition of the grants is that the units must be used for affordable housing for at least 20 years.
Koh Koonoon, a similar 29-unit affordable housing complex, opened two years ago along 5 Avenue North. It is intended to provide housing for three to five years, long enough for tenants to learn how to maintain a home of their own.

Housing drop blamed on the bad weather

Housing starts are on the decrease in southern Alberta.
In Lethbridge, the number of single-detached homes breaking ground fell from 178 in 2010 to 133 in the first part of 2011, a 25 per cent decrease. Multiple family housing saw a decrease from 168 in 2010 to 34 in the first part of 2011.
It’s a 42 per cent decrease between the two, though Gerrit Bezooyen, president of the Lethbridge chapter of the Canadian Home Builder’s Association, says it might be something as simple as the time of year.
“In Lethbridge we have seen a slowdown. It’s probably the weather we’ve been getting. Overall Lethbridge is up over the year,” he says.
Across the province, housing starts decreased by 41 per cent in the seven largest centres in April. The decrease saw a fall to 1,501 units. Grand Prairie was the only centre to not report lower activity compared with April 2010.
War on mosquitos already begun
If you’re hoping for some warm sun after the current spate of wet weather, be forewarned you could be slapping yourself before long.
Warm weather after significant rain is the key ingredient needed to produce blood-sucking mosquitoes, according to Ron Esau, Lethbridge’s mosquito hitman.
“If we have a rainfall of, say, 25 to 50 millimetres — so, one to two inches — what we usually do is count 10 days after that rainfall, and we predict that people are going to be bit by mosquitoes,” said Esau, mosquito technician for the City of Lethbridge.
That means even though the blood-thirsty insects have already been spotted in the city, residents can likely expect to see them in far greater numbers by early June.
“Each time a mosquito gets blood meal, it’ll lay about 200 to 300 eggs,” he said. “What makes it really bad is that mosquito that lays the eggs, she doesn’t perish. What they'll do is they’ll go get another blood meal and lay 200 or 300 more. So as the spring and summer progress, you can really have this situation get out of hand.”
It’s Esau’s job to ensure that doesn’t happen. Although the mosquito population can’t be eradicated in the city, it can at least be managed, he said.
Each year, starting in early May, he begins making his rounds of the city looking for standing water puddles and pools where mosquito larvae typically hatch. He treats the pools with a biologically friendly larvicide containing natural bacteria. The hungry larvae feed on the bacteria.
Mosquito haters may take some satisfaction in the knowledge that bacteria cause the mosquito larvae stomachs to explode.
“That's why what we like to do is get out there early. If you can knock down some of those mosquito larvae early, just knocking down a few is like killing or knocking down thousands later on,” he said. “Your early work determines how things are going to go.
“It works so well for us, and it’s way more cost-efficient than trying to go out there and trying to fog adult mosquitoes that are in the air or in the trees.”
The friendly bacteria pose no danger to pets or other animals that may drink from the treated puddles, he said.
The existing mosquito control program was launched in the city in 2003, and it runs from May to early September each year. Because mosquitoes are transient, Esau will treat standing water pools within a five-kilometre radius of city limits.

Nilsson retires from Lethbridge Chamber

The Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce is envied around Alberta — and across the country — for its stability and sturdy presence in the community; due in large measure to three decades under the navigation of Jody Nilsson.
After 30 years at the helm, Nilsson, 68, will retire at the end of June to spend more time with family and work on her golf game. But she’s somewhat wistful about leaving the people she's come to think of as family.
Nilsson’s known for expanding the Chamber’s horizons and introducing measures to enhance its financial sustainability over the years. She took over when the organization was cashed-strapped and house-poor, working to pay off the building it still calls home on 6 Street South, and create reserves for the future. She's offered support to 30 presidents during her tenure, praising each one for their unique contributions.
Of the initiatives Nilsson’s most proud of is the chamber’s Adopt a Citizen of Tomorrow program. Through the business and education committee, together with school and business partners, it rewards citizenship and encourages positive social skills in students who may not be academically or athletically inclined.
She leaves the organization mortgage- and debt-free, with twice the presence it had before she arrived and more than a dozen years of provincial and national awards to its credit.

Hillyer sworn in as MP

Jim Hillyer, the duly elected Member of Parliament for Lethbridge, was sworn in by the Clerk of the House of Commons late Friday afternoon, to officially become the federal representative for the Southern Alberta constituency.
“This is a very exciting day for me personally as I begin my work representing this great riding in Canada’s government,” Hillyer said in a news release. He was joined by his wife Livi and four children on Parliament Hill for the ceremony.
Hillyer explained that while some may be frustrated with the delay in getting an office open, being an MP-elect is quite different that being an incumbent.
“When an MP is returned to office, business is status quo up to and immediately following the election, however for a newcomer prior to being sworn-in business is basically prohibited, as office leases cannot be signed, neither can telephone numbers, faxes, email addresses or other communications be established.” 
The House of Commons will resume on June 2, with the first order of business the election of the Speaker.