Category: Lethbridge

I came across this website for carpooling. They even have a section on Lethbridge. Not surprisingly, not too many Lethbridge commuters have signed up yet.

In this morning’s issue of the Lethbridge Herald:

. . . the typical Lethbridge home’s value [will] rise nearly $25,000 over the year . . . pushing the average resale price to $210,000 by year’s end.

Yet another reason to build high-density downtown.

In fact,

Due to investors’ reluctance to invest in new apartments and rental accommodation, however, the city will continue to fall behind Medicine Hat, Red Deer, Fort McMurray and particularly mushrooming Grande Prairie in the number of multi-family housing starts compared to the current population. Just 136 multi-family units were started in Lethbridge in 2006 — the lowest in seven years . . .

According to the Wetaskiwin Times Advertiser, CMHC is reporting Lethbridge’s rental vacancy rate is at less than 1%.

Lethbridge is seeing its vacancy rate tighten 2.1 percentage points from 2.7 per cent in 2005 to 0.6 per cent in 2006.

Yet one more reason why high-density residential development should be encouraged in downtown Lethbridge.

Cardston High school announced their new rodeo academy programme. When comparing it with the Vauxhall baseball academy and the Warner hockey school, Todd Ojala, Vauxhall High principal, said the following:

“If you’re in a small community and you’re not trying to improve it and make it a better place we all know what happens. We all move to Lethbridge and there is no small community anymore.”

Maybe now that there’s proof we’re siphoning population and economy from other communities, we’ll start receiving more infrastructure dollars from the government.

When I was running for a seat on city council in 2001, one of the most common issues I heard brought up was the fact Lethbridgians wanted the downtown revitalised. I think that is all and good and could go a long way to improving the city.

Another thing I noticed based on focus groups and committee meetings I attended regarding the revitalising the downtown was that residents did not want high-density development.

This makes no sense to me. why would you not be in favour for the thing that would be the most helpful to revitalising the downtown?

What the downtown needs to be revitalised is people. Plain and simple. Building bigger roads to bring more cars downtown isn’t the answer; nor is building more parking spaces. The easiest way to get more people downtown on a permanent basis is to build more housing; in particular to build more housing using the same amount of existing space.

High-density housing will bring many more people downtown on a permanent basis, providing more consumers, more entertainment patrons, and more transit users. As a result, the downtown will attract higher-end retail and hospitality establishments, result in better (and more frequent) entertainment options, and create improved transit options.

In addition, such housing will reduce (or at least slow down) the spread of urban sprawl—a plague in the open prairies surrounding the city. The city will spend less money on roads, sewer and the delivery of services (such as gas, water and electricity).

One would think that after 20 years, it would be time for Lethbridge to see at least one more high rise apartment building.