
70 recommendations made in Medicine Hat inspection
The city asked for the inspection in September 2024 after months of disagreements between the mayor, council and chief administrator. It was then ordered by the minister of Alberta Municipal Affairs.
The final 207-page report was presented during a council meeting on Monday.
'The bottom line seems to be that the decision was that they contravene the Municipal Governance Act, and as a result, they have to have some consequences for that,' said Jim Groom, a political scientist based in Medicine Hat.
Along with 70 recommendations, the report also included three directives from the minister of municipal affairs that must be followed.
These include council and the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) reviewing the recommendations and reporting to the minister, as well as making the report publicly available.
Council, the CAO and other designated officers must also complete respectful workplace training.
'There's less than 100 days left in this council, and I would not expect this to make any drastic changes in any way, shape or form, and it was evident by the council meeting last night that there's still a lot of animosity, still a lot of personality clashes,' said Groom.
The report says council has been operating in a somewhat hostile environment since early on in its terms.
That was highlighted by an exchange between Mayor Linnsie Clark and the city manager Ann Mitchell that led to council moving to sanction the mayor and cut her pay in half.
A Calgary judge later reversed that decision.
Council and others in city hall are working to repair those relationships.
'There's still some ambiguity about how do we get to the to the right area of correcting this? Whose fault it is isn't the right thing, but what was the precipice? How do we get past that? What's the crux?' said Medicine Hat city councillor Shila Sharps.
The report says the residents of Medicine Hat did not lose out on programs or services because of council infighting, but it also called governance function of the city ineffective and noted that distrust made it difficult to make effective decisions.
A new council will be elected this fall, and the hope is to start the new term on the right foot.
'We are making sure that we have a very robust orientation for the new council coming in in October,' said Mitchell. 'I've been a city manager for 20 years, so I've gone through a few orientations and so has our clerk, so knowing best practices is really important.'
CTV news reached out to Clark and will update this article if and when a response is received.
The full report can be read on the City of Medicine Hat's website.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
LeBlanc ‘encouraged' after latest U.S. talks as Trump tariff deadline looms
Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Thursday he's feeling 'encouraged' after meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and American lawmakers in Washington ahead of next week's tariff deadline. But LeBlanc also suggested that a new economic and security arrangement with the United States may not materialize in time for U.S. President Donald Trump's latest deadline of Aug. 1. 'Canadians expect us to take the time necessary to get the best deal we can in the interest of Canadian workers,' LeBlanc said outside the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington. 'So we are only going to be in a position to accept a deal when the prime minister decides that it is the best deal we can get in the interest of Canadian workers and the Canadian economy.' Trump has sent letters to multiple nations, including Canada, saying that if no deal is made by Aug. 1, he will impose high tariffs on imports to the United States. Story continues below advertisement While Trump's letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney threatened Canada with 35 per cent tariffs, the White House has said the levies will not be applied to imports that comply with the Canada-U.S-Mexico Agreement on trade. Canada is also being hit with Trump's tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles, and will be affected by copper duties that are also expected to kick in on Aug. 1. 5:23 WA state senator says Trump doesn't understand effects of trade war The Trump administration has announced only a handful of trade deal frameworks with other nations since the president first threatened his so-called 'Liberation Day' tariffs in April. Trump this week said his administration made deals with Japan and the Philippines, adding to previous agreements with Indonesia, Vietnam and the United Kingdom. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy While many details of the frameworks remain vague, all of them include some level of tariff – and it's not clear whether they would shield countries from Trump's plan to impose further sectoral duties on things like semiconductors and lumber. Story continues below advertisement LeBlanc said 'complex negotiations' are continuing between Canada and the United States and he will be returning to Washington next week. He described his meeting with Lutnick as productive and cordial. LeBlanc, who was joined in the meetings by Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman, also had face time with Republican senators Kevin Cramer, Roger Marshall, Shelley Moore Capito, Todd Young and Tim Scott. LeBlanc said they discussed border security and defence issues and the American lawmakers shared a 'desire to see more stability and predictability in the relationship with the United States.' 'My conversations have focused on how we share so many priorities of President Trump's administration that we should be able to figure out together a deal that's in the best interest of Canadian workers, and obviously they are going to do their side of the table in terms of the American economy and American workers,' he said. 1:55 'Only the best deal for Canada': Carney on negotiating tariffs, trade with Trump Federal officials have remained tight-lipped about what Trump's team has said it wants from Canada. Story continues below advertisement After this week's trade deal frameworks were announced, Trump boasted on social media that he would only consider lowering tariff rates if countries open their markets to the United States. The president also said Japan would invest $550 billion in the U.S. at his 'direction.' Trump said Thursday that Japan 'bought it down basically,' referring to the lower tariff rate. 'I would let other countries buy it down,' he said. 2:05 'Largest trade deal in history': Trump finalizes US trade pact with Japan, cuts tariffs to 15% When Trump first threatened Canada with tariffs, he claimed it was due to the cross-border flow of deadly fentanyl. Ottawa responded with a boosted border plan and named a 'fentanyl czar.' Ottawa walked back its digital services tax last month after Trump threatened to halt all trade talks. Carney last week announced measures to stop China from dumping steel in Canada. Story continues below advertisement Hillman said those efforts help Canada in its ongoing negotiations. 'In our discussion with the American senators this week, the American administration, the measures that Canada has taken on steel in particular… are some of the strongest in the world,' she said. 'And that has been recognized and very much appreciated. So we are making some positive progress.' Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski joined a bipartisan group of American lawmakers in Ottawa last week. The Republican said Thursday that 'we would all like to get to a better place with our trade relationship with Canada' but suggested it's not likely to happen before Aug. 1. Canada cannot be treated 'as yet one more country that we need to reconcile tariffs on' because of shared economic and national security issues, she said. 'I wish that I could say, 'It feels good,' that this is all going to be taken care of before the first of August, but I'm not sensing that,' she said.


CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
What are the chances of a U.S. trade deal by Aug. 1?
As Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and U.S. Ambassador Kirsten Hillman meet in Washington with U.S. senators and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the Power Panel discusses Ottawa's shift to downplaying the chances of a trade deal by President Donald Trump's Aug. 1 deadline for increased tariffs.


CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Canada's trade team downplays chances of deal with U.S. by Aug. 1
CBC News Washington reporter Katie Simpson has the latest from D.C. as Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and U.S. Ambassador Kirsten Hillman say they're working toward a deal by Aug. 1 — but that they'll take the 'time necessary to get the best deal' for Canadians. LeBlanc and Hillman met with U.S. senators and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.