📽️Committee Updates on River Levels, Street Sweeping, and 20yr Airport Plan as WestJet Exit Looms
Pat Bohan, Managing Director of Development and Infrastructure - Screengrab From Owl News Video
The city’s Development and Infrastructure Committee met on Thursday, June 4. The open portion that began at 2:30 PM covered a wide range of topics - from river levels and street sweeping to the future of the local airport, here is what you need to know.
River Levels and Flood Readiness
The committee heard that Environmental Utilities is closely monitoring river levels. Their goal is to make sure the drinking water collection system works properly. The river is expected to peak later on the day of the meeting, but the predicted peak is lower than earlier forecasts.
In other news from that department, a waste round up at the Stampede grounds has been completed.
Riverside Project and Street Sweeping
Municipal Works gave an update on the Riverside project involving 3rd Street. An engagement survey is still open, and the department noted that both council and administration will be considering public feedback when making decisions about the project.
A full scale flood exercise was held on May 27 to test emergency responses.
Street sweeping is ongoing and expected to finish in mid June. Flushing work is also underway across the city.
Planning and Development Updates
The Planning and Development department reported that the Land Use Bylaw refresh has been adopted. They are now updating the website with the new information.
The department also noted they are down a couple of staff members right now, so they asked the public to please be patient as they work through requests.
The Main Event: Airport Strategic Plan
The biggest item on the open agenda was the "Airport Strategic Plan – Phase 1 Airport Master Plan Project." This was presented to the committee after the Administrative Committee had already received it on May 27.
The timing is critical. WestJet is pulling its last passenger plane out of Medicine Hat on June 24, 2026. Lethbridge is losing their service too. For many people in southeast Alberta, the nearest airport with regular flights will be Calgary, a three hour drive.
Why the Airport is in Trouble
The new strategic plan, which is part of a larger 20 year master plan, spells out the problem clearly. Passenger airlines provide 60 percent of the airport's revenue through landing fees and parking charges. When WestJet leaves, that money vanishes.
Worse, without a scheduled airline, Medicine Hat no longer qualifies for major federal infrastructure grants. Over the last decade, those grants covered $15 million in safety upgrades. Now, local taxpayers may have to cover those costs alone for things like runway repairs and snowplows.
What the Public Wants
City officials ran a huge public feedback campaign for this plan. They interviewed 34 key stakeholders, ran five open houses, and collected more than 700 online surveys.
The results were striking. Residents ranked emergency medical services as the most important thing the airport does, with 96 percent calling it "very important." Scheduled airline services came in second at 94 percent. Flight training was third at 79 percent.
People told the city they want reliable flights with better timing, more destinations beyond Calgary, and competitive prices. Many said the current service was so unreliable that they already drive to Calgary, this is called leakage. The city has known about the leakage for years; the passenger air service has not improved.
The 20 Year Game Plan
Despite the grim news, the plan offers a roadmap for the future. It has five main goals:
Goal 1: Effective Service Delivery – Keep the airport safe and well maintained. The main runway is in good shape, but some buildings and the secondary runway need work.
Goal 2: Be an Economic Catalyst – Try to attract a new airline. The report warns this will be hard. The city may have to offer financial deals or "risk sharing" to convince a new carrier to land in Medicine Hat.
Goal 3: Community Facing and Locally Responsible – Focus on the things people value most. That includes air ambulance, the HALO rescue helicopter, and law enforcement flights. The goal requires the airport to be ready 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for health and safety needs.
Goal 4: Financial Stability – The airport will likely always need some taxpayer support, much like most regional airports. But the city wants to grow other revenue sources like hangar rentals and private aviation to reduce the burden on property taxes.
Goal 5: Leveraging Partnerships – The city plans to lobby the provincial and federal governments for money and support. They will also work with local businesses and the defence sector at CFB Suffield.
What Happens Next
The committee received the report as information. From here, it is expected to move to a city council meeting for a final decision. Staff are recommending that council adopt the Phase 1 strategic plan.
If approved, the next phases include a full audit of every piece of airport infrastructure, due later in 2026. A final master plan is expected by early 2027.
The full recording of the June 4 committee meeting is posted on the city's YouTube channel - you can thank Owl News for that. We advocated for the city to post these videos as we were the only media outlet that was doing it. Now that the City is posting the videos, it frees up our time to do other things.
