📽️ Council Honeymoon is over
COWARDS!
That word was uttered by an angry observer just before they walked out of council chambers.
The honeymoon is definitely over as not one council member seconded Councillor Cocks motion.
What was this controversial motion? Was it about allowing alcohol consumption in city parks?
Nope
It was merely a motion to send a letter to the province about the city's commitment to the protection of clean, safe and reliable water sources.
(The chair is not allowed to second motions or make any motions from the chair. The mayor can hand over the chair to someone else temporarily and then make a motion or second a motion.)
When asked why none of the council members would second the motion to get it on the floor to discuss, Councillor Stuart Young was the only one who spoke to us. He iterated that all of council cared about water, saying that we (the media) should have been there two months ago when they presented their water strategy.
At least Councillor Young said something, the rest of council gave us a vacant look and refused to answer our questions.
NB - The Owl believes that council members care about water - let there be no mistake about that.
Councillor Cocks had some words. He said he had an indication that afternoon that he would not get a seconder. He suspected that the other council members did not second it because they did not want to have to explain their decision, and that they likely did not want to offend the premier -
July 6 2026 Medicine Hat City Council.
…if we took any kind of position that went against their damn the torpedoes, lets go ahead and put a coal mine in.
Cocks said 28 municipalities have sent a letter to the province, including Edmonton, Calgary, and Lethbridge. Cocks said his motion is pretty much identical to what the other municipalities sent. It telling the province what to do, it was more of
please pay attention, please make sure this is the right thing to do…
The MGA is very specific that says council must deliberate in public, that NO decisions are to be made behind closed doors.
When the Owl asked Cocks about that, he said, well, we're all friends, we talk.
Obviously council members are allowed to talk outside of the council table but there are certain rules. The Municipal Inspection Report said there was a concern about Council making decisions outside of council meetings, stating
Significant volumes of email, particularly originating with the mayor, begin to venture into topics that would be more appropriately discussed or debated at Committee of the Whole or Council meetings.
Policy around internal communication amongst members of council might be developed in order to ensure that discussion over email does not turn in opinion, debate, or decision making, given that these emails are considered to be records under FOIP.
Lack of understanding of the role of closed meetings and Committee of the Whole meetings has meant that debate and/or decisions are sometimes not being made in the proper gathering.
Perception is reality
Council members may be doing everything aboveboard but it is the perception that matters. The residents of Medicine Hat are looking for council to be boring again. They do not want a repeat of the infighting and the behind closed doors decision making that plagued the last council.
This Council must work very hard to make sure that everything they do is out in the open, the merest hint of impropriety will raise alarm bells in an oversensitive population. Council members in Medicine Hat are going to be scrutinized very very closely, the residents will be suspicious of anything that might possibly be seen as irregular. That was the political climate when council was elected and that is the reality they must deal with.
When things like this happen, no seconder to a fairly innocuous but politically perilous matter, and then nobody wants to talk about it, that raises red flags. If council members appear to be spread to do anything that might ruffle feathers, then we are all wondering what the future holds. Who sets policy for the city, our elected councillors or our MLAs?
This new council was elected to represent the residents of the City of Medicine Hat, not kiss the asses of the MLAs who were elected to SERVE our community, not be served by our Council. If they are too afraid to stand up to higher levels of government, then why are at the horseshoe?
Councillor Cocks is apparently the only council member with the stones to
Stand and be true
Motion:
WHEREAS Medicine Hat has a direct and continuing interest in the protection of
clean water and the integrity of Alberta’s watersheds,
AND WHEREAS the City of Medicine Hat wishes to reaffirm the City’s commitment to the protection of clean, safe, and reliable water resources for current and future generations,
AND WHEREAS exploration and mining for coal raises concerns relating to water quality, runoff, land disturbance, tailings, and cumulative impacts on downstream users and the agrarian economy;
AND WHEREAS water security and economic development are core municipal concerns,
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Mayor, on behalf of Council, forthwith forward a letter to the Premier of Alberta, the Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, the Minister of Municipal Affairs, and any other provincial or federal officials expressing Council’s concern regarding any coal-related activity that may jeopardize watershed protection and drinking water security.
