LETHBRIDGE, AB – Lethbridge’s new Mayor and Council have been officially sworn-in to office.
The ceremony was held Monday afternoon at the Yates Memorial Theatre.
Mayor Blaine Hyggen says it’s time to wipe the slate clean and work together to make the city an even better place in four years than it is today.
He says “we’ve got to build on our strengths and on the weakness, you know what, we’re going to agree to disagree at times but respect is what I want to make sure we follow through with.”
The swearing-in ceremony featured several video messages from elected officials along with live performances from local artists including award-winning country musician, Trevor Panczak.
And, in a first for any Lethbridge City Council, Kainai Elder, Mike Bruised Head (Ninna Piiksii), offered a neighbour-to-nation greeting saying “a new City Council brings new leadership and an opportunity for renewal in the community. I wish the new Mayor and Council of Lethbridge good wisdom and good guidance in their work to look after the needs of all of the City’s residents.”
Mayor Hyggen and the eight councillors: Mark Campbell, Jeff Carlson, Belinda Crowson, Rajko Dodic, John Middleton-Hope, Nick Paladino, Ryan Parker and Jenn Schmidt-Rempel, will now begin a month-long orientation process with their first official Council meeting set for Nov. 16.
Monday’s ceremony was live streamed on the City’s YouTube channel.