Lethbridge leaders, federal crime secretary hold public safety roundtable

Public safety was the focus Wednesday morning as City of Lethbridge representatives hosted Ruby Sahota, Canada’s secretary of state for combatting crime, for a roundtable discussion.

“Public safety is a No. 1 priority, and so having this meeting today was very welcome,” said Mayor Blaine Hyggen.

The roundtable brought together Lethbridge’s mayor, police chief, deputy police chief, Downtown BRZ representatives and city administration to discuss ongoing crime trends and the work required across all levels of government to address those concerns.

“Consulting communities across the country—large and small municipalities, rural areas—as to what issues they’re dealing with and how we can tackle those issues together from a federal, provincial and municipal level,” Sahota said.

The mayor says topics of concern brought forward during Wednesday’s meeting included dealing with petty crimes, homelessness and bail reform.

“We’ve heard loud and clear of some of these individuals that have been arrested and within half an hour of being released are being re-arrested again,” Hyggen said.

Sahota says the federal government has already taken steps to address repeat offenders.

“The passage of Bill C-14, which is now the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, I believe will really have a large impact on these crimes that we address, like break-and-enters and repeat violent offenders,” she said.

In 2024, Lethbridge ranked ninth on the Crime Severity Index (CSI), according to Statistics Canada.

In that year, the city held a CSI score of 105.5, which was down 19 per cent compared to the same period in 2023.

Sahota says she’ll take programs being done in Lethbridge, such as the encampment response strategy and clean sweep program, back to Ottawa to share on a larger scale.

“There will continually be issues and concerns, but it’s changing and will take time,” Hyggen said.