2025 Year in Review

Posted on January 15, 2026 by Sunny South News

June

The Town of Coaldale is moving forward with its $5.1 million sanitary trunk line expansion project.

Councillors unanimously passed second and third reading of Borrowing Bylaw 919-B-04-24, Sanitary Trunk Line, at the Town of Coaldale’s May 20, regular council meeting. First reading was passed last month on April 28. 

Chief Financial Officer and Deputy CAO, Kyle Beauchamp, presented details of the bylaw and noted the debenture will help facilitate the sanitary trunk line expansion project along 16th Ave. and Highway 845. 

Beginning in January 2026, the Town of Picture Butte will have a new logo for its milestone 100th anniversary. 

It will be the official town logo for the year in 2026, as the town celebrates its centennial.  

Councillors approved the logo at the Town of Picture Butte’s May 26, regular council meeting, after discussing several options that were presented. The chosen logo for the centennial is a variation of the Town Crest, which was created and adopted via a bylaw in March 1981.

The allocation for St. Mary River Irrigation District members is expected to remain at 12 inches for the summer, the board of the major southern Alberta district announced May 29.

That figure, equating to one acre-foot, was announced at the group’s annual general meeting in early April. That is 50 per cent higher than the 8-inch allotment estimate in early 2024 when reservoirs were still nearing historic lows, but below typical allotment of 14 inches, last provided in 2023.

The community came out to celebrate the town, the library and their shared history at the official opening of the Pages of the Past exhibit at the Coaldale Public Library on June 2.  

There was a sense of excitement and anticipation as members of the public joined past and present library staff and members of town council, as they gathered for the exhibit launch and the opening of Coaldale’s time capsule that was sealed 25 years ago.  

A plan to power a huge expansion of a potato plant near Coaldale with wind and solar has been rejected by Alberta utility regulators because the schematic layout doesn’t strictly meet the definition of “self-supply.”

That concept – building onsite power production to avoid straining the provincial grid – has been heavily promoted by the Government of Alberta, which is looking to lure industrial development but avoid potential shortages and the costs of extending the transmission network to sites.

Coaldale’s NewCold facility will go live and be fully operational on June 24. 

That’s the news Town of Coaldale council received when they heard a construction update on the $222 million state-of-the-art food storage facility, at the June 9, regular council meeting from NewCold area site manager Derek Bedke and site manager Mike Keeler. 

The Town of Coaldale is exploring its options when it comes to policing and may one day be involved in a provincial policing pilot project, according to Coaldale Mayor Jack Van Rijn.   

Van Rijn recently spoke to the Sunny South News about the town’s current policing predicament and measures they are considering to re-examine their policing model, due to what many say is an unfair situation. 

Farmers, agronomists and agricultural professionals are taking to the fields for Farming Smarter’s 2025 Field School on June 25 and 26. 

Alberta’s Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, R.J. Sigurdson, will also be on hand Wednesday, June 25 for a special capital investment announcement that is helping expand Farming Smarter’s research capacity. 

July

The Town of Coaldale’s Council Code of Conduct Bylaw 837-GE-12-21, has been repealed and removed from the town’s list of active bylaws.  

The Government of Alberta passed Bill 50, the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 earlier this spring, on May 15. The bill aims to modernize municipal processes, improve election accessibility, enhance local governance, and strengthen homebuyer protections. The bill also amends several pieces of legislation including the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA), the Municipal Government Act (MGA), the New Home Buyer Protection Act (NHBPA), and the Safety Codes Act (SCA).

Former Picture Butte resident Jaxon Reiter, credits his small town upbringing and the close-knit community at the high school he attended, with much of his success as a university scholar and future professor or scientist.  

Reiter was recently awarded the School of Graduate Studies Medal of Merit, Master of Science, from the University of Lethbridge at their 2025 Spring Convocation on May 29.

The Town of Picture Butte is moving forward with an amendment bylaw that will re-designate lands on the municipality’s south side. 

Picture Butte councillors passed first reading of Bylaw No. 962-25, an amendment to Land Use Bylaw No. 841-15, at the June 23 regular council meeting.   

Town of Picture Butte council received a request to re-designate (or rezone) lands located at 105 5th Street South. The bylaw is to re-designate the land from ‘Residential – R1’ to ‘Residential Multi-Unit – R5’ to accommodate the development of a multi-unit dwelling. 

The Town of Coaldale will no longer see elections signs on boulevards and road rights of way adjoining parks and playing fields, after councillors passed an amendment to the town’s land use bylaw, that came as a result of vandalism during the federal election this spring. 

Coaldale councillors unanimously passed second and third readings of Land Use Bylaw Amendment 923-P-05-25, at the July 3 regular council meeting, following a public hearing, where no submissions were received and no feedback or questions from the public was heard. 

Members of Lethbridge County council heard a status update from the Highway 3 Twinning Development Association at the county’s regular council meeting on June 19.

In a presentation from the association’s executive director Tenille Miller, and executive board member Brian Hildebrand, councillors heard an update on the highway twinning project that included highlights on the return on investment (ROI) for twinning Highway 3 through Lethbridge County. That included improved safety, economic growth, job creation, reduced transportation costs, stronger regional connectivity, and attraction of investment.  

Potato processor McCain will appeal a utility commission ruling that denied its plan to build and connect renewable power to its $600-million plant expansion at Chin.

The company informed the Alberta Utility Commission it will appeal the ruling that found the schematics for five turbines and a five-megawatt array on adjacent land comprised a “distribution network,” contrary to rules for transmission franchises in the area.

The Town of Nobleford is ready to celebrate its community and its history during its annual Heritage Day on July 26.   

“It’s a great family event,” said Joan Boeder, mayor of Nobleford, noting the one-day event has been celebrated for many years and is believed to have first started out as a sports-oriented day. 

The annual celebration, which is being organized by the Nobleford Heritage Society, will begin with a pancake breakfast, at 7:30 -10 a.m. at the community complex, followed by a parade at 11 a.m. and barbecue lunch hosted by the fire department at 11:30 am. 

Roger Hohm, a citizen representative from the Green Acres Foundation, provided an update to Town of Coaldale councillors at the July 3 regular council meeting. 

In his report presentation, Hohm provided highlights, challenges and successes for the foundation over the past year, and included of some the foundation’s activities as well.  

The Coaldale Industrial Rail Extension Project is the first rail infrastructure project in Alberta to receive funding through the Government of Alberta’s Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program. 

On July 25, Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors, Devin Dreeshen, travelled to Coaldale to officially announce $3.475 million in Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program (STIP) grant funding for the Town’s Industrial Rail Extension Project. 

August

The Town of Coaldale continues its downtown revitalization, with the recent demolition of several empty buildings along Main Street. 

The two vacant buildings, which housed several businesses over the years, were situated next to Civic Square and were torn down on July 28, after closing several years ago.  

The Town of Picture Butte may soon have more available rental housing, after town councillors passed second and third reading of Bylaw No. 962-25 at the July 28 regular council meeting. 

The bylaw, an amendment to Land Use Bylaw No. 841-15, redesignates lands located at 105 5th Street South, from ‘Residential – R1’ to ‘Residential Multi-Unit – R5’ to accommodate the development of a multi-unit dwelling. The land being rezoned is currently a vacant lot. 

The Town of Picture Butte is ready to welcome residents and visitors for a fun-filled summer celebration this weekend.  

People can enjoy a range of activities and events during the town’s annual Jamboree Days, August 15-17. Also taking place this weekend at Coyote Flats Poineer Village, is their annual Harvest Days on August 16-17. 

Lethbridge County has lifted its fire advisory as of Aug. 5, due to recent cooler temperatures and precipitation that have decreased the wildfire risk.

Always use caution with fire-related activities, regardless of weather conditions, and apply for a burn permit before conducting open burns. They are free of charge and can be applied for online or in-person at the Lethbridge administration office (#100, 905 4 Avenue S.).

Negotiations in an ongoing labour dispute between the Town of Coaldale and its unionized municipal employees appear to be at a standstill after workers voted to reject the Town’s most recent offer.  

In a press release dated August 11, the Town of Coaldale said unionized municipal employees voted to reject the Town’s comprehensive proposal—Comprehensive Offer No. 3—through a Labour Relations Board-supervised secret ballot vote. The offer represented a significant increase in total compensation, especially when compared to current wage trends in the private sector, stated the release. 

It may be the dog days of summer but for the Coaldale Copperheads, things are about to ramp up on the ice.

Main camp is set to begin Wednesday, Sept. 3, with the first session of the year. That will be followed up by ice times on Sept. 5, 6 and 7, all at the Snake Pit in Coaldale.

Copperheads main camp maintains an open-door policy, as new players are always welcome to tryout.

Copperheads head coach, Cody Moskal, added the number of newcomers at camp varies from season to season.

The Town of Picture Butte honoured an important part of its history with a new sign, unveiled in a special ceremony on Aug. 16. 

The sign was created to preserve, honour and share the history of the sugar beet industry and its lasting impact in Picture Butte and across the region.