The City of Medicine Hat will spend approximately $20,000 to remove the sea cans from Towne Square, staff say. Courtesy/City of Medicine Hat

By Eli J. Ridder

city hall

Medicine Hat city council approves removal of downtown sea cans

Nov 18, 2024 | 10:22 PM

Medicine Hat will soon remove the eight colourful sea cans that have helped to define Towne Square after city council approval Monday, marking a new era for the downtown space designed to create vibrancy for the community.

The so-called market pods are arranged in a pair of parallel rows that has attracted vulnerable and unhoused members of the community, creating what can be an unsafe environment, staff say.

There’s also been a sharp and costly increase in vandalism and break-ins at the square, they add.

The city’s manager of cultural experiences and events Aaron Nelson told council the market pods aren’t being used for the right purposes. Even when they are, it’s a tough sell.

Coun. Allison Knodel said she was hopeful the “industrial aesthetic” of the market pods would prove to be popular — and said she was disappointed but understanding of the outcome.

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“I’m, in summary, disappointed that it didn’t work out, but I do see why we have to make a change,” Knodel said at council.

Moving the sea cans to Marshall Yard will cost the City of Medicine Hat about $20,000, according to a presentation from Nelson.

Coun. Shila Sharps asked Nelson if it’d be possible to wait until the city figures out what it’ll be doing next with the pods before moving them in an effort to save taxpayer dollars.

Nelson said that process — which included a public survey where residents could give their own ideas — could take some time and, the longer the pods are downtown, the more costs the city will incur because of maintenance.

Council unanimously approved the proposal. An exact date for the removal of the sea cans has not yet been determined.