Medicine Hat council faces wide-ranging agenda at it’s meeting Tuesday from tax bylaws to urban hens

Council will consider approving funding allocations for the 2026 Community Vibrancy Grants program for community projects and activities, based on recommendations from the Community Vibrancy Advisory Board.

In unfinished business, the council will revisit the idea of allowing backyard chickens.

It’s recommended that the council direct staff to draft a comprehensive urban hens bylaw, including regulations, costs and staffing requirements, with a report expected back in the second quarter of 2026.

The council will also consider halting work on the Desert Blume and Heron Crossing multi-use trail.

Administration recommends pausing the preliminary design and revisiting the project in a future business planning cycle when it becomes a higher priority within the city’s active transportation network.

Other items include a proposed extension for developing a non-standard crosswalk pavement marking policy, with the council to decide whether it should remain a standalone policy or be folded into a broader recognition and commemoration framework.

Council will also review an update to its public participation policy, with the proposed changes replacing the current policy and accompanied by a progress report on the city’s public participation framework.

Several rezoning bylaws are also up for first reading, including applications affecting properties in the northwest, southwest and northeast areas of the city, covering changes between low and medium density residential and commercial designations.

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Medicine Hat City Council Meeting YouTube – April 7, 2026

by Jett Schwaier

Medicine Hat council faces wide-ranging agenda at it’s meeting Tuesday from tax bylaws to urban hens

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