(Image Credit: Jett Schwaier/CHAT News)

By Jett Schwaier

CITY HALL

Medicine Hat City Council pauses Transportation Master Plan engagement to rebuild public trust

Feb 18, 2026 | 1:21 AM

Medicine Hat city council voted to pause further policy engagement on its Transportation Master Plan (TMP) until later this year at its meeting on Tuesday.

The decision was made to help rebuild public trust following recent controversy over transportation changes.

Council unanimously approved to pause policy engagement on the TMP until the fourth quarter of 2026.

The motion, brought forward by Coun. Dan Reynish, says that recent transportation engagements have demonstrated the need to “strengthen public trust and rebuild community confidence” in transportation decision-making aligned with council-approved policies.

The Transportation Master Plan, which looks ahead to 2050, guides long-term planning for roads, sidewalks, cycling infrastructure and overall mobility in the city.

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Re-engagement on the Riverside corridor project will include a renewed focus on trust-building activities.

The city will also use results from the 2026 IPSOS survey to assess community perceptions of recent transportation changes and continue public education on transportation planning.

Medicine Hat Mayor Linnsie Clark said everyone’s voice matters and wants to see an accurate picture of what the community wants.

“We want the feedback from the community to really tell us what is working in our community [and] what isn’t working in our community,” Clark said.

Administration will then determine the need for future policy changes of the Transportation Master Plan following the Riverside corridor engagement and the council’s review of statutory plans.

Reynish said the pause is intended to ensure residents feel heard before further policy work proceeds.

“We want to talk with people about why, that’s what we’re really wanting to speak with people about,” Reynish said.

“That’s what the City of Medicine Hat is going to spend a lot of time working on over the next few months, making sure people understand why.”

Council emphasized that while policy engagement is being paused, work related to specific capital projects will continue, including the Third Street North corridor.

Administration said no major construction on Third Street North would occur before 2027 at the earliest, but noted the corridor faces aging underground infrastructure and road conditions nearing the end of their useful life.

The city has recorded 27 injury collisions, including one fatality, along the corridor between 2013 and 2023, as well as multiple public complaints about speeding.

Approximately 4,000 vehicles travel the route daily.

City administration intends to work closely with the council and the public to improve communication around transportation planning and capital projects.

Reynish said the pause presents an opportunity to “come together and build trust” through improved consultation.

Earlier in the meeting, the council received an information-only presentation on the 2026 property assessment results from the city’s assessment department.

The report showed an overall increase in the city’s assessment base, with single-family residential properties seeing a median increase of 7.5 per cent.

Council also approved the first reading of two bylaws related to the rezoning of a property on South Boundary Road S.W. and a land title designation change for berm infrastructure.

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READ: Medicine Hat City Council will discuss Transportation Master Plan pause and rezonings on Tuesday