New year brings excitement and challenges to Lloydminster

With 2024 firmly in the past, the City of Lloydminster is looking to a big new year.

The new year will bring continued challenges and the city has the opportunity to position itself with its provincial counterparts.

“I think we have the opportunity to position the city, with a newly-elected Government of Saskatchewan,” said Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers.

He says despite it being the same party in power there’s been significant change in the elected officials and new ministers.

Aalbers says now is the time to work with the provincial governments for the betterment of Lloydminster.

“I think promoting the city both in Saskatchewan and Alberta, seeing two governments working together in 2025, to answer and address some of the concerns in Lloydminster,” he said. “Will they be addressed in 2025? I hope, but we’ll have to be optimistic that they’ll happen in the next couple of years.”

He says the city will take every opportunity it has to promote the city to the higher bodies of government.

“The city will play a significant role in and continue to advocate with the provincial government’s ministers and premiers about how important health care is because it’s a really pinnacle spot for us,” said Aalbers.

He says as they promote the city, he wants to see healthcare issues addressed.

“Businesspeople are going to say, ‘Well what about health care? Can I see a doctor and what’s your hospital like’. Those are all connected to our economic development drive,” said Aalbers. “As we promote the community as a place to invest, we also wanted to ensure the provinces are addressing that.”

“There’s other pieces, we talk about mental health and addiction and their seniors' care, but health care in general, that file will likely continue to be a file that city council and city administration work on,” he said.

With the newly-elected council, Aalbers says getting everyone up to speed in their first year is always a challenge.

“There’s always just getting everybody up to speed with all the information, some members of council now have eight years in their belt, one has seven to eight months, and you have three new councillors,” he said. “(New councillors) get all that information that is kept for council’s knowledge and administration, it’s important to get that transition,” he said.

Aalbers says there’s one project he’s looking forward to putting on display.

“The Cenovus Energy Hub, the completion of the Cenovus Energy Hub, the grand opening and having the ability to let people fully understand why the construction occurred,” said Aalbers. “There’s still a lot of questions, what’s wrong with the Civic Centre and want to be very open once we reach that point.”

The fate of the Centennial Civic Centre was sealed once construction on the new arena took shape. The Civic Centre, built in 1967, has stood the test of time holding up to 1,700 people. The building is set for demolition but will need remediation as it has asbestos in it.

Once people get to tour the Cenovus Energy Hub, Aalbers says the community will get to see all the progress they’ve made come to fruition.

“Seeing it actually come to fruition, where we can host a hockey game, turn around and put down the flooring and host a concert, maybe a conference, maybe a pow wow, the endless use of that building will have to serve the community for that 360-plus days a year,” he said.

The Cenovus Energy Hub will have seating for 2,500 people, expandable up to 4,500 floor seats with a second full-size indoor ice surface seating 300-500 and a third outdoor ice surface directly adjacent to the building.

Looking forward, there’s a number of things Aalbers is looking forward to in 2025.

“The musical ride is coming back to Lloydminster in 2025, for anybody that has an interest in horses and the RCMP, the two of them together and the history, it brings so much information and knowledge and the opportunity to interact with members that are travelling with the musical ride,” he said.

City council will also be looking to fix a gap in the city this coming year.

“We hope to restore airport, full airport service, a regularly-scheduled service,” said Aalbers.

With a looming federal election, he looks forward to what that will bring to the provincial levels.

“I just wait and see what transpires from a federal level that will result in excitement at the provincial level, because with the disconnect that we have between the federal and provincial government, there’s a lot of questions,” said Aalbers.

Lloydminster’s council resumes its work Jan. 13 at the first Governance and Priorities Committee meeting of the year.