The City of Medicine Hat said a municipal inspection into its affairs will be conducted by Alberta Municipal Affairs. A preliminary scoping exercise was conducted by Alberta Municipal Affairs in October following a motion approved by Medicine Hat city council in September, requesting an inspection into administration, the mayor, and it, according to a Wednesday press release.The scoping exercise included meetings between Alberta Municipal Affairs staff and each member of Medicine Hat city council and administration. Following the scoping exercise, it determined an inspection is necessary to assist the current council and administration in improving governance and processes.The City of Medicine Hat said a municipal inspection might look at any issues or concerns within it to ensure council and administration are acting appropriately and in accordance with provincial legislation. Taking between six and 18 months, it said an inspector might review its council meetings, bylaws, finances, and other documents. In addition, the inspector can interview anyone he or she feels is appropriate.Upon completion of the inspection, the City of Medicine Hat confirmed a report will be presented to city council and residents in an open meeting to ensure people are able to see its results. Following the final report, it said the minister has authority to order the council and administration to take necessary action to remedy issues identified through the inspection.Alberta Municipal Affairs press secretary Heather Jenkins said the government had contracted an independent municipal governance expert to conduct an inspection following a request from Medicine Hat city council. “After the inspection, the inspector’s report will be made available to the city and its residents in early summer 2025,” said Jenkins.This ordeal comes after the Alberta government confirmed in May the inspection into the City of Chestermere’s financial issues has finished — in one case finding that out of 565 council expense claims, only one was properly documented..Alberta government issues directives for City of Chestermere after financial inspection reveals flaws.The inspector reviewed more than 10,000 correspondences, conducted more than 1,000 tests of financial transactions, and did 30 interviews. “It was certainly a robust and thorough inspection, and the findings make it clear that during the time period for the last municipal election to the dismissal on December 4th, the city’s finances were managed in an irregular, improper, and improvident manner,” said Alberta Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver.
