City of Lethbridge anticipates 20% growth over next decade

Lethbridge continues to attract so much new investment, it's anticipated to boost the population by 20 per cent in the next 10 years,from approximately 98,000 to 115,000.

The city's mayor, Chris Spearman,said the cityis laying down the groundwork to accommodate that growth.

"We have a billion dollars of new investment in our city," he said."So, things are great."

Spearman saidthis kind of investment is a first for the city, and it's mainly being seen in existing businesses in the agricultural processing industry.

He says Cavendish Farms, Frito-Lays, and Richardson Oil Seeds all have projects on the go worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

"When you have existing industries expanding and growing and continuing to invest, that's a vote of confidence in the city of Lethbridge," he said.

Karla Pyrch, executive directorwith the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce, saidall growth is good news, but the city of Lethbridge needs to consider the economic impact of all the projects they approve.

"There's lots on thewish list, and a lot of those things on the wish list make sense, but they need to be done in an order that follows good planning and with a future-forward focus so that when we build new facilities they're adequate for the new population," she said.

To accommodate that new population, the mayor says a priority isrevitalizing the city's downtown.

"We want to make sure our downtown is something that the citizens of Lethbridge are proud of," he said.

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