While many of Alberta's second-tier cities are largely or almost entirely dependent on the resource sector, Lethbridge springs from agriculture, and remains stable because of its significant public-sector presence.
Indeed, nine of the city's 10 largest employers are public-sector entities, from Alberta Health Services to the accomplished University of Lethbridge. The latter, Lethbridge's second-largest employer, is in line for more than $5.6 million in provincially funded building upgrades, and is starting construction soon on a new $32 million residence complex for an additional 259 beds. It is also receiving a $2.3 million grant to pay for planning work on a long-anticipated science building. On top of that, the university moved up two spots in Maclean's Canadian university rankings this year - to fourth out of 22 primarily undergraduate schools.
The university's 1,720 employees add stability to everything from the housing market to retail sales. So does the bustling Lethbridge Agriculture Centre, situated just outside the city. It boasts around 625 staff involved in a wide variety of research. Lethbridge College adds another 930 employees to a market that's insulated far more than Red Deer or Medicine Hat from downturns in natural-gas drilling.
Private players
The major 17 private-sector employers in the city includes Sunrise Poultry, the largest of three food processors, and trucking giant H & R Transport Ltd. The trucking company has grown from its strategic location at the junction of Highways 3, 4 and 5 to employ more than 900 people.
"We don't seem to get the dramatic highs and lows. We're in a low right now, but our low is not a low like Calgary's," offered Harvie, who grew up in southern Alberta and understands what keeps Lethbridge humming.
Lethbridge's population grew to 87,882 residents this year, a 1.4 per cent hike over 2010. While residential growth was again strongest on the west side of the Oldman River, commercial growth is focused on the south end, with the city's downtown focused more on redevelopment. Harvie doesn't see that changing, even with 32,000 folks choosing the west side as home.
That's because most west side residents still work on the east side of the river (the university is the only major westside employer) and westside retailers can't survive simply from revenue that ramps up at 4 p.m. and disappears five hours later, Harvie says. While a new complex for public and Catholic high schools opened with a public library branch on the west side over a year ago, major commercial development may be years ways away for the west side.
"It's going to take some creativity and it's basically going to take a shortage anywhere else of good commercial lands to spur that on," Harvie said.
Downtown
In the meantime Harvie's firm has eyed strategic investment in the city's core with a redeveloped office complex downtown. It's also planning a downtown residential tower, though market conditions haven't led it to chase down a development permit just yet.
The city's downtown, its traditional retail centre, has lost market share to big boxes on the south end for a decade, but it isn't exactly fading into oblivion. Nor is that scenario likely, given entrepreneurs like Lynette Harder, a professionally trained speech pathologist who loves coffee, raising a family in the city and old buildings.
Those passions led Harder and her husband to buy a long-neglected building downtown about six years ago. They now use the landmark at Fifth Street and Third Avenue South as the home base for Express Coffee & Tea. It's a coffee service aimed at offices and other businesses with a retail presence that employs a dozen people. The extensively renovated second and third floors of the building boast six unique residential suites that serve the housing needs of folks who prefer to be downtown.
"I love this building. I love this location. I think the building suits the business," said Harder, who is more than happy she invested in a structure that's past its first century in the city's core.
She admits downtown seemed a little like a ghost town when she made the move from a hard-to-find north Lethbridge location to the one she sees as a big advantage now.
"Since we've moved here I've seen huge improvements in the downtown, and I see it continuing to go in that direction," said Harder, whose business is across from Galt Gardens, a major park that's home to various special events each year.
Community centre
Third Avenue will soon boast more traffic a few blocks east of Harder's store on a former supermarket site. That's where the city is constructing the new Lethbridge Community Arts Centre at the corner of Eighth Street. The $20.7 million project, expected to be finished in early 2013, will offer everything from gallery and studio space to music conservatory classes. The site may also have a performing arts centre, though city council has yet to find cash in its capital budget for the latter.
A 2010 study recommended a 153,000-square foot facility with a 1,250-seat theatre and a 250-seat rehearsal/recital hall, but its price tag of $70 million caused some sober second thought. A subsequent report has advised a more modest complex for $42 million.
More downtown improvements seem inevitable, even if the performing arts theatre project doesn't go ahead.
George Kuhl, the city's downtown revitalization manager, says the city is looking at what else it can do to enhance pedestrian traffic on key downtown streets in the existing business revitalization zone.
For his part, Harvie sees downtown redevelopment as possible and profitable, with the right opportunities. That's why his firm sank cash into an old theatre for an office complex a block west of City Hall along what he calls "Banking Row."
Kuhl says he expects the downtown will continue to evolve through mixed-use redevelopment that's focused on pedestrians.
Noted Kuhl: "Most of what we see right now is redeveloping buildings that are already there."
While "steady" may not be the dream adjective for a city that's appealling to investors, the sometimes-outspoken Harvie says his community has proven it can get things done.
from Western Investor December 2011
