Homelessness and Petty Crime in Medicine Hat
Time to Take Action
Business Stagnation — Cutting Red Tape and Investing in our Entrepreneurs
Time to Take Action
Protect our Utilities—Lower Taxes—Put our Citizens First!
Time to Take Action
VOTE STEPHEN CAMPBELL
I’m pleased to put my name forward to run for City Council.
I bring with me a vast background across many industries, including over two decades in the oil field, which I first joined in 1996. Combined with my business degree and my understanding of the full workings of the energy sector, I believe I am one of the best-prepared candidates to take on the challenges facing our utilities.
When it comes to leading a city, I believe strongly that a business background matters. Too often, decisions are made on ideas alone, without the practical knowledge of how finances, operations, and accountability actually work. While not every councillor will have a business degree, council as a whole should reflect a solid understanding of business principles. That’s how we make responsible choices.
But at the end of the day, we must also remember this: on City Council, the boss is the citizens. Not the people behind closed doors, not consultants, not insiders. It is the people of Medicine Hat who deserve results, accountability, and the true rewards of good governance.
Utilities and city services are at the heart of what makes Medicine Hat unique. With my experience, I will demand full transparency so that every resident knows what is going on. The people of this city deserve to see how their utilities are being run. I believe in open decision-making—not in relying on high-priced consultants. The best solutions won’t come from expensive reports, but from listening to the people of Medicine Hat and ensuring their voices are heard.
By keeping utilities under city ownership and cutting unnecessary administrative costs, we can once again make them a true Medicine Hat advantage.
When it comes to revitalizing downtown, I believe the key is not placing the burden on business owners through loans and incentives, but rather strengthening what the city itself offers. Rebuilding and modernizing our city transit system can breathe new life into downtown and connect our community more effectively. A strong transit system isn’t just about moving people—it’s about making our core vibrant again.
I also believe residents deserve relief through cutting taxes and keeping utility rates low, ensuring families and businesses can thrive here.
But Medicine Hat doesn’t stand alone. We need to take a regional approach—working hand in hand with our neighbors. Together, we can grow the entire region, making sure the “Forgotten Corner” is forgotten no longer. And by taking that same regional approach, we can also strengthen public safety. Exploring the idea of a regional police force (where the funding is greater and resources are stronger) could allow all of our communities to benefit while reducing our reliance on the RCMP.
That brings us to one of the greatest challenges we face today: crime and homelessness. The people of Medicine Hat are frustrated, and rightfully so. Tackling these issues requires working closely with organizations like the Mustard Seed and many other partners. No single person has all the answers, but by working together we can build solutions. If needed, I am prepared to call for a state of emergency—not just on homelessness, but also on the wave of petty crime gripping our city.
Medicine Hat has lost some of its identity, but we can rebuild it—by growing responsibly, supporting our people, and becoming once again a powerhouse of opportunity. That is why I am running for City Council.
stephencampbellforcouncil@gmail.com
VOTE STEPHEN CAMPBELL
How Do We Fix Transit Without Going Broke?
Our city is craving a transit system that works — but right now, it’s losing lots of money. Adding more routes, extending hours, or buying smaller buses isn’t the answer. A smaller bus still costs the same in wages, fuel, and maintenance. By trying to add small buses on low-ridership routes, you don’t save money — it’s the exact same cost. That’s why we need to reimagine the routes themselves.
What we need is smart business, not just more buses. That means reimagining routes so they actually connect people where they want to go — with better transfers, possibly a mix of spider and roundabout systems, and hubs beyond just downtown. Transit could also play a key role in revitalizing our downtown if we rethink where the main terminal is located and make it a more welcoming, eye-appealing space.
We should also look at who is using transit and why. Families who want to go to the beach, people heading to entertainment districts on weekends, bar-goers who need a safe ride home late at night — these are riders we’re missing. Transit can serve more than just the work commute or our most vulnerable; it can connect the whole community.
If we want a system that works, we need vision. Not patches. Not half-measures. A complete reimagining of Medicine Hat transit.
— Stephen Campbell
Protecting Our Utilities, Lowering Taxes, and Putting Citizens First
Medicine Hat has always had an advantage that most cities don’t: we own our own utilities. That means more than just energy — it means permits, infrastructure, and the freedom to pursue projects that benefit our citizens. Selling off or giving up our utilities is something I will never support, because it takes away one of our greatest strengths.
The problem today is not ownership — it’s how we’re managing it. Utility bills are too high, and a big part of that comes from bloated administration fees. Rates matter, of course, and I’ll always fight to keep them low, but rates alone don’t solve the problem. In the past, when our utilities made profits, those profits went back to the people — through lower property taxes and lower bills. That was our advantage, and we’ve forgotten it.
Instead of making risky or unnecessary investments, we need to treat our utilities as the valuable asset they are. With my background in the oil field and business management, I know how to run things straight and focus on what works. We’re “the Gas City” — and that should still mean something.
The other half of the equation is spending. Medicine Hat doesn’t have a revenue problem — it has a spending problem. Until we get spending under control, we’ll keep dipping into our savings. The hard part will be pushing through the change, because there will always be people who resist. But if we want real progress, we need to stop waste, protect our utilities, and make sure the benefits flow back to the people — not just into City Hall projects.
— Stephen Campbell
Supporting Local Businesses
Revitalizing Our Downtown Core
— Cutting Red Tape —
Starting or running a business in Medicine Hat can feel like fighting City Hall. Too many entrepreneurs know that feeling — and I do too. I tried twice. Once with a food truck, which I was told I couldn’t operate because it would “hurt other businesses.” The second was taking over an existing restaurant, only to be told I’d need $50,000 in renovations just to continue. Between the two, I lost over $20,000.
This isn’t just my story. Many local business owners face the same frustrations: endless hoops, conflicting inspections, and departments that don’t work together. It kills small business and drives investment away — leaving our downtown stagnant.
We need to change this.
• Streamline inspections: one clear inspection process with accountability, not four or five inspectors all giving different answers.
• Fairness for existing businesses: approvals shouldn’t reset to zero when a new owner takes over — shutting down businesses for new rules that didn’t apply before is bad practice.
• Cut red tape: fewer layers of approval so entrepreneurs can get to work instead of wasting months in limbo.
• Transparency in licensing: every applicant should get a clear, written explanation for delays or denials within a fixed timeline (24hrs), with solutions offered.
And we can’t stop at paperwork. Revitalizing downtown requires real strategies, not just pushing costly renovations onto owners while offering loans. We need to give people a reason to go downtown — events every weekend, better transit access, and a city that’s willing to invest in its own core.
Entrepreneurs are the backbone of Medicine Hat. They bring energy, jobs, and new life to our city. But right now, too often, City Hall is in their way. That culture needs to change. Instead of saying “no,” we need to say, “let’s find a way.”
— Stephen Campbell
From banking and insurance to wealth management and securities distribution, company dedicated financial services teams serve all major sectors of the industry. Our work draws on more than 15 years of experience, delivered by 5,700 professionals.
Among the important considerations in the deal: strategically using the deal to reinforce both companies’ research and development (R&D) capabilities for new products. Fosun provided resources (financial and clinical trial bases) to Ambrx for R&D.
From banking and insurance to wealth management and securities distribution, company dedicated financial services teams serve all major sectors of the industry. Our work draws on more than 15 years of experience, delivered by 5,700 professionals.
VOTE STEPHEN CAMPBELL
Homelessness in Medicine Hat &
Petty Crime in Medicine Hat
— A Reality Check—
Time to Take Action!
Medicine Hat has long been recognized as a leader in addressing homelessness through programs offered by agencies like the Medicine Hat Community Housing Association. Anyone who truly wants help can get it. I’ve seen it firsthand — people have been provided with hotel rooms, meals, job training, and even assistance with pardons so they can secure employment.
That’s why I say Medicine Hat doesn’t have a homelessness problem. We have an unhousable problem.
Three years ago, at a meeting I attended, the city identified roughly a dozen to two dozen individuals as “unhousable.” Today, that number has ballooned to over 100. The sad reality is these are people who don’t want treatment or refuse available support. Many are facing severe mental health challenges, ongoing addictions, or other barriers that make traditional housing programs ineffective. In the meantime, their presence in public spaces fuels petty crime, theft, drug use, and community disorder.
If homelessness has become visible again in Medicine Hat, it’s not because we lack programs. It’s because we’re not addressing the small but highly visible group of people who will not or cannot engage with the help that’s available.
We need to shift our approach:
• Prioritize treatment, rehab, and accountability for those refusing housing supports.
• Strengthen mental health and addiction interventions with real outcomes, not just temporary comfort.
• Focus public safety efforts on reducing the crimes and nuisances linked to this group.
Helping people doesn’t mean handing out coffee and donuts. It means finding real solutions to get them off the streets, into care, and onto a better path.
Right now, we are allowing people to house themselves in our parks, in front of our children, turning community spaces into encampments. This is not compassion — it’s neglect. With cold weather coming, leaving people in these conditions risks hardship, crime, addiction, and death.
That’s why I believe it’s time to call this what it is: a state of emergency. We’ve taken the softest possible approach, and the result is a population that has more than quadrupled in just three years. If we truly want to help, we need to take a harder hand and a harder approach — because doing nothing isn’t help, it’s harm
— Stephen Campbell