VoteWolfe2025

As your candidate for Lethbridge City Council, my priorities and objectives are determined and created through feedback from you! I work for you and I am answerable to you. My major focus is to “Learn, Listen & Lead”.

Based on feedback from community members and local small and large business owners, these are the priorities that need to be addressed and fixed so that our city can continue to attract investment, provide safe communities and offer the best quality of life in the Province. Come back to this site often as we will be posting new endorsement videos and other content as it becomes available.

Watch these videos to learn why these great folks are WITH WOLFE!

Watch my interview on Bridge City News here! (starts at 23:50)

“Good Grief, do we really need to spend that?”

Like you, I often ask this question when it comes to how city council spends our limited tax dollars. Council needs to control spending. Full Stop. Progress on this front will require a respectful disruptor and I am ready to be just that. There are not enough sitting councillors who really concern themselves with counting YOUR pennies. Many have been there for so long that they simply agree to the various spending items as they are convinced that compared to other municipalities, our tax increases are comparatively reasonable and "inline". Complacency and this kind of budget/spending "apathy" has cost taxpayers millions. We can look at examples such as the downtown bike lanes and Agri Food Hub debacles as good examples of reckless spending with woefully insufficient oversight. Those who propose budgets and spending proposals to council will quickly learn that I will be looking at the dollars and cents with an expectation of total accountability and value for every dollar.

Read more for a recent real life example I observed at a City Council Meeting.

I attended the city council meeting in mid July (unfortunately, as far as I could tell, I was the only council candidate at the council meetings in July). Council had to review and approve a new training program for the incoming new city councilors. As they discussed the training program, one councilor inquired about a line item that showed a contract with an Edmonton based law firm. Council was informed that a lawyer from Edmonton had been hired to come down and give a presentation on the municipal government act. It appeared to me that no one else on council had noticed this. The same councilman asked about the cost and was informed the contract was for nine thousand dollars! I almost fell out of my chair. He then asked the city lawyer (city employee) present at the meeting if she was capable of delivering this training? She gave a simple one word answer, "yes".

Shockingly, a councilman asked if she was familiar with the topic and felt comfortable delivering a presentation on the topic. The lawyer answered that she works with the municipal government act on a daily basis and could definitely deliver the training. It was then explained that our city lawyer would be present in the meeting whether she delivered the presentation or the Edmonton lawyer delivered the presentation.

In the end, and unfortunately, not surprisingly, city council voted to spend nine thousand dollars and bring down the Edmonton lawyer, even though our lawyer would be present for the presentation.

I observed a few disturbing things during this exchange. One councilman declared that the nine thousand, "was not that much money" and it was obvious that most of the council members had not reviewed the proposal in detail. This is the reality with our current council. They spend our money frivolously and are are often not as informed as they should be. Consequently, our tax dollars are flittered away, enriching an Edmonton-based law firm.

This is a perfect example of why Lethbridge needs a respectful disruptor like me on council! I will join with other council members and bring much needed scrutiny and oversight to our spending. As we bring spending in line, then we will be able to avoid large tax increases.

“How are things in Methbridge?”

Honestly, this one stings a little. I’ve had this question many times from people who live in various parts of Alberta. In my last campaign, I emphasized the need for Lethbridge to prioritize and focus on crime and illegal drugs. There is some recent good news on this front. Lethbridge has seen an almost 19% drop on the Crime Severity Index. I appreciate the great efforts made by our hard working Police and other partners. This is a good start. There is much more to do. That same report also indicates our citizens still live in a city where crime is much higher than the provincial average.

As recently as June 5th, after a targeted drug trafficking crackdown, the Lethbridge Police Department offered this sobering comment to CTV News:

“With a significant increase in public drug use, trafficking and related criminal activities such as break-ins and vehicle thefts, police worked to target street- and mid-level dealers in an effort to disrupt the distribution of drugs and reduce crime and social disorder”.

26 arrests, 156 charges in Lethbridge street-level drug trafficking crackdown

Sadly, increased homelessness continues in Lethbridge. The 2024 "PIT" count was 522 people!! 15% more than just 2 years earlier! I know many people are thrilled with a new and larger homeless shelter. My question and the question for voters is, despite the MILLIONS being spent on treatment options and other interventions, why are our homeless numbers growing? These are hard questions, and I believe there is much more work to be done on this front. We need to continue to ensure that homeless encampments are not tolerated in the city. Publicly funded organizations need to be held accountable and there needs to be results that justify their funding. If they can’t produce tangible results then we need to explore better and more efficacious options. I appreciate that many organizations fall directly under Provincial jurisdiction and governance. However, we as a city council need to advocate for results. I will not yield on this. I will be tenacious. There are lives at stake. It is very personal to me.

This issue is personal. Read more...

Heather and I worked for a Provincially funded youth services provider. We ran a "parented group home". We lived in a home with three adolescent males who lived with challenging conditions such as fetal alcohol syndrome, drug addictions and oppositional defiant syndrome. Most had been severely neglected as children and most had been horribly sexually molested from an early age. Most had juvenile records. Our job was to model a "normal" home environment and to try to establish some healthy habits in their lives. We grew to really love "our boys". We interreacted with city police regularly as the boys would often run away from school and the home. We lived with the horrible impacts of street drugs and addiction, We have had to live with the early death of one of our boys and watched another struggle in and out of the justice system as an adult. So, I get it. I have lived it and every time we serve at the soup kitchen or collect food for the food bank, I am reminded of the role I need to play to make things better and more hopeful.

“Honestly Ryan, it’s a bureaucratic gong show, they just don’t care!”

I have spoken with many business owners about their opinions on doing business in Lethbridge. This is troubling, as I have yet to meet with any business owner who has anything really positive to say about their interactions with city administration. There are many concerns that need to be addressed. Many bylaws and regulations are cumbersome and unnecessarily complicated for the business owner. I know business owners who have been told by one city department where to place a sign, only to be told by another department that the sign can’t be placed there and then threatened with a massive fine. There are too many obstacles, and turnaround times are too slow. These obstacles and this difficult environment discourage businesses from coming to Lethbridge. Business owners feel that they do not have an ally in the city that wants to see them succeed.

I have been in contact with the county at a senior management level and with their elected officials and it is clear to me that we need to restore and co-operative and mutually beneficial regional vision for development with these local partners. Our development goals are not mutually exclusive The county is a multi Billion dollar economy and we need to be able to work with them in a respectful way. This is an issue that will garner little attention during the election campaign but it is really crucial for the future and that is why I will be talking about it now and when I am on council.

“Ryan, I just don’t think we will ever be able to buy a home.”

This one hits home. I’ve been a licensed mortgage broker for over 15 years. I really enjoy helping folks buy their first home. I now have the children of some of my first clients coming to me for advice and options. Some leave my office feeling discouraged as home ownership seems unattainable. Recent, marked increases in the cost of living are making it hard for many in Lethbridge to survive and thrive. SO, all of my dogged efforts will have to meet this standard. “Is what we are doing on council bringing the best value for taxpayers and helping to make Lethbridge attractive to investors, safe for citizens and an affordable place to live and call home". As we attract investment and bring better jobs to the city, we can control taxes and continue to offer great value for those looking to build a life here. At the end of the day, I’m an optimist and I believe this is an attainable reality for our great city.

I am now ready to run again! My basic plan is to get out in the community and listen to what the voters and business owners of Lethbridge have to say and then find commonalities that I can support and advocate for. My campaign will focus on discussing these issues and pursuing solutions to them. Obviously, there are many other important issues to discuss and I invite you to reach out to me so I can learn from you.

You may notice there is no button on my site for fund raising. I am happy to say that multiple local business owners and private citizens have stepped up big time in order to meet our ambitious fundraising goal. I am so thankful for their support and belief in my vision. Should you feel the desire to donate to the cause, please contact me directly.

If you would like a sign on your lawn or have room for a cool banner on the back of your fence, please contact me directly.

Feel free to contact me at 403-795-3133 or ryanforlethbridge@gmail.com

About me and our little Wolfe Pack

Wow, if you made it this far, you're really interested in getting to know me! Amazing! As mentioned previously, I am a licensed mortgage broker with The Mortgage Centre. I've been working with these fine folks for over 15 years. My amazing wife Heather, is a very talented elementary school teacher. Considering the divorce rate in Canada is around 40%, I'm proud to say, we've been married for over 26 years! If you need to know anything about my listening skills, negotiating abilities or ability to follow orders, just ask the boss the next time you see us at an event. She'll be right by my side, like she has been for the last quarter century.

We have two amazing daughters.

Lizzy is our oldest is studying to become a nurse. She is just a great human with the kind of compassionate heart that will serve her well in her chosen profession..

Then there is our firecracker Ava. Ava is off for a year to complete her Diagnostic Medical Sonography tech program. Ava is a determined and loyal young lady. She has a great laugh and is a loyal friend.

We have found joy in travelling and spending time in the community together. We love going to Waterton and enjoy going for walks together. We have volunteered at our local nursing home, participated in many citywide food drives and have enjoyed serving at the soup kitchen.

My community volunteer experience includes, working with Scouts Canada for many years, coaching various sports, working with the Southgrow Regional Initiative (previously) and various volunteer leadership roles with my church.

Watch some endorsement videos from previous election.

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