Born: Fort Resolution, NWT
Highest Level of Education: Law degree, U of A
Work Prior to politics: President of PC Association of Alberta youth wing, 1974–1976; PC party president, 1990–1992; partner with Matheson & Company, Barristers & Solicitors
First elected: March 11, 1997 (re-elected three times)
Constituency: Edmonton-Whitemud
Previously: Minister of Education (2008–2011); Health (2006–2008); Advanced Ed. (2004–2006); Justice & Attorney General (1999–2004); Intergov. & Aboriginal Affairs (1997–1999)
Sworn in as Minister of Human Services: October 12, 2011

Contact
www.municipalaffairs.alberta.ca Email: dave.hancock@assembly.ab.ca

Responsibilities
Homelessness; newcomers; employment standards (incl. safety); labour relations; bullying, abuse and family violence; adoption; foster/kinship care; disability services (e.g., AISH); child care
policy; income support (incl. health benefits)

REPORT CARD
Grade: C

In 2011 Alison Redford combined several ministries and dozens of services under the new “superministry” of Human Services, responsible for everything from workplace safety to foster care. In tapping the veteran Dave Hancock as minister, Redford signalled that a social services revamp would define her early premiership. Human Services, however, released only vague guiding principles—its Social Policy Framework—in early 2013, suggesting that government will be less a “service provider, funder and legislator” and more an “influencer, convener and partner.” What this means for social services is anyone’s guess. Some observers cautiously recall Alberta’s recent AISH increase; others suggest the plan is “dump poverty onto charities.” Early signs are mixed: Hancock axed STEP funding, PDD funding and daycare improvement grants in March, but anti-poverty groups laud Alberta’s ongoing Housing First programs. Meanwhile other issues are ignored, including Alberta’s growing use of temporary foreign workers, punishing eligibility criteria for income support and lack of WCB coverage for farm workers. Hancock was well regarded in previous postings, but now, facing cutbacks, a glut of responsibilities and a vague mandate, he has his work cut out. #

North Lethbridge, T1H

Lethbridge
Population: (2012) 89,074
Year incorporated: 1890
Ages: (2011, % of total pop.) 0–19: 23%; 20–34: 24%; 35-64: 38%; 65+: 15%
Marital Status: (2011, ages 15+) Married: 57%; separated/divorced: 9%; widowed: 6%; never married: 28%
Housing: (2006) Rent: 28%; own: 72%

North Lethbridge
Population: (2012) 25,432
Main industry: Agri-food processing, manufacturing, retail
Major employers: H&R Transport, Maple Leaf Pork, Charlton & Hill, Sunrise Poultry
Local legends: Bob Tarleck, first and only mayor elected from the north side; William Gibson, Olympic hockey gold medalist; Vic Stasiuk, three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Detroit Red Wings

When what is now Alberta’s fourth-largest city took shape in the late 19th century, physical and cultural boundaries cleaved the settlement into distinct regions. Coal miners and immigrants lived
north of the CPR line, and white-collar workers and professionals lived south. The railway included sprawling marshalling yards, allowing residents to cross in only two places and ensuring the
two communities kept largely to themselves. Today, self-described “true north siders” reminisce fondly about the old days, describing a cohesive and resourceful working-class community. But the old
Lethbridgian adage—“north siders went south; south siders never went north”—recalls the split, with a blue-collar neighbourhood all but hidden from the city’s middle-class haven, which boasted almost all the public services and institutions.

Today the Oldman River valley separates West Lethbridge, the newest and most populous area, from North and South Lethbridge, which sit on either side of the Crowsnest Highway and the train tracks. Lethbridge’s historic downtown, museum, art galleries, university and college remain in the south and west, and visitors can easily miss the north’s existence. However, the rail yards were relocated in the 1980s, and modern subdivisions such as The Uplands and Legacy Ridge now attract urbanites northward. The City is building a 22-hectare north-side community park that rivals the south’s Henderson Lake and the west’s Nicholas Sheran Park. Much of what divided north- and south-siders has been dismantled, but certain stereotypes still linger. “I grew up as a south-side snob, always rivalling the north-side thugs, but since then I’ve become a west-side punk,” joked one resident.