Red Deer Minute: Airport Investment, Westerner Park, and a Second Pedestrian Bridge

Red Deer Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Red Deer politics

This Week In Red Deer:

• Today, at 10:30 am, there will be a regular meeting of City Council. The meeting will begin with a closed (secret) session to discuss Westerner Park - an item which has appeared on the last few meeting agendas. Once Council reverts to an open meeting, they will discuss giving Westerner Park a $1 million loan to cover operating expenses. This is after the City of Red Deer assumed the organization’s $19 million loan for the new Exhibition Hall. Since 2020, the City has provided $7 million in operating grants to Westerner Park. The meeting will end with a public hearing about closing the road (essentially the back alley around the site that will be redeveloped for the new Central Alberta Women's Emergency Shelter) at 47 Ave and 53 St.
  
  
• On Wednesday, at 9:00 am, the Municipal Planning Commission will meet. The Commission will discuss allowing an Events Centre at 3310 50 Avenue to operate with fewer parking stalls than the land use bylaw requires.
  
  
• On Saturday, the 11th Annual Central Alberta Family Expo will be taking place at CrossRoads Church from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. The family trade show and exhibition is geared towards parents but does have activities for kids too.

Last Week In Red Deer:

• The Red Deer and District Chamber of Commerce announced that they will be creating a new task force on homelessness. Based on the significant rise in the number of homeless individuals over the last few years, they believe that the current strategies are not working and a business lens will be needed to address the issue. The City's latest count shows 334 people experiencing homelessness, up from 144 in 2018.
  
  
• The Province officially announced an investment of $30 million into the expansion of the Red Deer Regional Airport. The aim is to make the airport a transportation and logistics hub for all of Alberta. Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston was excited “to see the project get off the ground” and Red Deer County Mayor Jim Woods added “the sky is the limit” for what the airport can achieve. Full marks to both mayors for those well-prepared puns - clearly they weren't winging it!
  
  
• City staff have been given more time to cost out a second pedestrian bridge downstream of the CPR Pedestrian Bridge. Estimates range from $5 million to $30 million depending on the type of bridge chosen. The CPR bridge is also expected to get a major overhaul this year, with $5.6 million approved in this year’s budget along with $11 million in federal funding. Administration will present their briefing on the options at the April 3rd Council meeting.

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