Red Deer Minute: Bear Research, Medical Facility, and a Tourist Attractions Pass

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

This Week In Red Deer:

• On Monday, at 10:00 am, the Council Agenda Review Committee will meet. The Committee will set the agenda for the September 3rd meeting of Council.
  
  
• A new three-storey medical-focused building is set to be constructed on the site of Red Deer’s former Greyhound station, with completion expected by the end of 2025. The building will feature over 29,000 square feet of space across three floors, targeting the professional medical community due to its proximity to the hospital. The property, zoned for commercial use, offers base rent at $30 per square foot and will include 50 parking spaces.
  
  
• The Government of Alberta is allocating $600,000 over two fiscal years to support the Red Deer Dream Centre, marking the first time the center has received operating funds from the Province. This funding will help maintain 20 addiction recovery beds at the facility, which opened in late 2022 after years of planning and is located in a renovated former nightclub in downtown Red Deer.

Last Week In Red Deer:

• Tourism Red Deer has introduced the Red Deer and Central Alberta Attractions Pass, a digital pass aimed at enhancing local tourism and visitor experiences. The pass offers discounts and rewards at 13 participating venues. Users can earn points by checking in at locations and redeeming discounts, with the points being redeemable for Red Deer merchandise or entries into a grand prize draw. The pass can be downloaded online here.
  
  
• The Red Deer Public Library has seen an increase in public disturbances, though it has not experienced the rise in violent incidents reported in other Canadian cities. Disruptive behaviour has grown significantly in 2024, with public disturbances making up 13% of recorded security incidents, up from previous years. Substance use in the library has also increased, and while the library prohibits such activities, apparently some tolerance has been shown unless it disrupts other patrons. Quite how the Library reconciles this with the fact disturbances have increased is not clear.
  
  
• Red Deer Polytechnic biology instructor Sandra MacDougall has been awarded a $426,000 grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada for a black bear research project in Alberta. This grant, the largest ever received by an RDP instructor, will support a study on black bear populations in the Beaver Hills Biosphere, focusing on growth rates and seasonal diets. The research aims to understand the impact of bear predation on ungulate populations in Elk Island National Park. MacDougall's project will also involve RDP students, providing them with practical research experience and contributing to wildlife management and land-use planning.

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