Red Deer Minute: Crime Stats, Shelter Mitigation, and Extended Council Drama

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

This Week In Red Deer:

• It’s a quiet week at City Hall - there are no Council or committee meetings scheduled. Council’s next meeting will take place on February 21st.
  
  
• Applications are now open for recreation, pools, and community space bookings for the fall and winter 2023-24 season. Community associations, companies, and the public can now request their meetings, ice times, gym and studio bookings, and special event space. Applications are being accepted until February 28th and you can make your request online.
  
  
• This could be a great week to check out the exhibits at the Red Deer Museum and Art Gallery (MAG). The current exhibit, “Upon Further Reflection: Highlights from the Past 50 Years” showcases key moments in the growth of Red Deer and the MAG. Another exhibit, “Landmarks: A Sense of Place”, explores the natural and built environments in Central Alberta. Admission is free but donations are encouraged.

Last Week In Red Deer:

• Reactions to the Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) being transitioned to a mobile unit run by AHS continued. One City Councillor apologized for his role in the news becoming public after he was overheard at a coffee shop discussing the issue. Mayor Ken Johnston was quoted in the media saying that he had no knowledge of the Province’s decision to swap out the operator. But, the next day, he clarified in a news release that the Province had in fact been briefing the City on this process for a while. Local MLA, Jason Stephan, said that the downtown has "suffered greatly from lawlessness in the area around the site" and that the change will "help stem the exodus of local businesses from downtown."
  
  
• On Monday, the RCMP Superintendent Holly Glassford reported to Council that crime stats from October to December were down in nearly every category compared to the previous year. Credit was given to the community for being diligent in calling in crimes when they are noticed. The Superintendent also noted the success of the Police and Crisis Team, which consists of a police officer and a psychiatric nurse who respond to calls of a medical nature, and said she hoped for more nurses to be available soon to pair with officers.
  
  
• Council received a report from Administration that showed that efforts to mitigate the negative effects of the temporary shelter on the downtown community are going well, so much so that Administration had no changes to recommend to the program. This is interesting in light of Council's difficulties in finding a location for the permanent shelter.

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