Red Deer Minute: Encampment Clearing, Cleanup Campaign, and the Housing Accelerator Fund

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

This Week In Red Deer:

• This morning, at 10:30 am, there will be a City Council Regular Meeting. Council will discuss a letter received from the Housing and Homelessness Integration Committee (HHIC) about their concerns over the increase in administration fees for the Reaching Home Indigenous funding stream, which rose from 5% to 15%. If Council agrees with the HHIC's recommendation to reconsider, they will need to pass a resolution instructing Administration to reduce the fee back to 5% by April 1st, 2025. Council will also discuss the Municipal Planning Commission's recommendation to review the regulations around Backyard Suites - specifically height restrictions, lot size, site coverage, and the impact on historic neighbourhoods.
  
  
• Also today, at 3:00 pm, the Committee of the Whole will meet. The agenda is focused on the upcoming Public Hearing process regarding utility governance.
  
  
• Red Deerians can now register for the Green Deer Spring Cleanup Campaign, running until May 31st. The initiative encourages residents to pick up litter at their chosen locations, and over 6,900 volunteers participated last year. Registration is free and allows participants to pick up cleanup supplies at several city locations. Volunteers are also entered into a prize draw, and their efforts are tracked to recognize community contributions. Registration information is available online.

Last Week In Red Deer:

• Red Deer has been awarded a $12 million grant from the Housing Accelerator Fund to support housing initiatives aimed at increasing supply and affordability over the next three years. A key condition of the grant is the adoption of four-units-as-of-right zoning, which would allow the development of four residential units on eligible properties without public consultation or council approval. This decision will be deferred to the next City Council, likely in late 2025 or early 2026. If the zoning change is not approved, the grant must be returned. The funding will also support policy changes, grants, and incentives to promote housing development. A public consultation process will begin in May and June to engage residents and businesses in the decision-making process.
  
  
• City workers recently cleared a homeless encampment along Piper Creek, removing 490 kg of debris. The camp was dismantled manually due to its remote location. It included items such as a large tent, bikes, propane bottles, personal belongings, and biohazardous materials like needles. The City has been dealing with an increasing number of encampments, with over 880 dismantled in 2023, and costs reaching $2.87 million in the past five years. The number of homeless individuals in the city has risen significantly, with the 2024 survey reporting 766 homeless people, over double the number in 2022. Encampments are cleared year-round, with individuals receiving 72-hour eviction notices before removal.
  
  
• Red Deer's RCMP force has begun deploying body-worn cameras following training sessions that started in mid-March, with plans to train 90 officers on the technology. The cameras have a 13-hour battery life, with the ability to record up to 60 hours of footage. The devices will not record constantly but will be activated during certain interactions, aiming to get an unbiased account of events. The footage will be stored securely and only accessible by authorized personnel.

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