Red Deer Minute: Issue 271

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

📅 This Week In Red Deer: 📅

• New research from the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness has found that Red Deer's per capita homelessness rate is higher than Toronto's. Red Deer recorded 66.02 homeless residents per 10,000 people in the 2024 Point-in-Time count, well ahead of Toronto's rate of 47, and the city's homelessness rate quadrupled between 2018 and 2024. By 2025, Red Deer's rate had fallen to 55.88, with 645 people counted, down from 747 the year before. The Alliance links the increase to the city's cheapest rental housing, where vacancy fell from 10.8% to 1.6% over seven years while rents rose from $823 to $925. Alliance President and CEO Tim Richter argues the data shows homelessness in Red Deer is a housing supply problem, and that governments would do better to put money into housing rather than just shelters. The Red Deer Homeless Foundation estimates the City's affordable housing deficit at 3,625 homes in 2024, projected to grow to about 4,482 by 2031. City officials say $3 million in recently announced federal funding will help build affordable homes in Red Deer.
  
  
• Red Deer Polytechnic has received more than $1.6 million from the Canada Foundation for Innovation to expand research in healthcare and energy. About $652,000 will support the development of technology-driven healthcare solutions for rural and remote communities, including AI, virtual reality, robotics and advanced diagnostic tools. The project has 28 partners and will use mobile health technology and specialized equipment to develop and test solutions in rural Alberta. Another $992,000 will fund energy research focused on EV battery testing, microgrids, energy storage and renewable-powered data centres. RDP says the work will help improve healthcare access, strengthen energy resilience, reduce waste and support Canada’s data security. 
  
  
• The Alberta Wildlife Federation is calling for meaningful public engagement and a comprehensive environmental impact assessment before the Province moves ahead with the proposed Ardley Reservoir. The project would place a dam on the Red Deer River about 40 to 60 kilometers east of the city, with the aim of strengthening water capacity and reducing the impact of droughts and floods as demand for water in central Alberta grows. The provincial government set aside $4.5 million in its 2024 budget to study the reservoir, and its Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas is leading a scoping and feasibility study, with engagement sessions held in July. The Federation says Albertans need clear information on why the project is being considered, what alternatives were examined, and the potential impacts on water quantity and quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and water security for downstream users. The group says it intends to participate throughout the engagement process if the project advances to a formal regulatory review.
  
  
• City of Red Deer parks staff are staying extra vigilant for Dutch elm disease after an increase in cases in Edmonton. Red Deer has about 4,000 elm trees among the 44,000 trees in the City's inventory, found along Spruce Drive, 32nd Street near Red Deer Polytechnic, and 67th Street near the G.H. Dawe Community Centre. The City runs a monitoring program that uses baited sticky traps near elm trees to detect the beetles that spread the fungus, with traps checked halfway through the summer and again at the end of the season. Urban forester Susan Katzell says no suspect beetles were found in this summer's first survey. Residents are asked to report ailing elms to the City and to avoid bringing firewood in from other jurisdictions.
  
  
• The Michener Aquatic Centre is closed for annual maintenance for the rest of this week, with the facility scheduled to reopen on August 31st. The City says the two-week closure, which began on August 16th, is needed to keep the facility operating safely and smoothly. Residents looking for drop-in swimming during the closure can consult the City's alternate swimming schedule. 

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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