Red Deer Minute: Land Annexation, Parking Meters, and Scooter Survey Results

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

This Week In Red Deer:

• Council is set to return to action with two meetings scheduled this week. On Tuesday there will be a meeting of the Housing and Homelessness Integration Committee at 5:00 pm. The Committee will begin this meeting by approving the minutes on the agenda before closing the meeting to the public to discuss the allocation of remaining funds from the Innovation in Housing Engagement Grant. The Committee will then revert back to an open meeting and is set to receive a Housing and Homelessness Support Sections Report, and a Permanent Supportive Housing Report.
  
  
• On Wednesday, there will be a meeting of the Nomination Committee. No meeting time or agenda has been posted as of writing time.
  
  
• The Canadian government, and police across the country, continue to have extremely broad new powers this week. This is thanks to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in a massive act of government overreach, invoking the Emergencies Act last week in order to deal with border blockades and a demonstration against COVID-19 mandates in downtown Ottawa. While the protest has certainly disrupted the lives of those who reside in downtown Ottawa, the Emergencies Act is an extreme response. This marks the first time in history the Act has been invoked. Its predecessor, the War Measures Act, was used by Pierre Elliott Trudeau to deal with the FLQ crisis after over 200 bombs had been set off and the Deputy Premier of Quebec had been kidnapped and murdered.

Last Week In Red Deer:

• In a bold move, the City is exploring options to annex 137 hectares of land west of Highway 2, the most significant land annexation in the last 12 years. The City has begun negotiations with the County, and Mayor Ken Johnston is optimistic that further development of the land would have regional benefits, not just local ones. Johnston said the land is needed so the City can attract and accommodate larger-scale commercial developments which often require highway frontage, something currently lacking. More information about the proposed annexation is available on the City's website. Information is provided about the existing boundaries and about upcoming public engagement opportunities.
  
  
• Time is almost up for Red Deer’s aging parking meters. The City will begin replacing the 15-year old meters sometime near the end of year, at a cost of $2.5 million. The City says no decisions have yet been made on what kind of machines they plan to replace the meters with, but City Administrators are studying parking machines used in Edmonton and Calgary. The City hopes that only a few of these machines would be needed per city block, as opposed to having meters at every parking space.
  
  
• The results from the City of Red Deer’s e-scooter pilot survey showed a mix of complaints and compliments. In total, 109,245 (non-unique) riders opted to try out an e-scooter, with 3.556 kilometres being the average distance travelled, and 22 minutes the average ride time. There were 13 people injured as a result of e-scooters. The top compliments included bringing people downtown, getting people outside, and providing an opportunity for fun. The top complaints included poor rider etiquette, unsafe areas, and underage drivers. What did you think of the e-scooter pilot? Is it something we should keep, or something we should scrap? Let us know!

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