Red Deer Minute: Polytechnic Funding, Streamlining Service, and Chamber Praises Budget

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

This Week In Red Deer:

• Today, at 10:30 am, there will be a City Council meeting. The meeting will begin with a closed session, lasting approximately three hours. During the closed session, Council will discuss Business Improvement Areas, as well as the permanent shelter. Once the meeting opens back up to the public, Council will discuss the Community Services Master Plan, the Council Strategic Plan Quarterly Report from October to December, and a summary of the feedback heard during the public engagement phase of the Land Use Bylaw Review Project. Then, there will be a Public Hearing regarding removing the Municipal Reserve designation from a lot in the Riverside light industrial area.
  
  
• The Nomination Committee will meet on Tuesday at 1:00 pm. Most of the meeting will take place in a closed session so that the Committee can discuss the applications received for Council Committees, Commissions, and Boards. Also on Tuesday, at 5:00 pm, there will be a meeting of the Red Deer & District Family and Community Support Services Board. The Board will hear a Program Specialist Report and discuss proposed activities for the 50th Anniversary of the Board.
  
  
• On Thursday, at 2:00 pm, there will be a meeting of the Gaetz Lake Sanctuary Committee. On the agenda is a review of the Gaetz Lake Sanctuary Annual Report, a discussion about trail remediation, and planning for the 100-year anniversary of the Sanctuary, which is coming up on June 27th, 2024.

Last Week In Red Deer:

• The Alberta government has allocated $13 million to Red Deer Polytechnic as part of the provincial 2024-25 budget, supporting the expansion of the Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing-Technology Access Centre (CIM-TAC). The capital investment, which will make up a portion of the overall $21.3 million projected cost of the Centre, aims to create innovative teaching spaces and enhance research capabilities at Red Deer Polytechnic. The expanded CIM-TAC is expected to offer direct learning opportunities to 450 post-secondary students and benefit over 500 junior and senior high school students through experiential learning. Construction for the CIM-TAC expansion is slated to commence in the fall of 2024.
  
  
• Speaking of the budget, the Red Deer and District Chamber of Commerce said it showed a good balance between accountability and forward-thinking. They praised the $810-million commitment to the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre and noted that the budget provides a competitive tax environment for business while saving for the future. In addition to the hospital funding and the money noted above for Red Deer Polytechnic, $29 million over two years has been earmarked for the expansion of the Red Deer Regional Airport.
  
  
• The City announced a new, streamlined way to reach the Social Diversion Team. As of March 1st, anyone requiring their services can call the non-emergency police line at 403-406-2200 instead of 2-1-1. Launched in 2021, the Social Diversion Team provides non-emergency support for mental health, addiction, and homelessness issues. The new, internal dispatching aims to enhance response times and communication between dispatchers and the Team. During its three years in operation, the Social Diversion Team has averaged about six calls a day. They operate from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm daily.

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