Red Deer Minute: Poppy Campaign, Bylaw Clarification, and Halloween Attraction Closed

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 Organizational Meeting. Council will discuss citizen appointments to Committees, Quasi-Judicial Boards and External Boards and Societies, as well as Red Deer Downtown Business Association Board of Director Appointments. The first portion of the meeting will be held behind closed doors.
  
  
• There will also be a City Council Regular Meeting today at 1:00 pm. Councillor Bruce Buruma will bring forward a Notice of Motion requesting that two Citizen Representatives be added to the City’s Audit Committee. Council will also look to make amendments to the Vehicle For Hire Bylaw that are intended to clarify the bylaw and address unintentional negative impacts resulting from previous amendments adopted in May 2024. Some of the key amendments include adding back the option to transfer a plate if a vehicle is out for repairs and clarifying driver abstract requirements.
  
  
• The annual Royal Canadian Legion poppy campaign is underway. Poppies and donation boxes will be placed throughout the city until the campaign ends on November 11th. Around 60,000 poppies were prepared for distribution. Mayor Ken Johnston declared November 5th to 11th as Veteran's Week to recognize the Legion's role in promoting remembrance and supporting veterans in need.

Last Week In Red Deer:

• The Red Deer District Chamber celebrated six winners of the 2024 Business of the Year Awards during a ceremony at the Red Deer Polytechnic Arts Centre. The awards recognized The Hot Tub Man as Small Business of the Year, 360 Fitness as Business of the Year, Diony Distillery as New Business of the Year, and the Red Deer Food Bank in the Not-for-Profit category. RT Heating & Air Conditioning was named Emerging Business of the Year, while Patricia Arango from the Central Alberta Sexual Assault Support Centre was honoured as Business Leader of the Year. This year marks the 41st ceremony for the Business of the Year Awards organized by the Chamber.
  
  
• Red Deerians won’t be able to enjoy the Tunnel of Terror this year - it was closed after City officials deemed it unsafe. Owner Victory Shewchuk received instructions to take down the attraction, which has entertained visitors for five years, following a complaint about its safety and appearance. The City's Inspections and Licensing department found that the structure did not comply with Alberta's building safety code, citing issues with the fire resistance of the materials and the tunnel's overall construction. Despite this setback, Shewchuk plans to continue celebrating Halloween by decorating her yard for local residents to enjoy. The City has expressed its willingness to work with Shewchuk to make the attraction compliant for future events, although time constraints prevent any fix before this Halloween.
  
  
• Jody Wilson-Raybould, the first Indigenous person to serve as Canada's Minister of Justice and Attorney General, delivered a speech on leadership and truth and reconciliation to approximately 400 attendees at Red Deer Polytechnic's Perspectives series. During the speech, she suggested that excessive partisanship in politics is corrosive, and stressed the necessity of staying true to oneself as a leader.

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