Red Deer Minute: Public Washrooms, Student Survey, and a New Downtown Market

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 regular meeting of City Council. The meeting will begin in-camera (in secret) with the discussion of a Labour/HR matter, a land matter, and some advice from officials that has been deemed privileged information. Council will receive the 2022 Annual Financial Report, as well as Housing Asset Development Recommendations before considering the River Bend Repeal Bylaw, which would forgive a $1.7 million loan provided to the River Bend Golf & Recreation Society in 2007. (Remember this next time Council agrees to a loan). There will also be a public hearing regarding an omnibus amendment to the Land Use Bylaw (LUB).
  
  
• On Wednesday, at 5:00 pm, there will be a special meeting of City Council to host a public hearing. The hearing is regarding land use amendments to the Waskasoo Area Redevelopment Plan to allow for a seniors housing complex to be built at 4240 - 50 Ave (a green space just west of Gateway Christian School). Administration is supportive of this proposal while the neighbourhood association is decidedly opposed to the project.
  
  
• Summer is here and that means that public washrooms will once again be available downtown. The washrooms will be located across the street from City Hall Park and will be cleaned at least once a day by the Downtown Business Association. They are open weekdays until October 10th, from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm with extended hours for special events.

Last Week In Red Deer:

• The Farmers’ Market saga continued last week as the Downtown Business Association announced that they will be hosting a Saturday morning downtown market beginning May Long weekend. Their market will take place at the exact same time as the Red Deer Public Market - the one that Council recently forced to leave downtown. The original Farmers’ Market has since relocated to Red Deer Polytechnic’s parking lot.
  
  
• Red Deer Polytechnic won four awards at the World Congress, an event in Montreal hosted by the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics as well as Colleges and Institutes Canada. The institution took home three prizes from CICan, including gold in Indigenous Education, silver in Sustainable Development, and bronze in Student Leadership. RDP also received international honours, winning a silver WFCP Award in Indigenous Education Excellence.
  
  
• Red Deer Public Schools launched “Count Me In”, a census of its student population. The census included questions about gender identity, sexual orientation (for grades 9-12), ethnicity, religion, extracurricular activities, and how students felt about their school. Children in kindergarten to grade 3 were asked to complete the survey at home with the help of a parent or guardian, while students in grades 4 and up completed the census in their classroom. The census was voluntary and anonymous.

-----

Donate:

Common Sense Red Deer doesn't accept any government funding and never will. We think you should be free to choose, for yourself, which organizations to support. If you're in a position to contribute financially, you can make a donation here.

-----

Share:

If you're not in a position to donate, we understand, but if you appreciate our work, you can help by spreading our message. Please email this post to your friends, share it on Facebook or Twitter, and help make sure every Red Deerian knows what's really going on at City Hall.