Red Deer Minute: Remembrance Day, Hospital Expansion, and Budget Discussions Begin

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

This Week In Red Deer:

• There will be a City Council meeting today at 10:30 am. On the agenda are the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan and the Proposed Capital and Operating Budget. The City has identified three key focus areas for the Strategic Plan: Thriving City, Community Health & Wellbeing and Connected & Engaged City. These focus areas contain aspirational goals and outcomes to achieve by 2026. Budget documents are not yet available, but will be provided to Councillors during the meeting. There will also be an in-camera discussion about the permanent shelter.
  
  
• There will be a Council Agenda Review Committee Meeting on Thursday at 3:00 pm. The Committee will draft the agenda for the upcoming November 21st Council meeting and the November 28th to 30th budget meeting.
  
  
• Friday is Remembrance Day. There will be a ceremony at Servus Arena beginning at 10:30 am. The team at Common Sense Red Deer would like to express our heartfelt thanks to those who have served or are currently serving.

Last Week In Red Deer:

• Alberta’s Ministry of Infrastructure provided more details about the Red Deer Regional Hospital expansion. The Province says the expansion is on track for completion by 2031 and that 10 years of work is entirely normal for a project of this scale and complexity. The next step is to complete the Functional Program Report, have it approved, and then procure a designer in early 2023. Additional floors will be added to the current hospital to accommodate more beds, and a new building for Ambulatory Care Services will go up just south of the current parkade.
  
  
• The Central Alberta Tourism Alliance has launched an online survey to gather public input about a new agritourism development strategy. The group is looking to hear about opportunities and challenges - as well as potential growth areas - in agritourism. The survey is open until November 30th and there will be virtual information sessions for residents on November 15th and 17th.
  
  
• The second year of the City's three-year e-scooter pilot program has wrapped up. The City is now hoping to collect feedback on some of the changes they made to this year’s program and determine what the future looks like for e-scooters in Red Deer beyond the end of the pilot. E-scooters are set to return on March 15th, perhaps later depending on the weather. The online survey is open until November 18th.

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