Red Deer Minute: Shelter Feedback, Gas Skyrockets, and Economic Grant Awarded

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

This Week In Red Deer:

• The week at City Hall begins on Monday with a meeting of the Emergency Management Agency. Unfortunately, there’s not much for us to report on as the time and agenda for this meeting are not available yet. On Tuesday, there will be a meeting of the Red Deer & District Family and Community Support Services Board at 5:00 pm. At this meeting, the Board will receive several reports, including the FCSS Program Specialist’s Report, a report on the priority setting process for the upcoming 2024-2026 FCSS funding cycle, and the annual REconnect Report.
  
  
• On Wednesday, there will be a meeting of the Public Art Commission at 5:00 pm. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot to say concerning this meeting as the Commission has opted to once again close it to the public. What we can say is that the items in question are concerning new public art projects, a Public Art Community Grant, and a community mural. On Friday, there is a City Council meeting listed, but no stated time or published agenda.
  
  
• Residents, non-profit agencies, and business owners are being asked to provide feedback regarding the location of a permanent homeless shelter in Red Deer. Business owners have voiced frustration with an earlier proposal that would have seen a permanent shelter built in the city's downtown core. Advocates from Safe Harbor, a social agency in the city, say collaboration is needed from all stakeholders if they are to come up with a meaningful solution to Red Deer’s worsening homelessness problem.

Last Week In Red Deer:

• Red Deer Polytechnic’s Center for Innovation in Manufacturing got a boost in the form of a new $300,000 grant that will encourage innovation in health care assistive devices in Alberta. Funding for the grant will come from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Center for the next two years. Red Deer Polytechnic is optimistic that with the assistance of the grant, they will be able to expedite the commercialization of their devices with the aid of various specialists and the help of students.
  
  
• Red Deerians are feeling the pressure at the pumps - and in their pocketbooks - after a massive 16 cent per litre jump last Wednesday. The increase pushed the price of gas in the city to 1.79, a new record. With the price of gas so high, do you anticipate that it will change your driving habits in the weeks and months to come?
  
  
• The Central Alberta Economic Partnership announced that they have received a $50,000 grant from CanExport Community Investment to expand CAEP’s Municipal Investment Attraction Readiness Program. According to a release by the organization, the funding will go a long way towards creating tools that can be used by municipalities to target expanding industries.

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