Red Deer Minute: Snow Sculptors, Council Break, and a Happy New Year

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

This Week In Red Deer:

• Happy New Year! This year, our resolution is to fight for a City government that champions common sense solutions and fiscal responsibility. Thank you for all the support you showed us in 2023. If you’d like to make a contribution to our continued production of these newsletters, please click here to make a donation. May the year ahead be marked by thoughtful spending, transparent governance, and a commitment to making Red Deer the best city to live, work, play, raise a family, and retire!
  
  
• There are no Council or Committee meetings this week on account of the Christmas holidays. Official business resumes at City Hall on January 8th.
  
  
• Care for Newcomers is organizing its eleventh annual 'Learn to Skate' program at Bower Ponds, offering newcomer youth the opportunity to learn basic skating skills for free. The event, scheduled for January 4th, provides a welcoming space for immigrant youth to practice skating with the support of volunteers.

Last Week In Red Deer:

• Common Sense Red Deer was very sad to learn of the deaths of two prominent Red Deerians. City Councillor Michael Dawe passed away on December 24th, and former City Councillor Frank Wong passed away on December 27th. Dawe, a historian and fifth-generation Red Deerian, was elected to Council in 2017 and 2021. In both elections, he earned the most votes of any Council candidate. Wong served on City Council for 18 years between 2004 and 2022, and served for more than 30 years on the Red Deer and District Chinese Community Society. Mayor Ken Johnston expressed grief and sadness over the passing of both men, emphasizing their significant contributions to the city. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Dawe and Wong, and with the community members they impacted.
  
  
• Red Deer snow sculptors, Dawn Detarando and Brian McArthur, celebrated their return from Sweden's Icehotel after creating a Beaver Lodge room inspired by Canada's emblematic animal. The room features a hidden hockey stick among the snow twigs in the ceiling as an ode to Canada. Detarando and McArthur, representing Voyager Art, were the sole North American team selected from 157 applicants to carve a theme room for the 2023-24 Icehotel. Their cavernous dome-shaped room focused on the beaver, highlighting the animal's environmental importance in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
  
  
• The Dream Centre, a Christian-based addiction treatment facility, celebrated the graduation of seven clients, with two more expected to graduate in February. The Centre emphasizes the importance of community support in the recovery process, including family, friends, peers, employment opportunities, and housing. The facility, located at the former Lotus nightclub site, provides services addressing the physical, emotional, and mental aspects of addiction, along with spiritual support. With about 290 applications received since opening, the Dream Centre has welcomed 41 individuals into its program, offering a supportive and caring environment described by clients as feeling like home. The facility relies on donations and volunteer efforts to continue its mission. Those who don’t want a faith-based program have other options too, including the recently opened government-funded Red Deer Recovery Community, a 75-bed facility.

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