Red Deer Minute: Vaccination Policy, Shelter Plans, and Alberta Municipalities Conference

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

This Week In Red Deer:

• There are two meetings scheduled at City Hall this week, starting with a City Council meeting today at 10:00 am. Council will begin this meeting in-camera discussing several development proposal updates before opening the meeting back up to the public. Once the meeting is open, Council is set to receive a report on the GH Dawe Centre’s operating budget amendment. On the consent calendar is property tax cancellation, the Electric Light & Power Report to Council for Alberta Regulation 58/2015, the 2022 Citizen Representative Appointment to Committees, and Procedure Bylaw 3681/2022. To close out the meeting, Council will hold a public hearing concerning Land Use Bylaw Amendment 3357/E-2022, which will see the Rezoning of 6798 52 Avenue from I1 Industrial (Business Service) District to IC Industrial/Commercial (Mixed Use) District.
  
  
• On Wednesday, there will be a meeting of the Audit Committee at 1:00 pm. At this meeting, Council will receive an investment report and an accounts receivable report. The reports show minor discrepancies from their investment managers that have been attributed to spreadsheet error. The meeting will then move to an in-camera session before dismissal.
  
  
• The 11th Annual Country Music Alberta Awards are back in Red Deer March 19th - 20th at the Cambridge Red Deer Hotel and Conference Centre. The event will be hosted by JUNO award winners The Road Hammers, and is sure to be a star-studded event!

Last Week In Red Deer:

• Red Deer’s interim City Manager has decided to explore the City’s staff vaccination policy and whether or not it should be kept in place. The decision came following an earlier announcement by Alberta Health Services that it will be lifting its own vaccination mandate for health workers. If City Administrators ultimately decide to scrap a vaccination mandate for City employees, Council will begin the discussion on whether or not the policy should be the same for Council as it is for staff.
  
  
• Red Deerians did not get a clear answer from City Hall on the location of a potential permanent homeless shelter. Instead, City Council opted to ask the City to put together a full public engagement strategy to present for Council’s consideration by April 15th. The decision came after an independent report revealed considerable opposition to the permanent shelter site on City-owned land at 4934 54 Avenue, alongside the Red Deer River and in proximity to the new Capstone development.
  
  
• Four members of City Council headed to Edmonton last week for the Alberta Municipalities Conference, joining 300 municipal leaders from across the province to discuss important issues such as the potential creation of an Alberta Provincial Police Force, ongoing challenges with the Provincial Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system, and the future and financial health of municipal governments.

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