2019 CANADA WINTER GAMES NAMED STC CANADIAN SPORT EVENT OF THE YEAR

From the Canada Games Council

The 2019 Canada Winter Games have won the 2020 Sport Tourism Canada (STC) Canadian Sport Event of the Year Award with an event budget greater than $1 million.

The presentation of the 2020 PRESTIGE awards, postponed from last year, were hosted virtually as a gala on-line production. The presentation was hosted by Olympian, World Cup medallist and CBC Broadcaster Kelly VanderBeek.

The STC Canadian Sport Event of the Year Award recognizes the overall success of an outstanding single-sport, multi-sport or collegiate event held in Canada in 2019. The criteria states that the event rights holder is a Canadian governing body/entity and that a Canadian community bid against other Canadian communities and/or was awarded the right to host the event.

Thank you from 2019 Games CEO Scott Robinson, Mayor of Red Deer Tara Veer, and 2019 Games Chair Lyn Radford

2019 Canada Winter Games Facts

-The 2019 Canada Winter Games took place from February 15 – March 3, 2019 in Red Deer, Alberta

-The Games were organized by the 2019 Canada Winter Games Host Society led by Chair Lyn Radford

-The Games featured 19 sports and 150 events alongside a major arts and cultural festival

-Red Deer welcomed over 3,600 athletes, managers and coaches, 4,600 volunteers, and more than 26,000 visitors throughout two weeks of competition

-The Canada Games represent the highest level of national competition for Canadian amateur athletes, and were the largest event that Red Deer has ever hosted

-Sport infrastructure legacy generated from the Games includes the construction of the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre which is a multi-purpose venue built specifically for the 2019 Games that includes an ice rink, gymnasium, basketball court, running and sprint tracks, and squash courts

-The Games raised over $12M in sponsor and donor fundraising, resulting in the most successful sponsorship program in Games history

-Financial legacy from the Games includes generating a total net economic activity (GDP) of $44.7M for Red Deer and $60.6M for the Province of Alberta

-The Host Society donated over $500,000 in sport equipment and assets post-Games to over 40 local and provincial sport organizations and not-for-profits

Quotes

“The 2019 Canada Winter Games were a life changing experience for all participants. It was a time for dreams to become reality and for community to come together to deliver one of the elite hosting events in 52 years of history of Canada Games. The Canada Games framework gave Red Deer and Alberta an opportunity to build legacy, support sport development and deliver life long friendships to all. We thank Sport Canada, Government of Alberta, City of Red Deer, Canada Games Council, volunteers, staff, sponsors and partners for this fabulous journey. Thank you to the sponsor, Québec City Business Destination, of this event category of the STA Prestige awards. Your sponsorship allows for all of Canada to see the wonderful work done in our Sport Tourism industry. Merci beaucoup!”

Lyn Radford, Chair, 2019 Canada Winter Games Host Society

“The 2019 Canada Winter Games were an incredible event that showcased our nation’s top amateur athletes and left behind a legacy of infrastructure, sustainability, and community pride in Red Deer. The City of Red Deer, Host Society staff, and the thousands of volunteers should be proud of what they accomplished and the 2019 Games are truly deserving of this award and recognition.”

Evan Johnston, Chair, Canada Games Council

“Thank you to Sport Tourism Canada for recognizing the 2019 Canada Winter Games, with the honour of this recognition. This award is a tribute to the incredibly hard work accomplished by our local Host Society, our generous partners and the more than 5,000 incredible community volunteers who made this opportunity possible. To the people of Red Deer, be incredibly proud of what you accomplished. We are here because you courageously said yes. We are here because you said we will find a way. We are here because you said we’ll do it together. Thank you, Canada Games, for the opportunity to welcome our fellow Canadians to our community for this once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

Tara Veer, Mayor of Red Deer

Enjoy this wonderful look back at the 2019 Canada Winter Games, hosted by Ron MacLean

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Central Alberta

RDC keeps tuition and fee increase for next academic year in line with post-secondary sector standards

Published on April 19, 2021

RedDeerCollege

College is committed to enhancing financial supports for its students

After considerable consultation with student representatives, RDC has made the difficult decision to increase tuition and fees to the allowable maximum for the 2021/2022 academic year. This will ensure that RDC can effectively continue our commitment to providing students with the educational experience that they have come to expect.

The College’s tuition rates and the Facility, Service & Technology fee will increase for 2021/2022, while the Activity & Wellness Fee will remain unchanged. This means RDC students will pay up to $298 more per term for tuition, depending on an individual’s course load. Regarding mandatory non- instructional fees, students will pay $135 total per course (based on a three-credit course).

From 2015-2019, RDC was subject to tuition and fee freezes. This has now come to an end under new provincial government regulations that allows for modest increases across Alberta. Because this situation affects most post-secondary institutions in Alberta, RDC learners will continue to access quality academic programs and services at comparable rates to other post-secondary institutions.

This decision was not made lightly, recognizing the challenges that students face in funding their education.

“We understand the challenges that increasing tuition and fees presents to our students and we are pleased to provide a range of supports, as well as a growing amount of scholarships and bursaries, to assist them as they invest in their post-secondary education,” says Dr. Peter Nunoda, RDC President. “We are committed to ensuring that post-secondary education in central Alberta remainsaccessible.”

RDC provides more than $1 million in scholarships and awards to students each year, through the support of generous donors. Additional community, government and other scholarships are also available for students. More than 1,300 students each year will receive funding support through the College’s new Student Bursary Fund that was announced recently. RDC employees assist students in accessing student loans. The College also provides flexible payment options to provide students the opportunity to pay tuition and fees through installments.

It is important that RDC’s tuition and fees reflect the value of the education its students receive. The College is pleased to offer greater flexibility in how students learn by providing more courses online or through hy-flex delivery (meaning students can choose to attend online or in-person for a particular course).

“As we continue to make decisions for RDC’s next academic year, we will continue to seek efficiencies in our operations while ensuring that we continue to provide value for our
students with quality applied learning opportunities and access to a wide range of services as they pursue their educational goals,” says Nunoda.

Red Deer College continues its planning process for the 2021/2022 academic year, including ongoing adaptations to help ensure the health and safety of the College community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alberta

Whistle Stop Cafe owner challenging lockdown and authorities

Published on April 13, 2021

Duane Rolheiser

Just a few months ago Mirror, Alberta might have been referred to as UCP heartland. But things seem to be changing quickly. One of the hottest spots in the area is Chris Scott’s Whistle Stop Cafe. The owner, Chris Scott opened The Whistle Stop in the middle of Alberta’s second lockdown back in January. Still facing legal action from that lockdown, Chris didn’t hesitate to announce he would also be defying Alberta’s third lockdown of indoor dining as soon as that was announced. Hundreds of supporters showed up on the weekend. They were treated to music, a beer garden, as well as both outdoor patio, and indoor dining options.

As expected The Whistle Stop was visited by an AHS inspector and RCMP members who noted the violations and informed Mr. Scott of impending legal actions against The Whistle Stop Cafe. All this hasn’t slowed Scott down one bit. As of Tuesday morning, the cafe is open and serving customers (who are warned by staff they could be charged for violating indoor dining restrictions) and Chris Scott is planning for another busy weekend. Scott addresses his massive social media following daily. His Tuesday morning address shows just how committed he remains despite the obvious impending showdown sure to take place in the coming days between Scott and AHS as well as the RCMP.

In his facebook post, the owner of The Whistle Stop Cafe almost seems to be daring Premier Jason Kenney to make a move:

From the Facebook page of The Whistle Stop Cafe

Good morning everyone! It’s been a busy, stressful couple days for us here. I’m not going into details as they’re irrelevant to our vision of serving delicious food, to beautiful people

today could be a very big day for us here at the Whistle Stop Cafe in Mirror, Alberta. We’ve got a lot on the go including planning this coming weekends festivities here. Live music, karaoke, and wonderful food prepared with care and attention to detail. All of us here believe strongly in taking every precaution with the way we handle food. As a food “service,” provider our number one priority is ensuring that what we serve its fresh and safe. We also believe in your choice to either venture out in this dangerous world or stay home and limit your exposure to the thousands of risks we encounter every day. Nobody here will ever judge you for making your own choice. As most of you know, Alberta Health Services suspended our food handling permit yesterday, via EMAIL. Now I could have ignored the email and said I didn’t recieved it and made them come out here and deliver themselves, but I didn’t. AHS inspectors are not well received these days. And I’m happy to consider them as human beings and keep them out of situations where they may be subject to abusive language and threats. So I accepted the email as it was written and acknowledge the suspension of my permit. However, as a man and a human being I have the right to engage in commerce. I have the right to Life, Liberty and security. These rights are not conditional on any agency “permitting,” them. We continue to follow best practices in regards to purchase, storage, and preparation of our food. And we continue to maintain a clean environment in which to serve or consume said food. We will not continue to be bullied into submitting to garbage, harmful, baseless restrictions forced on the people of Alberta by those who will never suffer the consequences of their own actions. We are OPEN for business. And we have some great specials today!

Eggs Kenney

Breakfast- Eggs Kenney served with a side of disobedience. 2 eggs poached one way, then changed to whatever we feel like making up at the time. We will give you ham, sausage, and bacon with your eggs Kenney but then we’re going to take back half of it and tell you is for your own good. Comes with hashbrowns on the side, but only if you submit to our stupid rule of clapping three times and saying the word, “knee,” (as in the Knights who say, knee. Because it’s ridiculous and changes nothing.) $5.00 plus a fee of $7.95 for the permit to eat.

Lunch special today is a UCP burger. Our delicious classic burger! But like our government it will be served open and two-faced with an egg on its face. Comes with delicious freedom fries! $11.95

Soup today is Hinshaw chicken noodle. Chicken soup is good for you! And since Dr. Hinshaw seems to think she’s the only person who knows what’s good for us I figured it was an appropriate name.

Supper special is whatever you want. We will prepare you anything you like! Because what you put in your body, and where you choose to eat and do business is YOUR CHOICE!!! Keep in mind our kitchen is small so please don’t go crazy

our supper special is FREE! And if you feel like donating to our cause we would be very happy to accept it. I heard something about “plague rats,” so all donations will go towards cleaning supplies and a consultation with an exterminator because we want ALBERTA TO REMAIN RAT FREE!!!

We’re looking forward to seeing you today!! We NEED YOU HERE. We need your support! We need to push back as hard as we can, knowing that we may get sick but doing OF OUR OWN ACCORD!!

Sending love and freedom from the Whistle Stop Cafe in Mirror

-Chris