City of Red Deer
Memorial for Michael Dawe today
From the City of Red Deer: Downtown parking changes for this afternoon
Between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. today, Thursday, January 4, Parking will be free on Ross (50) Street between 47 Avenue and 49 Avenue. There will be a note on the HotSpot app notifying residents that they do not need to pay for parking on that zone until 3 p.m.
There will be 15 stalls close to Gaetz Memorial United Church marked with No Parking signs. Funeral attendees are reminded that these stalls are for Councillor Dawe’s family and asked to use other available parking on Ross Street.
To accommodate the expected attendance, there will also be a live video feed presented at the Parkland Pavilion at 1 p.m. or, to join the service through livestream, visit https://vimeo.com/event/3988802.
Michael Dawe Obituary from Arbor Memorial
It is with deep sadness that the family of Red Deer City Councillor Michael J. Dawe, announces his sudden passing on the evening of December 24, 2023, in Red Deer, Alberta.
Michael was a much beloved brother, parent, uncle, friend, councillor, writer, archivist, and was often referred to as “Red Deer’s Beloved Son”.
Born in Red Deer, Alberta, on March 7, 1956, he was a fifth-generation resident of Red Deer, Pine Lake, as well as a seasonal resident of the Summer Village of Norglenwold, Alberta.
After attending Red Deer College, Michael received a Bachelors Degree in History and Economics from the University of Alberta in 1976. In 1979, he became the first full-time Archivist with the Red Deer and District Archive and served as City Archivist until 2017.
Michael lived a life devoted to public service. He served as Councillor with the City from 2017 until his passing. Among the many boards and committees on which he served, Michael was the most proud of being a founding member of the Alberta Archives Society, as well as serving as a trustee of the David Thompson Health Authority, the Red Deer Hospital Board and being a 35+ year member of the Red Deer East Rotary Club.
Michael was the recipient of numerous awards and accolades. He was named Citizen of the Year by the Council on School Administration of the Alberta Teachers’ Association for his work with local schools. He also received the Minister of Veterans’ Affairs Commendation for his work with Veterans. Michael received both the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2013 Michael was named Red Deer Citizen of the Year and was twice named Red Deer’s “Most Beloved Citizen” by readers of the Red Deer Express. Many will know Michael from his historical columns in the Red Deer Advocate, Red Deer Express, and the Sylvan Lake and Innisfail Province. Michael was the author of six books, including Red Deer: The Memorable City, written to commemorate the City’s centennial.
Apart from his professional accomplishments, Michael will be best remembered for his warm, jovial and outgoing personality and for how he loved the City of Red Deer and its residents. Genuinely interested in all he met, Michael made time for everyone who cared to have a chat with him – and those people were many. An incredible astute observer of human nature, Michael loved the ridiculous and the sublime in all of us, never judged our weaknesses of foibles, and celebrated us at our sometimes questionable best. The quality of acute observation and kindly acceptance was arguably what also made him a fine historian. He was possessed of the rare gift of making all people feel both interesting and heard. And the concerns and stories he was entrusted with undoubtedly fueled his dream to make Red Deer a better place through his many years of political commitment. No one was shut out of Michaels’ heart including those he was close with; he was generous to a fault and never boasted about his generosity or his accomplishments. It can be truly said of him “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy”. Rabindranath Tagore
Michael touched many lives, and he will be sadly missed, not only by the City of Red Deer, but by the many who knew and loved him. Predeceased by his parents G.H. (Harold) Dawe and L.J. (Jean) Dawe, nee Hodgkinson, his nephew and namesake Dr. Michael Jensen, his four uncles including W.B.(Wellington) Dawe, Michael is survived by his Daughter Janvier Williams (John Sowinski) and their children, close friend Beverly Williams, brother Robbin Dawe, sister Dorothy Dawe (Barry Dommasch), numerous nieces, nephews, and grandnieces; and beloved aunt Rita A. Hodgkinson.
City of Red Deer
City Council paving the way for more house suites, backyard suites, tiny homes, and duplexes
Council adopts new Zoning Bylaw
At Monday’s regular City Council meeting, City Council passed second and third reading of the Zoning Bylaw 3357/2024, replacing the former Land Use Bylaw.
The goal of the Zoning Bylaw is to reduce red tape, permit more uses in each zone and improve ease and understanding of the document. Notable updates include:
- Reduction from 11 residential districts to 9 zones
- Reduction from 7 commercial districts to 6 zones
- Reduction from 5 industrial districts to 3 zones
- More permitted uses in each zone
- More gentle density options to provide increased housing options, including house suites, backyard suites, tiny homes, and duplexes
- Increased building heights to 12.5m that considers sightlines and privacy of existing dwellings
- Greater flexibility for development applications
- Expanded definitions
- Reduction of duplex side yards, removal of side yard setbacks on corner lots, and reduced frontage in residential narrow lots to improve competitiveness
- New regulations to gently transition existing neighbourhoods to maintain character
Following adoption of the Zoning Bylaw, the following amendments were made by City Council.
| Proposed Amendment | Public Hearing Date |
| Increase suites from 15% to 25% of the houses in a neighbourhood. | June 24, 2024 |
| Allow commercial uses on the main floor of R-H Residential High Density. | June 24, 2024 |
| Correct errors in the PS Public Service Zone use list: (*Recommended) a) Gaming and Gambling Establishment (Only at the Westerner) b) Education Primary & Secondary – Add to discretionary use list | May 27, 2024 |
| Returning the Cannabis Retail Sales setbacks to be consistent with the current Land Use Bylaw 3357/2006 | May 27, 2024 |
“The new Zoning Bylaw incorporates years of public feedback and best practices to make a Zoning Bylaw that will result in more housing options, easier development, and ultimately will improve our competitiveness,” said David Girardin, Major Projects Planner. “With the approval of the Zoning Bylaw today, we are not finished our community engagement as there will be future public hearings on potential amendments in the coming weeks, as well as more formal public participation for each additional phase of the Zoning Bylaw.”
The Zoning Bylaw will come into effect in 30 days. Public participation for phase two of the Zoning Bylaw will begin later this year. For more information, visit engage.reddeer.ca.
City Council reviews pilot snow and ice control program
This past winter, The City of Red Deer piloted changes to the snow and ice control program that focused on restoring mobility sooner and providing safe, accessible and well-maintained transportation infrastructure for all.
Major changes included 24/7 operations for residential street clearing, increased traction control throughout the city, additional sidewalk, trail and staircase clearing, and decreased timelines for bus stop clearing. On Monday City Council reviewed the 2023-24 snow and ice control operational report which outlined the pilot’s successes and challenges, as well as the learnings and opportunities for improvement.
“Overall, our more responsive approach to snow and ice control resulted in better mobility for motorists and pedestrians, and a greater quality of winter road maintenance,” said Greg Sikora, Manager of Parks and Public Works. “Of the many successes of the pilot program, the community was most pleased with the noticeable improvement in traction control and our ability to clear Green Routes within six days, thanks to moving Green Route plowing to 24/7 operations.”
Improvements to pedestrian, cyclist and motorist transportation networks include:
- Increased presence and effectiveness of pre-treating, plowing, and sanding on major arterials, hills and bridges, with two and four-hour traction control equipment cycles,
- 5 locations of staircase clearing,
- 43 km of neighbourhood asphalt trails cleared after each snowfall,
- Inclusion of second side sidewalks (9 km)
- 635 transit stop clearing: 61 high priority cleared in 1 day, 153 medium priority cleared within 3 days, an additional 421 supplemental stops cleared within 7 days.
Throughout the pilot program, The City connected with the community to get feedback on operations including regular check-ins with the Engaged Citizens Group, two broad public surveys, a transit rider survey and the Citizen Satisfaction Survey.
Overall, citizens felt arterial roadways, hills and bridges were adequately maintained, and were satisfied with the Green Route plowing operation, with little concern raised about nighttime operations and 24/7 parking bans. Residents reported a prominent level of satisfaction with the additional mobility of trails, sidewalks and staircases, and there was improved public awareness of snow clearing programs.
Additionally, a noticeable improvement in adherence to the parking ban resulted in less than 100 tickets being issued this year. Complaint call volumes and service requests for traction control also trended downward this year.
“While we’ve received positive feedback from the community, we know there is always room for improvement. Our greatest challenges to the snow and ice control program remains the variability of weather, pivoting operations from a plow based program to a traction control focus and choosing the right time to execute Green and Grey Route plows,” said Manager Sikora.
In June 2023, Council adopted the revised Integrated and Accessible Transportation Policy (IAATP), which focuses on providing the community with mobility services based on four guiding principles: safe, accessible, well-maintained and accountable.
City Council will consider the future level of service at the May 27 City Council meeting.
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