Opinion
Blackfalds, Sylvan Lake, Penhold all grew in population last year while Red Deer declined.
Penhold has a population of 3,277. It takes the same time for the residents of Penhold to get to Hunting Hills High School in Red Deer or the Collicutt Center as the residents in the Kentwood subdivision in Red Deer. It will be quicker for the Penhold residents to get to the Collicutt Centre than any residents planned for north of 11a.
The population of Penhold is 10% of the population north of the river in Red Deer, now and will be only about 6% after developing the land north of 11A. Yet there is not a high school or a secondary school now or being planned for north of the river.
Let us look at Penhold, with 10% of the population and possibly easier access to Red Deer High Schools and the Collicutt Centre built.
For starters they worked with various groups and built Penhold Crossing Secondary School and the Penhold Multiplex combination.
Our beautiful new school in Penhold is a unique ‘P3’ partnership with the Province of Alberta, the Town of Penhold, and Chinook’s Edge. It is adjacent to the Penhold Multiplex, which provides the school community with access to the newly constructed arena, gym and community library. We are a grade 6 – 12 school, which has been growing substantially each year.
The Penhold Multiplex is a diverse facility located in Penhold at 1 Waskasoo Avenue.
Serving all of central Alberta, the facility boasts:
• An exceptional NHL size ice surface
• Meeting rooms
• A fitness center
• Running track
• Dance studio
• Concession
• Lounge
• Library
• Town administration offices
Penhold has a population of 3,277, they planned ahead, they acquired more needed land and they grew last year, while Red Deer shrank.
Blackfalds grew after developing the Abbey Centre, which like Penhold was not built downtown. Sylvan Lake invested in the Nexsource Centre-multiplex. Blackfalds gained 700 new residents last year, Sylvan lake gained 632 last year, Penhold gained 491 new residents while Red Deer lost 975 residents. 777 of those who moved out of Red Deer lived north of the river.
All these communities are less than half of the population of Red Deer, north of the river, with Penhold at 10%, being the smallest. They are all growth communities.
Why then, can’t the city, the province and the school boards address this deficiency.
A proposal that I have been suggesting for years now, is develop Hazlett Lake. Not only would it address these issues it would encourage tourism, help the less fortunate, combat juvenile delinquencies, encourage growth, and the stature of the city.
Hazlett Lake is up for development now, and I worry that the city will chop it up, industrialize it, or completely ignore it’s potential. Highly visible from Hwy 2 and Hwy 11A, it would draw tourism. Lethbridge built Henderson Lake Park around a man-made slough and they are the 5th fastest growing city in Canada.
Build a Collicutt Centre type complex with a 51m pool, a Penhold Multiplex with a library and a secondary school, with a 51m pool competition pool. Incorporate the lake for swimming, boating, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, photography or sun tanning on a beach like Lethbridge does.
Lethbridge, Penhold, Blackfalds, Sylvan Lake must have done something right because they all grew last year while Red Deer shrank. There must be something we learn from this?
Business
After successful anti-American election campaign, Carney pivots to embrace US: Hails Trump as a “transformational president”

MxM News
Quick Hit:
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday and praised the American leader as a “transformational president” with a relentless focus on workers, border security, and combatting fentanyl.
Key Details:
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In front of reporters in the Oval Office, Carney said Trump was “focused on the economy, with a relentless focus on the American worker, securing your borders… ending the scourge of fentanyl and other opioids, and securing the world.”
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The newly elected Canadian leader said he intends to implement a similar agenda in Canada, including heightened attention to border security, defense, and Arctic development.
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Despite past trade friction between the two countries, Carney voiced confidence in the future of U.S.-Canada relations, stating, “We’re stronger when we work together… I look forward to addressing some of those issues that we have.”
Diving Deeper:
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney offered striking praise for President Donald Trump during a Tuesday visit to the White House, calling him a “transformational president” who has reshaped the global conversation on the economy, national security, and public health. Speaking alongside Trump in the Oval Office, Carney lauded the president’s focus on protecting American workers, confronting the fentanyl crisis, and reinforcing the nation’s borders.
“You’re a transformational president, focused on the economy, with a relentless focus on the American worker, securing your borders… ending the scourge of fentanyl and other opioids, and securing the world,” Carney told Trump.
According to Carney, many of the issues central to Trump’s presidency were also top concerns for Canadian voters. “I’ve been elected… with the help of my colleagues here, I’m going to spread the credit, to transform Canada with a similar focus on the economy, securing our borders, again, on fentanyl, much greater focus on defense and security, securing the Arctic and developing the Arctic,” he said.
Though the two leaders were cordial, the backdrop of their meeting carried a history of trade disputes. Early in Trump’s second term, his administration imposed tariffs on Canadian goods—a move that prompted retaliatory measures from then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Still, Carney emphasized cooperation and struck a hopeful tone, noting that the U.S.-Canada relationship has endured challenges before.
“The history of Canada and the U.S. is we’re stronger when we work together, and there’s many opportunities to work together,” Carney said. “I look forward to addressing some of those issues that we have, but also finding those areas of mutual cooperation so we can go forward.”
President Trump, for his part, congratulated Carney on his election and offered warm words of welcome. “I want to just congratulate you. That was a great election, actually,” Trump said. “We were watching it with interest, and I think Canada chose a very talented person, a very good person… it’s an honor to have you at the White House and the Oval Office.”
The meeting marked Carney’s first official trip to Washington since taking office and served as an early sign that the two North American leaders may chart a path of renewed collaboration—grounded in shared priorities of national strength and economic growth.
Daily Caller
Misguided Climate Policies Create ‘Real Energy Emergency’ And Permit China To Dominate US

From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By Mariane Angela
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum warned on Fox Business Tuesday about America’s deepening energy shortfall and said that misguided climate policies could give China the upper hand in both the global energy race and artificial intelligence development.
House lawmakers voted 246-164, with support from 35 Democrats, to overturn a Biden-era EPA rule that lets California enforce a de facto national ban on gas-powered cars by 2035. During an appearance on “Kudlow,” Burgum said that U.S. energy shortfalls could allow China to outpace America in artificial intelligence and other power-hungry technologies.
“The real energy emergency that we have right now is that we don’t have enough energy in this country. We’re losing the AI arms race to China, and we’ve got to have more energy and more power right now in the country. And so that’s one of the things that we’re focused on right now,” Burgum told host Larry Kudlow.
Burgum blasted California’s aggressive emissions standards, which he said have effectively become national policy.
WATCH:
“Let’s start with California, Larry. That would be a great idea, because there’s 14 other states that followed California. So basically we’re stuck right now. Automakers feel like they’ve got to build two kinds of cars in America, one for California standards and one for the rest of the country,” Burgum said. “Of course, we know that the California standards are based on a bunch of falsehoods around emissions, because if we want zero carbon fuels, it’s much cheaper.”
Burgum took particular aim at electric vehicle subsidies, calling them a boondoggle built on climate ideology. He also called electric vehicle subsidies economically reckless since the cost of avoiding a single ton of carbon dioxide exceeds $900.
“It’s 10 to 15 times cheaper to have zero carbon liquid fuels than it is to subsidize EVs. The EV subsidies, where the real bank was, the thing that was really breaking the bank, over $900 for an avoided tonus of CO2, and all of that built around climate ideology,” Burgum said.
Republican Pennsylvania Rep. John Joyce introduced a resolution under the Congressional Review Act to stop California’s zero-emission vehicle mandate, which several other states have adopted. If the Senate doesn’t act, the Environmental Protection Agency would face a lengthy rulemaking process to reverse the policy that will allow California’s stricter standards to remain in effect for years.
The states that have opted in to California’s auto rules include Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
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