Community
Big city? Small town? Red Deer wants to be both.
Big city? Small town? Red deer wants to be both.
Red Deer wants to be included in the province’s big city charter for issues like low-income transit subsidies, and smaller land allocations for high schools. Red Deer claims it is a small town and does not need a ward system, or when it comes to having 5 high schools along 30 ave.
You cannot have it both ways.
Are we a small town who needs to keep the current municipal voting system where we have 8 out of 9 elected officials in the southeast quadrant, along with all the high schools, current and future? Are we a small town that says it is okay to have 50,000 current and future residents on one side of the river with no high schools, 1 recreation centre, while the other side of the river can have 6 high schools, 6 indoor ice rinks, and 3 aquatic venues? We are so small that this is acceptable? We are so small that we need to centralize everything downtown, like new ice rinks, new aquatic centre and concert hall.
Then the big city charter means more money and power for big cities. So now we want to be a big city. We will get more money for transit, more authority on planning and municipal land allocation and requirements.
We do not want to give the third of our city’s population that live north of the river proportional representation because they might want a new swimming pool, indoor ice rink or swimming pool, or even a high school, because we are still a small city.
But if in this case it means we will get more money and power, then we are a big city.
Mayor and city councillors, we cannot have our cake and eat it too, didn’t you mothers ever tell you that? Make up your minds and make decision.
You want to be a big city? Fine then act like a big city. Give everyone an equal voice. If that means a ward system municipally then so be it.
Act like a big city and then you might get invited to the big city table, act like small town and you will be treated like small town. It is up to you, you cannot have it both ways.
From the Facebook page of Nicole Maurier
From GoFundMe
News release from the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce
Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce to form Task Force on Homelessness in Red Deer
The Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce will be convening a Task Force of community and business leaders to address the issues of homelessness and identify actionable steps which can be taken to tackle this generational challenge in Red Deer.
“With the release of the City of Red Deer’s Point in Time (PIT) Report on homelessness last week we are very concerned and disappointed with the effectiveness of the strategies currently in place, and the urgency by which we need to turn this situation around within our city,” commented Scott Robinson CEO of the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce. “Clearly our current strategies are not enough, and we need to elevate the urgency by which we get things done to reduce the number of citizens who are without a place to live. The growing number of people who are homeless is not sustainable and is impacting on our sense of pride, safety and attractiveness of our city to business and industry.”
“We will share more about this Task Force and the next steps in the coming weeks. Time has run out to act with conviction, courage, and clarity. Our community and citizens deserve that from our community leaders, and we are ready to bring the business community and the urgency required to the table.”
Over the next 60 days, the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce will be reaching out to its business and social agency partners to build the Task Force on homelessness and establish a strategy to address the critical steps that need to be taken to reverse the trends and further our community’s vision as a vibrant and healthy city.
Matt Cassidy, Chamber Board President. remarked “Our Chamber is positioned to be the collaborative leader in connecting our business community, social agencies, and elected officials together, to find tangible progress on this complex issue. All businesses rely on the vibrancy of our community as they strive to be sustainable, innovative, or grow, and the results of the PIT Report indicate that we need to do much more. This task force will help hold our leaders accountable for the actionable progress needed and engage one another effectively.”
“In speaking with our membership, and those working closely with the vulnerable populations there are best practices and models for delivery that are successful in other parts of the world that we need to start implementing” says Robinson. In addition, we need to look at ways that our private sector can get more involved and bring their expertise and strategic thinking to the table. As a collaborative community we also need to ensure that governments at all levels are delivering on their promises of affordable housing and eliminating barriers to expediting these investments.
Established in 1894 the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce is a non-partisan, collaborative business leader representing over 825 member businesses. As one of Red Deer’s oldest and most established membership organizations we are striving to build a vibrant community that fosters an environment where businesses can lead, be innovative, sustainable, and grow.
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