Alberta
FINALLY! Province announces new Red Deer Hospital expansion and it’s much bigger than previous plan
Red Deer hospital $1.8B expansion builds for the future
Alberta’s government will invest $1.8 billion to redevelop and expand the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre as part of the province’s strategy to increase health care capacity, providing central Albertans with better hospital care for years to come.
The $1.8 billion hospital expansion is the largest in Alberta’s history and the largest taxpayer investment in the history of central Alberta. It will begin with a $193 million investment over the next three years and will include 200 new in-patient beds, increasing hospital capacity from 370 beds to 570 beds or by 54 per cent.
The expansion also provides for three new operating rooms, increasing surgical capacity to 14 operating rooms.
A new cardiac catheterization lab will also be part of the hospital’s expansion.
“For too long, central Albertans have been waiting for these critical upgrades and expansion of the Red Deer Regional Hospital. That’s why we’ve made expanding the Red Deer Regional Hospital a priority, and we’re putting our money where our mouth is. Alberta’s Recovery Plan has already seen healthcare infrastructure built from Grande Prairie to Calgary, and now, it’s making sure world-class health care is there for Red Deer and central Alberta for years to come with the largest investment in the history of central Alberta.”
“This important investment will ensure the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre continues to provide exceptional quality hospital care for the residents in the Red Deer region for decades to come. This investment is a key component of the Alberta government’s commitment to building health-care capacity throughout the province.”
The project’s next steps include functional programming and design. Completion of the expansion is slated for 2030-2031.
“Red Deer and central Alberta’s growing populations mean that our ability to effectively provide health care with the current hospital is limited, resulting in all too frequent disruptions to patient care. This needed redevelopment will increase capacity and expand services to meet central Albertans’ needs into the future. It’s another example of our government’s commitment to build health system capacity throughout Alberta.”
“I know how important this project is to the residents of central Alberta. This important expansion of the Red Deer hospital will create jobs and improve residents’ access to health-care services in the years to come.”
“The expansion of the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre is extremely significant for our city and long overdue. This historical investment means that central Albertans will benefit from increased surgical and in-patient capacity, benefiting our community in ways that were previously not possible. In addition, I am so pleased that local patients will finally have a cardiac catheterization lab as part of this amazing expansion, which will literally save lives. As the third-largest city in the province, this expansion will go a long way in providing the medical care and attention we have long needed and strongly advocated for.”
“This is welcome news for our staff and physicians at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre, as well as to all those we care for within its walls. Being able to expand our in-patient capacity, as well as critical programs like surgical services with new operating rooms, is paramount to continuing to serve the health-care needs of central Albertans as so many rely on Red Deer Regional. On behalf of Alberta Health Services, we are grateful for the support of government partners in moving this project forward, and for the ongoing efforts of our teams who eagerly await this expansion.”
“This is a monumental day for our city and for the central Alberta region. It is with extreme gratitude that we recognize the provincial government for this significant investment in the care of central Albertans.”
“Located along one of the busiest transportation corridors in the province, Red Deer County serves close to 20,000 residents within central Alberta. The county welcomes this news and is appreciative of the Government of Alberta’s capital investment to our region for the improvement of health care for our residents.”
Quick facts
- The Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre is the busiest hospital outside of Edmonton and Calgary. It has the fourth-highest volume of any Alberta Health Services’ facility.
- Approximately 50 per cent of patients seen at the hospital are referred from communities outside of Red Deer.
- The hospital offers a full spectrum of acute care, including advanced surgery, internal medicine and diagnostics, as well as obstetrics, pediatrics, oncology, critical care and emergency care.
- $100 million was allocated to the project in Budget 2020.
“If Ottawa had it’s way Albertans would be left to freeze in the dark”
The ineffective federal net-zero electricity regulations will not reduce emissions or benefit Albertans but will increase costs and lead to supply shortages.
The risk of power outages during a hot summer or the depths of harsh winter cold snaps, are not unrealistic outcomes if these regulations are implemented. According to the Alberta Electric System Operator’s analysis, the regulations in question would make Alberta’s electricity system more than 100 times less reliable than the province’s supply adequacy standard. Albertans expect their electricity to remain affordable and reliable, but implementation of these regulations could increase costs by a staggering 35 per cent.
Canada’s constitution is clear. Provinces have exclusive jurisdiction over the development, conservation and management of sites and facilities in the province for the generation and production of electrical energy. That is why Alberta’s government is referring the constitutionality of the federal government’s recent net-zero electricity regulations to the Court of Appeal of Alberta.
“The federal government refused to work collaboratively or listen to Canadians while developing these regulations. The results are ineffective, unachievable and irresponsible, and place Albertans’ livelihoods – and more importantly, lives – at significant risk. Our government will not accept unconstitutional net-zero regulations that leave Albertans vulnerable to blackouts in the middle of summer and winter when they need electricity the most.”
“The introduction of the Clean Electricity Regulations in Alberta by the federal government is another example of dangerous federal overreach. These regulations will create unpredictable power outages in the months when Albertans need reliable energy the most. They will also cause power prices to soar in Alberta, which will hit our vulnerable the hardest.”
Finalized in December 2024, the federal electricity regulations impose strict carbon limits on fossil fuel power, in an attempt to force a net-zero grid, an unachievable target given current technology and infrastructure. The reliance on unproven technologies makes it almost impossible to operate natural gas plants without costly upgrades, threatening investment, grid reliability, and Alberta’s energy security.
“Ottawa’s electricity regulations will leave Albertans in the dark. They aren’t about reducing emissions – they are unconstitutional, ideological activist policies based on standards that can’t be met and technology that doesn’t exist. It will drive away investment and punish businesses, provinces and families for using natural gas for reliable, dispatchable power. We will not put families at risk from safety and affordability impacts – rationing power during the coldest days of the year – and we will continue to stand up for Albertans.”
“Albertans depend on electricity to provide for their families, power their businesses and pursue their dreams. The federal government’s Clean Electricity Regulations threaten both the affordability and reliability of our power grid, and we will not stand by as these regulations put the well-being of Albertans at risk.”
Related information
- Conference Board of Canada socio-economic Impacts of Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan – (April 2025)
- Alberta Electric System Operator’s position on Canadian Energy Regulations
Oh, Canada
We find it endlessly fascinating that most Canadians believe they live in a representative democracy, where aspiring candidates engage in authentic politicking to earn their place in office. So accustomed are Canada’s power brokers to getting their way, they rarely bother to cover their tracks. A careful reading of the notoriously pliant Canadian press makes anticipating future events in the country surprisingly straightforward.
Back in December, when Pierre Poilievre was given better than 90% odds of replacing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau—and Mark Carney was still just an uncharismatic banker few had heard of—we engaged in some not-so-speculative dot-connecting and correctly predicted Carney’s rise to the top spot. Our interest was driven by the notoriously rocky relationship between Ottawa and the Province of Alberta, home to one of the world’s largest hydrocarbon reserves, and how Carney’s rise might be a catalyst for resetting Canada’s energy trajectory. In a follow-up article titled “The Fix Is In,” we laid out a few more predictions:
“Here’s how the play is likely to unfold in the weeks and months ahead: Carney will be elected Prime Minister on April 28 by a comfortable margin; [Alberta Premier Danielle] Smith will trigger a constitutional crisis, providing cover for Carney to strike a grand bargain that finally resolves longstanding tensions between the provinces and Ottawa; and large infrastructure permitting reform will fall into place. Protests against these developments will be surprisingly muted, and those who do take to the streets will be largely ignored by the media. The entire effort will be wrapped in a thicket of patriotism, with Trump portrayed as a threat even greater than climate change itself. References to carbon emissions will slowly fade…
In parallel, we expect Trump and Carney to swiftly strike a favorable deal on tariffs, padding the latter’s bona fides just as his political capital will be most needed.”
The votes have barely been counted, yet the next moves are already unfolding…
“Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she’ll make it easier for citizens to initiate a referendum on the province’s future in Canada, after warning that a Liberal win in Monday’s election could spur a groundswell of support for Alberta separatism. Smith said on Tuesday that a newly tabled elections bill will give everyday Albertans a bigger say in the province’s affairs.
‘(We’re giving) Albertans more ways to be directly involved in democracy, and to have their say on issues that matter to them,’ Smith told reporters in Edmonton.
If passed, the new law would dramatically lower the number of signatures needed to put a citizen-proposed constitutional referendum question on the ballot, setting a new threshold of 10 per cent of general election turnout — or just over 175,000, based on Alberta’s last provincial election in 2023.”
“US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is looking to make a trade deal and will visit the White House within the next week. Trump said he congratulated Carney on his election victory when the Canadian leader called on Tuesday.
‘He called me up yesterday – he said let’s make a deal,’ Trump told reporters at the White House after a televised Cabinet meeting.”
Remember where you read it first.
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