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Red Deer

Chamber CEO announces 4 initiatives to boost business community

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By Scott Robinson, Red Deer District Chamber CEO

As we step into 2025, I want to take this opportunity to reflect on the challenges and opportunities facing our business community here in Red Deer and in Central Alberta. Over the past year, your Chamber has been working diligently to address the pressing issues that impact local businesses, while also creating programs and services that foster growth, innovation, and collaboration.

Our mission remains clear: to create a thriving business environment where entrepreneurs and enterprises can succeed and contribute to the vibrancy of our region.

The economic landscape in Red Deer continues to evolve, but certain challenges persist. One of the primary concerns for you, our members, is the increasing cost of doing business. Rising operational expenses- whether from supply chain disruptions, energy costs, or inflation – are putting pressure on businesses of all sizes. Furthermore, labour shortages in key sectors such as hospitality, construction, and energy remain a significant barrier to growth. Many businesses struggle to attract and retain skilled workers, which hampers their ability to meet demand and expand operations.

Another challenge is increasing taxes and fees. While we recognize the importance of sustainable municipal operations, the business community is struggling under double digit tax increases, increasing fees and utility rates. The fact that these are all happening at once is a significant strain on our local business community.

While government policies ensure a fair and safe marketplace, many of our members find the current regulatory environment complex, and at times, discouraging to investment. Whether it’s permitting, tax policies, or lack of a focused plan centered around growth and economic investment, your Chamber is committed to working with all levels of government to advocate for policies that strike the right balance between oversight and economic vitality.

Finally, access to affordable capital continues to be a concern for many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Though interest rates are coming down, there remains some hurdles in securing funding, which limits their ability to scale and contribute to job creation and economic diversity.

To address some of these issues, we’ve launched several key initiatives:

  1.  Business Education Opportunities

Over the next 6 months, the Chamber will be hosting many educational opportunities for business leaders covering an array of topics. From marketing to taxation to Integrating AI and innovation into your business operations, we are focused on supporting SME’s with both leader and employee‘s developmental needs.

  1. Economic Development Advocacy

The Chamber has been actively engaging with municipal and provincial leaders to review governance of economic development in Red Deer and Central Alberta. We’ve participated in calls to establish a review of Red Deer’s Economic Development Model and work is now underway with the formation of a City of Red Deer Council Committee populated with key community business people to review how Red Deer manages and leads economic development for the City.

  1. Membership Marketing and Promotion Project

To support SMEs in marketing their projects and products we are working on an initiative that will bring our members added marketing tools to use to promote and showcase their products and services to the community and to other businesses. Expanding the reach of your marketing efforts and connecting with more potential customers is what we are focused on. Going beyond social media advertising to building an inclusive business network is our goal. Stay tuned for more information on this initiative the coming months.

  1.  Homelessness Foundation

Following the completion of our Homelessness Taskforce Report presented in April 2024, the Chamber has been working with a Transition Team to take action on the recommendations in the report. Central to that report was the formation of an independent community-led Foundation that will work with agencies and businesses in Red Deer to drive solutions for the homelessness crisis we are facing here in Red Deer. As of January 1, we are happy to report that the Homeless Foundation of Red Deer Region has been formed and is working on recruiting a Board of Directors and establishing Policies to begin its work in 2025. You can inform yourself on progress and information on the work being done here:

https://www.reddeerchamber.com/homeless-task-force

As we move forward, our success depends on a united and engaged business community. I urge all of you, our members, to stay involved – whether by attending Chamber events, joining advocacy efforts, or sharing feedback with us on the issues that matter most to you. Together, we can ensure that government policies and regulations are designed with a common goal: fostering a vibrant, growth-oriented business climate in Central Alberta.

Let’s continue to build a future where Red Deer’s businesses not only survive but thrive. The Chamber is here to support you every step of the way, but we can only achieve our vision if we work together, as one voice, one community, and one powerful force for progress. Thank you for your commitment to Red Deer and for being part of the Chamber. Here’s to a prosperous 2025!

Sincerely,

Scott Robinson
CEO, Red Deer District Chamber

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Peavey Mart Centrium

Westerner Park Reflects on the Impact of Peavey Mart’s Closure

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Westerner Park acknowledges the recent announcement of Peavey Mart closing all its locations across Canada, and the significant impact this will have on our community.

Peavey Mart has been the naming sponsor of the Centrium since 2021, a partnership that has helped create lasting memories for thousands of Central Albertans. Their support extended beyond their name on the building—Peavey Mart embraced our community by participating in activities during Westerner Days and supplying essential items that brought these events to life.

“Our partnership with Peavey Mart exemplifies the kind of meaningful relationships that can have a lasting impact,” said Shelly Flint, CEO of Westerner Park. “While their closure is undoubtedly a loss for the community, we are grateful for the support they’ve provided over the years and remain committed to finding the right partnerships to continue serving Central Alberta.”

As Westerner Park navigates this transition, the organization remains as a hub of Central Alberta. This includes not only hosting more events and attractions on the park but also finding new ways to connect with the community. “Whether it’s collaborating on events outside of our grounds or encouraging our team to participate in local initiatives as volunteers, our focus remains on strengthening our ties with the people and organizations that make this region so vibrant,” Flint added.

Westerner Park is actively seeking businesses and organizations that share a vision of fostering growth and connection within the community. Any parties interested in exploring partnership opportunities are encouraged to reach out.


ABOUT WESTERNER PARK

Westerner Park is Central Alberta’s largest tradeshow, agricultural, sports, entertainment, and convention facility. A not-for-profit organization and agricultural society, Westerner Park typically generates $150 million annually in economic activity, hosting over 1,000 events and 1.5 million visitors each year.

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Alberta

CBC watchdog accuses outlet of biased coverage of Catholic school trustee opposing LGBT agenda

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Former Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools trustee Monique LaGrange

From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

The rebuke of the CBC comes in response to a September 2023 story the outlet published about Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools trustee Monique LaGrange, whose job was threatened for opposing gender ideology on social media.

The watchdog for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has ruled that the state-funded outlet expressed a “blatant lack of balance” in its covering of a Catholic school trustee who opposed the LGBT agenda being foisted on children.

“The article violated the principle of balance outlined in CBC’s Journalistic Standards And Practices,” CBC Ombudswoman Maxime Bertrand wrote, according to a January 29 article by Blacklock’s Reporter.

 

Bertrand added that the CBC’s coverage of the story provided “a perspective that can only be described as one-sided.”  

Bertrand’s rebuke of the CBC comes in response to a September 2023 story the outlet published about Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools trustee Monique LaGrange. LaGrange faced dismissal from her post for sharing to social media an image showing kids in Nazi Germany waving swastika flags during a parade alongside a photo depicting modern-day children waving pro-LGBT “Pride” flags. Under the images read the text, “Brainwashing is brainwashing.”  

After her post went viral, calls for her to step down grew from leftist Alberta politicians and others. This culminated in her removal as director of the Alberta Catholic School Trustees’ Association (ACSTA). It is worth noting that the Catholic Church infallibly condemns the precepts of gender ideology and the pro-LGBT agenda, including homosexual acts and transgenderism. 

In their coverage, the CBC interviewed the school board chair, the provincial minister of education, the Central Alberta Pride Society and president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, all of whom viewed her post as “repugnant.”  

However, Bertrand pointed out that the CBC failed to interview anyone in support of LaGrange, saying, “Sources offered only criticism of LaGrange with no one from the opposing side to defend her.” 

At the time, Campaign Life Coalition had written extensive articles praising LaGrange’s brave statement and calling on Canadians to support her.  

The CBC’s lack of fairness was not lost on its readers, as ratepayers submitted 31 pages’ worth of emails in support of the trustee, Blacklock’s reported.

Stephanie Coombs, director of journalism at CBC Edmonton, admitted that the network failed in their coverage of the incident, saying, “We could and should have dug deeper to determine what submissions had been made.” 

“I absolutely agree there is valuable key context worth discussing about the challenges many faith-based educational institutions face when reconciling religious doctrine with LGBTQ inclusive policies,” said Coombs. “Ms. LaGrange’s case is not an isolated incident.” 

While the CBC was called out in this case, there have been multiple instances of the outlet pushing what appears to be ideological content, including the creation of pro-LGBT material for kids, tacitly endorsing the gender mutilation of children, promoting euthanasia, and even seeming to justify the burning of mostly Catholic churches throughout the country. 

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