Red Deer
Common Sense Red Deer calls for caution from City Council considering 2024 budget

From Common Sense Red Deer
‘Tis the season for budget adjustments.
At this time of year, City Councils across the province are reevaluating their budgets and setting the financial course for the coming year.
What they should be doing is taking a close look at spending and seeing where they can cut back!
But, if recent developments in Calgary and Edmonton tell us anything, that’s the complete opposite of what is actually happening.
Thanks to recently passed budget amendments, Calgarians are staring down a 7.8% tax hike, while our neighbours in Edmonton are grappling with a 6.6% property tax increase.
Thankfully, that’s not what happened in Red Deer – but only because there were no budget adjustments in Red Deer at all!
Red Deer’s budget adjustments were supposed to begin at the November 27th Council meeting.
But, that discussion has been rescheduled to January 23rd, 2024.
Why?
Apparently, Administration needs a little more time to assess how much money will actually be available at the end of 2023.
Remember that this is the second year of a multi-year budget that already had a 4.12% increase built in for 2024.
Who knows what they’ll be proposing in January?
Recently, we shared with you how successful Red Deer County has been at managing their finances.
For the eighth consecutive year, the County received the Government Finance Officers Association’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.
They may be close by, but their commitment to transparent, accountable budgeting is a world apart.
Red Deerians deserve transparency and accountability.
It might be bad in Edmonton and Calgary, but at least they know how bad it actually is.
We have to wait and see…
We refuse to accept higher taxes without a fight.
At Common Sense Red Deer, we’ll be watching the adjustments closely and keeping you informed.
As we prepare, your support is crucial.
If you can spare $5, $10, or even $25 toward our efforts, please click here to make a donation.
Your support will power our advocacy efforts and fuel our fight to ensure Council stays focused on core priorities.
Together, we can ensure that Red Deer does not follow in the troubling footsteps set by other cities.
Let’s continue to make our voices heard, demand answers, and fight for a better, more transparent City.
Regards,
-The Common Sense Red Deer Team
Peavey Mart Centrium
Westerner Park Reflects on the Impact of Peavey Mart’s Closure

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

Former Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools trustee Monique LaGrange
From LifeSiteNews
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.
“It may not be fair to call it a smear campaign,” Bertrand determined. “However, the blatant lack of balance could reasonably lead one to perceive some degree of bias.”
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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