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City of Red Deer

Ed Howell Emergency Services Training Centre officially opens

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Red Deer Emergency Services (RDES) official opened the new Ed Howell Emergency Services Training Tower today through a ceremony and community event.

“It was my great honor to officially open the new Ed Howell Emergency Services Training Tower this morning,” said Mayor Ken Johnston. “This facility will be a wonderful asset for our first responder community for many years to come.”

The complete training centre will provide a wide range of training opportunities to both Red Deer Emergency Services and the wider first-responder community in Alberta. The centre can be rented by community fire departments, oil and gas businesses, police forces, and many other organizations that require emergency response training.

The over 9,000 square foot training tower offers comprehensive training scenarios for crews, including house, basement suite, garage and commercial building fire scenarios, hazardous material emergency response, collapsed structure response, elevator rescue and much more.

The training centre is named after beloved, long-serving RDES employee Ed Howell who championed training amongst his colleagues throughout his career spanning nearly thirty years from 1965 to 1994.

“As first-responders, it is critical that we are prepared to respond to any scenario with skill, knowledge and expertise. Our ability to do so can mean the difference between life and death,” said Ken McMullen, Acting General Manager for Development & Protective Services, and Chief of Red Deer Emergency Services. “Ed was a true leader who spearheaded training programs for Red Deer Emergency Services. His legacy of service excellence and safety for first responders will continue to thrive in this new facility.”

Construction of the $4.32 million fire training tower was completed in April of 2022, and was made possible through the Government of Canada’s Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.

City of Red Deer

Nominations are in for the by-election to replace beloved citizen and City Councillor Michael Dawe

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Nominations are in for the 2024 By-Election

The nominations are in for the historic By-Election that will take place in Red Deer on April 22, 2024.

“This is history in the making,” said Jessica Robinson, Returning Officer for The City of Red Deer. “For the first time, Red Deer residents will take to the polls to fill a vacant Councillor seat, and these 10 candidates have added their names on the ballot.”

The 10 candidates running for Councillor in the upcoming By-Election are:

  • BUCHANAN, S.H. (Buck)
  • CHILIBECK, Jason
  • COLLINGS, Mark
  • CULLEN-SAIK, Linda
  • HUIZING, Hans
  • KRAHN, Chad
  • MACDONALD, Ashley
  • MILANEY, Liam (The Level)
  • TWEEDLE, Jaelene
  • YZERMAN, Calvin

By-Election Day is Monday, April 22, 2024, with advance voting days on April 18, 19 and 20.

Residents are encouraged to visit elections.reddeer.ca for information about the Election including the full list of candidates, voting opportunities, and frequently asked questions.

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City of Red Deer

Land Use Bylaw changes to promote more housing options and more overlap between commercial, industrial and residential

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Public Hearing on updated Land Use Bylaw on April 15

At Monday’s regular City Council meeting, City Council passed first reading on the Land Use Bylaw, also known as the Zoning Bylaw, triggering a legislatively required public hearing to be held on April 15.

Notable proposed changes include:

  • Reducing 11 residential districts to 9 zones
  • Reducing 7 commercial districts to 6 zones
  • Reducing 5 industrial districts to 3 zones
  • More permitted uses in each zone
  • More gentle density options to provide increased housing options, including house suites, backyard suites, tiny homes, and duplexes
  • Increased building heights, that considers sightlines and privacy of existing dwellings
  • Greater flexibility for development applications
  • New regulations to gently transition existing neighbourhoods to maintain characte

A summary of all proposed changes can be viewed online at reddeer.ca/LUBreview.

Items not changing in the proposed Zoning Bylaw include:

  • Waskasoo and Woodlea Character Statements
  • Signage regulations
  • Any property with existing regulations

With the passing of first reading, the public is invited to provide additional input at the Public Hearing during the regular City Council meeting on April 15, 2024. Following the Public Hearing, City Council can consider additional amendments to the proposed bylaw.

“The changes won’t result in drastic changes to our cityscape overnight, but instead will lead to slow and gentle changes, including making development easier and allow for more permitted uses,” said Emily Damberger, Manager of City Planning & Growth. “We invite our public to read the proposed bylaw, including the summary of potential changes in advance of the Public Hearing on April 15.”

The proposed Land Use Bylaw or Zoning Bylaw can be viewed in its entirety on reddeer.ca/LUBreview.

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