Alberta
It’s Red Deer University!

From Red Deer College and Todayville
One year after learning that it would become a university, Red Deer College reached another major milestone today, when the Government of Alberta came to RDC to announce the institution’s new name of Red Deer University.
“A university’s name is not only about higher education and programs it offers, but it serves as a beacon of pride for the community it serves. I look forward to officially celebrating this new name following Red Deer College’s successful transition to become Alberta’s newest university,” says Marlin Schmidt, Minister of Advanced Education.
The historic naming announcement was the culmination of months of community consultations, research and visioning undertaken by RDC and external consultants, Will Creative and Stormy Lake Consulting. The extensive consultation process involved nearly 400 people from Red Deer, Ponoka, Stettler and Rocky Mountain House, and it was designed to help RDC learn exactly what the College means to those it serves.
“We heard from a wide range of people, and their feedback reinforced the intense pride people have both in Red Deer College and the community in which we live,” says Morris Flewwelling, Board of Governors Chair. “People have a strong emotional connection with this institution, and that was a factor we considered when reviewing name options. We need to be grounded in our significant history as we look ahead to all that Red Deer University will become.”
As part of the naming process, RDC staff and consultants looked at best practices for post-secondary naming from across three continents and reviewed nearly 100 workable options that could capture the future brand. Coupled with the community feedback, Red Deer University emerged as the outstanding option to capture the legacy of RDC and its future as a comprehensive regional teaching university.
“The name, Red Deer University, is a good starting point for us as we continue to develop our institutional identity. I appreciate that the name acknowledges the grassroots of what the university will stand on, which is the legacy built by Red Deer College, while also reflecting our expansion and commitment to post-secondary education,” says Esther Schilling, Vice President Academic with the Students’ Association of Red Deer College.
Red Deer University will continue to build on the 55-year history of the College, offering students a breadth of programming and credentials across Trades, certificates, diplomas and degrees. By offering innovative, practical and sought-after programs, the University will continue to provide the programs that students, businesses and industry partners identify as vital to the region, and this mirrors feedback from the recent community consultations.
“When community members told us what they wanted our University to become, they used words such as transformative, recognized and innovative. With the ongoing support from our community members and partners, we will forge a new path for our University that represents all of these elements,” says Joel Ward, President & CEO. “Looking ahead, we are Red Deer College, and we are Red Deer University. We’re committed to keeping what makes us great, as a College, as we become the University of our future.”
Alberta
Premier Smith uses First Ministers’ meeting to catch up with Quebec Premier Legault and Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe

Premier Smith’s update from the Ottawa
Premier Danielle Smith participated in the First Ministers’ Meeting on health care in Ottawa and provided the following update.
Alberta is leading the country with major reform to health care. After 2.5 years of requests from Canada’s premiers, today, the federal government presented their plan. While this is a start, overall, this is significantly lower than the premiers anticipated. Premier Smith will take this information back to her team in Alberta in advance of meeting with Canada’s premiers again in the coming days.
Premier Smith also met with premiers François Legault of Quebec and Scott Moe of Saskatchewan in Ottawa in advance of today’s first ministers’ meeting.
Premier Smith and Premier Legault committed to a desired outcome for a health-care deal that recognizes and respects provincial jurisdiction over health delivery and leads to better outcomes for Albertans and Quebecers. Premier Smith stressed the importance of Alberta’s energy sector, advocating for the importance of natural gas exploration and development both for the growth of the Canadian economy and to provide energy security for Canada’s allies. Premier Legault reiterated his desire to invest in clean energy like hydroelectricity to fight climate change. Both premiers expressed concern about federal overreach and the need for the federal government to respect provincial autonomy in areas of provincial jurisdiction to better meet the needs of their citizens.
Premier Smith and Premier Moe expressed a need for flexibility in the delivery of health-care services, especially those that Alberta’s Healthcare Action Plan commits to, such as reducing surgical wait times, improving ambulance services and reducing emergency room wait times. Premier Smith emphasized Alberta’s progress on recovery-oriented care to support those struggling with mental health and addictions challenges and invited Premier Moe to Alberta to visit the province’s recovery-oriented treatment centres. The premiers also discussed the mutual importance of the energy sector to their provinces for job growth and export to Canada’s allies and a desire to work together on establishing economic corridors for trade and energy export.
Alberta
Premier Smith asks Prime Minister to halt “Just Transition” legislation

Premier Smith meets with the Prime Minister
Premier Danielle Smith met with the Prime Minister for approximately 30 minutes primarily discussing Alberta’s request for the federal government to halt the introduction of its proposed ‘Just Transition’ legislation and other emission reduction strategies.
The Premier asked the federal government to instead work collaboratively with the Government of Alberta on developing a plan and partnership to attract energy investment and workers into Alberta’s conventional, non-conventional and emerging energy sectors while reducing Canada’s and Alberta’s net emissions.
The Prime Minister expressed a willingness to explore this strategy with the Premier through their respective ministers and the Premier will be following up with further correspondence regarding proposed next steps in the near future.
The Premier used today’s discussion to outline Alberta’s expectations as to what must and must not be included in any future federal legislation, targets or policies as it relates to Alberta’s energy sector. These expectations included:
- Abandonment of any references to ‘just transition’ or any other terminology or policies that signal the phaseout of Alberta’s conventional or non-conventional energy sector or workforce.
- Increased workforce training and participation in all of the conventional, non-conventional and emerging energy sectors.
- The need for formal consultation and collaboration with Alberta before the federal government announces or implements legislation, targets or policies that materially impact Alberta’s energy sector.
- Substantial increase in LNG exports to Asia through the lens of meeting targets through replacement of higher emitting fuel sources with clean Canadian LNG.
- Joint federal-provincial initiatives to facilitate increased private investment in nuclear, hydrogen, bitumen beyond combustion, geothermal, lithium, helium, zero-emission vehicle, CCUS, petrochemical and other emerging technologies and fuels that make Alberta’s conventional and non-conventional energy sector increasingly carbon neutral.
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