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Hazlett Lake

Published

7 years ago

6 minute read

Hey everyone,

What is the biggest lake in Red Deer? You guessed it, Hazlett Lake! It’s right there, just north of HWY 11A. Plans to develop this area are in the works as we speak. It has been projected that over the next 20 years or so this area will become home to about 20,000+ new Red Deerians.

Hazlett lake has the potential to be the great equalizer for our city. Let’s be honest, over the years, the south side of the river has gotten most of the attention. To put it lightly, there is a split in our city that is cultural as well as geographical. The natural barrier of the river need not demarcate where our city invests and how our city grows.

So, let’s talk about the potential of this area. My first thought is that there could be a high school near Hazlett Lake. This would service the growing north side of Red Deer. Also, there is potential to benefit the county and nearby communities by partnering and sharing resources. Maybe Blackfalds would benefit from this?

There could be a recreation centre near Hazlett Lake that would bring the same level of service to the residents of Johnstone and Kentwood as people in Inglewood and Anders receive. On a side note, I say LEAVE the downtown recreation centre as it is, don’t go ahead with plans to build a giant aquatic centre on the park behind the current outdoor pool. That park has immense value to our downtown and we need to preserve natural assets like that.

As another side note if Camrose can do it, Red Deer can do it as well, when we build a new aquatic centre it should have solar panels on its roof. It’ll save money and lower our carbon footprint. Win! Win! But that’s another conversation.

The road that will eventually be built to better connect North and South will open up the entire region north of HWY 11A. But we need to be cautious to not design for urban sprawl. We need to balance all mobility options upfront so that we’re not trying to retrofit in bike lanes and jam in busses after-the-fact. We really have the potential to design a mobility efficient neighbourhood that is pleasant and safe to walk, bike, ride the bus and/or drive in. As you know I am a huge fan of walkability, I made a 10 part video series about walking in Red Deer. Check them out and you’ll see what I mean. (YouTube: Wieler4RD).

Hazlett Lake is an environmental asset that we need to protect and enhance. As we develop this area we would be well served to do so in a way that restores this delicate wetland and preserves it for the future. There needs to be sufficient buffer space between roads and buildings and the waters edge. Runoff needs to be managed so that there isn’t contamination and erosion problems. Wildlife habitat needs to be taken into consideration.

Environmental challenges aside there will be other obstacles. Road access will be one of the biggest as there are only 2 major access points; one straight through Taylor Drive and the other off HWY 2A near Precision Drilling. So it will be even more important to make this area sufficiently walkable and balance all mobility options so we don’t create a traffic jam dystopia.

Another challenge is emergency services, especially to the area across the river from the golf course to the North East, as there will only be one way in and emergency response times will be stretched. One way to overcome this is to design for sufficient density in this area and create a sustainable tax base to meet the required level of service. Another way, perhaps better, is to design for minimal density and not make emergency access to the North East corner an issue to begin with.

Hazlett lake in terms of environmental and social capital could rival what we Red Deerians love so much about our river valley. Let’s build on the success of the past and place the same standards of environmental and social sustainability into our plans to develop Hazlett lake that we put into natural assets like Heritage Ranch and Kerry Wood Nature Centre.

I would love to hear your thoughts on all this. Twitter works great (@Wieler4RD) and Facebook too, or let’s have coffee!

Cheers,

For more info see: North Of 11A Major Area Structure Plan

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I have lived in Red Deer since I was a child. This is the community that I choose to raise my family in and where I choose to operate my business. I am grateful for all of the opportunities I have had in this city and I will give back to the community through service, passion and conversation. I am curious. I am personal. I am BOLD.

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Community

Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis condemns MAiD in Parliament as targeting nation’s most vulnerable

Published on December 3, 2023

By

From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

‘I call upon with government to reverse its course and instead provide help and hope for Canadians suffering with mental health conditions’

Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis condemned the Trudeau government’s treatment of Canada’s most vulnerable, revealing that 36 Canadians are euthanized every day.  

On November 28, Dr. Leslyn Lewis, Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Haldimand-Norfolk, Ontario, addressed Parliament on the dangers of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), the euphemistic name for Canada’s euthanasia regime.

“The poor, homeless, the abused, veterans, seniors, youth, adults suffering with disabilities, those suffering with depressions, and mental health conditions,” Lewis said. “These are among the most vulnerable in our society that are falling through the cracks of Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying regime.”  

“They are the ones who will be at risk when the MAiD laws in Canada are expanded in March 2024,” the pro-life MP added. “Last year, death by euthanasia increased by 30 percent from the year before. Every day in Canada, 36 people use MAiD to end their lives, which is the highest in the world.” 

“I call upon with government to reverse its course and instead provide help and hope for Canadians suffering with mental health conditions,” Lewis appealed.    

On March 9, 2024, MAiD is set to expand to include those suffering solely from mental illness. This is a result of the 2021 passage of Bill C-7, which also allowed the chronically ill – not just the terminally ill – to qualify for so-called doctor-assisted death.  

The mental illness expansion was originally set to take effect in March of this year. However, after massive pushback from pro-life groups, conservative politicians and others, the Liberals under Trudeau delayed the introduction of the full effect of Bill C-7 until 2024 via Bill C-39.

The expansion comes despite warnings from top Canadian psychiatrists that the country is “not ready” for the coming expansion of euthanasia to those who are mentally ill, saying expanding the procedure is not something “society should be doing” as it could lead to deaths under a “false pretense.” 

“Unfortunately, there is no reprieve in sight as think Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) becomes a national horror and the ‘professionals’ sharpen up their needles,” Ireland told LifeSiteNews. 

“We have reached the point where we must all protect each other from MAiD,” she noted. 

Euthanasia deaths have gone through the roof in Canada since it became legal in 2016. 

According to Health Canada, in 2022, 13,241 Canadians died by MAiD lethal injection, which is 4.1 percent of all deaths in the country for that year, and a 31.2 percent increase from 2021. 

The number of Canadians killed by lethal injection since 2016 now stands at 44,958.

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Community

MNP steps in to help youth “Move Your Mood” at the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence

Published on November 30, 2023

By

Ribbon Cut at the Newly Named MNP Move Your Mood Studio in the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence

The ribbon has been officially cut, and a new name announced for the MNP Move Your Mood Studio inside the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence.

The MNP Move Your Mood Studio held its naming ceremony and ribbon cutting on Tuesday, November 21st. Move Your Mood, an Alberta Health Services program, occupies a portion of Floor 2 inside the new Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence on the main campus of Red Deer Polytechnic.

The new MNP Move Your Mood Studio has a large space for classes and physical activity, complete with a climbing wall, physical activity gaming wall, and kitchen.

A significant contribution was made on behalf of the partner group from MNP’s Central Alberta region. This contribution reflects their commitment to investing in the communities that they are a part of.

“On behalf of the Central Alberta partner group and our entire team across the region, we are elated to celebrate the MNP Move Your Mood Studio,” says Patrick Wigmore, Regional Managing Partner for MNP in Central Alberta. “At MNP we truly believe that making a positive difference in the communities where we live, work, and play is a fundamental part of who we are. Our partners throughout the region believe that pooling our efforts together to create a greater impact for organizations like Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre and in turn, Move Your Mood, will leave a lasting legacy of positive impacts in Central Alberta. The decision to support the CACAC was unanimous.”

Move Your Mood is a research-based program that promotes physical activity and healthy lifestyle practices to improve the mental and physical well-being of participants. The MYM program provides opportunities for participants to experience how to move their bodies, fuel their bodies, practice mindfulness, and build positive coping strategies.

“We would like to thank MNP for their generous donation to the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence and helping make this dream come true for children and youth in our community. We are grateful and honoured to share the name of the MNP Move Your Mood Studio and look forward to the opportunities this space will provide our entire community in the future. The space will be up and running in the New Year.” – Denise Fredeen, Health Promotion Facilitator at Move Your Mood.

The MNP Move Your Mood Studio will be a shared space for all children and youth accessing services at the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence. The Studio will be a place where children and youth can learn positive coping strategies to improve their mental and physical wellness through interactive opportunities. There will be opportunities for them to play, practice mindfulness, be physically active, learn how to make healthy snacks and take part in creative activities.

The space will provide professionals in the building an opportunity to create positive connections and teach children and youth skills they can continue to be active and healthy for life. The space will also provide opportunities for prevention work with students in the community and a space for future training of RDP students and MYM Coaches.

To learn more about the MNP Move Your Mood Studio and its programming, please email
[email protected] or visit www.moveyourmood.ca.

About MNP: National in scope and local in focus, MNP is one of Canada’s leading professional services firms — proudly serving individuals, businesses, and organizations since 1958. Through the development of strong relationships, we provide client-focused accounting, consulting, tax, and digital services. Our clients benefit from personalized strategies with a local perspective to fuel success wherever business takes them. For more information, visit www.mnp.ca

About CACAC: The Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre is a not-for-profit organization rooted in the protection and recovery of today’s most innocent and vulnerable – our children. The Centre is comprised of a collective that is driven by the courage to support children, youth, and their families affected by abuse, enabling them to build enduring strength and overcome adversity. We work in a collaborative partnership with the Alberta Children and Family Services, Alberta Health Services, Alberta Justice, Alberta Education, Red Deer Polytechnic, the Central Alberta Sexual Assault Support Centre and the RCMP. Together we harness our collective courage to provide children with
supported recovery. For more information on CACAC and the Sheldon Kennedy Centre of Excellence, please visit: centralalbertacac.ca

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