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City of Red Deer

Province nixes first choice so City Council negotiating Plan B for homeless shelter location

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City formally recommends site for future shelter in Red Deer

A future shelter site is being recommended to the Province of Alberta following today’s City Council meeting after Mayor Johnston and members of City Council met with and worked with the Province of Alberta last week to find the right site for Red Deer.

At this time, The City of Red Deer is unable to share the location of the recommended site because land negotiations must still occur.

On September 12, 2022, City Council selected a potential site for recommendation to the Province of Alberta, and after engaging with provincial counterparts, providing additional information, and exploring further site considerations, the site that was initially considered, was determined to be unsuitable. With this
in mind, City Council has now selected another location, which will be formally recommended to the Province of Alberta today.

“We have already involved and engaged our provincial colleagues, and we anticipate our recommendation will be formally accepted,” said Mayor Ken Johnston. “This is an exciting step in the process, and we will continue to work with our provincial counterparts and the private landowner of the recommended site as we navigate next steps.”

The current landowner of the recommended site is aware of The City’s recommendation to the Province of Alberta.

“We know our community has been awaiting a decision about the future location for the future shelter,” said Johnston. “I want to assure our community we will share the future location as soon as possible but right now, we have a legal responsibility to work through these negotiations while respecting the role of the Province of Alberta and the private landowner.”

“I truly believe the proposed site will foster integration and innovation in a whole new way as we look to address the unique challenges those experiencing homelessness face daily. I believe we have recommended the right site for Red Deer – a site that considers the needs of not only our most vulnerable but the needs of our entire community. The site being recommended by City Council considers the input of our community, stakeholders, and partners in this process. I speak on behalf of my Council when I say how appreciative we are of our community’s contribution to the site selection process and that we have truly listened to what our community shared with us,” said Johnston.

For more information on the future shelter project, visit www.reddeer.ca/shelter.

City of Red Deer

Red Deer will choose a new Mayor as Ken Johnston decides to step away

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It’s a telling detail about the person who leads Red Deer City Council.  Always putting the city’s needs ahead of his own, Mayor Ken Johnston has announced his intentions within days of the opening of  Nominations for October’s municipal elections,

After 12 years on council, Mayor Ken Johnston has decided against running for a second term as Mayor this fall.  Johnson shared his decision in front of colleagues and supporters in a touching announcement on Wednesday.

At 71 years old, Johnston remains vibrant, passionate and healthy. He says that’s exactly why he and his wife Carolyn have decided now is the right time to start their next stage of life together.

Mayor Johnston listed a number of highlights and achievements he can look back on, including his help advocating for the redevelopment of Red Deer Regional Hospital, the growth of Red Deer Polytechnic, and positive moves in Economic Development.

All these lead of a feeling of ease about the decision to step away, though affordable housing and a permanent shelter for the homeless remain pressing concerns.

With about 8 months remaining in his term, Mayor Johnston is planning to push hard to move the needle on these housing issues.

“We’re looking forward to some more work and we’ll be going to the community shortly about it. So I still have optimism that maybe before the term is out we can have an announcement.”

This is the second major political announcement in Central Alberta in the last number of days.  Earlier this week Red Deer Mountain View MP Earl Dreeshen announced he won’t be running in the next federal election.

 

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City of Red Deer

Council ends reduced fine option for early ticket payment, school and playground zones start at 7 AM

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City Council approves first reading of updated Traffic Bylaw and General Penalty Bylaw

Red Deer City Council completed first reading of updated Traffic Bylaw (3707/2025) and General Penalties Bylaw (3036/A-2025) that will provide clarity and consistency in application of the bylaws as well as eliminate challenges in enforcement.

Key updates to the bylaws include:

  1. Ticket Pre-Payment:
    • Removing the option to pay a parking ticket early to receive a reduced fee from the General Penalty Bylaw and adding it to the Traffic Bylaw.
  1. School and Playground Zone Start Times:
    • Through investigating requests from schools to have school and playground zones start at 7 a.m., rather than 8 a.m., Administration determined that almost all school and playground zones in the city have students on the street prior to 7:30 a.m. To be consistent across the city, the start time is being moved to 7 a.m. providing an added measure of safety for all students.
  1. Salt on Sidewalks:
    • Removing the provision prohibiting the use of salt on sidewalks as this provision was rarely reported and it is difficult and costly to enforce.
  1. Permits:
    • More structure was added to the bylaw to clearly articulate conditions and requirements of Use of Streets Permits, as well as Excavation Permits and Alignment Permits.
    • Lastly, fees for closures impacting on-street and off-street stalls have been adjusted to reflect the actual revenue in each parking zone rather than the flat fee.
  1. Penalties:
    • Penalties have been reviewed and updated.
    • During the last bylaw adoption, the penalty associated with vehicles being towed due to snow or street sweeping operations was inadvertently missed. This penalty has been added back in at a slightly higher amount due to an increase in the cost to tow a vehicle through The City’s contractor. This prevents the costs associated with towing vehicles during these operations from being subsidized by the tax base.

“These updates streamline the bylaws to create clarity for residents and administration,” said Erin Stuart, Inspections and Licensing Manager with The City. “They also help to eliminate regulations that are challenging to enforce and bring penalties in line with other City Bylaws.”

Second reading of both bylaws is anticipated for January 27, 2025.

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