Red Deer sees the glass as half empty while Blackfalds and the County see it as half full.

Garfield Marks

Published

4 years ago

4 minute read

The opinions expressed are those of the author.

The city dealt with a 10 year capital budget recently and what came out of it was a news article about not building a swimming pool. The gist of it is that if the city wins a lottery they will build a pool.

The city says it needs to win the Provincial Government lottery or the Federal Government lottery in order to build an Aquatic Centre that could cost a $1,000 per resident of Red Deer.

Let us revisit a spending article 4 months ago about Canada’s fastest growing community with a population over 5,000.

July 3 2019, and the town of Blackfalds announced they are expediting moving forward on twinning their Multi-Plex to the tune of $15 million, and $5 million to expand their library. This is only a few years after opening their $15 million Abbey Centre.

Blackfalds moved construction up a few years to avail themselves of economic savings. Construction costs are down while the industry has slowed and the residents will save money.

Granted it is still $2,000 per resident as Blackfalds only has 10,000 +/- residents.

The city of Red Deer is delaying discussing building an Aquatic Centre, 18 years after opening the Collicutt Centre.

Blackfalds, population of 10,400 will spend $1,500 per person twinning their multi-plex just a few short years after spending $2,000 per person on the Abbey Centre. $500 per resident on the library.

In just a few years Blackfalds is committing about $4,000 per resident on recreational facilities.

A story this past week, Bentley Alberta, population 1,078 recently opened a playground at a cost of $500 per resident. Fundraising and community support helped.

These are communities investing in themselves with councils that see solutions instead of problems.

The city says it is broke, after building new ice rinks, subsidizing ice rinks and will be paying for many years to come. The Harris rink will see million dollar payments for another 7 years or so from the city taxpayers. Keeping our debt levels up there.

Blackfalds built the Abbey Centre a few years ago, but at least 10 years after Red Deer built their last complex, Collicutt Centre, at a cost to Blackfalds, of about $2,000 per resident yet they are back in the game, now.

Sylvan Lake is investing in recreational infrastructure, the county is building. Due to tenders coming in 50% and lower real estate costs.

The County, Blackfalds, Sylvan Lake, and Penhold are seeing the glass as half full while our council sees the glass as half empty.

When ever you watch a documentary of a success story there is always the negative fearful book keeper trying to keep things status quo. Is there a documentary out there about book keepers seeing a half full glass? I don’t know.

I think that our city council is sated with book keepers and sorely lacking of much needed visionary leadership.

The terms to describe this council appears to be “Caretaker” and “Interim”. The feeling is this council is between generations, maintaining the status quo, until the next “Growth” or “Next Generation” council comes in.

Perhaps it is time for the next generation, open to new ideas and new processes open to more risk and investing in infrastructure that benefits all citizens of Red Deer. Just saying.

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Community

Shelly Flint Appointed as New CEO of Westerner Park

Published on September 23, 2023

Westerner Park

Westerner Park, a distinguished agricultural society and premier exhibition venue in the heart of Central Alberta, is pleased to announce Shelly Flint as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This decision culminates a thorough and extensive search process, with the Board of Directors expressing their enthusiasm for the promising journey ahead under Shelly’s leadership.

Tyler Nightingale, President of the Board of Directors, shared his excitement about the appointment, stating, “After a comprehensive search, we are thrilled to welcome Shelly. Her extensive experience, skill set, and knowledge align seamlessly with the strategic direction of Westerner Park, ensuring a positive and enduring impact on both the organization and the community at large.”

Tara Lodewyk, Red Deer City Manager, added, “Shelly immediately connected with the mission of Westerner Park and the value it brings to the culture of our city and region. We are looking forward to working together and are confident in her leadership of Westerner Park.”

For the past two decades, Shelly has served as a senior executive, spearheading diverse teams within Alberta’s dynamic entertainment and finance sectors. Her tenure as the former CFO at the Calgary Stampede equips her with a distinctive insight into the intricacies of Westerner Park, enabling her to adeptly navigate its challenges and leverage its opportunities. Coupled with her roots in Central Alberta, Shelly is poised to steer the Park towards growth and long-term sustainability.

Shelly expressed her eagerness to join Westerner Park, saying, “I was thrilled at the opportunity to return to Central Alberta, where I grew up! Leading this purpose-driven organization will allow me to contribute to my community and affect meaningful change.”

Shelly Flint’s robust leadership, commitment to community, and extensive experience makes her an exceptional choice to lead Westerner Park into the future. The entire Westerner Park team eagerly anticipates the positive impact she will bring to this renowned institution.

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 1,500 events and 1.5 million visitors each year.

Community

The Food Bank Wins

Published on September 16, 2023

Todayville

News release from 100 Women Who Care

The room was buzzing with energy and connection on Monday night – what a great way to kick off the fall with a full-house!

Thanks to everyone who joined us, with a special thank you to the 14 new members and their friends who encouraged them to join. There were also a few ladies simply checking out the vibe and we hope to see them again.

We had three excellent, engaging presentations from:

Judy-Ann Wybenga – Red Deer Food Bank Society

Jean Stinson – Red Deer Action Group Society

Lisa Smith – Central Alberta Pregnancy Care Centre

Congratulations to Judy-Ann! Our donations are going to the Red Deer Food Bank Society for their Community Kitchen initiative. We sure hope we get two big cans on the donor board. (Inside joke, ya had to be there! )

There are two ways to make your donations to the Red Deer Food Bank through the Red Deer and District Community Foundation:

Mail a cheque to the Red Deer & District Community Foundation at 4901 48 St #503, Red Deer, AB T4N 6M4. Please write “100+ Women RD” along with “Red Deer Food Bank” in the memo line.

Use this link or QR code to donate – just be sure to note Red Deer Food Bank on the online form. If you can, please consider adding $4 to your online donation to cover the Foundation’s processing fees. Simply click on the link to do so – no need to add it to your donation.

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/67021

The Red Deer and District Community Foundation manages our donations and ensures that they arrive all present and accounted for to the recipient charities. Erin Peden, Executive Director of the RDDCF (and 100+ Women member) gave us an enlightening date on the amazing work happening at the Foundation. It sure had both of us thinking about ways we can support it more.

Thank you Jody Wianko for the update from CMHA. Our donation helped more that 340 people since April.

Kim Mortimer, The SnapHappy Photographer, was everywhere in the room getting great action shots. The sample above from April’s meeting shows what a fun, yet serious, group we are. It’s so great having you at the meetings, Kim. And for bringing friends!

There is so much happening in Central Alberta! Here are a few of the community announcements:

We asked and these gals delivered! Jillian donated a beautiful autumn arrangement and two tickets to the Mustard Seed’s Bowls for Bellies event. Shelley donated a $100 gift certificate from her family business, Twisted Steel Blacksmithing. Annamarie donated a gorgeous fresh bouquet on behalf of Hucal and Edwards Orthodontics.

We asked and you delivered! The Central Alberta Women’s Emergency Shelter and Safe Harbour Society are very grateful for the generous donations of toiletries and personal care items.

It was great to see so many people arrive early to socialize and a number that stuck around after the meeting to keep the evening’s energy going. Thank you to Mary Warrener, Samantha Sheridan and Gail Bellanger for all their help at the registration desk, collecting and counting ballots, and generally keeping us organized. Thanks also to everyone who assisted with the post-meeting clean up. We hardly had to lift a finger and it gave us a chance to visit a few of you.

And lastly – aargh – EMAIL ISSUES! We have heard from many of you that you’re not getting our emails, so we took some time before sending this out to restructure our email list. Fingers crossed that it worked! Please respond to the read request. This will help us gauge who is and who isn’t getting the emails. Please compare notes with your 100+ Women friends, too, by asking if they received this email and letting us know if there are still gaps. Our apologies to everyone who hasn’t been in the loop and we that this is rectified “toot sweet” .