Opinion
Red Deer’s A-List talks swimming but the city talks Pickleball
Alberta is forecasting to lead the country in economic growth again next year. Red Deer is expecting thus preparing for more declines in economic growth.
Alberta is expecting population growth of almost 4% next year while Red Deer talks of declining population. Blackfalds leads the country in population growth again and is also, again expanding their recreational facilities. Lethbridge with a population growth making it one of the fastest growing cities in the country is also investing in more recreational facilities.
Red Deer’s A-list came out and interesting enough the number one activity mentioned was swimming and the city is talking about delaying building the Aquatic Centre for another 4 years for finishing in 2025. The A-list also says the favourite location is the Collicutt Centre, located in the south-east corner of the city, the city wants to just replace the downtown pool with it’s inherent traffic and parking problems which would only be multiplied with hoped for population growth.
Red Deer A-list stresses swimming, the city should be facilitating an accelerated expansion of swimming pools but they are delaying the construction of another pool for another 30 years. Fear not remember the city is spending a million on pickle ball courts.
The city hopes to attract 25,000 new residents north of Hwy 11a in the north-west corner of the city. No plans for a swimming pool, they can travel downtown exasperating traffic and parking issues or travel to the Collicutt Centre in the south-east corner of the city which is the preferred choice of the 60% of the city’s recreational population.
Why not, as there will not be any high schools north of the river, anyways, with 5 high schools built and planned for east of 30th Avenue, just beside or down the road from the Collicutt Centre.
2023 will be a pivotal year in Red Deer. Red Deer will be reduced to having only 3 pools.
Collicutt Centre will be celebrating it’s 22 anniversary just as the shovels hit the dirt on a proposed replacement Multi-plex Aquatic Centre.
2001 the Collicutt opened it’s doors for the first time. Red Deer’s population was a hefty 68,308 residents.
1991 Mayor McGhee and council decided it was prudent for Red Deer to have a fourth recreational complex. The population was 58,252 residents and a recreational centre for every 15,000 was the established goal.
2001 Red Deer’s fourth recreational centre opened to a population ratio of a recreational centre for every 17,077 residents. Already behind the target.
There was, as recently as last year that the ratio of 1 indoor ice rink per 15,000 was established as determined for recreational complexes. With that in mind we should have built a new recreational complex with a swimming pool, in 2004 when the population was at 75,923. Giving us 5 recreation centres or 1 for every 15,000 residents as was deemed appropriate. Then again in 2010 when our population was 90,084 we should have built the 6th recreational complex.
If we followed this reasoning we should be planning on opening our 7th recreational complex because our population is 99,832 according to our last municipal census and if we were to grow at 1.2% annually we should hit 120,000 in 2021.
That did not and will not happen. The best we can hope for is a replacement Aquatic Centre to open in 2025.
The ideal goal is one for every 15,000 residents but if we build a 5th recreational complex with an indoor pool then we would have to settle for 1 for every 24,000 residents, which is better than just replacing a pool, as currently planned.
A fifth recreational complex north of hwy 11a would service the residents, expand tourism and kick start development north of 11a.
The current thinking is the city will tear down the downtown recreation centre and build the aquatic centre there. Leaving us with only 4 or 1 recreational complex for every 30,000 residents.
Instead of 7 we would be left with 4 for another 25 years.
What do we do? Councillor Tanya Handley has declared that she cannot support building the aquatic centre downtown with poor parking but would support building it as Councillor Frank Wong has been advocating, north of 11a near Hazlett Lake to kick start development. Newcomer Councillor Michael Dawe would consider moving the aquatic centre as would another.
That gives us 4 councillors but with 8 councillors and the mayor voting on the issue in a year, we need the commitment of 5 to ensure a new pool and not just a replacement.
I am asking all councillors and the mayor to commit to building a new aquatic centre north of 11a. Why now?
The city is a bureaucracy that tends to move slowly and in precise steps. It is always too early then it’s too late. We need commitment now so the city can make the necessary adjustments when necessary. Please commit.
I was on the citizen committee that made the recommendations cited by the city. Those recommendations was made on the premise of (1)an immediate build when (2) no land was available for a new aquatic centre. There is now a delayed construction start and there is lots of land available for a new build.
So while the province and neighbouring communities are investing in recreational facilities and reaping the rewards of economic and population growth why is Red Deer taking the reverse route?
I guess I will learn to play pickle ball.
Censorship Industrial Complex
Jordan Peterson reveals DEI ‘expert’ serving as his ‘re-education coach’ for opposing LGBT agenda
From LifeSiteNews
The Ontario College of Psychologists has selected Jordan Peterson’s “re-education coach” for having publicly opposed the LGBT agenda.
In a June 16 op-ed published by the National Post, Canadian psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson revealed that U.K. citizen Harry Cayton will guide him through the mandatory training.
“In the last week … the College has re-established contact, after months of unnecessary delay, which occurred in violation of their own order and guidelines. They have made me an entirely new offer, all the while insisting that this was their intent all along, which it most clearly was not,” Peterson said.
“All they really want, it turns out, is one two-hour session, which will not involve any ‘social media’ training,” he further explained. “This will be conducted by a man — one Harry Cayton — a citizen of the U.K., who is neither social media expert, according to the College and is definitely not a psychologist.”
Harry Cayton, a supposed expert on “professional regulation and governance,” is known professionally for promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
In 2021, he was appointed to conduct an independent review of the British Columbia Law Society’s governance structure, specifically examining how it supports DEI goals.
Additionally, in 2022, while appearing on Ascend Radio’s podcast, Cayton argued there should be more DEI regulations in professional associations.
Peterson has promised to make the details of his “re-education” public, questioning why the College wishes to hide what Cayton plans to discuss with him.
“If I am the intransigent fool, and he is the wizard to set things right, why not bless everyone interested with his wisdom, and allow them to participate in the restructuring of my psyche and eventual enlightening? Why the concern with confidentiality?” he asked.
Peterson also explained that he will publicize the training “so that people who are interested can decide for themselves what is going on.”
In January 2024, Peterson lost his appeal of the board’s decision to compel him to undergo mandatory re-education, meaning that he must attend the training or risk losing his license to practice psychology in Ontario.
Peterson also revealed that his “legal options have” now “been exhausted” after Ontario’s highest court rejected his appeal of the College’s 2022 ruling that his public political statements ran afoul of the administrative board’s rules and that he must therefore submit to, and personally pay for, a “coaching program” on professionalism.
Peterson is a widely-known critic of Canada’s increasingly totalitarian government. He has also spoken frequently on the need for young men to accept and take on personal responsibility. While he has seemingly inspired others to explore Christianity, he has not yet espoused a personal belief in any religion, though he affirmed his wife Tammy in her decision to convert to Catholicism in 2024.
From the Fraser Institute
Myths, fallacies and ideological rhetoric continue to dominate the climate policy discussion, leading to costly and ineffective government policies,
according to a new study published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, nonpartisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
“When considering climate policies, it’s important to understand what the science and analysis actually show instead of what the climate alarmists believe to be true,” said Kenneth P. Green, Fraser Institute senior fellow and author of Four Climate Fallacies.
The study dispels several myths about climate change and popular—but ineffective—emission reduction policies, specifically:
• Capitalism causes climate change: In fact, according to several environment/climate indices and the Fraser Institute’s annual Economic Freedom of the World Index, the more economically free a country is, the more effective it is at protecting its environment and combatting climate change.
• Even small-emitting countries can do their part to fight climate change: Even if Canada reduced its greenhouse gas emissions to zero, there would be
little to no measurable impact in global emissions, and it distracts people from the main drivers of emissions, which are China, India and the developing
world.
• Vehicle electrification will reduce climate risk and clean the air: Research has shown that while EVs can reduce GHG emissions when powered with
low-GHG energy, they often are not, and further, have offsetting environmental harms, reducing net environmental/climate benefits.
• Carbon capture and storage is a viable strategy to combat climate change: While effective at a small scale, the benefits of carbon capture and
storage to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions on a massive scale are limited and questionable.
“Citizens and their governments around the world need to be guided by scientific evidence when it comes to what climate policies make the most sense,” Green said.
“Unfortunately, the climate policy debate is too often dominated by myths, fallacies and false claims by activists and alarmists, with costly and ineffective results.”
Kenneth P. Green
Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
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