Community
We Remember: Virtual Remembrance Day Ceremony by Red Deer Public Schools

Recognizing Remembrance Day in our schools and remembering those who fought and continue to fight for our freedom is extremely important to students and staff in Red Deer Public Schools – in fact, it’s one of the biggest ceremonies on our school calendar each year.
For a second year in a row, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools are not able to host their traditional Remembrance Day ceremonies given the limits on assemblies in schools. Red Deer Public Schools had to come up with a creative idea on how all 12,000 of our students and staff would commemorate Remembrance Day. Schools came together and a dynamic video was produced that was shown Division-wide earlier today.
“Our Remembrance Day video has a strong local connection with a variety of our schools participating in the production,” said Chad Erickson, Superintendent. “We showcased the 100th year of the poppy, the Flags of Remembrance, which can be seen lining Highway 11 near Sylvan Lake, in the Town of Sylvan Lake and in Lacombe, as well as in other locations across the country. In both an act of remembrance as well as establishing an enduring legacy, we also included a major announcement regarding a $1 million Memorial Bursary Fund in memory of William Arthur Bower, a Red Deer student who was killed in action in 1916 in World War I at the age of 22. Five scholarships of $5,000 each will be awarded every year to students graduating within Red Deer Public Schools and the Red Deer Regional Catholic School Division who are attending a post-secondary institution. Students can reapply for up to four years.
“Throughout the Division-wide video we also showcased amazing student art with Remembrance Day themes.”
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Business leaders decide it’s time to reduce the number of homeless in Red Deer

News release from the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce
Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce to form Task Force on Homelessness in Red Deer
The Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce will be convening a Task Force of community and business leaders to address the issues of homelessness and identify actionable steps which can be taken to tackle this generational challenge in Red Deer.
“With the release of the City of Red Deer’s Point in Time (PIT) Report on homelessness last week we are very concerned and disappointed with the effectiveness of the strategies currently in place, and the urgency by which we need to turn this situation around within our city,” commented Scott Robinson CEO of the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce. “Clearly our current strategies are not enough, and we need to elevate the urgency by which we get things done to reduce the number of citizens who are without a place to live. The growing number of people who are homeless is not sustainable and is impacting on our sense of pride, safety and attractiveness of our city to business and industry.”
“We will share more about this Task Force and the next steps in the coming weeks. Time has run out to act with conviction, courage, and clarity. Our community and citizens deserve that from our community leaders, and we are ready to bring the business community and the urgency required to the table.”
Over the next 60 days, the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce will be reaching out to its business and social agency partners to build the Task Force on homelessness and establish a strategy to address the critical steps that need to be taken to reverse the trends and further our community’s vision as a vibrant and healthy city.
Matt Cassidy, Chamber Board President. remarked “Our Chamber is positioned to be the collaborative leader in connecting our business community, social agencies, and elected officials together, to find tangible progress on this complex issue. All businesses rely on the vibrancy of our community as they strive to be sustainable, innovative, or grow, and the results of the PIT Report indicate that we need to do much more. This task force will help hold our leaders accountable for the actionable progress needed and engage one another effectively.”
“In speaking with our membership, and those working closely with the vulnerable populations there are best practices and models for delivery that are successful in other parts of the world that we need to start implementing” says Robinson. In addition, we need to look at ways that our private sector can get more involved and bring their expertise and strategic thinking to the table. As a collaborative community we also need to ensure that governments at all levels are delivering on their promises of affordable housing and eliminating barriers to expediting these investments.
Established in 1894 the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce is a non-partisan, collaborative business leader representing over 825 member businesses. As one of Red Deer’s oldest and most established membership organizations we are striving to build a vibrant community that fosters an environment where businesses can lead, be innovative, sustainable, and grow.
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