Red Deer
ACAC Indoor Track Championship Day 2 Update, Queens win gold and Jenica Swartz takes home three top finishes
Gold medalist Red Deer Polytechnic Queens Track Team. Janice Swartz (top left) took 3 gold medals at the ACAC Indoor Track Championships
The Red Deer Polytechnic Queens Indoor Track Team are ACAC Champions as they took home multiple first-place finishes with Jenica Swartz (Bachelor of Science in Pre-Med) winning three individual gold medals and helping the relay teams to first-place finishes.
Day 2 started out very well for the Queens as Swartz picked up her third gold medal of the championship. She just beat out SAIT Trojans runner Jasmin Salmon by 73 milliseconds in the 600m. Loami Rautenbach finished fifth in the race. In the men’s event, Ethan Duret (Bachelor of Commerce) placed fifth with a time of 1:27.39 which was 36 milliseconds off from the third-place runner, so it was a photo finish.
In the 1500m, Swartz was finally dethroned off the top podium position but still finished in second place as she crossed the finish line in just over five minutes. But the first-place runner from the Trojans broke the championship record with a time of 4:44. Myah Cota (Open Studies) and Justine Larson (Bachelor of Education) finished one after another for the second race of the championship as they crossed the finish line in fifth and sixth. Daniel Szucs (Bachelor of Business Administration) and Duret picked up sixth and seventh place respectfully which put points on the board for the Kings Indoor Track team. Jordan Coen (Open Studies) followed his teammates in eighth place with a time of 4:31.
The Queens 4x400m relay team took the top spot six seconds in front of the Trojans who took first place at the Grand Prix in Red Deer a month ago. This clinched the team victory for the Queens as they finished the championship with 81 points which were 17 points ahead of the second-place Trojans. The Kings relay team finished in fifth and the overall team just missed a medal as they finished the championship in fourth, four points out of third.
This caps off the 2022/2023 season for the Kings and Queens Indoor Track Team.
Alberta
Red Deer’s first new courthouse in 40 years expected to open early in 2025
Front entrance of the new Red Deer Justice Centre.
New courthouse in downtown Red Deer will improve justice services for the region’s growing population and address space constraints.
Red Deer residents are one step closer to enhanced justice services in a state-of-the-art facility. The newly built Red Deer Justice Centre will replace the city’s existing outdated court facilities that have been operating at capacity. The new centre has space for 16 courtrooms, with 12 courtrooms fully built and the ability to add up to four additional courtrooms for future use.
With construction complete, Alberta Infrastructure is turning the building over to Alberta Justice, who will outfit the facility with furniture and modern equipment to prepare the building for the public. The centre is expected to officially open and begin operating in early 2025.
“This new, state-of-the-art courthouse will increase access to justice services for residents of Red Deer and central Alberta. The new facility will meet the space and service needs of residents for generations to come.”
Construction on the new Red Deer Justice Centre began in August 2020. The new centre includes spaces for alternative approaches to the traditional courtroom trial process, with three new suites for judicial dispute resolution services, a specific suite for other dispute resolution services, such as family mediation and civil mediation, and a new Indigenous courtroom able to accommodate smudging. Additionally, it will include modern technology to replace legacy systems at the current courthouse.
“Along with building a new justice centre for Red Deer, Alberta’s government is preparing to expand pre-court services, such as mediation, in Red Deer early in 2025. This new facility has the space to offer these services while also allowing more court cases to be heard, increasing Albertans’ access to justice.”
“As MLA for Red Deer-North, I am thrilled this new justice centre will open its doors to serve our growing community soon. When it opens, it will provide essential space and resources to support timely legal services, reflecting our commitment to improve legal access for the people of Red Deer and central Alberta.”
“Central Alberta is a wonderful, attractive place for individuals to work, live and raise families, and many are choosing our region for these reasons. The Red Deer Justice Centre will improve justice services for a growing population of individuals, families and businesses. This centre is a testament to Red Deer and central Alberta’s growth and our government’s commitment to it.”
Building the vital public infrastructure that Albertans need, creating jobs and attracting investment is integral to Alberta’s economic development. The project supported about 1,100 construction-related jobs from start to finish.
Quick facts
- Red Deer’s current court facilities include seven courtrooms that were built in the 1980s.
- Since then, Red Deer’s population has almost doubled.
- The approved project funding is about $203.1 million.
- The new 312,000 sq ft (29,000 m2) Red Deer Justice Centre is built to LEED Silver standards to ensure reduced energy consumption and operational costs and increased durability of the building.
- The new facility was designed by Group2 Architecture and Interior Design, in conjunction with justice facility specialists DLR Group.
- There are currently five courthouse capital projects in planning or design throughout the province.
Red Deer
Chamber urges city council to look harder at cutting costs
Red Deer District Chamber CEO, Scott Robinson
News release from the Red Deer District Chamber
Red Deer District Chamber Calls for Balanced Approach to 2025 City Budget
Following several meetings with City Administration, The Red Deer District Chamber has responded to the release of the draft City of Red Deer 2025 Budget with a call to immediately reduce tax supported Operational expenses by 3%. This recommendation is based on a balanced approach and one that acknowledges the significant amount of work The City must do in improving efficiency and managing costs.
“We have looked closely at The City’s financial position for 2025 and believe it is essential to consider further expense reductions alongside property tax increases.” says Red Deer District Chamber CEO, Scott Robinson. “The City of Red Deer faces a significant deficit, as revenues have fallen short of expenses over the past few years. While we agree that The City must address this imbalance and reduce its reliance on reserves and utility dividends to balance the budget, we believe that the full financial burden should not fall solely on taxpayers and property owners.”
Through a recent survey, our members shared the view that it’s crucial for The City to review its services and the costs associated with delivering them. 51.61% of respondents wanted to see The City implement alternative ways of doing business to reduce deficit.
When asked how a potential double digit tax increase would impact their businesses, 64.29% of respondents said that this would result in significantly increased operating costs.
Respondents felt that a double-digit tax increase would not result in a sustainable financial solution for The City of Red Deer, and that the overwhelmingly best option for The City to explore for the 2025 Budget and beyond, was cost cutting and efficiency measures being implemented within City departments.
“We believe a balanced approach is both reasonable and necessary. By reducing operational expenses by 3%, The City could save taxpayers approximately $9-10 Million, which would, in turn, make any necessary tax increase more manageable this budget year.” says Chamber CEO Scott Robinson.
The business community has been clear: a double-digit tax increase is not sustainable and would significantly impact the ability of some businesses to operate and thrive within the city.
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