Chamber of Commerce battling city council’s massive proposed tax increase

News release from the Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce

The Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce has reviewed the proposed 2024 City Operating and Capital Budgets and have concluded that the City’s growth in expenditures is unsustainable that will have significant impacts on the Business Community in these times of slow economic growth and elevated costs related to labour and persistent supply chain issues.

The Chamber would like to commend The City of Red Deer for its efforts to provide transparency and accountability with the 2024 Amended Operating & Capital Budget Report released on January 8, 2024.   The information provided gives a solid overview of the current operations of the organization. The Chamber was provided an opportunity for direct consultation with the City on this budget and the opportunity to provide our views before final council deliberations is welcomed and appreciated. 

“We are glad to provide feedback from our members on behalf of Red Deer’s business community through our consultation on the City’s amended 2024 budget,” says Chamber CEO Scott Robinson. “Our response to the City centers on the need for smart financial decision-making and recognition of the impact of the continued tax burden in the current economic environment. We are asking the City to assess overall spending and the resultant substantial tax increases that are significantly above the rate of inflation. The City needs to look for opportunities to decrease costs and to determine priority areas for spending. Passing on the costs for unchecked growth of the City’s budget to businesses is simply not sustainable”.

The proposal of $488.3 M in operating and $117.3 M in capital for 2024 includes options for a 6.15%, 8.55%, and 13.86% tax rate increase. These options represent an increase in overall spending from the 2023 approved budget of 9.5% ($31 M) and do not include any reductions to service levels or projects.

“After review of the report, the City intends to increase spending substantially without providing any review or consideration for a reduction in services or outsourcing to reduce costs,” remarked Robinson. “While it is important to acknowledge the impact of inflation, higher costs, and reductions in grants from other levels of government, these circumstances should trigger the City to look at cost reduction opportunities not just tax and/or fee increases. We expect the City to complete a prioritization of services and in turn make changes to operations that will decrease expenses. We need to keep the cost of doing business competitive and protect our local economy. Tax rate increases at this level will certainly have negative consequences for business, but our real concern is a lack of planning for change.”

The following recommendations were included in the Chamber’s response to the City:

Minimize Tax Rates – Tax increases should remain in line with inflation.
Review User Pay Revenue – Review the rates of fees and fines to ensure that fees are in line with the fixed cost increases of services and facilities.
Prioritize City Services and Outsourced Service Delivery – Engage an external consultant to analyze core City services and identify opportunities for outsourcing and/or private sector delivery.
Create Opportunities for Flexibility – Consider delay or reductions to the scope of activities to future years.
Economic Growth for the City – Re-evaluate Economic Development Activities.

“We look forward to working with City Council and administration in identifying opportunities for sustainable City operations in the coming years and to ensure that Red Deer is a community with the infrastructure and services that position Red Deer competitively as a vibrant business community”. CEO Scott Robinson

Related Topics:#RedDeer&DistrictChamberofCommerce #RedDeerTaxIncrease #ScottRobinson feature

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Red Deer Hospital Lottery 2025 Winners

Published on June 26, 2025

Red Deer Regional Health Foundation

The Red Deer Regional Health Foundation is thrilled to announce the winners of this year’s Red Deer Hospital Lottery prizes – including the Dream Home, a $100,000.00 cash prize, and Mega Bucks 50.

James Smith of Spruce View has won the $100,000.00 cash prize.

Montey Brehaut of Red Deer has won the Mega Bucks 50 jackpot, taking home $301,702.50.

The grand prize Sorento Custom Homes Dream Home, including furnishings by Urban Barn and worth $1,074,472 – has been awarded to Oscar Gunnlaugson of Sylvan Lake.

The winner announcements took place at noon on June 26 , 2025 – and was streamed live on Facebook from Red Deer Regional Hospital Center.

“We’re excited to celebrate this year’s winners and deeply grateful to everyone who supported the lottery,” said Manon Therriault, CEO of the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation. “Funds raised will directly enhance patient care at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.”

This year’s lottery proceeds will fund essential new and replacement equipment, ensuring Red Deer Regional Hospital Center can continue to serve the 500,000 people who rely on it. While plans for the hospital expansion move forward, healthcare doesn’t wait. Patients in our community need access
to life-saving technology today, and supporting Red Deer Hospital Lottery has made that possible.

A full list of winners, including electronics prize recipients, will be posted on July 2 at reddeerhospitallottery.ca.

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The keys to the Dream Home will be presented at a special ceremony this summer.

Business

Carnival Cinemas moving downtown: Owner Bill Ramji buys former Uptown Cinemas from RDP

Published on June 26, 2025

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News release from Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP)

Red Deer Polytechnic Sells Welikoklad Event Centre

Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) has sold the Welikoklad Event Centre in downtown Red Deer to a new owner who has plans to revitalize the facility as a movie theatre. RDP purchased the Welikoklad Event Centre in 2012. For many years, the Centre served as a valuable learning space for students in a variety of programming, including arts and business. The facility also served as a community hub, where RDP hosted a variety of events for different organizations. With the evolution of time, and RDP’s mix of industry-relevant arts and business programs transitioning back to main campus, the Welikoklad Event Centre no longer serves the same purpose for the post- secondary institution as it once did.

“As we’ve reviewed our future strategic plans relating to program growth and facility usage, to best serve our students, industry partners and community members, we are confident we can meet everyone’s needs at our other campuses,” says Jim Brinkhurst, Vice President, Finance and Administration & Chief Financial Officer, Red Deer Polytechnic. “We feel that now is a good time for the institution to sell this facility and we are pleased to see it repurposed for other community uses that will continue to serve Red Deer and downtown well.”

The Welikoklad Event Centre has been purchased by local business owner, Bill Ramji. He owns Carnival Cinemas, currently located in the Capstone neighbourhood. Future development is planned on the current site of this movie theatre and community gathering space. Ramji is excited to revitalize the theatre’s nearly three decades of history in Red Deer at its new location (which will be renovated before opening) in the heart of downtown.

“Carnival Cinemas is proud to announce the acquisition of the Welikoklad Event Centre from Red Deer Polytechnic, marking an exciting new chapter for this venue and the downtown arts community,” says Bill Ramji, Carnival Cinemas owner. “With this acquisition, Carnival Cinemas reaffirms its commitment to bringing the best value in movies to central Alberta while expanding its focus on supporting local theatre and the performing arts. The Welikoklad Event Centre, previously The Uptown Theatre, was a hub for film lovers and creative voices, and Carnival is eager to build on that legacy.”

Ramji continues, “We’re excited to move forward as Carnival Cinemas and Event Centre and our goal is to continue providing high-quality movie experiences, while also working hand-in-hand with local artists, performers, and theatre groups to enrich downtown Red Deer’s cultural landscape. Carnival Cinemas & Event Centre looks forward to collaborating with the arts community and the broader public to ensure the space remains a vibrant and inclusive gathering place for film and theatre alike.”

RDP will continue to have a presence in downtown Red Deer, with their downtown campus located in the Millennium Centre. The downtown RDP campus is home to RDP’s Continuing Education and Corporate Training programs.