Chamber urges city council to look harder at cutting costs

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.

Related Topics:#CityofRedDeer #RedDeerCityCouncil #ScottRobinson RedDeer2025Budget RedDeerDistrictChamber

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Police arrest thieves using garage-door openers to access homes in Vanier, West Park, Anders Park, and Evergreen

Published on October 23, 2025

Todayville

News release from Red Deer RCMP

Red Deer RCMP charge male & female following series of break & enters

Red Deer RCMP have arrested and charged two people, following a series of residential break and enters and vehicle thefts.

Police first received a call on Sept. 23, 2025 from a resident reporting her garage had been broken into and two vehicles stolen.

Further calls to police on Sept. 29 and Oct. 6, 2025 reported residents had their purses stolen from inside vehicles parked outside, as well as a report of a stolen vehicle from outside a residence on Oct. 8^th. These incidents happened in the Vanier, West Park, Anders Park South, and Evergreen neighbourhoods.

Investigation linked these reports and showed two suspects opening unlocked vehicles, taking items from inside, and using garage-door openers found in the vehicles to enter residential garages to gain access to further items, keys and vehicles.

Victims reported use of stolen credit cards and personal accounts, which led police to further video surveillance that helped identify the suspects, who were known to police.

RCMP located the suspects at a residence in the Oriole Park neighbourhood, where they were both arrested.

A search of the property resulted in police locating and seizing the following:

Vehicle key fobs reported stolen by victims
Purses and wallets containing multiple victim’s ID’s
Phones, garage door openers, and other items reported stolen by victims
Clothing worn by the suspects in surveillance footage
A small amount of crystal methamphetamine

All three stolen vehicles have since been recovered.

Riley Badger, a 30-year-old resident of Red Deer, has been charged with:

Possession of property obtained by crime over $5000
Possession of property obtained by crime under $5000 x2
Illegal Possession of Government Documents x3
Theft, Forgery or Misuse of Credit Card
Theft under $5000 x4
Fail to Comply with Release Order x5

Michelle Walker, a 40-year-old resident of Red Deer, has been charged with the following:

Possession of property obtained by crime over $5000
Possession of property obtained by crime under $5000 x4
Illegal possession of Government Documents x3
Theft, Forgery or Misuse of Credit Card
Identity Theft
Wear disguise with intent to commit offence x2
Fail to Comply with Release Order x6
Fail to Comply with Probation Order x4
Possession methamphetamine

Both Badger and Walker were remanded into custody following a Judicial Interim Release Hearing, and are scheduled to appear in court at the Alberta Court of Justice in Red Deer on Oct. 29, 2025.

RCMP encourage residents to follow the ‘9PM Routine’ by implementing a few steps into your nightly routine: remove valuables from your vehicle and ensure it is locked, check that all doors and windows are closed and locked, put away bikes and toys in your yard, turn on an exterior light.

Red Deer RCMP are committed to community safety and encourage the public to report suspicious activity and crime. If you have any information regarding crime within Red Deer, please contact Red Deer RCMP at 403-406-2200. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store. To report crime online, or for access to RCMP news and information, download the Alberta RCMP app through Apple or Google Play.

City of Red Deer

Cindy Jefferies is Mayor. Tristin Brisbois, Cassandra Curtis, Jaelene Tweedle, and Adam Goodwin new Councillors – 2025 Red Deer General Election Results

Published on October 23, 2025

City of Red Deer

Showing official results for: Mayor of The City of Red Deer

#	Candidate Name	Votes	Percentage
1	JEFFERIES, Cindy	6237	41%
2	SCOTT, Gareth	3483	23%
3	DOERKSEN, Victor	3143	20%
4	LEE, Lawrence	2215	14%
5	GALLAGHER, John	298	2%
	Rejected Ballots	0	0%

Showing official results for: Councillor of The City of Red Deer

#	Candidate Name	Votes	Percentage
1	BRISBOIS, Tristin	6703	7%
2	CURTIS, Cassandra	6422	7%
3	KRAHN, Chad	6249	7%
4	BARNSTABLE, Kraymer	6235	7%
5	WYNTJES, Dianne	6069	7%
6	TWEEDLE, Jaelene	5635	6%
7	GOODWIN, Adam	5290	6%
8	BURUMA, Bruce	5241	6%
9	GOULET-JONES, Calvin	5050	5%
10	HUIZING, Hans	4810	5%
11	BOUCHARD, Brandon	4528	5%
12	MACDONALD, Ashley Jason	3832	4%
13	BUCHANAN, Buck	3660	4%
14	MOHAMOUD, Zainab	3478	4%
15	SYPKES, Thomas	3459	4%
16	BECK, Gabriel	3370	4%
17	PARKS, Gail	2809	3%
18	YZERMAN, Calvin	2265	2%
19	WILE, Haley	1986	2%
20	COMÉTE, Christian	1843	2%
21	KLERKS, Kevin M.	1699	2%
22	ROBINSON, Don	1296	1%
23	MARTIN, Greg	656	1%
24	KLYWAK, Anthony	444	0%
	Rejected Ballots	0	0%

Showing official results for: Trustee of the Red Deer Public School Division

#	Candidate Name	Votes	Percentage
1	SOMMERS, Angela	3320	9%
2	BUCHANAN, Nicole	3180	9%
3	MACAULAY, Dianne	3119	8%
4	WATTERS, Jim	3038	8%
5	BAIRD SMITH, Emilee	2753	7%
6	DAVIES, Nathan	2749	7%
7	DALSTRA, Jason	2722	7%
8	CHRISTENSEN, Sheri	2701	7%
9	PARKER, Jenessa	2581	7%
10	PEACOCKE, Cathy	2573	7%
11	WILLIAMS, Danielle	2342	6%
12	ODISHAW, Shelley Lynn	2187	6%
13	SYMONS, Jessica	1881	5

Trustee of the Red Deer Catholic Separate School Division, Red Deer Area Ward

#	Candidate Name	Votes	Percentage
1	ANDREW, Chris	2020	14%
2	MACDONALD, Brenda	1354	10%
3	REED, Martin (Marty)	1082	8%
4	LEYSON, Cynthia	1050	8%
5	HUBER, Emily	1037	7%
6	HOLLMAN, Murray	1036	7%
7	DONOVAN, Matthew	1021	7%
8	GROENEN, John	974	7%
9	STEEVES, Rod	921	7%
10	PASULA, Kim	911	7%
11	BECK, Gabriel	825	6%
12	HUNTER, Ashley	811	6%