City of Red Deer
City forms “emergency shelter working group” to find shelter for dozens of homeless this winter
City administration and community organizations focus work on October 1 and beyond
With the closure, there will be reduced capacity levels. Since the emergency temporary shelter was established in March 2020, in response to COVID-19, City administration has been tracking overnight shelter usage at Cannery Row. The site has seen between 29 to 81 people seeking overnight shelter and services at Cannery Row, with an average overnight usage by 49 individuals. With the shift back to the original shelter site, there will be a capacity of 26 spaces for overnight shelter, potentially having up to 55 of Red Deer’s most vulnerable citizens turned away heading into the winter.
During the brainstorming session, the group determined a list of potential issues that could arise from the gap in service provision starting October 1. The following are some which that were deemed a high priority:
- Increased pressure on the capacity of Mustard Seed, other shelters, emergency services, compliance and support services
- Lack of safe spaces for people experiencing homelessness, leading to increased loitering and rough sleeping
- Losing significant shelter capacity for people in need, and a lack of daytime supports
- Increase of urban encampments without direct access to support services.
- Increased health risks resulting in negative impacts to underserved clients and the healthcare system
- Increase in litter and debris
“Overwhelmingly, the consensus in the room of more than 30 representatives from social focused agencies agree that Cannery Row, or a comparable site, should be operational until a permanent solution is found,” said Kristin Walsh, Safe & Healthy Communities Manager. “Aside from this, there is not a feasible solution that was determined that would fill the service gap and the anticipated challenges that will come starting October 1.”
Once the community impacts were acknowledged, potential mitigation strategies were brainstormed to address them. Task forces are being created with the participants involved for each mitigation strategy.
“Administration will continue to work with the community to serve vulnerable Red Deerians and keep people healthy and safe, while mitigating the risks as they arise,” said Acting Interim City Manager Sarah Tittemore. “Yesterday was just the first step in planning for October 1 and beyond; we believe that in working with community organizations and Red Deerians, is the only way to help our most vulnerable through this uncertain time.”
An emergency shelter working group will be assessing the feasibility of the ideas brought forward and actioning these as rapidly as possible, engaging funders, service providers, and those with lived and living experience. There will be an opportunity for the broader community to contribute their ideas and to be involved in the near future.
It’s a telling detail about the person who leads Red Deer City Council. Always putting the city’s needs ahead of his own, Mayor Ken Johnston has announced his intentions within days of the opening of Nominations for October’s municipal elections,
After 12 years on council, Mayor Ken Johnston has decided against running for a second term as Mayor this fall. Johnson shared his decision in front of colleagues and supporters in a touching announcement on Wednesday.
At 71 years old, Johnston remains vibrant, passionate and healthy. He says that’s exactly why he and his wife Carolyn have decided now is the right time to start their next stage of life together.
Mayor Johnston listed a number of highlights and achievements he can look back on, including his help advocating for the redevelopment of Red Deer Regional Hospital, the growth of Red Deer Polytechnic, and positive moves in Economic Development.
All these lead of a feeling of ease about the decision to step away, though affordable housing and a permanent shelter for the homeless remain pressing concerns.
With about 8 months remaining in his term, Mayor Johnston is planning to push hard to move the needle on these housing issues.
“We’re looking forward to some more work and we’ll be going to the community shortly about it. So I still have optimism that maybe before the term is out we can have an announcement.”
This is the second major political announcement in Central Alberta in the last number of days. Earlier this week Red Deer Mountain View MP Earl Dreeshen announced he won’t be running in the next federal election.
City of Red Deer
Council ends reduced fine option for early ticket payment, school and playground zones start at 7 AM
City Council approves first reading of updated Traffic Bylaw and General Penalty Bylaw
Red Deer City Council completed first reading of updated Traffic Bylaw (3707/2025) and General Penalties Bylaw (3036/A-2025) that will provide clarity and consistency in application of the bylaws as well as eliminate challenges in enforcement.
Key updates to the bylaws include:
- Ticket Pre-Payment:
- Removing the option to pay a parking ticket early to receive a reduced fee from the General Penalty Bylaw and adding it to the Traffic Bylaw.
- School and Playground Zone Start Times:
- Through investigating requests from schools to have school and playground zones start at 7 a.m., rather than 8 a.m., Administration determined that almost all school and playground zones in the city have students on the street prior to 7:30 a.m. To be consistent across the city, the start time is being moved to 7 a.m. providing an added measure of safety for all students.
- Salt on Sidewalks:
- Removing the provision prohibiting the use of salt on sidewalks as this provision was rarely reported and it is difficult and costly to enforce.
- Permits:
- More structure was added to the bylaw to clearly articulate conditions and requirements of Use of Streets Permits, as well as Excavation Permits and Alignment Permits.
- Lastly, fees for closures impacting on-street and off-street stalls have been adjusted to reflect the actual revenue in each parking zone rather than the flat fee.
- Penalties:
- Penalties have been reviewed and updated.
- During the last bylaw adoption, the penalty associated with vehicles being towed due to snow or street sweeping operations was inadvertently missed. This penalty has been added back in at a slightly higher amount due to an increase in the cost to tow a vehicle through The City’s contractor. This prevents the costs associated with towing vehicles during these operations from being subsidized by the tax base.
“These updates streamline the bylaws to create clarity for residents and administration,” said Erin Stuart, Inspections and Licensing Manager with The City. “They also help to eliminate regulations that are challenging to enforce and bring penalties in line with other City Bylaws.”
Second reading of both bylaws is anticipated for January 27, 2025.
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