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Red Deer

Common Sense Red Deer calls for caution from City Council considering 2024 budget

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From  Common Sense Red Deer

‘Tis the season for budget adjustments.

At this time of year, City Councils across the province are reevaluating their budgets and setting the financial course for the coming year.

What they should be doing is taking a close look at spending and seeing where they can cut back!

But, if recent developments in Calgary and Edmonton tell us anything, that’s the complete opposite of what is actually happening.

Thanks to recently passed budget amendments, Calgarians are staring down a 7.8% tax hike, while our neighbours in Edmonton are grappling with a 6.6% property tax increase.

Thankfully, that’s not what happened in Red Deer – but only because there were no budget adjustments in Red Deer at all!

Red Deer’s budget adjustments were supposed to begin at the November 27th Council meeting.

But, that discussion has been rescheduled to January 23rd, 2024.

Why?

Apparently, Administration needs a little more time to assess how much money will actually be available at the end of 2023.

Remember that this is the second year of a multi-year budget that already had a 4.12% increase built in for 2024.

Who knows what they’ll be proposing in January?

Recently, we shared with you how successful Red Deer County has been at managing their finances.

For the eighth consecutive year, the County received the Government Finance Officers Association’s Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.

They may be close by, but their commitment to transparent, accountable budgeting is a world apart.

Red Deerians deserve transparency and accountability.

It might be bad in Edmonton and Calgary, but at least they know how bad it actually is.

We have to wait and see…

We refuse to accept higher taxes without a fight.

At Common Sense Red Deer, we’ll be watching the adjustments closely and keeping you informed.

As we prepare, your support is crucial.

If you can spare $5, $10, or even $25 toward our efforts, please click here to make a donation.

Your support will power our advocacy efforts and fuel our fight to ensure Council stays focused on core priorities.

Together, we can ensure that Red Deer does not follow in the troubling footsteps set by other cities.

Let’s continue to make our voices heard, demand answers, and fight for a better, more transparent City.

Regards,

-The Common Sense Red Deer Team

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Alberta

Province considering new Red Deer River reservoir east of Red Deer

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Central Alberta reservoir study underway

Alberta’s government is moving forward a study to assess the feasibility of building a new reservoir on the Red Deer River to help support growing communities.

Demand for water from communities and businesses is increasing as more families, businesses and industries choose to live and work in central Alberta. The Red Deer River supplies water to hundreds of thousands of Albertans across the region and expanding water storage capacity could help reduce the risk of future droughts and meet the growing water demands.

Alberta’s government has now begun assessing the feasibility of building a potential new reservoir east of Red Deer near Ardley. A two-phase, multi-year study will explore the costs and value of constructing and operating the reservoir, and its impact on downstream communities, farmers and ranchers, and businesses.

“Central Alberta is a growing and thriving, and we are ensuring that it has the water it needs. This study will help us determine if an Ardley reservoir is effective and how it can be built and operated successfully to help us manage and maximize water storage for years to come.”

Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas

Reservoirs play a vital role in irrigation, drought management, water security and flood protection. Budget 2024 allocated $4.5 million to explore creating a new reservoir on the Red Deer River, at a damsite about 40 kilometres east of the City of Red Deer.

Work will begin on the scoping phase of the study as soon as possible. This will include reviewing available geotechnical and hydrotechnical information and exploring conceptual dam options. The scoping phase also includes meetings with municipalities and water users in the area to hear their views. This work is expected to be completed by December 2025.

“Reliable water infrastructure is essential for Alberta’s growing communities and industries. The Ardley reservoir feasibility study is a vital step toward ensuring long-term water security for central Alberta. As we assess this project’s potential, we’re supporting the sustainability of our economic corridors, agricultural operations and rural economy.”

Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors

“Water is essential to the agriculture industry and if the past few years are any indication, we need to prepare for dry conditions. A potential dam near Ardley could enhance water security and help farmers and ranchers continue to thrive in Alberta’s unpredictable conditions.”

RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation 

Once that is complete, the feasibility study will then shift into a second phase, looking more closely at whether an effective new dam near Ardley can be safely designed and constructed, and the impact it may have on communities and the environment. Geotechnical and hydrotechnical investigations, cost-benefit analyses and an assessment of environmental and regulatory requirements will occur. The feasibility phase will also include gathering feedback directly from Albertans through public engagement. This work is expected to be completed by March 31, 2026.

Quick facts

  • The Ardley dam scoping and feasibility study will be undertaken by Hatch Ltd., a Canadian multi-disciplinary professional services firm.
  • Once the feasibility study is complete, government will assess the results and determine whether to pursue this project and proceed with detailed engineering and design work and regulatory approvals.
  • Alberta’s government owns and operates several large reservoirs in the South Saskatchewan River Basin that help ensure sufficient water supply to meet demand from communities, irrigators and businesses, while also maintaining a healthy aquatic environment.
  • Water stored at Gleniffer Lake, the reservoir created by Dickson Dam, helps supplement low winter flows along the Red Deer River and helps ensure an adequate water supply for Red Deer and Drumheller.

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Red Deer

Judge upholds sanctions against Red Deer Catholic school trustee who opposed LGBT agenda

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From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Monique LaGrange was ousted last December from the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools’ board for comparing the LGBT agenda targeting children to brainwashing.

A Canadian judge ruled that a school board was justified to place harsh sanctions on a Catholic school trustee forced out of her position because she opposed extreme gender ideology and refused to undergo LGBT “sensitivity” training.

Justice Cheryl Arcand-Kootenay of the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta ruled Thursday that the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) Board’s sanctions placed against former trustee Monique LaGrange will stand.

LaGrange had vowed to fight the school board in court, and it remains to be seen if she can take any further actions after the decision by Judge Arcand-Kootenay.

The judge ruled that the RDCRS’s policies in place for all trustees, which the board contended were breached, were “logical, thorough, and grounded in the facts that were before the Board at the time of their deliberations.”

As reported by LifeSiteNews, the RDCRS board voted 3-1 last December to disqualify LaGrange after she compared the LGBT agenda targeting kids with that of “brainwashing” Nazi propaganda. As a result of being voted out, LaGrange later resigned from her position.

The former school board trustee initially came under fire in September 2023 when she posted an image showing kids in Nazi Germany waving swastika flags during a parade to social media, with the bottom of the post showing an image of kids waving LGBT “Pride” flags along with the text: “Brainwashing is brainwashing.”

After her post went viral, calls for her to step down grew from leftist Alberta politicians and others. This culminated in her removal as director of the Alberta Catholic School Trustees’ Association (ACSTA).

In September 2023, the RDCRS passed a motion to mandate that LaGrange undergo “LGBTQ+” and holocaust “sensitivity” training for her social media post.

LaGrange, however, refused to apologize for the meme or undergo “sensitivity” training.

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