Red Deer Downtown Business Association

Downtown Business Spotlight: CanWest Travel Company

Red Deer DBA

Published

4 years ago

5 minute read

For this week’s Business Spotlight, we stopped into CanWest Travel Company. Located at 5018 50 St (Ross Street), CanWest Travel Company has been part of downtown for over 24 years! We sat down with, managing partner, Joanne Walokoff, to learn more.

What is your business?

CanWest Travel, a retail business agency.

When did you open?

1996.

What would you say makes your business unique?

We’re the only one downtown, I believe. We serve all of Central Alberta. We used to have a location in the south as well. We specialize in African travel, and we custom design any trip that people want—whereas other traditional travel agencies will sell packages that are already put together. But we love to customize plans for people, make it their own.

What are some products/services that you offer?

We are full retail, so we sell airline tickets, do hotel bookings, all-inclusive packages, cruises, coach tours, expeditions tours, expedition cruises, lots of niche products like polar bear adventures—that sort of thing. That is what full service is, I guess.

Why did you choose Downtown Red Deer as the location for your business?

Well my brother and I are partners here, and we are from Red Deer, so we just wanted to be in the center, in the heart. This is our third location in Red Deer, but we’ve always had a location downtown and we just love the people that are down here and want to see it thrive.

What do you think makes Downtown vibrant?

I think it’s the mix of people, and the mix of businesses—people coming for lots of different reasons; for hair, for groceries, for travel, for banking… lots of different services, shopping, dining. It just has a lot to offer and City Hall Park is a beautiful place to hang out, have some lunch. Ross Street Patio is always fun, the market is great. People are coming down if its once a week or once a month, there is still something to draw them to the heart of Red Deer.

I love Downtown Red Deer because… it is home for us. We don’t live downtown but we work downtown, and the majority of our time is here, and it’s been successful for us. And we do enjoy the diversity of people. We see a lot of the people from C.A.R.E. go by and have served a lot of them. We collect clothes and housewares for new immigrants and refugees in our basement, and we have volunteers at TGSL. We get a lot of those people that come in that we meet and welcome them, so they have a comfortable place in town. I just love a lot of things about it, even some of the street people are so awesome, it just makes it more unique. Lots of people are scared to come downtown and I am so shocked by that, really, people are harmless. So, I love downtown because it’s our home, and we’ve made it our home. It’s not big and concrete either, like downtown Edmonton. It’s big and busy—I like that it’s small and more cozy, intimate. And lots of small businesses, which is nice. If you look across the street you can see four other businesses.

Be sure to check out CanWest Travel Company for your next vacation! You can find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Website: https://canwest.travel/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CanWestTravel/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/canwesttravelcompany/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/canwesttravel

Red Deer DBA

downtownreddeer.com

We serve approximately 500 businesses and property owners in Downtown Red Deer, Alberta. Our Mission is to build an engaged Downtown community, develop a Downtown brand and enhance the Downtown experience.

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City of Red Deer

Council boosting budget for Downtown Business Association

Published on December 4, 2023

City of Red Deer

Council approves 2024 DBA budget, increased investment in events

The Downtown Business Association is investing more time, money and energy into downtown events following City Council approving its 2024 budget. During the presentation today, DBA Executive Director, Amanda Gould and Board Chair, Brandon Bouchard outlined the organization’s plans for the upcoming year to continue to work towards creating a busier downtown that intends to result to increased support for businesses within the Business Improvement Area (BIA).

“The DBA remains steadfast in its objective to build on the growth seen in 2023. The collaboration between The City of Red and the DBA is at all time high and with the pending actions set to be delivered through the Downtown Activation Playbook, I know there are many great things to come that will support our business community and create the thriving downtown we all want to experience,” said Amanda Gould, DBA Executive Director.

“Today Council demonstrated their commitment to their strategic priorities with the support shown to the DBA through unanimous support of the 2024 budget. This mighty Association continues to do great work on a shoestring budget and the 2024 Board of Directors are keen to lend their expertise and entrepreneurial skills to benefit the downtown in its entirety.”
Brandon Bouchard, DBA Board Chair

The DBA’s budget is partially funded through the BIA tax levy, which is collected by The City of Red Deer. Each year, the DBA presents its proposed budget to Council for their consideration. When reviewing the budget, Council considers alignment between the DBA’s downtown priorities and City’s community priorities.

“DBA has constantly hit far above its weight in our downtown, I can’t think of a more supportive messenger of promotion than the team at the DBA, it’s so encouraging to see this strong support for our downtown,” said Mayor Ken Johnston. “I’m encouraged by the leadership and direction of the DBA and look forward to what they have in store for 2024. They continually bring positive initiatives to the downtown even with the constraint on finances.”

The DBA’s total approved budget for 2024 is $775,160, with $277,725 funded through the BIA with the remaining amount funded through items such as grants and contracts. The BIA portion for 2024 is an increase of five per cent from 2023.

The Downtown Business Association has been operating in Red Deer for more than 30 years, serving approximately 350 business owners in the Downtown area. Through partnerships and leadership in advocacy and promotion, the DBA is the catalyst for a vibrant and prosperous downtown that is the place to live, work, play and do business.

Red Deer

What’s Happening Downtown: Holiday Edition!

Published on December 4, 2023

Downtown Red Deer

Hey Red Deer!

Embrace the festive spirit downtown this holiday season! Immerse yourself in the dazzling brilliance of the city hall lights, delight in family-friendly events, and complete your holiday shopping at the heart of the city this December. Explore a myriad of activities and events designed to make your holidays truly magical. Read on for detailed information about the incredible lineup of festive events awaiting you this season!

Frost Street Patio Party

December 8th @ 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Join the DBA and Spandy Andy on the Ross Street Patio for some frosty fun! Check out the children’s entertainer’s activity booths and sip hot chocolate under the festive downtown lights. Bring the whole family together for an unforgettable outdoor celebration. Whether you’re grooving to the DJ or simply basking in the warm glow of the fire tables, the Ross Street Patio is the place to be for an evening of free family fun. Visit https://downtownreddeer.com/north-pole-stroll/ for more information.

Click here for updates!

Santa Bus

Dec 8, 9, 15, 16 @ 5pm – 8pm

Santa is back on the bus! Merrily cruising down the streets of Red Deer, you can follow Santa Claus on the My Bus App for his arrival time in your neighbourhood.

Click here for more info!

Christmas Pickle

November 15 – December 15th

A pickle used as a Christmas decoration may seem odd at first, but it’s an old tradition. When decorating the tree, the pickle is hung last, hidden among the branches. The first person to find the Christmas Pickle on Christmas morning receives a special blessing for the year and an extra gift! As part of North Pole Stroll, many Downtown Red Deer businesses place pickles in their stores. Customers lucky enough to spot them are eligible to win a prize from that business, such as a discount or raffle entries. Please click here for more information.

Click here for updates!

Mary Liv at the Velvet Olive Lounge

Dec. 20th | Doors 5pm | Show 7:30pm

Check out the talented multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Olivia Morelli, an emerging artist from Saskatoon, Sk.

Ticket price is $10 + 2.50 SC

The Velvet Olive Lounge hosts LIVE music 4 days a week. Check out the full December line up here.

Afro-Caribbean Cultural Cafes

& Storytelling

December 13th, 2023 @ 6PM

Discover a celebration of diverse cultures with tantalizing ethnic cuisine and captivating storytelling at the Flex (4919 49 ST). Join us alongside your family, friends, and colleagues for an enriching experience.

Free and open to the public!

Contact: 403-550-4067

Click here for more information or register at www.accoca.ca.

Supported by the African Caribbean Centre of Central Alberta and the City of Red Deer.

Window Scavenger Hunt

November 16th- December 16th

Many downtown Red Deer businesses decorate their windows for the holiday season. The Downtown Business Association has created a self-guided tour in the form of a scavenger hunt so you can see them all! Get a copy of the scavenger hunt at downtownreddeer.com for your chance to win a 300$ prize package. Email your completed copy to [email protected] with your name and contact info. The winner will be announced on December 16th.

Click here to learn more!

Winter Wonderland

November 3rd – January 24th

On display now!

Visit Curiosity Art & Framing for their Winter Wonderland temporary exhibit. Featuring art by Betty Schnell, Margaret Blank, Peter Caden and many, many more!

Visit their website www.curiosityartandframing.com for more information and examples of the artists work.

Twinkle Tour & Late Night Shopping

December 15th @ 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm

For one night many Downtown businesses remain open late to help Red Deerians with their holiday shopping and to encourage the support of local businesses. From 4-7PM, downtown visitors are invited to grab a free hot chocolate and a copy of the holiday scavenger hunt on the Ross Street Patio. Check out the beautiful window displays and City Hall lights and pick up some Reindeer Food & Snowman Soup on your way to your favourite shops.

Visit https://downtownreddeer.com/north-pole-stroll/ for more information.

Writes of Winter Contest

Red Deer Arts Council and the City of Red Deer have partnered on a writing contest to keep our imaginations warm this winter. We invite Red Deer youth, teens and adults to create a short poem or story (fiction or creative non-fiction) with a maximum length of 500 words about winter and/or the holiday season in Red Deer. All submissions can be sent to the Red Deer Arts Council at submissions@reddeerartscouncil.ca for a chance to win exciting prizes.

Click here for more information!