City of Red Deer
Face coverings now mandatory in Red Deer for all indoor public spaces and pubic vehicles
From the City of Red Deer
City Council passes temporary mandatory face covering bylaw in Red Deer
The bylaw will officially come into effect on November 30, 2020; however, The City strongly encourages citizens to wear a face covering in accordance with the bylaw starting today.
The decision to proceed with a short-term face covering bylaw came after in-depth discussions on the topic over the past few weeks and during last week’s Special City Council Meeting. During this meeting, a number of amendments were considered by City Council, triggering the need for the third reading at today’s regular City Council meeting.
“Mandating temporary face coverings in Red Deer is a short-term measure to be responsive to the evolving pandemic in Red Deer and across the province. We know this is a divisive issue in our community, and although the Province has yet to mandate masks across Alberta, City Council believes this temporary measure is critical if we want local case numbers and hospitalization to remain flat,” said Mayor Tara Veer. “Through this bylaw, we are putting into action, the recommendations of health officials because the safety, health and wellbeing of all citizens continues to be our number one priority.”
At this time, the bylaw has a sunset clause of March 1, 2021, and will expire on this date.
The bylaw mandates all citizens must wear a face covering in indoor public places and public vehicles with the exceptions noted in the bylaw. This includes any place, whether publicly or privately owned, where members of the public have access as of right or by implied invitation.
The bylaw does not apply to several groups including children under nine, those who are disabled, and anyone eating/drinking, or engaging in heavy labour or physical fitness activities. It applies to passengers in public vehicles, like taxis or rides for hire, but not to drivers where there is a barrier installed in the vehicle. Businesses affected by the bylaw are required to display signage.
The fine for not wearing a face covering in a public place is $50.
“This decision is about protecting public health and safety, protecting our health care system, and doing whatever we can to help stabilize the local economy and prevent potential future lockdowns that could result in further business impacts and closures,” said Mayor Veer. “We are all feeling the pressures of COVID-19; citizens, businesses and Albertans alike are significantly affected. The City will continue to do everything we can to support our local citizens and businesses by putting measures in place that could minimize the spread of COVID-19.”
A mandatory face covering bylaw is just one of the municipal measures being taken to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Red Deer. The City also continues to adapt its many operations to be responsive to the changing circumstances, increase communication with citizens and businesses and to continue to seek information and support through the Province of Alberta.
Red Deer is now one of approximately nineteen other Alberta municipalities, including Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge, to have a mandatory face covering bylaw in place.
For more information about the new bylaw and other COVID-19 restrictions, please read our Face Coverings in Public Places (Mandatory Mask) Bylaw FAQ (pdf) or visit www.reddeer.ca.
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.
City of Red Deer
City Council suspends payments on Westerner’s $19 million loan
Westerner Exhibition Association (WEA) loan agreement adjusted
City Council passed second and third reading of a loan amendment bylaw to suspend interest and principal payments related to a $19 million WEA loan with the goal to further support WEA’s financial sustainability.
The item was back in front of Council today after first reading occurred in December 2024, at which time Council expressed the need for a more detailed report on the impacts of WEA’s loan on the City’s financial position.
“Today’s decision is all about providing WEA additional time to achieve financial stability while recognizing its role in generating significant economic activity in the region. WEA hosts 1,500 events annually and welcomes 1.5 million visitors each year,” said Mike Olesen, Growth and Finance General Manager.
Between September 2021 and today, City Council has continued to adjust and respond to the evolving needs related to the loan agreement.
Recently, The City of Red Deer, Red Deer County, the Westerner Park Foundation and the Donald family each contributed $500,000 to the sustainability of WEA. Normally under the existing terms of the loan agreement and loan bylaw, this injection of cash would trigger a loan payment back to The City. However, the intention is to give WEA the time and funds to recover and reach sustainability and today’s decision to suspend interest and principal payments on the $19 million loan responds to this need.
With these adjustments to the conditions of the loan, WEA must still pay the loan in its entirety by the end of the loan’s term. This decision has an impact on the City’s financial position in the short term, but as WEA ‘s financial performance stabilizes, payments on the loan are anticipated to return. This is some of the additional information provided to City Council today.
“To reiterate, this does not mean that the $18.7 million remaining debt is forgiven, but rather that The City must temporarily report a change to our financial statements to better reflect the real value of the loan at a point in time,” said Mike Olesen, Growth and Finance General Manager.
“Westerner has a three-year business plan, and its success is contingent on the changes made today, and the involvement and contributions of partners, including the Province. We still need to continue to recognize the realities and time it takes to recover being a major agriculture society and event centre in our Province and region,” said Tara Lodewyk, City Manager. “The Westerner is working hard to make positive changes that improve its financial situation and the experience for our community. We can all help. It is as easy as choosing to attend one of the many events at the park, and we encourage our citizens to do just that.”
With today’s decision, loan payments will be paused until April 1, 2027, enabling WEA to focus on its recovery plan. This suspension aligns with ongoing financial contributions and recovery planning efforts by The City, Red Deer County, the Province of Alberta, and other stakeholders.
During this period, Westerner Exhibition Association will present annual financial updates to City Council.
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