Opinion
Is the City of Red Deer a Small Tent that is getting even smaller?
Red Deer appears to be shrinking in more ways than in population. Our city is becoming a smaller and smaller tent. The most recent example is the city’s decision to withdraw from the Central Alberta Economic Partnership, (CAEP).
With a partnership of 40 municipalities representing 300,000 residents, and Red Deer representing 1/3 of the population. It is a commendable group seeking solidarity in voice with the larger governments. This was a big tent endeavour that could be a help or a hindrance, but as in any group it would be impossible to get unanimity on any issue. Of course politics can impede or derail even the best of intentions.
Perhaps Red Deer outgrew the CAEP, which is a possibility, but should we withdraw. Could we not listen and learn from the other partners. While Red Deer is shrinking in population, others are growing.
Councillor Lee recommended the withdrawal, citing the plan to focus on Red Deer’s interest like Sports Tourism and Downtown Redevelopment. I interpret this to mean 2019 Canada Games and a new aquatic centre and concert hall downtown and the Riverlands.
Sports Tourism, is a great sound byte, but is not given any serious consideration beyond the 2019 games and how it benefit’s the downtown, that is it. Just ask Councillor Lee about building the Aquatic Centre around Hazlett Lake, visible from Hwy2, incorporating the lake for a high-profile highly-visible tourist attraction and not downtown, replacing the Rec Centre. I did and he responded, about the needs of the Riverlands.
I remember talking about moving the public yard, the railroad and downtown redevelopment almost 30 years ago. The city admits it will be 20 more years before the Riverlands is fully developed and downtown redevelopment is a never ending process.
The CAEP may be a tool, we have failed to avail ourselves. I know we deal with other communities on many issues, but perhaps we could adjust the bigger picture. Less focus on single issues and more real-time focus on bigger issues.
I have been told on numerous occasions that the city focuses too much of it’s time, money and energy on the downtown. Nearly 1,000 people moved out of Red Deer last year, 777 of those who moved away lived north of the river. The city hasn’t ever built a high school north of the river, they are planning 6 south of the river. They haven’t built a school north of the river in 41 years. It has been over 40 years since they built an indoor pool or indoor ice rink north of the river.
Blackfalds, built the Abbey Centre away from their downtown and their population grew by over 700 residents, last year. Penhold built a multi-plex near Hwy2 and their town needs to expropriate more land for residential developments.
These communities live in the same province, at the same time but are achieving drastically different results.
Perhaps instead of withdrawing into a smaller and smaller tent, instead of focusing inward it should be focusing outward and seek a bigger tent.
So, (I have to add) how about building a Collicutt type complex, incorporating a 51m pool, and an indoor ice rink, around Hazlett Lake. It is visible from Hwy 2 and Hwy 11A. You could incorporate the lake for competitive swimming, canoeing, boat races, outdoor skating, hockey games, even ice fishing. It would boost tourism, kick-start development in the north, help the less fortunate who needs a staycation destination. What do you say? I know; it is not downtown, how dare I even dream of it. Could you at least build a high school for the thousand plus students living on the north side?
These suggestions don’t fit in a small tent.
From the X account of Andrew Scheer
Mark Carney spent his entire life promoting the carbon tax.
Now he’s trying to scam Canadians out of billions and to do it he’s put a whole crew together.
It could be the biggest con job in Canadian history. Only YOU can stop it! pic.twitter.com/1DyywsynBN
— Andrew Scheer (@AndrewScheer) February 22, 2025
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By Newt Gingrich
In an amazing show of courage, Vice President J.D. Vance offered an intervention for some of our European allies.
That is the best way to think of the two historic speeches he made in France and Germany last week.
In Paris, Vice President Vance pledged the United States would do whatever it takes to lead the world in the development of Artificial Intelligence. He went on to assert that Europe’s automatic response to regulate technological change rather than adapt to it was doomed to fail.
Dear Readers:
As a nonprofit, we are dependent on the generosity of our readers.
Please consider making a small donation of any amount here. Thank you!
Vance warned the Europeans that the Trump administration would retaliate to protect American high-tech companies from being fined and regulated by the European community.
Then, Vance went to the Munich Security Conference. It is the annual meeting of European leaders concerned about defense and threats to peace. The Vice President shocked the Europeans by launching a frontal assault on the decay of their political system.
As Vance put it:
“But while the Trump administration is very concerned with European security and believes that we can come to a reasonable settlement between Russia and Ukraine, and we also believe that it’s important in the coming years for Europe to step up in a big way to provide for its own defense, the threat that I worry the most about vis-à-vis Europe is not Russia, it’s not China, it’s not any other external actor. And what I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values — values shared with the United States of America.”
He then went through a litany of specific complaints about the behavior of different European countries. They ranged from failing to control immigration, suppressing free speech, and Brussels seeking to control and define futures of independent countries such as Hungary and Romania.
The leading French newspaper, Le Monde (their equivalent of the New York Times) asserted that the American Vice President was declaring “ideological war on Europe.”
Le Monde was right. The European elites have been decaying for at least two generations. They hide behind their privileged status and take ideological positions that feel good but are destructive. Europe’s failures are devastating for most everyday Europeans.
I have personal knowledge about this. I have a Ph.D. in Modern European History – and I have lived in France, Germany, Belgium and Italy. As a young Army dependent, we were living in France when the French Army came back from Algeria, killed the French Fourth Republic and brought back General Charles de Gaulle to establish the Fifth Republic.
It is now the longest serving non-royal government in French history.
The European elites value each other’s opinions more than they value serving the people of Europe. The European elites live in a fantasy world of green policies that destroy industries and jobs, welfare policies which destroy the work ethic, and immigration policies which undermine the popular culture. They simply hope for a peaceful world without a strong military.
Meanwhile, state enforced speech codes protect Islamic extremists at the expense of local citizens.
The result has been a steady decline of European culture, economic development, and defensive capacity.
The Afghan Islamist who wounded more than two dozen people and killed a mother and her two-year-old daughter with a car two days before the supposed security conference signals the willful avoidance of reality at the heart of the elite European worldview.
To be clear, I admire European civilization. I believe America is far stronger and safer if Europe is healthy and capable of growing and defending itself.
I hope vice president Vance’s intervention at least starts European elites thinking about what must be done to revive their continent.
For more commentary from Newt Gingrich, visit Gingrich360.com. Also subscribe to the Newt’s World podcast.
Riots and hijackings — why ICE cuffs and shackles some deportees
Bureaucrats Breathed Life Into Biden’s Border Crisis With Mountains Of Taxpayer Cash
The Mother of All Frauds?
Mark Carney admits he is an ‘elitist’ and ‘globalist’ but claims that is what Canada needs
-
Indigenous1 day agoTrudeau gov’t to halt funds for ‘unmarked graves’ search after millions spent, no bodies found
-
Business2 days agoFederal Heritage Minister recommends nearly doubling CBC funding and reducing accountability
-
Business2 days agoArgentina’s Javier Milei gives Elon Musk chainsaw
-
Business1 day agoApple removes security feature in UK after gov’t demands access to user data worldwide
-
International1 day agoJihadis behead 70 Christians in DR Congo church
-
International2 days agoMexico to reform constitution after Trump designates cartels as terrorist organizations
-
Addictions2 days agoBC overhauls safer supply program in response to widespread pharmacy scam
-
Alberta2 days agoOpen letter to Ottawa from Alberta strongly urging National Economic Corridor