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Red Deer Farmers Market relocates to Polytechnic Campus

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News release from the Red Deer Market

The Red Deer Farmers’ Market has a new location

The Market@Red Deer is very happy to announce its new home at Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP).

The 52-year-old Farmers’ Market will be held at Red Deer Polytechnic’s main campus from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm every Saturday from May 20 to October 7.

“We are so excited to have RDP as our new home. Along with the location and space for vendors and customers, there are some great opportunities to explore with RDP that may not have shown themselves at our last location,” says Patrick Moffat, Co-Manager of the Market@ Red Deer. “We really believe this is a good fit and a great location.”

The new site will give the Market a larger footprint with up to 320 stalls and room for growth if needed. This does not include the plenty of nearby customer parking stalls, including accessible stalls.

“We are excited to welcome vendors and visitors to Red Deer Polytechnic’s main campus for the Red Deer Public Market in the weeks and months ahead,” says Patrick Machacek, Vice President of Development and Partnerships at Red Deer Polytechnic. “This is an example of how RDP is deepening our community partnerships and supporting central Alberta’s entrepreneurs. Markets like this are incubators for small business and for cultural connection. Hosting this weekly market on our campus reflects our role as a polytechnic to contribute to the economic growth and social development of the region.”

The Red Deer Market, which was started by Dennis Moffat in 1970, has been seeking a new location since Red Deer City Council voted not to renew its long-standing agreement of over 30 years to operate in front of the Servus Arena and Pidherney Centre parking lots. Many locations were considered, including a few possible sites in the downtown area. However, Red Deer Polytechnic was identified by organizers as the best choice. Along with the ample parking, RDP has excellent access to transit and is part of the Waskasoo trail systems, among other amenities that make the Polytechnic a great place to host The Market@Red Deer.

Beginning May 20, signage will help direct customers and vendors to Red Deer Polytechnic, which is located at 100 Red Deer College Boulevard in south-west Red Deer.

A map of the on-campus parking lot locations for The Red Deer Market – Parking Lots C, Public East, F Lot West and Parking Lot D – is available online.

More information about The Red Deer Market is available at: reddeermarket.com | facebook

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Alberta

Red Deer’s first new courthouse in 40 years expected to open early in 2025

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Front entrance of the new Red Deer Justice Centre.

New courthouse in downtown Red Deer will improve justice services for the region’s growing population and address space constraints.

Red Deer residents are one step closer to enhanced justice services in a state-of-the-art facility. The newly built Red Deer Justice Centre will replace the city’s existing outdated court facilities that have been operating at capacity. The new centre has space for 16 courtrooms, with 12 courtrooms fully built and the ability to add up to four additional courtrooms for future use.

With construction complete, Alberta Infrastructure is turning the building over to Alberta Justice, who will outfit the facility with furniture and modern equipment to prepare the building for the public. The centre is expected to officially open and begin operating in early 2025.

“This new, state-of-the-art courthouse will increase access to justice services for residents of Red Deer and central Alberta. The new facility will meet the space and service needs of residents for generations to come.”

Pete Guthrie, Minister of Infrastructure

Construction on the new Red Deer Justice Centre began in August 2020. The new centre includes spaces for alternative approaches to the traditional courtroom trial process, with three new suites for judicial dispute resolution services, a specific suite for other dispute resolution services, such as family mediation and civil mediation, and a new Indigenous courtroom able to accommodate smudging. Additionally, it will include modern technology to replace legacy systems at the current courthouse.

“Along with building a new justice centre for Red Deer, Alberta’s government is preparing to expand pre-court services, such as mediation, in Red Deer early in 2025. This new facility has the space to offer these services while also allowing more court cases to be heard, increasing Albertans’ access to justice.”

Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice

“As MLA for Red Deer-North, I am thrilled this new justice centre will open its doors to serve our growing community soon. When it opens, it will provide essential space and resources to support timely legal services, reflecting our commitment to improve legal access for the people of Red Deer and central Alberta.”

Adriana LaGrange, MLA for Red Deer-North

“Central Alberta is a wonderful, attractive place for individuals to work, live and raise families, and many are choosing our region for these reasons. The Red Deer Justice Centre will improve justice services for a growing population of individuals, families and businesses. This centre is a testament to Red Deer and central Alberta’s growth and our government’s commitment to it.”

Jason Stephan, MLA for Red Deer-South

Building the vital public infrastructure that Albertans need, creating jobs and attracting investment is integral to Alberta’s economic development. The project supported about 1,100 construction-related jobs from start to finish.

Quick facts

  • Red Deer’s current court facilities include seven courtrooms that were built in the 1980s.
    • Since then, Red Deer’s population has almost doubled.
  • The approved project funding is about $203.1 million.
  • The new 312,000 sq ft (29,000 m2) Red Deer Justice Centre is built to LEED Silver standards to ensure reduced energy consumption and operational costs and increased durability of the building.
  • The new facility was designed by Group2 Architecture and Interior Design, in conjunction with justice facility specialists DLR Group.
  • There are currently five courthouse capital projects in planning or design throughout the province.
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Red Deer

Chamber urges city council to look harder at cutting costs

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Red Deer District Chamber CEO, Scott Robinson

News release from the Red Deer District Chamber

Red Deer District Chamber Calls for Balanced Approach to 2025 City Budget

Following several meetings with City Administration, The Red Deer District Chamber has responded to the release of the draft City of Red Deer 2025 Budget with a call to immediately reduce tax supported Operational expenses by 3%. This recommendation is based on a balanced approach and one that acknowledges the significant amount of work The City must do in improving efficiency and managing costs.

“We have looked closely at The City’s financial position for 2025 and believe it is essential to consider further expense reductions alongside property tax increases.” says Red Deer District Chamber CEO, Scott Robinson. “The City of Red Deer faces a significant deficit, as revenues have fallen short of expenses over the past few years. While we agree that The City must address this imbalance and reduce its reliance on reserves and utility dividends to balance the budget, we believe that the full financial burden should not fall solely on taxpayers and property owners.”

Through a recent survey, our members shared the view that it’s crucial for The City to review its services and the costs associated with delivering them. 51.61% of respondents wanted to see The City implement alternative ways of doing business to reduce deficit.

When asked how a potential double digit tax increase would impact their businesses, 64.29% of respondents said that this would result in significantly increased operating costs.

Respondents felt that a double-digit tax increase would not result in a sustainable financial solution for The City of Red Deer, and that the overwhelmingly best option for The City to explore for the 2025 Budget and beyond, was cost cutting and efficiency measures being implemented within City departments.

“We believe a balanced approach is both reasonable and necessary. By reducing operational expenses by 3%, The City could save taxpayers approximately $9-10 Million, which would, in turn, make any necessary tax increase more manageable this budget year.” says Chamber CEO Scott Robinson.

The business community has been clear: a double-digit tax increase is not sustainable and would significantly impact the ability of some businesses to operate and thrive within the city.

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