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Alberta

Young Red Deer Woman awarded the QEII Golden Jubilee Citizenship Medal

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Sydney Hucal on the far right

Lt.-Gov. Lois Mitchell honoured young advocates, scientists, artists and volunteers at the Queen’s Jubilee awards ceremony.  Red Deer’s Sydney Hucal is on the far right

From the Province of Alberta

The lieutenant-governor and Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk, MLA for Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville, presented recipients with the 2018 Queen’s Golden Jubilee Citizenship medals and Queen’s Golden Jubilee Arts medal at Government House.

The Citizenship Medal recognizes students for their outstanding citizenship, leadership, community service and volunteerism. The Scholarship for Performing Arts honours a student who demonstrates talent and potential in the arts.

Along with a medal, each recipient receives a $5,000 scholarship to further their personal development, as they become Alberta’s future leaders.

“This year’s medal recipients share a sense of compassion and dedication to community service, combined with a tireless spirit of adventure and innovation. They have made great use of these gifts to date and I trust that they will continue to give back as they build their careers.”

Lt.-Gov. Lois Mitchell

“These young people are committed to excellence in everything they do, from scientific research and artistic practice to humanitarian work and charity. I am proud to support them as they pursue their goals and strive to make their communities a better place for all Albertans.”

Leela Sharon Aheer, Minister of Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women

QEII Golden Jubilee Citizenship Medal recipients

  • Kassidy Gerhardi from Cochrane
  • Garrett Gerrard from St. Albert
  • Sydney Hucal from Red Deer
  • Arzina Jaffer from Okotoks
  • Fajar Khan from Fort McMurray*
  • Andrew Li from Edmonton
  • Hope Roberts from Turner Valley
  • Tim Zekai Wu from Calgary*

Sydney Hucal (Notre Dame High School, Red Deer) – Sydney has been passionately engaged in many aspects of her school and community. As president of the school council, Sydney led her team in the delivery of numerous school events enhancing the school spirit and building an inclusive environment for all students. Sydney began a kindness campaign called Kind and Kinder based on her belief that the best way to create change was with one small act of kindness at a time. Realizing that little things could make a positive impact on others, she made thank you gifts to students who have made a difference at Notre Dame High School. A key member of the school’s graduation committee, Sydney helped organize the school’s annual service project, raising more than $43,000 for the Aspire Special Needs Resource Centre. Sydney also volunteered as a coach for the Red Deer Special Olympics Swim Team, and was a key member of the Go Girls Youth Empowerment event.

Sydney has just completed her first year in a Bachelor of Commerce degree at the University of Victoria. She hopes to own and run her own small business in the future and apply the skills that her community involvement and education have taught her.

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Alberta

Red Deer Justice Centre Grand Opening: Building access to justice for Albertans

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The new Red Deer Justice Centre will help Albertans resolve their legal matters faster.

Albertans deserve to have access to a fair, accessible and transparent justice system. Modernizing Alberta’s courthouse infrastructure will help make sure Alberta’s justice system runs efficiently and meets the needs of the province’s growing population.

Alberta’s government has invested $191 million to build the new Red Deer Justice Centre, increasing the number of courtrooms from eight to 12, allowing more cases to be heard at one time.

“Modern, accessible courthouses and streamlined services not only strengthen our justice
system – they build safer, stronger communities across the province. Investing in the new Red Deer Justice Centre is vital to helping our justice system operate more efficiently, and will give people in Red Deer and across central Alberta better access to justice.”

Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice and Attorney General

Government of Alberta and Judiciary representatives with special guests at the Red Deer Justice Centre plaque unveiling event April 22, 2025.

On March 3, all court services in Red Deer began operating out of the new justice centre. The new justice centre has 12 courtrooms fully built and equipped with video-conference equipment to allow witnesses to attend remotely if they cannot travel, and vulnerable witnesses to testify from outside the courtroom.

The new justice centre also has spaces for people taking alternative approaches to the traditional courtroom trial process, with the 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 with dedicated venting for smudging purposes.

“We are very excited about this new courthouse for central Alberta. Investing in the places where people seek justice shows respect for the rights of all Albertans. The Red Deer Justice Centre fills a significant infrastructure need for this rapidly growing part of the province. It is also an important symbol of the rule of law, meaning that none of us are above the law, and there is an independent judiciary to decide disputes. This is essential for a healthy functioning democracy.”

Ritu Khullar, chief justice of Alberta

“Public safety and access to justice go hand in hand. With this investment in the new Red Deer Justice Centre, Alberta’s government is ensuring that communities are safer, legal matters are resolved more efficiently and all Albertans get the support they need.”

Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services

“This state-of-the-art facility will serve the people of Red Deer and surrounding communities for generations. Our team at Infrastructure is incredibly proud of the work done to plan, design and build this project. I want to thank everyone, at all levels, who helped make this project a reality.”

Martin Long, Minister of Infrastructure

Budget 2025 is meeting the challenge faced by Alberta with continued investments in education and health, lower taxes for families and a focus on the economy.

Quick facts

  • The new Red Deer Justice Centre is 312,000 sq ft (29,000 m2). (The old courthouse is 98,780 sq ft (9,177 m2)).
  • The approved project funding for the Red Deer Justice Centre is about $191 million.
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Alberta

Made in Alberta! Province makes it easier to support local products with Buy Local program

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Show your Alberta side. Buy Local.

When the going gets tough, Albertans stick together. That’s why Alberta’s government is launching a new campaign to benefit hard-working Albertans.

Global uncertainty is threatening the livelihoods of hard-working Alberta farmers, ranchers, processors and their families. The ‘Buy Local’ campaign, recently launched by Alberta’s government, encourages consumers to eat, drink and buy local to show our unified support for the province’s agriculture and food industry.

The government’s ‘Buy Local’ campaign encourages consumers to buy products from Alberta’s hard-working farmers, ranchers and food processors that produce safe, nutritious food for Albertans, Canadians and the world.

“It’s time to let these hard-working Albertans know we have their back. Now, more than ever, we need to shop local and buy made-in-Alberta products. The next time you are grocery shopping or go out for dinner or a drink with your friends or family, support local to demonstrate your Alberta pride. We are pleased tariffs don’t impact the ag industry right now and will keep advocating for our ag industry.”

RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation

Alberta’s government supports consumer choice. We are providing tools to help folks easily identify Alberta- and Canadian-made foods and products. Choosing local products keeps Albertans’ hard-earned dollars in our province. Whether it is farm-fresh vegetables, potatoes, honey, craft beer, frozen food or our world-renowned beef, Alberta has an abundance of fresh foods produced right on our doorstep.

Quick facts

  • This summer, Albertans can support local at more than 150 farmers’ markets across the province and meet the folks who make, bake and grow our food.
  • In March 2023, the Alberta government launched the ‘Made in Alberta’ voluntary food and beverage labelling program to support local agriculture and food sectors.
  • Through direct connections with processors, the program has created the momentum to continue expanding consumer awareness about the ‘Made in Alberta’ label to help shoppers quickly identify foods and beverages produced in our province.
  • Made in Alberta product catalogue website

 

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