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News of the Red Deer Region
snippets and
summaries of news reports from local media
(primarily Red Deer Advocate and Red Deer Express).
June 2008 Part
1
June 14, 2008
Ipsco Pipe Plant Officially Taken Over by Evraz
Russian-based steelmaker Evraz officially became the fourth owner over a
25 year period of the pipe milling plant in Red Deer County north of the
city. Evraz purchased Canadian-based Ipsco in March for US$2.3 billion
eight months after Ipsco had become a subsidiary of Swedish steel
company SSAB. Ipsco had purchased the plant in 1984 from locally-owned
Ram Steel that had gone into receivership in 1983 not long after it
opened. Ram's demise was at least in part due to the collapse of the
Western Canadian oilpatch which Ram had been supplying pipe to. Evraz
has indicated that no significant changes will occur as a result of the
takeover.
Locally-Based Chatters Chain Wins Prestigious Award
Hair salon chain Chatters Canada Ltd., with its head office in Burnt
Lake Business Park in Red Deer County immediately west of the city, has
been named the 2008 Multi-unit Entrepreneur of the Year, an award
presented Monday during the Global Salon Business Awards in Hollywood,
California. Four of 77 awards were from Canadian salon businesses. Over
3,000 nominees from 22 countries were attracted to the awards. In 2006,
Chatters won an award in the general management category.
June 13, 2008
City Recreation Survey Shows Residents Value Green Space
A recent survey of Red Deer residents on the city's future recreation
needs, protecting and expanding parks and trails came out on top,
followed by creating more large fields for sports. Other priorities
include a new aquatic facility, a 2,000-seat performance space, a
north-end skateboard park, improved transit access to recreation centres
and a specified area for festivals. The survey is part of creating a new
25-year plan for Red Deer Recreation, Parks and Culture to be completed
this fall.
Lacombe County Urban Plan Gets First Reading
The Highway 2A Urban Corridor Plan has been given first reading by
Lacombe County after a delay of several months. The steering committee
involving the county and the towns of Blackfalds and Lacombe has
resolved outstanding issues of the municipalities. However there are
other concerns by area residents around housing density and
environmental protection. A public hearing is scheduled for July 10 in
Lacombe.
Another Summer Village Examines Annexation
The Summer Village of Sunbreaker Cove on Sylvan Lake has indicated to
Lacombe County that it wants to annex land to control future development
and to protect sensitive environmental areas. The desire has been
expressed in an amendment to the village's municipal development plan
but no specific plan has been proposed. Two other summer villages around
the lake have recently proposed annexation -- Norglenwold in Red Deer
County and Birchcliffe in Lacombe County. In addition, Rochon Sands on
Buffalo Lake is seeking land from Stettler County.
June 12, 2008
Merged Credit Unions Will Maintain City as Regional Centre
Although newly-merged credit unions that include Red Deer-based
Community Savings, Edmonton-based Servus Credit Union and Commonwealth
Credit Union have chosen Edmonton for its head office, the new company
has indicated that Red Deer will remain a regional centre and may even
be chosen as a future Centre of Excellence. In addition, the company, to
be called Servus Credit Union Ltd. due to it being the largest partner
with a registered trademarked name, will retain virtually all its
employees currently working for Community Savings. The new company will
likely maintain its downtown influence that Community Savings has
enjoyed for 64 years. It may also be a key player in both the
redevelopment of downtown/Riverlands and at a prime location in Gasoline
Alley close to Highway QE2.
Red Deer Board Seeks More Elementary Schools
The Red Deer Public School Division Board is requesting provincial
funding for the immediate increase in elementary schools in the city to
keep up with recent growth. The 3-year capital plan forwarded to Alberta
Education seeks a new 450-student kindergarten to Grade 5 school in the
Aspen Ridge area in the southeast side of the city as soon as possible.
It is also requesting funds for a 500-student kindergarten to Grade 8
school in the new Timberstone subdivision, in the northeast side of the
city to be opened in the fall of 2011. The board also submitted an
emergency request for three portable classrooms for Mattie McCullough
Elementary School.
June 11, 2008
Casino, Hotel, Convention Centre Proposed for Gasoline
Alley
The Red Deer County planning commission today approved a proposed
600-900-seat casino, 120-room hotel, 150-seat convention centre and
125-seat restaurant on a 12.6 acre site at the gateway to Gasoline Alley
west of Highway 2 south. It is expected that when the complex is built,
the landscaping will create a good first impression as the first
business seen on the highway entering both Gasoline Alley and the city
of Red Deer. There is no indication as to when the proposed complex
would be built.
Biofuel Industry Still Optimistic Despite Delays
Several biofuel projects have been announced over the past several
months for the Red Deer region including a $400 million ethanol and
biodiesel complex north of Innisfail. A multi-faceted biodiesel plant at
Stetter, an expansion of the Permolex plant at Red Deer and an ethanol
plant at Rimbey were also announced. Meanwhile, enthusiasm has waned due
to high canola and grain prices, the food-versus-fuel debate, skepticism
about the environmental effects of such plants, and government
regulatory delays. However, the Innisfail project is still being planned
to proceed once the regulatory approvals are completed. The Greenlab
project at Stettler and the Rimbey plant are apparently still scheduled
to proceed. The Red Deer Permolex expansion is on hold until the
government provides more certainty about biofuel mandates.
Red Deer County Okays City's Next Annexation
Red Deer County council gave its support yesterday to the next stage of
city annexation in keeping with the Intermunicipal Development Plan
negotiated between the two municipalities last July. The annexation
covers three different areas around Red Deer comprising a total of 7,500
acres of land and affecting 170 different landowners. Most of the land
is on the east side of the city primarily for residential development. A
large parcel north of the city will be multi-use and a small parcel that
includes Riverview Park, Heritage Ranch and the Alberta Sports Hall of
Fame, is also part of the annexation. City council is expected to
approve the proposal next week. It will then go to the Alberta Municipal
Government Board for approval. A detail that hasn't been worked out yet
is the compensation agreement.
Million Dollars Donated for Centrium Video Scoreclock
Red Deer Rebels owner Brent Sutter has donated $1 million to Westerner
Park to purchase a four-sided, state-of-the-art video scoreclock for the
Centrium, placing the Rebels and Westerner Park in a class by themselves
within the Western Hockey League. The clock is expected to be in place
in time for the 2008-09 WHL season home-opener the third weekend in
September.
June 10, 2008
RV Dealership Plans Building West of Highway QE2
Western RV Country is planning a new $4.4 million building in the city's
Queens Business Park west of Highway QE2. The dealership has received
conditional approval from the Red Deer municipal planning commission
pending rezoning of the land from light industrial to commercial. The
land, which was annexed by the city from the county, was originally
zoned commercial when purchased but the zoning changed when absorbed by
the city. The dealership had had a business in Gasoline Alley for
several years until 2006 when it was transferred to Paradise RV. If all
goes well, the company expects to start construction in July and be open
by the end of the year.
June 9, 2008
City Children's Festival Doubles Attendance
The second annual Central Alberta Children's Festival doubled its
attendance on the weekend from last year's event in spite of some gloomy
weather. Organized by Family Services of Central Alberta, the event held
at the Red Deer Recreation Park, featured 19 activity tents and a dozen
activity spots staffed by local non-profit groups and other volunteers.
There were 4,000 visitors Friday, including 17 school groups, and an
estimated 1,500 to 2,000 on Saturday when the weather was questionable.
The entry fee of $3 per person or $10 per family including snack booths
kept the event affordable.
Energy Sector Drilling Activity Improves
The oil and gas industry is more optimistic than it was a few months
ago. An oilpatch slowdown developed last year as a result of low natural
gas prices, the high Canadian dollar and fallout from the Alberta
royalty review and it was expected to continue well into this year. The
Petroleum Services Association of Canada has boosted its forecast of
drilling activity in Canada from 14,500 wells to 16,500. The Canadian
Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors revised its prediction from
13,725 to 18,000. The key reason for the increased activity is a
strengthening of natural gas prices. The renewed optimism is still short
of the frantic activity experienced by the oilpatch two years ago when
each association reported around 23,000 wells being drilled.
June 7, 2008
Rochon Sands Applies to Annex Land at Buffalo Lake
The Summer Village of Rochon Sands on the south shore of Buffalo Lake is
applying to annex 450 acres of land from Stettler County to accommodate
increased growth over the next 20 to 40 years due to an increased
interest in recreational property. The application will be filed with
the Alberta Municipal Government Board in about a month.
Finning Opens Red Deer Centre of Excellence
Vancouver-based Finning International Inc., the largest Caterpillar
equipment dealer in the world, officially opened its Centre of
Excellence in Red Deer yesterday. Formerly occupied by Collicutt Energy
Services Ltd., the Edgar Industrial Park facilities it bought in January
for $145 million will be used to prepare Caterpillar products for
delivery to customers and for rebuilding existing equipment, including
trucks, backhoes, graders, excavators and loaders, much of which is used
in the mining sector. About 65% of Collicutt's approximately 470 workers
will be retained. Renovations and additions to the two-building facility
are expected to be completed by fall.
Brandt Tractor Triples Size With New Location
The president of the world's largest privately owned John Deere
construction and forestry equipment dealer helped open the new location
for the Red Deer dealership. The new 33,000 sq. ft. $8 million building
west of Highway QE2 in the Burnt Lake Business Park is triple the size
of its original location and carries John Deere equipment serving the
forestry, mining, construction, agricultural and governmental sectors.
June 6, 2008
New Power Line Corridor Options Revealed
A series of public meetings is gathering input on four possible new
routes for transmitting power from the Edmonton area to southern
Alberta. The four corridors stretch 25 to 60 km wide in places with no
precise line location determined and include the West Corridor several
kilometres west of Highway 2 similar to one that was scrapped last year
due to irregularities in the public consultation process. The other
three are the Central Corridor running close to Highway 2, the
Centre-East Corridor east of Highway 2 and the East Corridor several
kilometres east of Highway 2. Open Houses will be held in several
communities in Central Alberta during June and July and a recommended
route established by year end, approval next year, construction
beginning in 2010 and completion in 2011 or 2012.
City Rental Accommodation Eases, Rents Up
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reports that in April, the
average vacancy rate for city apartments was 3.2%, up from 2.1% in April
last year. Vacancy rates for bachelor suites jumped from 2.5% to 5.3%,
one bedroom units from 2% to 3%, two bedroom units from 3% to 3.2%.
However, the vacancy rate for larger apartments with three or more
bedrooms decreased significantly from 5.4% last year to 2.9% this year.
During the same period, the number of rental units in Red Deer increased
17%. Despite the higher vacancy rates, average rents increased from 3.6%
for bachelor suites to 11.8% for three bedroom apartments. Average
monthly rent for a two bedroom unit in the city was $866, compared to
$1,049 for Alberta's largest communities.
Westerner Days Offers Enough Variety for Everyone
This year's Westerner Days, starting July 16 with the theme 'It's a
Screamin', will offer even more variety for the entire family than in
previous years. Entertainment will cross several musical genres with
country veterans Sawyer Brown and Clint Black and rockers Kenny Shields
and Streetheart. For the younger set, Franklin and the Turtle and
Splash'N Boots will entertain. Other genres will be represented by the
Dirty Dishes, a female trio who blend harmonies on country, bluegrass
and gospel selections, and The Official Blues Brothers Revival. Roaming
the midway will be Bandaloni, a one man band who does everything from
Elvis and the Beatles to Dean Martin and Tom Connors. Hypnotist Mesmer,
comedic ventriloquist the Puppet Tamer and acrobatic team The Flyin'
Fools High Dive Show round out the entertainment. The Canadian Raptor
Conservancy will feature birds of prey. In addition, the midway will
feature four new rides. Chuckwagon races will start at 6:30 pm daily.
Livestock shows, the Creative Arts pavilion, Kids' Corral, 19th Street
Market and exhibition hall return for a well-rounded, wide assortment of
attractions for the annual fair and exhibition.
Cineplex CEO Officially Opens Galaxy Theatre Complex
Cineplex CEO Ellis Jacob is confident that people still want to see
movies on a 50-foot screen as he spoke at the Grand Opening of the
Galaxy Cinemas Red Deer in Gasoline Alley on Wednesday. The Canadian
company currently owns and operates 132 theatres across the country with
brands including Cinema City, Cineplex Odeon, Famous Players, Galaxy and
SilverCity. The new 10-screen stadium-seating first-class Red Deer
facility was taken over by Cineplex from the original builder, Landmark
Cinemas.
June 5, 2008
Released Census Housing Data Already Out of Date
Statistics Canada released housing data about the Red Deer region from
the 2006 Census yesterday and realtors indicate that it is already
outdated. In May 2006, the average cost of a single family home in the
city was $288,203. Two years later, it is $353,247. There was a huge
spike in real estate pricing in 2007 and it has since then come down
slightly. The median cost of housing in 2007 accounted for 17.7% of
income but included the 66% of people owning their own homes where costs
tend to be lower due to reduced mortgage payments as well as the 21.3%
of households without mortgages. Housing costs include mortgage
payments, taxes, condo fees and utilities for homeowners and rent and
utilities for renters. Realtors warn that people looking for a mortgage
today can expect to spend 30% or more of their income for shelter.
Fastest Growing Towns Have Highest Housing Costs
According to the 2006 Census, the median annual housing costs for the
residents of Blackfalds was $14,613 with Sylvan Lake at $13,816 and
Penhold at $11,151 compared to Red Deer at $10,750, Lacombe at $10,777
and Alix at $10,947. Towns with lower growth rates saw lower housing
costs including Innisfail at $9,165, Olds at $8,259, Rocky Mountain
House at $8,354, Stettler at $8,234 and Ponoka at $7,673. Bowden came in
at $6,181 and Rimbey at $7,228. The same high-growth communities had the
highest percentage of residents with mortgages with Blackfalds at 78%,
Sylvan Lake at 57%, Penhold at 59% and Alix at 58% compared to Red Deer
and Lacombe at 50%, Innisfail at 44% and Olds at 41%.
June 4, 2008
City High School Hosts World Showcase
Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School hosted the city school board's Grade 7
students for World Showcase 2008, an event that features the schools' many
international and second language students. Between Lindsay Thurber
Comprehensive High School and Hunting Hills High School, students can
learn French, German, Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese. The schools hosted
about 100 students this year from countries like Brazil, Germany and
China. Exchanges ranged from two weeks to a full year. During the event,
international students had the opportunity to showcase their countries
and culture.
June 3, 2008
Magazine Touts Red Deer as Best Place to do Business
Alberta Venture magazine has declared Red Deer the best community for
business in the province. Red Deer earned 18.5 out of a possible 25
points looking at costs, taxes and regulation, markets, labour and
special considerations. The magazine praised the city for its central
location on the Calgary-Edmonton corridor, pointing out that the city
serves a trading area of about 200,000 people and has access to a
potential market of more than two million. It noted that the community
is a service hub for the energy sector but also benefits from its
proximity to the petrochemical plants to the east, and from strong local
manufacturing, agricultural, food processing and construction sectors.
Alberta Venture pointed to recreational opportunities available to city
residents through the local trail system, Bower Ponds and Canyon Ski
Area.
Residential Housing Permits Still Soft
During May, the city of Red Deer issued 220 building permits valued at
$11.9 million, of which $8.8 million was for residential construction,
including a $3 million 16-unit apartment building south of the downtown.
In May of 2007, $60.9 million worth of permits were issued of which
$17.8 million was for residential construction. Civic projects accounted
for most of the permits in May last year with $31.4 million issued for
the new civic yard relocation. Year to date this year, the city has
issued $88.6 million worth of permits of which $58.4 million has been
for residential building compared to $140.8 million issued from January
to May 2007, of which $79.7 million was for residential.
New Airport CEO Focuses on Passenger Service and Funding
The Red Deer Regional Airport Authority has announced a new Chief
Executive Officer, 51-year-old Liam O'Connell, who has a degree in
mechanical engineering, flies his own plane and was a director of the
authority for 8 years including a time as chairman. His immediate
priorities include courting Air Canada Jazz to provide east-west
passenger service using Dash-8 aircraft and acquiring large-scale
federal grants for runway improvements and a larger terminal building.
O'Connell is replacing retired CEO Merv Phillips.
Support Strong for Olympic-Size Pool
About 100 Red Deer and area people attended a community meeting Monday
evening to show their support for a 50-metre Olympic-size swimming pool
that would be big enough for swimmers to get more pool time and for
hosting provincial and national meets. The city has a 50-metre outdoor
pool but it doesn't meet Olympic standards. Other city pools are smaller
or are designed for leisure swimmers. Currently, local competitive
swimmers must go to Calgary or Edmonton to compete in swimming events. A
partnership of private enterprise with possibly some city support is
proposed for raising funds, acquiring government grants and funding
maintenance once built.
June 2, 2008
Ponoka Recognized as Senior Friendly
Ponoka is the first community in the province to be designated by the
Alberta Council on Aging as senior-friendly. Since 2005, 23 Ponoka
businesses and organizations made a collective effort to be recognized
as senior-friendly and 128 residents attended related seminars. Steps
were taken to consider sensitivity and awareness of the needs of seniors
as customers and contributors to the community.
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