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News of the Red Deer Region
snippets and
summaries of news from local resources including media, press releases
and personal knowledge
July 2009 Part
1
July 15, 2009
Red Deer County Projects Receive
Stimulus
Funds
Both the federal and provincial governments are providing significant
funding for several projects in Red Deer County through various stimulus
programs. The three levels of government are each providing a third
towards both the $2.5 million Cottonwood Road improvements near
Innisfail and the $2.7 million surfacing upgrades to several county
gravel roads that are ready to proceed. In addition to the road
projects, the county has received $2.5 million for wastewater storage
projects in the hamlets of Benalto and Lousana through the
Canada-Alberta Building Canada Fund.
City Intersection Project Gets More
Costly
Red Deer city council has approved a revised budget of $15.1 million for
the Gaetz Avenue and 32 Street intersection improvement currently under
construction. This represents an increase of $1.6 million as a result of
anticipated land sales near the intersection that fell through. There
are still five land parcels with expropriation issues over land values
that are needed to complete the improvements.
County to Consolidate Two Fire Stations
Red Deer County plans to build a new unmanned fire station in the Burnt
Lake Business Park west of Highway 2 to replace two other fire stations
on the city's fringe. The Central Park station which is located north of
the city in land to be annexed by the city and the Poplar Ridge station
west of the Burnt Lake Business Park will be closed once the new station
is completed.
July 13, 2009
New Police and Firehall Building Opens in
City
About 150 people attended an open house Saturday at the new Red Deer
Emergency Services building on 67 Street in the north part of the city.
The $7.9 million project was finished on time and under budget and
consists of an expanded fire hall and new RCMP station. The facility
also includes a room for community meetings. Displays included a mobile
command centre, one of only three in the province.
Rocky to Nordegg Trail Could be $7
Million Project
The proposed Rocky Mountain House to Nordegg multi-use trail is expected
to cost $6.8 million to create. Much of the trail will be built along
the abandoned Canadian National rail line and will include staging areas
for parking, washrooms, garbage cans, picnic sites, signage and a few
campsites. With about 60 stream crossings along the trail, several
federal and provincial approvals are required before construction can
begin. The three-metre wide trail will be open to non-motorized as well
as selected motorized users. Clearwater County is seeking funding
partnerships with provincial agencies, corporations and volunteer
groups.
July 11, 2009
Stimulus Funding for Area
Infrastructure
Projects
The city of Red Deer, Red Deer County and other Central Alberta
communities will receive millions of dollars in funding from the
Infrastructure Stimulus Fund which invests in shovel-ready
infrastructure projects. The city will receive around $2.3 million from
the federal government plus a matching grant from the province for a
multi-million dollar upgrade to the water treatment facility that
includes a new intake in the river. Red Deer County is set to receive
further millions for road improvements as will Alix, Ponoka and
Clearwater County. In addition, Bowden, Blackfalds, Bentley, Eckville
and Stettler will receive funding for a variety of infrastructure
projects.
July 10, 2009
City Housing Starts Increase in June
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. reports that housing starts in Red
Deer were up 48% in June compared to the same month last year. Work
began on 65 homes in the city of which 33 were single detached and 32
were multi-family. In June 2008, 44 homes were started of which 28 were
single family and 16 multi-family. In June 2007, 141 homes were started
and in June 2006, 76 starts were recorded. Year-to-date there has been
160 starts of which 110 were single detached, down from the same period
last year when 334 starts were recorded of which 184 were single
detached. Meanwhile in Sylvan Lake, housing starts for the first half of
the year dropped from 99 last year of which 75 were multi-family to 16
of which none are multi-family. In Lacombe, housing starts for the first
six months of the year dropped from 68 last year of which 29 were
multi-family to 26 of which 3 were multi-family.
July 9, 2009
High Speed Rail Could Take
15 Years to
Complete
Alberta Transportation Minister Luke Ouellette, MLA for Innisfail-Sylvan
Lake, has indicated that there is significant private interest in
building and operating a high speed train between Calgary and Edmonton
with a stop in Red Deer but the project is likely 15 years away from
reality. Once the concept is approved, the province would likely need to
spend two years evaluating a route alignment and another two to four
years to acquire the land for the 300 km line. Ouellette believes that
private investors would then likely need ten years to build the line
although there are those who maintain that it could be done in three. A
newly-released report indicates that people would be willing to pay $56
to $120 one way between Alberta's two biggest cities depending on the
speed of the train. Also affected by speed will be the cost. A
relatively slow 200 km/h train on the existing Canadian Pacific rail
right of way would cost about $3 billion while the fastest, at 480 km/hr
maglev train on a dedicated and likely elevated line, could cost up to
$20 billion. A 320 km/hr electrified train has an estimated cost range
of $5-$10 billion. Although not making any recommendations, the report
indicates that the economic benefits would be much greater than the cost
of building the line and that trips using all modes of transportation
along the Calgary-Edmonton corridor will increase by about 3% per year
requiring massive amounts of infrastructure improvements in one form or
another to accommodate the increase in traffic. Besides economic
benefits, high speed rail would have significant environmental and
social benefits.
July 7, 2009
High Speed Rail
Would Benefit Red Deer Zone
The long-awaited 321-page report commissioned by the provincial
government on the viability of a high-speed train between Calgary and
Edmonton with a stop in Red Deer released yesterday indicated that Red
Deer as a 'super zone' would receive 20-25% of the total economic
benefits with new jobs and development. It also indicated that the
faster the train, the greater the benefits as a result of a greater
ridership. Most high speed options would require a dedicated
right-of-way and five stops are anticipated, two in each of the larger
cities and one near Red Deer. The fastest and most-costly, a maglev
system, could run up to 480 km/hr and the trip between Alberta's two
largest cities would run in less than an hour. An electrified system
running at 320 km/hr would make the trip in less than an hour and a
half. The slowest at under 200 km/hr could run on the existing CPR
right-of-way. Government officials suggest that the province may
purchase the land needed for the line but that private companies
construct and operate the line. Cost estimates for the project range
from $3 billion to $20 billion.
Southpointe Urban Village Plan Tabled
The Red Deer municipal planning commission has decided to table for two
weeks a draft Southpointe neighbourhood area structure plan proposed for
a 157-acre parcel west of Southpointe Common in the southwest part of
the city that is described as becoming a mixed-use urban village with
residential and commercial zones, an environmental business park and
lots of open space. The plan was submitted on behalf of Qualico
Developments, Red Deer College and the Bower family, owners of the land.
Expected to be called Southpointe Junction, 95 acres would be developed
by Qualico for residential, commercial and office use and about 30% of
the land would remain as open space including most of the Bower Natural
Area (17 acres of which is being purchased by the city), land along
Waskasoo Creek, a dry pond and other municipal reserve. The land slated
for the environmental business park is owned by Red Deer College and
would be developed by RDRED (Red Deer Regional Economic Development).
Nova Inks Deal with Harmattan Gas Plant
AltaGas has announced that it has entered into a memorandum of
understanding with Nova Chemicals Corp. for Nova to purchase the spare
capacity gas from AltaGas's Harmattan gas processing complex southwest
of Olds for the next 20 years. Capital costs to build three pipelines
between Harmattan and Nova's Joffre petrochemical complex and alter
existing equipment to recover ethane and natural gas liquids are
estimated at $100 to $120 million. Nova uses the ethane and other
natural gas liquids to produce ethylene, which in turn is used to make
plastics.
Rocky Mountain House Population Decreases
As of April 1, the population of the town of Rocky Mountain House
according to the latest municipal census was 7,155, a decrease of 76
people since the last census done in 2007. The 2006 federal census
showed a population of 6,874 so the town has still seen an average
increase of 100 per year in the last three years. The recent decrease is
attributed to the recent downtown in the oilpatch. Two years ago, all
hotel rooms were booked solid due to an insufficient supply of regular
housing to handle the large numbers of people working in the oil and gas
industry.
July 6, 2009
Summer Cadet Program at Springbrook
Updated
About 150 staff cadets have arrived at the Penhold Air
Cadet Summer Training Centre in Springbrook to prepare for supervisory
and training roles for the 1,300 cadets expected to arrive at various
times during the summer. A new two-week interactive general training
program will be introduced this year for 630 cadets age 12 to 14 that
will allow cadets to get a taste of a variety of hands-on cadet training
with less time in the classroom as well as learning additional life skills. Over the
next few years, new and updated programs will be introduced. The
high-quality music program continues this year that includes a pipe
band, military brass band and a reed band. The more advanced musicians
will be trained to take greater leadership roles.
Federal Government Approves Nova Sale
The federal government has given approval for the sale of petrochemical
giant Nova Chemicals Corp. to Abu Dhabi-owned International Petroleum
Investment Company (IPIC) for about US $2.3 billion. Nova's operations
include ethylene and polyethylene plants at Joffre east of Red Deer.
Nova is expected to remain an independent company with its existing
senior management intact.
July 4, 2009
City Residential Permits Show
Turnaround
Red Deer residential permits in June were almost double the permits for
the same month last year showing a turnaround in housing construction.
It's the first time this year that the value of housing permits exceeded
the 2008 figures. Value of residential permits was $10.2 million
compared to $5.5 million in June 2008. There were 30 single family
permits in June compared to 14 last June. Multi-family permits were also
up dramatically. However, there was a drop in the value of permits for
public, commercial and industrial projects resulting in a total permit
value of $13.5 million, down from the $28.4 million recorded in June
2008 when there was $20 million in public projects. For the first half
of 2009, total permits are valued at $59.1 million compared with $116.9
million for the same period last year. In 2007, a record year, total
permits for the first half were valued at $174.6 million.
Quarter of Top 12 Contestants from Region
Three contestants from Central Alberta have sung, danced and acted to
land in the top 12 finalists on this year's CBC TV's 'Triple Sensation'
reality series. Jen Shaw and Wilmari Myburgh of Red Deer and Glen Mills
of Olds were chosen from hundreds of hopeful contestants from across
Canada. Shaw and Mills are both graduates of the Red Deer College
Theatre Studies program. The show was actually filmed a year ago but is
now being televised.
Popular City River Park Being Upgraded
Three Mile Bend, a popular Red Deer multi-use recreational area along
the Red Deer River near Riverside Drive used as an off-leash dog park,
is being upgraded this summer with additional benches, waste bins, bag
dispensers and interpretive signs. The local canoe and kayak club will
also have a boardwalk added. The improvements are a result of the 2005
Special Gathering Places Study. The $2.6 million Waskasoo Park project
includes recent improvements to the Bower Ponds area and is partially
funded by government grants. The upgrade is expected to be completed by
this fall.
July 3, 2009
Red Deer River Natural Area to be
Protected
The Nature Conservancy of Canada is working towards conserving 1.2
million acres of land east of Red Deer, known as the Red Deer River
Natural Area, that stretches from north of Bashaw around Buffalo Lake to
west of Delburne to south of the Rumsey Ecological Reserve and Natural
Area located south of Big Valley and east of Trochu. It is considered
important because of its productive wetlands, which is the habitat of
several species of migratory birds including species at risk, its unique
ecosystem and its source of biodiversity. The area is considered one of
the most productive wetlands in North America and the best native
parkland in Western Canada. The environmental stewardship project is
made possible by a $2.4 million donation by the TransCanada Corp.,
partnering with the conservancy and governments to leverage grants
totalling $11.4 million for Alberta and Saskatchewan of which $5 million
is expected to be invested in the Red Deer River Natural Area project.
Red Deer Population
Increases 2.4%
Red Deer's municipal census this year shows that the city's population
has increased by 2.4% from last year to 89,891, representing an increase
of over 2,000 people. The rate of growth is similar to last year when
the population increased by 2.5%. In 2007, the rate of growth was 3.2%
and in 2006, 4.9%, the highest in 11 years. The biggest growth areas
were the southeast and northwest. The census also determined that the
average age in the city is 35. More people live in single family housing
than all other types combined.
July 2, 2009
Red Deer Celebrates Canada Day in Style
Thousands of people gathered at the new stage in Red Deer's Bower Ponds
yesterday to help celebrate Canada's birthday with day-long cultural
performances and food. The event, once known as the folk festival, is
organized by the Red Deer Cultural Heritage Society, which is made up of
15 ethnic associations around the city. The day wrapped up with
fireworks.
City Approves Ronald McDonald House
Red Deer city council agreed to allow three residential lots and an
unconstructed lane to be used for a three-storey Ronald McDonald House
south of the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre. This allows the
organization to proceed with the purchase of the lots and detailed
design of the facility. Once completed, up to 10 families of
critically-ill babies and high-risk pregnancies will be able to stay at
the facility at a time. An estimated 400 families per year are expected
where they will have access to home-cooked meals, private bedrooms and
playrooms for children. Fundraising will likely launch in September.
Gasoline Alley Hotel Begins Construction
Construction has started on an $18 million, 111-suite, 5-storey
full-service Holiday Inn on a 2.64 acres parcel on the east side of
Highway QE2 south of Red Deer at Gasoline Alley. It will include banquet
facilities, a 500-person conference centre, restaurant, lounge, pool and
waterslide. All of the suites will include a fridge and microwave. The
hotel expects to open in time for the 2010 summer season.
City Proceeds with Expropriation for
Roadway
Red Deer city council has decided to proceed with expropriating 135
acres on two land parcels in the northeast quadrant of the city in order
to build a major roadway (Northland Drive), regional wastewater line and
an extension of Waskasoo Park.
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