(rdnewsNOW/Troy Gillard)

By Troy Gillard

STATE OF THE CITY

Veer says proposed grant changes could hurt Red Deer

Apr 10, 2019 | 4:04 PM

Red Deer’s mayor says our city could be hit hard by proposed changes to how provincial grant funding is allocated to municipalities.

Tara Veer shared her concern during a State of the City speech to members of Red Deer’s Rotary clubs on Wednesday.

“We have seen a preliminary formula and Red Deer is potentially very concerned about the impact that could have on us,” Veer explained.

“Previous programs were on a population basis, and obviously as Alberta’s third largest city, and the largest of the non-charter cities, we are deeply concerned about what the impact (a change from that) could mean for our local community and region.

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“Our community has a right and responsibility to know what the City is thinking in terms of our capital planning, because obviously the services the City provides affects people’s daily lives,” she added, noting Calgary and Edmonton have funding certainty thanks to their City Charters status.

“We recognize these are challenging finances to go through, but we have a very clear expectation to have certainty about what that dollar amount is going to be. Edmonton and Calgary know, but mid-sized and rural municipalities across Alberta are in a vacuum not knowing the formula. We need certainty with respect to that if we are to fulfil the province’s expectation that we plan long-term.”

Another issue Veer is concerned over is the lack of progress in getting new pipelines built to get Alberta’s energy product to market.

She says while Red Deer has made strides in diversifying its economy over the past few years, the oil and gas industry still plays an important roll.

“Above all, for our economy to get back on course we need energy-to-market access,” she implored.

“It is a critical question not just for Red Deerians or Albertans, but certainly for all Canadians. “We are strongly advocating to the provincial and federal governments that it is unacceptable that 5.3 per cent of Red Deerians are unemployed. We need Red Deerians back to work.”

With the provincial election now just days away, Veer says she’s overall pleased with the voice Red Deer has had so far during the campaign.

“I think that Red Deer and Red Deerians have done a good job in terms of elevating the profile of the needs of our community. Even during various debates of non-Red Deer candidates, our infrastructure needs have been specifically discussed and I think that’s a recognition of the fact that provincial services in Red Deer don’t just serve Red Deerians, they serve all of central Alberta and are of interest to all Albertans.”

Veer told Rotarians on Wednesday that city council has identified five key priorities they plan to address in 2019: community safety, strengthening the local economy, ensuring Red Deer is a socially responsible city, a city of choice for tourism and economic development, and a city that provides citizen-focused service.

“I would say we have made progress along those five themes. But our legislative agenda over the past year, because of changes in provincial and federal government, we’ve been focused on legislative changes because of timelines that were put upon us,” she noted. “Council is really looking forward in our coming year, with our work plan, to really gain traction on those areas of priority that our community has identified for us.”