Veer: 2019 another challenging year for Red Deer

“The recession has proven to be prolonged, it’s deeper than what anyone anticipated, and we really felt, and are continuing to feel, the consequences of that locally.

“I think it’s very fair to categorize 2019 as a year of great challenge for our community, certainly our province, and the consequences of our challenges were certainly felt by individuals and families throughout Red Deer.”

How was 2019 different from the previous year? The answer, Veer says, is that the reality of the “new economic reality” really began to set in.

“The magnitude of the economic and social reality became that much deeper. And so, by necessity, our response had to change,” she explained.

One of the biggest changes in 2019 came with the election of the UCP provincial government in April, which Veer says has led to a lot of new challenges and opportunities for Red Deer.

“Certainly, the new provincial government is deeply committed to securing new markets for Alberta’s energy products. And although we can’t just rely on that exclusively, that will be absolutely imperative for Red Deer and the region’s economic recovery,” she pointed out.

“Certainly their commitment to enhancing policing and looking at enhancing justice initiatives – that will be important to the people of Red Deer. The allocation of new Crown prosecutors and new police officers throughout the province, those are all good news stories for the region.”

One of the challenges brought on by the change in provincial government, Veer says, was the need to essentially start over with advocating for Red Deer Regional Hospital expansion and shelter capacity, which the previous government committed to this past February.

“They have indicated that they support the shelter in principle,” Veer notes, “but (they) have asked for time with us in order to do their due diligence on that. But certainly, (with) any delays we feel the impact on our community.”

The financial impact from provincial funding changes meant the city had to defer more than $700 million in projects from Red Deer’s 10-Year Capital Plan.

“There certainly is some disappointment and frustration in the community about those deferrals and cuts,” Veer admits. “But, absolutely, we have a responsibility to respond to the new economic normal. We are simply no longer in a position to do more with less.”

With reported crime rates dropping and fewer people dying in Red Deer from opioids, Veer feels a shift in the right direction when it comes to the priority issue of crime and public safety.

“But I think we still have a lot of work to do,” she notes. “We completely recalibrated in 2019 and adopted what was called a ‘full-court press’ at City Hall in terms of dealing with those issues.”

Veer says expanding the Red Deer RCMP Downtown Unit and ramping up advocacy for the hospital and shelter space are keys in addressing these issues.

“I think we are on the right track, but we will not cease our priority on that until we see results, and I think that’s what our community has the right to expect from us.”

The 2019 Canada Winter Games, in which more than 3,000 competitors and 26,000 visitors came to Red Deer over two weeks in late February/early March, was undoubtedly the highlight of the year for Veer.

She says the lasting legacy from hosting the event is two-fold.

“It brought our community together around a common cause. It brought an economic spinoff in our community of, I believe, around $132 million at a time where we needed it the most.

“It elevated our profile nationally in a very positive way. There’s (been) times where we’ve faced some very detrimental national news (coverage), but certainly (the games) positioned us in a very positive way and not just for sports tourism, but tourism in general.”

In addition to looking back at the past year, Veer reflected on the past decade which started with her being elected to her third term on Red Deer city council in 2010 and then mayor in 2013.

“We were a college city, not a university city. We were just beginning our fight for the new justice centre, and now that is under construction. We didn’t have the (new) QEII interchange; we had been fighting for that for 25 years. Our airport was still a small airport; it wasn’t as much a regional hub airport. Ten years ago we didn’t have the national profile that we do, or the major events tourism.

“About a decade ago we began our plan for downtown revitalization. We hadn’t made some of the investments in Historic Downtown that we see today. Capstone at Riverlands was still a vision in the making.

“We really have seen a modernization of local government over the past decade,” she concluded.

by Troy Gillard

Veer: 2019 another challenging year for Red Deer

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