(rdnewsNOW/Sheldon Spackman)

By Sheldon Spackman

BUDGET 2020 REACTION

City says provincial budget responds to Red Deer’s critical infrastructure needs

Feb 28, 2020 | 1:49 PM

Although Thursday’s provincial budget revealed a significant investment in badly-needed capital projects for the City of Red Deer, officials note many details are still to be determined.

On Friday, city officials acknowledged that Budget 2020 contains significant investment in Red Deer’s social and health infrastructure, pointing to a commitment of $100 million for expansion of the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre, and the allocation of $7 million for a 24/7 emergency shelter.

RELATED: Alberta Budget commits $7M for Red Deer emergency shelter

“This Provincial Budget responds to our community’s collective voice and advocacy around critical social and health challenges that are impacting our city today,” says Mayor Tara Veer. “We are extremely pleased to see the Province acknowledge our community concerns and commit to facility enhancements, which will address the long-standing critical healthcare concerns of our community. Advocating for this funding was a community effort and we should all be proud of what we achieved together.”

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As part of the 2020 Budget, the Provincial Government also highlighted its commitment to continue construction on the new provincial justice centre in Red Deer.

“Safety continues to be a top priority for our citizens and the community and the continued development of the new justice centre responds to this need,” adds Veer. “The City will continue to advocate for additional crown prosecutors to strengthen the court’s ability to uphold charges and obtain justice for victims of crime in central Alberta.”

According to city officials, changes to police fine revenue and grants in lieu are moving forward as announced during the 2019 Provincial Budget, while Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI) funding will see an unanticipated increase in 2020 before decreasing in 2021, as expected.

Officials say the City of Red Deer planned for reductions in 2020 capital and operating budgets based on the 2019 provincial budget estimates. In addition, funding for Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) and Outreach and Support Services Initiative (OSSI) programs appear to be stable.

“While the 2020 provincial investment in justice, health, social and general municipal infrastructure comes at a time when we, as local government, are working to maintain services and infrastructure for 2020 and beyond, there is still more work to be done,” admits Veer. “We will continue to advocate, for example, for residential treatment and increased affordable housing in Red Deer.”

City officials say administration will continue to review the Provincial Budget and watch for more details in the coming weeks. Also, the impact on property tax notices will be calculated in April when the approved municipal operating budget is combined with the provincial education requisition and tax rates are set by Red Deer city council.