The iconic and historic Black Knight Inn comes down in south Red Deer. The lot will soon be home to a new vehicle dealership. (Submitted: Steve Parkin)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

good, bad, ugly and beautiful

The year that was: rdnewsNOW’s top stories from 2022

Dec 31, 2022 | 9:00 AM

2022 has come and gone, with its trials, tribulations, tapestries and triumphs.

Throughout the year, rdnewsNOW was on scene at many a community event, sports match or news conference as it was happening.

The struggles of COVID-19 and inflation have dogged us, while elation over events returning and seeing people’s faces at long last have motivated us.

Now here’s a look back at some of our most memorable stories from the year that was.

JANUARY

Last seen Nov. 28

Missing: Jimmy Eagle, 27, of Maskwacis

Dec 14, 2025

the situation is dire

Two deaths, possibly from cold exposure, raise alarm amid Red Deer shelter situation and plight of homeless community

Dec 12, 2025

Lace-'Em Up!

Red Deer's outdoor rinks returning for another season

Dec 12, 2025

1st: A local man is charged with second-degree murder following the death of another man in Red Deer earlier that week.

3rd: Investigators look into the cause of a fire which destroyed a garage and damaged a home in Red Deer’s Kentwood neighbourhood.

12th: Alberta over 61,000 active cases of COVID-19

15th: A man convicted in a fatal fight on the Sunchild First Nation three years ago is sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility of parole for 17 years.

20th: A man charged in a fatal Lacombe shooting two years prior is sentenced to 11 years and four months in jail.

FEBRUARY

1st: Red Deer city council approves immunization policy that applies to members of council and volunteers appointed to council boards and committees.

2nd: Morale low; Emergency surgical patients who’d normally be treated at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre (RDRHC) are diverted to facilities in Calgary and Edmonton.

4th: An autopsy has deemed the cause of a death in Red Deer this week to be homicide. RCMP identify the victim as 30-year-old Reichel Alpeche.

11th: Red Deer can say once again it is Alberta’s third-largest city, according to Statistics Canada’s 2021 Federal Census.

23rd: Expansion of the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre will officially get a $1.8 billion investment in provincial budget.

26th: Premier Jason Kenney announced Saturday morning that the provincial mask mandate will end on March 1.

28th: Alberta’s government announces a $7.5 million grant to help expand infrastructure and services at Red Deer Regional Airport.

Black History Month series: Part One; Two; Three

MARCH

1st: Alberta lifts its mask mandate, as announced a week earlier, and most other COVID rules are gone too.

3rd: Red Deer’s Jocelyn Peterman and fiancé Brett Gallant represent Canada on world stage.

3rd: Red Deer native Jocelyn Peterman prepares to take the ice with curling and life partner Brett Gallant.

6th: Red Deer quickly becomes a hub in Alberta for Ukrainian efforts, with people from Edmonton and Calgary sending donations, and it’s because of one local woman.

23rd: Two local families were deeply affected in different ways by similarly painful experiences, following collisions with an impaired driver.

24th: Red Deer-South MLA Jason Stephan among UCP members demanding Premier Kenney resign over vote changes.

25th: Hockey Canada, Westerner, comment on Red Deer’s exclusion from World Juniors reboot; city to host 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

25th: Demolition of historic Black Knight Inn begins; Part 2

29th: A gondola connecting Red Deer’s Capstone neighbourhood to Bower Ponds could be reality within two years, according to Edmonton-based Prairie Sky Gondola (PSG).

APRIL

12th: There was a stay of proceedings in a fatal hit and run in north Red Deer from three years ago.

20th: Red Deer’s Westerner Days is coming back this summer, after two long years off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

21st: With many Red Deerians focused on the high profile demolition of the Black Knight Inn this week, a second well known landmark in the city already came down recently.

22nd: The owners of the Jackpot Casino in Red Deer submit an application to Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) to relocate to the Cambridge Red Deer Hotel and Conference Centre.

22nd: Red Deer’s Crimson Villas a prototype for future seniors lodges with huge need for units across Alberta.

29th: Surgeries begin being diverted from Red Deer Regional Hospital.

MAY

3rd: Over 100 Ukrainians settle in Red Deer area but organizations question federal government.

4th: The City of Red Deer’s top legal advisor announces she is seeking the NDP nomination in the provincial constituency of Red Deer-South.

5th: Red Dress Day event about building hope, says one community grandmother

5th: Large fire destroys business just east of Lacombe.

12th: The now formerly Federal Government-owned building in the heart of Red Deer’s downtown has a new owner.

21st: Vendors were vending and the patrons were patronizing the many family-owned businesses back out again for another bountiful season at The Market at Red Deer.

27th: The life and memory of the late Dr. Walter Reynolds, who was the victim of a killing in summer 2020 inside his Red Deer clinic, would be honoured with a memorial run on Sept. 18.

JUNE

3rd: 59-year-old Red Deerian attempts World Record of 20,000 reps at outdoor gym.

9th: A man charged in a fatal shooting outside a Red Deer Walmart over two-and-a-half years ago is sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for at least 10 years.

17th: RCMP in Sylvan Lake are seeking information about two suspects believed to be involved in a shooting, which they also call a targeted attack.

18th: A Ford Explorer SUV was driven into the Sproule’s Mountview IDA pharmacy in Red Deer.

28th: The former Greyhound bus station in downtown Red Deer is no more.

JULY

5th: A house fire in Red Deer’s Anders area claims the life of a resident.

7th: A cyclist is killed just south of Red Deer. As of December 2022, police are still seeking the person(s) responsible.

7th: Human remains found in Red Deer earlier in 2022 are determined to be that of a man missing since 1999.

13th: Three landslides occur in Red Deer due to heavy rainfall.

19th: Westerner Days returns for first time since pre-pandemic.

The pope visits central Alberta: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3

31st: Following a base jumping accident, a renowned central Alberta skydiver is remembered for living life to the fullest.

AUGUST

3rd: Seven-year-old boy in good spirits after cougar attack near Rocky Mountain House.

5th: The mother of a cyclist killed in July makes a public plea. A photo of a vehicle believed to be involved is released on Aug. 16.

5th: A new alpine coaster experience opens at Canyon Ski Resort.

6th: Canada wins gold at Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Red Deer.

11th: Mayor of Sylvan Lake says repeated closures of ambulatory care centre “unacceptable.”

17th: Red Deer is one of four cities to receive expanded passport services from the federal government.

18th: The local football community mourns the loss of “central Alberta’s football dad.”

24th: An erratic driver is arrested by RCMP after three hours of close calls around Red Deer.

24th: Carnival Cinemas announces it is looking to relocate; The City says this doesn’t affect the vision for Capstone.

SEPTEMBER

2nd: Service Dog Harley receives fond farewell from Victim Services Unit and RCMP

8th: Central Alberta woman who received award from Queen Elizabeth II recalls memorable moment

10th: A collision near Thorsby kills two, including a paramedic who was driving an ambulance.

11th: Red Deer sets a new temperature record.

15th: Edmonton Protocol turns diabetic Innisfail resident’s life around; research gets closer to a cure for diabetes.

24th: An event in Red Deer County which organizers hope becomes annual celebrates girls in aviation.

27th: Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston says he is pursuing the opportunity for the city to become a leader in addictions recovery.

29th: Doctors at Red Deer Regional Hospital sound the alarm; say hospital “on the brink of collapse.”

OCTOBER

1st: In one of his final acts as premier, Jason Kenney cuts ribbon on Red Deer Recovery Community.

7th: Red Deer mayor and local MLAs hopeful with Smith as new Alberta premier.

11th: Danielle Smith to be sworn in as Alberta’s new premier.

12th: A second site is proposed for a future permanent shelter in Red Deer.

14th: Local mayors blast province for further delays on hospital construction.

14th: Alberta RCMP Major Crimes Unit is investigating a homicide in Red Deer; the victim is identified as 24-year-old Brandon Loughlin. An arrest is made in December.

20th: Man known to local police makes national Most Wanted list.

25th: A new cell tower is expected in northeast Red Deer by end of the year, says TELUS.

28th: Wolf Creek Golf Resort goes into receivership.

28th: An appeal is withdrawn for a casino relocation due to “significant backlash.”

NOVEMBER

1st: The Red Deer Dream Centre, at long last, welcomes its first clients.

1st: A large fire breaks out at a disposal company west of Red Deer.

3rd: Hospital expansion is projected for completion by 2030 as province reveals new details about project.

3rd: Rocky Mountain House RCMP announce they are investigating Halloween candy possibly laced with fentanyl; tests come back negative.

4th: Red Deer Regional Hospital becomes first in Canada to offer new treatment for stroke.

4th: MLA Jason Stephan announces he’ll seek re-election, and he’ll have an opponent.

16th: No plans to hike minimum wage, says province, as Red Deer’s living wage rises 14 per cent.

16th: The Red Deer Museum + Art Gallery celebrates 50 years.

DECEMBER

2nd: A Red Deer man is charged after deadly crash in Calgary which allegedly involved alcohol.

9th: The owner of a Red Deer apartment building is fined $15,000 for safety code violations.

13th: The City of Red Deer announces it has bought the Buffalo Hotel and Club Cafe, both of which will be demolished in 2023.

21st: Mayor Ken Johnston looks back on a year of relationship building in Red Deer.

22nd: Red Deer RCMP release details about an alleged sexual assault involving a local massage therapist, hoping other victims come forward.

23rd: Fire destroy an “iconic” grain elevator in Bentley, north of Red Deer.

24th: Brothers from central Alberta make their NHL officiating debut in Edmonton.