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By rdnewsNOW staff

open houses, public hearing, in writing

Red Deerians can provide feedback now on potential new avenue for electric utility

May 23, 2025 | 2:36 PM

The City of Red Deer is offering residents a closer look at the potential shift to a new governance model for electric utility.

The public business plan for said shift is now available at part of the city’s Electric Utility Modernization Project.

The plan outlines how Red Deer could transition to a Municipally Controlled Corporation (MCC) – a model where the utility remains publicly owned but operates with greater independence, agility, and business flexibility.

“This is about modernizing how we operate our Electric Utility so we can better respond to industry changes, plan for future growth, and continue delivering reliable, sustainable power to Red Deerians,” said Jim Jorgensen, Utilities Manager.

“The release of the business plan marks a critical milestone in this project, and we invite citizens to review the plan and supporting documents to better understand what an Electric Utility MCC could look like in Red Deer.”

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The business plan highlights:

• The benefits of moving to an MCC, including operational agility, improved access to capital, and long-term sustainability.
• Financial and market impact analysis – including an estimated 2% increase in the distribution portion of customer bills.
• How The City would remain the sole shareholder and maintain public ownership.

The business plan can be viewed at reddeer.ca/UtilitiesModel.

In addition, citizens can learn more through a series of public open houses occurring across the community. These open houses are an opportunity for citizens to ask questions, speak directly with the project team, and learn how to contribute feedback through the public hearing process.

• May 29, 1-4 p.m., Northside Community Centre
• June 3, 4-7 p.m., Bower-Kin Community Hall
• June 5, 3-6 p.m., City Hall, main floor
• June 7, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Bower Place
• June 11, 2-4 p.m., Golden Circle Senior Resource Centre

A public hearing is slated for 5 p.m. on June 23 in council chambers. Citizens are also invited to share their feedback in writing by June 13. For more information on how to participate, visit reddeer.ca/publichearing.

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READ MORE: Red Deer to explore creating a Municipally Controlled Corporation for utility management