(rdnewsNOW/Sheldon Sopackman)

By rdnewsNOW staff

July 15, 2025

Red Deer to host Alberta Next town hall

Jun 25, 2025 | 11:37 AM

The Alberta Government is looking to chart its “path forward,” and residents of Red Deer will have a chance to provide their input.

The province announced the members of its Alberta Next Panel on Tuesday, and that they will soon tour Alberta to hear from the people.

READ MORE: Alberta Next panel announced with legislature members, academics and business leaders

A series of 10 in-person town hall meetings has been scheduled for this summer, including a stop in Red Deer on Juy 15. Registration, including location and time, will be unveiled two weeks prior to the event.

The full list of town halls is as follows:

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• Red Deer – July 15
• Sherwood Park – July 16
• Edmonton – August 14
• Fort McMurray – August 26
• Lloydminster – August 27
• Medicine Hat – September 2
• Lethbridge – September 11
• Airdrie – September 15
• Grande Prairie – September 17
• Calgary – September 29

There will also be online town halls on October 1 and 22.

The Panel will discuss matters like establishing an Alberta Pension Plan, transitioning from the RCMP to an Alberta Provincial Police Service, whether Albertans should consider pursuing constitutional changes, altering the equalization system, immigration reform, how Alberta collects personal income tax, and more.

The website for the panel states that Alberta Next will not be exploring the possibility of separating from Canada. Instead, it is about “exploring the ideas and policies to assert our sovereignty and constitutional rights within a united Canada.”

To learn more about the panel and to take the online survey, go to AlbertaNextPanel.ca.

Naheed Nenshi, MLA-Elect for Edmonton-Strathcona, issued the following statement in response:

 “The UCP government’s surveys aren’t about creating new jobs, bringing back investment, making utilities and car insurance more affordable, making our streets safer, reducing wait times in our overcrowded ERs, getting the teachers we need or stopping coal mining in the Rockies.

“Instead, it’s a separatist, do-nothing panel that will cause serious damage to our economy and our reputation as a place to invest. This whole exercise is especially bad for every Albertan relying on their CPP pensions. Albertans do not want the UCP government to gamble with their retirement savings, yet Danielle Smith keeps pushing for that scheme.

“Separatism, on the ballot, couldn’t even crack 18 per cent in a rural riding this week. Albertans should ask why the Premier is wasting even more money on this separatist pet project of hers when there are real issues we’re facing and need to be dealt with.

“She’s only doing this to save her skin after her disastrous showing in the by-elections this week.

“The Danielle Smith do-nothing panel is solely about her own political agenda and not the interests of Albertans. Even more worrisome, it’s full of extremist language that has no place in our province.

“Albertans demand better from the UCP government.”