By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

Uniting business leaders

Red Deer D.R.I.V.E. hoping to bring new economic development outlook

Jan 27, 2026 | 2:53 PM

A new economic development body is taking shape in Red Deer, and it stands for Developing Regional Innovation Ventures and Entrepreneurship.

You may also call it Red Deer D.R.I.V.E., and it stems from recommendations made in June 2025 by The City of Red Deer’s ad hoc economic development committee.

The main recommendation was to adopt an arm’s-length governance model for economic development.

D.R.I.V.E., according to its website, is currently pushing for individuals to become founding members, with the electing of a board coming soon.

Red Deer City Manager Tara Lodewyk says the city is the group’s primary funder, to the tune of $750,000 in 2026. That will jump to $1,000,000 in 2027.

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Lodewyk says D.R.I.V.E. is exciting for the community.

“One: It’s bringing our community together; we’ll be an independent organization that will focus on economic growth, and it really take us to the next level when it comes to being ready for business investment,” she says.

At their Jan. 27 meeting, city council unanimously agreed to have Mayor Cindy Jefferies sit on the D.R.I.V.E. board as a city representative, and further agreed that Councillor Bruce Buruma will be council’s alternate representative.

“This group will have the resources to drive us forward. We are the third-largest city in the province, so we need to rally as a community around this, and up our efforts in economic development,” says Lodewyk. “We will have the right community leaders around the table.”

That group includes ad hoc committee chair Peter Lacey, and vice-chair Allan Chegus, among others.

Speaking to rdnewsNOW, Lacey says they already have more than 80 founding memberships sold, and hope to reach 250.

“This is an opportunity to participate in Red Deer and central Alberta’s future growth. There could be up to 25 action committees — one for downtown, another maybe for homelessness, another for the airport, for example. There are a whole lot of things connected with economic development,” he says.

“We’ll look at our membership and see who’s got the expertise or connections in each sector. Then the board can recommend to city council or whoever will be involved on what steps to take next. Everybody’s a volunteer.”

Lacey says the end goal is to build a stronger tax base, by drawing businesses and industry to Red Deer. That could lead to, in theory, better services or other improvements to municipally-tied things.

“There will be some people who say they don’t want growth, because it means more traffic and that sort of thing, but I think if you’re not growing, you’re going backwards. I think the province is a dynamic province in Canada, we’ve got a lot of geopolitical things going on, and I just think we’re better to be stronger and vibrant.”

The Red Deer District Chamber also offered comment, having sat on the initial steering committee.

“The Red Deer District Chamber has been a progressive advocate for this shift. We expect this arm’s-length governance structure, rooted in clear performance metrics and diverse leadership, to serve as the essential catalyst for sustainable regional success,” says Chamber CEO Frank Creasey.

“Moving forward, the Chamber will take an active role in supporting the leadership at Red Deer D.R.I.V.E. We will leverage our membership and the collective voice of business to ensure this model remains responsive to the needs of local industry leaders.”

The Chamber adds that the objective is clear: to cultivate a resilient, competitive region that thrives for generations to come, positioning Red Deer as the definitive leader in local and regional economic development.