The Canada Winter Games projects are steam-rolling ahead, providing Red Deer with a bright light at the end of what’s been a long, gloomy economic tunnel.
City Manager Craig Curtis said Red Deer landing the 2019 Canada Winter Games could not have come at a better time for the city, which is still coping with the effects of an economic recession.
Although 2018 capital infrastructure projects will be few, as the City of Red Deer bring budgets — and public expectations — in line with the reality of lower municipal revenues, Games projects that are funded with federal and provincial dollars are going ahead to completion.
Some of the Games-related infrastructure that Red Deer residents will gain includes:
- Trail upgrades and cross country ski and biathlon range at River Bend Recreation Area.
- Long-track speed-skating oval and artificial turf on the football field at Great Chief Park
- A Canada Winter Games Plaza that will turn Central Elementary School into a community cultural centre.
- Widened and upgraded ski runs at Canyon Ski Area.
- And at Red Deer College, there is the Gary W. Harris Canada Games sports complex (hosting short-track speed-skating and squash), and new residences for athletes and the short-term and students in the long-term.
“It’s a good news story all around,” said Curtis, who noted the Games are also expected to inject $130 million into the city’s economy during the two-week run in February and March of 2019.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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