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Civic engagement takes centre stage at Red Deer’s Let’s Talk

At an event all about civic engagement and informing citizens, it can be the elected officials who learn the most.
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Mariia Khimych and her daughter, Solomiia Khimych take a look at the interactive display of the roundabout being put into place near 30th Ave. and 67th St. during the City of Red Deer’s annual Let’s Talk event at Parkland Mall in 2016. (Advocate file photo)

At an event all about civic engagement and informing citizens, it can be the elected officials who learn the most.

The annual Red Deer Let’s Talk event, held this year on April 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Parkland Mall (4747 67th St.), is a chance for residents to talk with city council and departmental and agency staff about everything Red Deer.

With more than 30 displays at the mall, people will have the chance to learn, listen, question and vent.

To help residents whose first language isn’t English, interpretation services will be available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Spanish, Ukrainian, Russian and Arabic.

A unique booth at this year’s event is the 2019 Canada Winter Games. Red Deer was selected to host the upcoming event and a lot of work has been put in to get the city ready for the two week event. It will be held in Red Deer from Feb. 15 to March 3, 2019.

Outside of city departments, the Alberta government will be on hand to talk about the revised Gaetz Avenue and QEII interchange currently under construction.

The RCMP will have a variety of their staff present including the Police and Crisis team from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., the Domestic Violence Unit from 12 to 2 p.m., Victim Services Unit from 2 to 4 p.m. and Community Policing from 4 to 6 p.m.

Veer will be at the event from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. While other city councillors and City Manager Craig Curtis will be in attendance throughout the day.

City booths range in subject from the budget to housing and homelessness to transit to capital projects to recreation and culture.

For more information visit www.reddeer.ca.

mcrawford@www.reddeeradvocate.com