Nine out of 10 Red Deerians are still highly satisfied with quality of life in this city — but a growing number think it’s not as good as it used to be.
Crime, drug use and other social issues were cited as Red Deer’s biggest problems. And city manager Craig Curtis believes these concerns caused 36 per cent of respondents to the 2018 Citizen Satisfaction Survey say that quality of life has worsened.
This compared to 45 per cent of respondents who —when asked about how quality of life has changed — felt it’s stayed the same, and 17 per cent who said it’s improved, due to economic development, and more parks, trails and recreational infrastructure.
The survey has been done annually for the past decade by Ipsos researchers, who called 300 randomly selected city residents over age 18 in late May and early June on both land lines and cell phones.
City manager Craig Curtis released the results Thursday and they were generally favourable.
Quality of life in the city was described as being good or very good by 93 per cent of respondents.
There was an increase in the level of satisfaction with value for tax dollars (to 85 per cent from 80 per cent). And 92 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the overall level of city services.
“It’s encouraging to see, once again, the overwhelming majority of citizens continue to enjoy life in our community,” said Curtis.
As for the concerns about crime, he said that city council has approved the hiring of 10 additional RCMP officers. Not all of them are are on the job yet, so he feels the full impact will not be felt until later this year.
Mayor Tara Veer said social and health issues fall under provincial, not municipal jurisdiction. But city council has long been lobbying for more shelter beds, a local drug treatment centre and a hospital expansion, and she said council will keep up the effort.
Since crime and public safety continue to be No. 1 priorities for citizens, Veer said they will remain on top of city council’s agenda. “The annual survey is a strong tool for council to better understand and respond to the top-of-mind issues and priorities for citizens.”
