Red Deer’s got heart, grit, and a future most folks don’t dare dream of. We’ve been called a “mid-sized city” forever, stuck between Calgary and Edmonton’s shadows. But let’s be real: we’re an ideal-sized city with the potential to be the most strategically important hub in Western Canada. I see it — projects breaking ground, a community starting to believe we’re more than a Highway 2 pitstop. Yeah, people are angry, and I hear you. Taxes and homelessness sting. But 2025 is our year to prove Red Deer could be so much more.
We’re making moves—stuff we should’ve started five years ago, but it’s great to see it’s happening now. High-speed fibre optic internet should be hitting every home and business, led by F3 Networks Canada and Telus, over the next two years. This puts us on the tech map. Housing starts are up, building homes for our growing population. By closing the drug consumption site and investing in long-term addiction recovery, we’re forging a safer Red Deer. These wins for set the stage for what’s next.
The biggest game-changer is a $2 billion hospital expansion, breaking ground in this summer. This isn’t just a building—it’s thousands of jobs, world-class healthcare, and a beacon for specialists and families. It screams, “Red Deer’s the health hub of Western Canada.” Red Deer Polytechnic’s Innovation Centre is expanding into health tech, sparking research and jobs. The proposed Howes Pass highway to Golden will make us a logistics powerhouse. And a high-speed rail, with Red Deer as the midpoint between Calgary and Edmonton, will shrink commutes and boost our economy.
These wins on the horizon are promising — but they don’t change the fact that today, what you actually feel and see are the things happening right outside your door - high taxes and an ever-present homelessness crisis. The big tax hike for 2025 hurts — I voted against it, knowing how it hits families and businesses already stretched thin. Inflation costs have hit the city as necessary things concrete and labour are significant more, and reserves are tapped. I’m pushing for smarter spending and incremental development to ease the burden. On homelessness, the low vacancy rate exacerbates the number of people living on our streets. When you ask, “What are you doing about the homeless?” here’s the truth: the city’s powers are limited—housing and social services lean on provincial and federal help—but we are acting. We’re partnering with non-profits for shelters, planning long-term affordable housing, and advocating for more support. It’s not enough, but I’m fighting for better.
Our community is starting to see the bigger picture. Red Deer Polytechnic’s “Polytechnic Means More” campaign celebrates our innovation. Tourism Red Deer’s “Highway 2 More” invites the world to see us as a destination. An ad hoc economic development committee is exploring a new agency to tell Red Deer’s story —our strategic spot, skilled workers and unbeatable spirit. Imagine how our city will flourish.
Red Deer’s not perfect, but it’s ours. That hospital, those projects, our people — they’re why we can lead Western Canada. We’re not just another city on Highway 2.
Red Deer could be so much more.
Chad Krahn is a Red Deer City Councillor
