2019: The year that was in Red Deer

Long-time Red Deer community builder John P. Harms passed away at the age of 63. Harms’ career spanned many different fields, most notably with Edmonton Northlands for over nine years, the Red Deer College Board of Governors and Westerner Park, where he spent close to 20 years, including 18 as CEO from June 1996 – May 2014.

Former Innisfail-Sylvan Lake MLA Don MacIntyre pleaded guilty to a count of sexual interference and was sentenced to three years in prison.

Residents of Innisfail, Penhold and Springbrook received better transit access to the City as Red Deer Transit officially launched the new 2A South Regional Transit service.

Red Deer city council approved the 2019 Operating Budget that featured $369.8 million in spending and a 2.15 per cent tax rate increase.

A central Alberta man pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the shooting death of a man in Stettler in 2018. John Roland Savage had been facing a charge of second-degree murder in the death of 70-year-old James Hulkovich who was found dead in his Stettler home on the night of April 6.

FEBRUARY

The month got off to a frigid start with a multi-day snap of very cold wind chills. The coldest values were forecast to be between -40 and -45. We also set a new record low on February 26 in Red Deer of -36.1 Celsius.

Red Deer College celebrated the opening of its Alternative Energy Lab.

Over 150 vehicles left Red Deer for Ottawa in their bid to gain support for the oil and gas industry from the federal government. The United We Roll, Official Convoy for Canada left Edgar Industrial Park, headed for Parliament Hill with hundreds more expected to join the convoy along the way.

A new ‘Welcome to Red Deer’ sign was installed at the city’s revamped south entrance.

The largest event in our city’s history, the 2019 Canada Winter Games, took over Red Deer. From Feb. 15 to March 3, we welcomed over 3,600 participants, 4,600 volunteers and 26,000 visitors to town, resulting in over $92 million in economic activity.

A dog on the run for more than a year in Red Deer’s Deer Park neighbourhood has finally been nabbed. “Mission” – a German Shepherd – was captured by Calgary-based K9 Recovery Services.

A B.C. man’s long-time search for his birth father ended right here in Red Deer when Trevor Johnston connected with Ross Smith, whom he’d never met.

MARCH

A Red Deer County woman won the 2019 Red Deer Kinsmen Dream Home Lottery. Jolene Bjarnason was driving home from work when she received the call that she had won the $750,000 home on Longmire Close.

Central Albertans were shaken out of bed on March 4 by a 4.6 magnitude earthquake. The location was 19 kilometres west of Red Deer, about a kilometre beneath the surface. There were no reports of major damage or injuries. The Alberta Energy Regulator ordered Calgary-based Vesta Energy to suspend fracking operations at a well site linked to the earthquake felt in several central Alberta communities.

It became official that Red Deer College will soon be known as Red Deer University. The official announcement was made one year after the provincial government gave the college the long-awaited green light to seek university status, and RDC will become RDU once its transition is complete.

The Government of Alberta invested $28 million to build a new 100-unit complex to replace Piper Creek Lodge in Red Deer. Built in 1956, the facility is the oldest seniors lodge in Alberta and is one of the few low-income seniors facilities in the area.

Blue and Black Carts began being delivered to homes in Red Deer that had received individual garbage, recycling and Green Cart collection.

A new Officer in Charge was announced for Red Deer’s RCMP detachment as Inspector Gerald Grobmeier became the city’s top cop.

APRIL

Higher revenues and fewer expenses resulted in the Town of Sylvan Lake posting a budget surplus for 2018. As a result, council was able to reduce the 2019 residential tax rate from the proposed 2.74% down to 1.9%.

A young man charged in a crash east of Red Deer in 2016 that killed two teens and injured two others was found guilty. Dylan Beauclair faced four charges, including two of dangerous driving causing death and was later sentenced to three years in prison.

After being part of the NDP Orange Crush in 2015, Red Deer was part of the Blue Wave that swept across Alberta in the provincial election. United Conservative Party candidates Adriana LaGrange in Red Deer-North and Jason Stephan in Red Deer-South cruised to victory on a night where their party and Premier Jason Kenney won a majority government. Devin Dreeshen was also elected in Innisfail-Sylvan Lake, Ron Orr in Lacombe-Ponoka, and Jason Nixon in Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre.

Smoke could be seen for miles after a Red Deer metal shop went up in flames. All employees of Red Deer Ironworks were able to evacuate and there were no injuries.

It was announced that the downtown Red Deer Central Alberta Co-op was closing after 56 years in business.

Daniel Boyd Sawyer pleaded guilty to manslaughter in relation to the stabbing death of a man outside a north Red Deer pub in November of 2015.

Springtime was put on hold as Environment Canada issued a snowfall warning for most of central Alberta including the Red Deer – Ponoka – Innisfail – Stettler areas. Red Deer received 17 centimetres, Sylvan Lake was hit with 30 centimetres while Innisfail and Rocky Mountain House received 13 centimetres.

Red Deer city council approved the 2019 Tax Bylaw that included a 1.89% increase for residential and non-residential property types.

MAY

Allan Seabrooke, who was the Chief Administrative Officer with the City of Peterborough, Ontario, was selected as Red Deer’s new city manager.

Westerner Park opened the doors to its new 75,000 square-foot Exhibition Hall.

Local help was on the way to battle wildfires in northern Alberta. Red Deer County Fire Services sent four members to High Level to help fight the wildfires in the region. The County also sent a fire engine that carries 3000 gallons of water.

The City of Lacombe reeled in some attention by unveiling the World’s Largest Fishing Lure.

Smoke drifting south from the wildfires raging in northern Alberta led to Environment Canada issuing a special air quality statement for the Red Deer region. High levels of air pollution developed over the area. The City of Red Deer also issued a full city-wide fire ban.

JUNE

The Lacombe Regional Airport held its grand reopening. Some of the more recent upgrades included a new taxiway, and new lighting on the runway.

After more than 18 months of extensive searching, RDC’s Board of Governors announced the College’s newest President and CEO – Dr. Peter Nunoda. Nunoda would become RDC’s 11th President, succeeding Joel Ward after ten years. He officially took over the leadership of the institution in September.

Red Deer Public Schools got a new board chair. The Board of Trustees elected Nicole Buchanan to take over from Bev Manning, who served as the chair since 2013.

There were no injuries after an air tanker landed at the Red Deer Airport without its full landing gear engaged.

It was a neck and neck race, but Red Deer was no longer Alberta’s third largest city. Results from the 2019 Municipal Census showed Red Deer with a current population of 101,002. Lethbridge also released their census results with a population of 101,482 people.

JULY

Some said it was “Un-Canadian” while others said it was just harmless fun. Either way, a piñata of Justin Trudeau hanging from a rope at a Red Deer bar over the Canada Day long weekend became a trending topic nationwide on social media.

Olds native and former Red Deer Optimist Chief Graysen Cameron announces his intent to return to the Humboldt Broncos, the team with which he was involved in a deadly bus crash in 2018. Cameron is now serving as the team’s captain.

A map of crime incidents in Red Deer became available for citizens to peruse. The online map showed reported crimes from a two week period relating to theft from a motor vehicle, theft of a motor vehicle, theft over/under $5000, break and enter, and mischief.

A full ban on fireworks would soon be back in effect for the city of Red Deer after council approved a new bylaw.

The Red Deer Royals achieved gold medal standing at the World Association of Marching Show Bands Competition in Calgary.

Sunny skies and warm temperatures were credited with helping Westerner Days set a new attendance record for its final day. Over 29,453 guests passed through the gates, bringing the event’s total attendance to 90,796, up just slightly from 2018. Also, the rdnewsNOW Grub Hub!

A strong low pressure system formed over a large area of central Alberta on July 27. Wind gusts at the Red Deer Airport were recorded at 95 kilometres per hour. There were no reports of major damage. Hail the size of golf balls was also reported in some areas.

After nearly three years of planning, hard work and fundraising, a brand new, fully accessible playground opened at Barrie Wilson Elementary School in Red Deer.

A series of thunderstorms along the foothills on July 31 had Environment Canada investigating reports of a possible tornado in the Sylvan Lake area.

AUGUST

With summer not yet over, Alberta had already seen its busiest tornado season in 20 years. Our province has had 22 confirmed touchdowns in 2019, according to Environment Canada. Seven of the touchdowns were recorded during an outbreak on June 28.

Turning Point raised the alarm over a new mixture of drugs hitting the streets that lead to a spike in overdoses in Red Deer. No deaths were reported.

Results for the 2019 City of Lacombe Municipal Census showed the community continues to grow. Conducted from April 2 to June 30 of this year, the census revealed a population of 13,985, an increase of 1,257 residents from the last Municipal Census of 2014.

A 21-year-old man drowned in Sylvan Lake. Palwinder Singh and another man were on inner tubes when a wave knocked both of them off. The second man was helped out of the water by others who were close by. Singh’s body was found a few days later.

City of Red Deer officials discovered an invasive goldfish population in the Anders storm pond. The fish would be removed over the coming weeks.

SEPTEMBER

The superintendent for Red Deer Public Schools announced that the 2019 school year would be his last at the helm. Stu Henry will retire in 2020.

The City of Red Deer dedicated more RCMP officers to the downtown area.

A significant piece of Lacombe’s history was put up for sale at an asking price of $1.29 million. Built in 1904, the Flatiron Building had been owned for the last two decades by Glen and Laurie Calkins.

There was a big shakeup to the RDC Board of Governors as the province’s Advanced Education Minister appointed three new members, including a new chair, while rescinding the appointments of three existing members. Guy Pelletier was named the new board chair, replacing Morris Flewwelling.

The City of Red Deer, in partnership with Red Deer Public Schools, Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools and École La Prairie, began enforcing vaping rules at Red Deer high schools.

A Sylvan Lake man was charged with murder following the death of his wife on Sept. 11.

Vision Loss Rehabilitation Alberta announced its Red Deer office would be closing, impacting hundreds of local people with visual impairment.

Red Deer RCMP announced that they had made the largest fentanyl bust in the city’s history.

The City of Lacombe ended its involvement with BOLT Transit, effective in fall 2020.

Inspired by the worldwide movement spearheaded by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, around 40 people participated in Red Deer’s version of the Global Climate Strike in the city’s downtown.

In a stark contrast from the end of last year, Red Deer had the lowest rate of fentanyl-related deaths in the province through the first half of 2019. Numbers continued to decline through the end of September.

OCTOBER

Red Deer city council members voted to freeze the salaries for the mayor and its other eight members at their current rates.

Student enrolment numbers were up this year for both of Red Deer’s major school districts. Red Deer Public reported a one per cent increase of 121 students for a total of 11,239 students. Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools numbers show a 1.52 per cent increase of 157 kids bringing its student population to 10,468.

Red Deer’s temporary Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) was granted an extension to stay open for another six months.

Local dignitaries gathered at Westpark Middle School to celebrate the official grand opening of the new $18 million facility.

The Red Deer Hospice Society cut the ribbon on its 15,000 square foot expansion which grew operations by 60 per cent, or serving 100 more families each year.

The Municipal Planning Commission (MPC) denied an application to turn the former downtown Red Deer Lotus night club into a drug and alcohol treatment facility. The decision regarding the proposed Red Deer Dream Centre came after a split 3-3 vote amongst MPC members.

In the federal election, Conservative candidate Earl Dreeshen was easily re-elected as Member of Parliament for Red Deer-Mountain View, as was Conservative candidate Blaine Calkins in Red Deer-Lacombe.

On October 23, a contractor doing work for the City of Red Deer at a main substation downtown caused a large power outage that affected roughly one-third of the city during rush hour.

Clare Guse first made history nearly 20 years ago by becoming Red Deer’s first female firefighter. She’s now blazing another new trail after being named the city’s first ever female fire captain.

NOVEMBER

The town of Blackfalds finally received the news it had long been waiting for as the provincial government announced a new high school for the community. Also announced was a new Catholic middle school in Red Deer.

The City of Red Deer began hosting a series of public discussions regarding crime and public safety.

Lower crime rates helped Red Deer rank lower on Maclean’s magazine’s annual list of “Canada’s Most Dangerous Places.”

The University of Calgary cancelled admissions to its collaborative degree programs at RDC.

DECEMBER

Court heard that a resolution may be in the works for a Red Deer County woman accused of killing her husband.

The Alberta Court of Appeal ruled there would not be a new trial for two men convicted in the triple murder of a central Alberta family near Castor six years ago. In February 2018, Jason Klaus and Joshua Frank were sentenced to life with no chance of parole for 25 years after being convicted of three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Gordon, Sandra and Monica Klaus.

An addictions recovery facility for downtown Red Deer won a key ruling. The city’s Subdivision and Development Appeal Board overruled the previous denial of the application for the Red Deer Dream Centre at 4614 50 Avenue, the former home of the Lotus nightclub.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), the province’s police watchdog, continues to investigate after an RCMP officer fired a shot that injured a man during an altercation west of Red Deer.

A shocking tragedy occurred on Dec. 20 when Charles (Jim) Williams was shot and killed during a failed robbery at Walmart in south Red Deer. A massive RCMP manhunt led to the arrest of two suspects later that night near Sylvan Lake. Chase Freed faces several charges, including second-degree murder. Crystal Maurice is also charged.

Red Deer said goodbye to a local hockey legend as former Red Deer Rustler Wynne Dempster passed away Dec. 22 at the age of 68 from brain cancer.

by rdnewsNOW staff

2019: The year that was in Red Deer

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