No one knows what Red Deer will look like in 2050, but city council looked forward 26 years to pass an optimistic visioning plan for the future on Monday.
Since the last Vision 2020 plan created 33 years ago has expired, council was told that an updated plan was needed to guide the city's planning framework.
Tricia Hercina, business excellence manager, said city administrators have been consulting with various groups, businesses, non-profits and individuals since 2022 to provide some "guiding stars" for how Red Deer can grown and still sustain a high quality of life.
The resulting report tries to articulate what Red Deer hopes to become. The new visioning document will be used in the development of a new City of Red Deer official plan, a more tangible directive for future growth that also balances environmental, social, and economic needs.
The three main themes of the 2050 visioning plan were: "Connected, diverse and vibrant." Hercina said these are already the city's goals, but people in the community have differing ideas of how well this is being achieved.
"They are not necessarily on the same page as others as to what diversity and inclusion means, she explained. "People tend to think of culture and ethnicity, but it's bigger than that... One of the most challenging things going forward will be embracing all of it."
Hercina admitted other conflicting notions arose during community consultations. Some people wanted to see a major population boom, while others wanted Red Deer to maintain a smaller centre vibe. Some citizens favoured pushing for more housing while others didn't want to increase density or contribute to urban sprawl.
In conclusion, the report states "the people of Red Deer are largely satisfied with their city... the prevailing sentiment was one of wanting “more.” More of our beautiful parks and trails, more cultural and recreational opportunities, more industry and enterprise, more growth and housing done right, and more focus on environmental sustainability to ensure our community thrives for future generations."
Before Red Deer city council unanimously accepted the Red Deer 2050 Plan on Monday. Coun. Bruce Buruma asked if Red Deer's reputation was considered in the plan? Many times "reputational assets or vulnerabilities" will help or hinder the goal of achieving more growth and development, he added. "Do we have a process to assess reputational issues?"
Hercina added this was a great issue to "flag" and consider for the future.
When Coun. Vesna Higham contemplated the year 2050, she hoped Red Deer will have high speed rail service to take residents to Calgary or Edmonton, allowing more people to move to this city while holding down jobs in large centres. She hoped a customs office will be in place to allow for air passenger service from Red Deer Regional Airport.
Among the few certainties, said Higham, is that the Red Deer hospital expansion will be done in the next five to 10 years, that Red Deer Polytechnic will expand, with the $20 million donation from the Donald family, and "all will have a spin-off effect" on the city.
For more information and to read the full 2050 visioning plan, please visit reddeer.ca/vision2050.