Top Ten Wishes for Red Deer in 2023
Hello fellow Red Deerians. I hope you all had a great holiday. I sure did, and now I am back for more ranting about issues that affect Red Deer, AB, and possibly other locales. It’s a new year as of yesterday and many people are thinking about resolutions for personal change. But this is a blog about Red Deer, so I would like to offer you instead my wishes for change in the city of Red Deer.
I’m sure that when you are done reading this you will think that these are lofty goals. What follows is by no means “goals” rather, this is my flight of imagination of what could possibly make Red Deer the best city in the world to live in. At least by my standards, which I know are too high. Without further ado here is my New Year’s list of what I would like to see happen in Red Deer in 2023.
1. We need a Red Lobster restaurant to open in Red Deer. Regina has one, there’s no good reason for us not too have one, and the ads on TV drive me crazy with cravings.
2. Free parking downtown. However I am sure that the city makes a fortune in parking tickets so then at least more available free parking. It would help revitalize downtown.
3. An expansion of Red Deer Regional Hospital. This is long overdue and the government has been hemming and hawing about it for several years. Our hospital is always at capacity and wait times are absolutely ridiculous.
4. More help for the homeless. There’s only a few organizations who can help and are working tirelessly to create change. At least more funding needs to go to them, or the city should get on the case and help.
5. I know that it’s too much to ask, but we need an IKEA store. They won’t open one in a city under 1,000,000 people but if you count the population of all of the surrounding areas of Red Deer you might be close.
6. More music venues to support local musicians. Red Deer has a lot of talent, and a more supportive and less cliquey scene is needed to get them heard.
7. And while we’re on that note, the Art scene could use a boost to showcase local artists. Maybe bring back Nuit Blanche or open a permanent market with rotating artists. Parkland mall would work, they could use the traffic.
8. More jobs in the entertainment and art industry. Yes, it’s wishful thinking, but hey, I’m on a roll here and the sky’s the limit!
9. Red Deer would be a veritable paradise if there were no stupid people. Let’s help them see the error of their ways, because they won’t just go away.
10. Brutal Reality Digest to get back in print and profitable enough to hire more writers. Stay Brutal! We can only hope.
Well, that’s it. My top ten wishes for Red Deer in 2023! I hope you enjoyed, or at least laughed a bit at my absurdity. Honestly though, in my mind if all of these hopes came true I would be amazed and elated. Although I would also be amazed and elated if only one or some of them came true. Happy New Year everyone! Here’s to an awesome year for 2023.
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