Community Stories

Achieving our Outcome: Great Spaces and Places

Our recreation spaces are special places where people can come together, feel good, and stay healthy in alignment with the strategic outcome Great Spaces and Places.

At The City of Red Deer, one of our main goals is to create and take care of spaces that help make life better for everyone in Red Deer. In our latest Citizen Satisfaction Survey, 95 per cent of people said they are happy with our parks and trails, and 91 per cent said they enjoy the recreation activities we offer. We’re really proud of these results because they reflect our ongoing commitment to great spaces and places that make Red Deer a great place to live.

Our recreation spaces are special places where people can come together, feel good, and stay healthy. But don’t just take our word for it! Last year:

  • 89 per cent of people said using our recreation spaces improved their physical wellbeing.
  • 52 per cent said our spaces helped them feel better mentally.
  • 48 per cent said they felt more connected to others.

We love facilitating community connection through our recreation spaces, and we measure this through the Strategic Plan monitoring and reporting. All these facts and figures can be viewed on our Strategic Dashboard which is updated quarterly and annually, depending on the metric.

One of our biggest projects in 2023 was the G.H. Dawe Community Centre, which was expanded to further offer great spaces for residents to enjoy. It now has a huge fitness centre with 9,500 square feet, a track for running and walking, new studio spaces, and two NHL-size hockey arenas! Right outside the centre, you’ll find Woody’s Spray Park, a free, fun place where families can cool off and play.

“The G.H. Dawe Community Centre has always been a space for people,” says Recreation Facilities Supervisor, Tammy Greba.

If you want to try out some of the new activities and programs at the G.H. Dawe, or at any of our other centers, check out the new fall programs at www.reddeer.ca/MyActivityGuide.

You can start signing up for fall programs at all City facilities at 12 noon on Tuesday, August 13. There are all kinds of activities, like swimming lessons, preschool programs, fitness classes, sports, and creative things like pottery and painting. There’s something for everyone!