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CANADA DAY
Celebrations taking place across Central Alberta
A birthday party for the ages BY MARY-ANN BARR ADVOCATE STAFF It’s time to get your red and white on Red Deer. The local organizers of Canada’s 149th birthday celebrations on Friday are almost ready to go. The only thing they need is co-operation from the weather and more volunteers. Always popular and drawing thousands of people, the party at Bower Ponds includes a day-long experience that serves up delicious and entertaining samplings of Red Deer’s rich cultural diversity by way of food and entertainment. While it’s just one day, the Red Deer Cultural Heritage Society spends the year preparing for Canada Day, manager Delores Coghill said Wednesday. Coghill was relieved that the first parking lot used by the city Transit buses was going to be ready on time — meaning passengers will be as close as ever to being dropped off and picked up. It had been used for storing construction materials for work along the river banks since March. As for the weather, the forecast as of Wednesday afternoon was showing a high of 21C, cloudy and only a 40 per cent chance of rain. See CANADA DAY on Page A5
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
Sylvan Lake will celebrate Canada Day on Friday with a wide variety of activities, ending with the big fireworks and boat parade on the lake. Family activities include large bouncy toys, face-painting, fake tattoos and more at the south end of the Pier. The new Lighthouse Park will officially open at 11 a.m. Access to the park is on Lakeshore Drive just east of the marina. The colour party and flag-raising is at 2 p.m. followed by the March of Canadians from the Municipal Government building to Sylvan Lake Provincial Park. Everyone is invited to march along. A giant birthday cake celebration and singing of Happy Birthday takes place at 2:30 p.m. with Mayor Sean MacIntyre and other dignitaries leading the way. Other activities include free massages from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on the Pier. Appointments can be booked at the tent there and then an electronic message will be sent out when it’s time for your massage. The Rotary Club’s Great Duck Race starts at 4 p.m. at Bukwildz on Lakeshore Drive. Funds from the $10 tickets go toward scholarships for local children. Three cash prizes will be handed out.
Cronquist House manager Delores Coghill, right, and summer student Isabelle Banks are working hard this week to create a festive atmosphere. Canada Day celebrations take place at Bower Ponds on Friday.
See PARTIES on Page A5
Fate of medical marijuana facility in city council’s hands BY CRYSTAL RHYNO ADVOCATE STAFF
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
The City of Red Deer Planning Department has received an application from Medcan Solutions Limited to develop this building at 94 Burnt Park Drive into a federally licensed medical marijuana growing facility. RED DEER WEATHER
INDEX NEWS A2-A3, A5, B5-B6, D5 COMMENT A4 SPORTS B1-B4 ENTERTAINMENT C1-C2 OUTDOORS C6 BUSINESS D1-D2 COMICS D3 CLASSIFIED D4-D5 ADVICE D6
A medical marijuana facility could soon be operating within the city’s borders. Medcan Solutions Limited wants to turn a vacant building at 94 Burnt Park Drive into a medical weed facility. It would be federally regulated and licensed. Council will consider a land-use bylaw amendment that would allow the medical marijuana production facility to operate as a site exception after Red Deer’s planning commission supported the move on Wednesday. The
company did not attend the meeting. Should council approve the amendment, it would permit the facility as a discretionary use for the 94 Burnt Park Drive property only. Council will consider first reading of the bylaw amendment on July 4. The commission had questions over increased traffic, federal regulations enforcement, fire, odour and environmental assessments. But the commission reasoned the planning department has done its research and felt confident forwarding the application onto city council. Please see FACILITY on Page A5
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