Annexation update – December 2023:

On November 29, 2023, The City received approval from Cabinet that the annexation for land north of the Queen’s Industrial Business Park and west of Highway QEII from Red Deer County was approved.

Now that the annexation was successfully approved by the province, area structure plans will be prepared and adopted by bylaw, by Red Deer City Council. These annexed lands are intended to be developed as a regional commercial development along Highway 2, providing The City with a significant economic development opportunity.

• Order in Council 212/2023 
• December 1, 2023 News Release: Annexation with Red Deer County approved

If you have any general questions about The City’s annexation, please contact:

David Girardin
Major Projects Planner, The City of Red Deer
Phone: 403-406-8707

Annexation Application and Negotiation Report (pdf)
Annexation Application and Negotiation Report Appendix - A-K (pdf)
Annexation Application and Negotiation Report Appendix - L-T (pdf)
City of Red Deer Presentation to the LPRT (pdf)

Background

On June 22, 2021, Council gave direction to administration to prepare a Notice of Intent to Annex for this area of land. This annexation, encompassing approximately 216 hectares, addressed The City’s deficiency in highway fronting commercial land. On February 14, 2022, Red Deer City Council passed a resolution endorsing a Notice of Intent to Annex, therefore supporting for the proposed annexation and directing administration to begin the formal annexation process.

Following that, the application was prepared for the annexation of approximately 216 hectares of land from Red Deer County. Based on landowner consultation, the proposed annexation area was altered from the Notice of Intent to Annex Land to include the entirety of one of the landowners’ parcels.

Then in April of this year, the annexation was moved to the next step, when both Red Deer City Council and Red Deer County Council passed a resolution endorsing The City to submit an Annexation Application and Negotiations Report to the Land and Property Rights Tribunal. A Land and Property Rights Tribunal hearing was held on June 20, which allows the Tribunal to receive information and evidence from interested parties. After considering the submissions from all parties, the Tribunal made an annexation recommendation to the Minister of Municipal Affairs for the decision to be made. 

Annexation is used by municipalities to realign jurisdictional boundaries to ensure a sufficient land supply for long-term development. The Intermunicipal Development Plan (IDP) between The City and Red Deer County provides guidance for all annexations.

What is the area being annexed?

The land that is being annexed is an area of approximately 216 hectares in size, north of the Queen’s Industrial Business Park and west of Highway QEII (see map below). The land was previously within Red Deer County.