Overview

Red Deer has been delivering key services like water, wastewater, electricity, and waste management to the community for over a century. While these industries have evolved significantly, the City’s governance and business models have largely stayed the same. This approach has served the community well, but it’s now reaching practical limits. To address these challenges and improve competitiveness, a review of Red Deer’s utility governance model was initiated in late 2021, with a focus on modernizing the electric utility first.

In partnership with Deloitte LLP, The City conducted an in-depth assessment of the current state and explored potential options for the future. After a series of closed meetings, Red Deer’s Council directed City Administration to develop a transition plan. This plan will explore the possibility of establishing a Municipally Controlled Corporation to modernize the City’s utility governance models. A potential transitional plan, along with the necessary budget requirements was presented to Council in Q3 of 2024.

Decisions on which utilities governance modernization model and transition path may be selected will be decided by Council after a public hearing in Q2 of 2025. At this time, no final decisions have been made. Refer to the Utility Governance Review FAQ (pdf) for more information.

If you have questions about the Utilities Governance project, please email utilitiesgovernanceinfo@reddeer.ca.