Red Deer at 1 million? Danielle Smith dreams of a new Alberta metropolis

1,000,000 Red Deerians can't be wrong. At least not in the premier's books. But I'm not sure how many reallies I'd need to fairly capture what Premier Danielle Smith is saying about Red Deer.She doesn't quite say it so explicitly, but the premier is dreaming of a city that would need several hospitals, not just the one the province is spending $1.8 billion to expand.

"With Red Deer being a growing centre — I keep challenging Red Deer to be our next million-person city — they absolutely do need to have a full-service hospital in central Alberta."She brought it up again a few weeks later at a United Conservative Party fundraiser in the city. At 10 per cent continual growth, which would have no prolonged precedent in Alberta, Red Deer reaches a seven-digit population in 2046 — and no doubt faces staggering growth pressures along the way.

Lee believes four-per-cent growth, maybe five, could be achievable in Red Deer if all the right elements snap into place first. High-speed rail, a massive expansion of the city's airport, a local industrial boom and massive infrastructure expansions to the roads, water utilities, schools and more to accommodate all those new residents."Because you can want to grow to a million people as much as you want," Lee says.

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