Reception Centre hours for evacuees from the Northwest Territories are being reduced in Grande Prairie. As of Friday, August 18th, the Grande Prairie Regional Emergency Partnership announced the reception centre in the city will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
On Friday, Mayor Jackie Clayton released a statement reflecting on the situation the Grande Prairie region and surrounding communities were in back in May with local wildfires and how GPREP is once again helping those being forced from their homes due to fire.
“This time, our partnership joins similar responses being led by the Province of Alberta and multiple cities, including Calgary and Edmonton, in supplying staff and resources to aid the evacuated residents from the Northwest Territories,” Clayton says. “Together, we are committed to offering our northern neighbours support, services, information and solace as they navigate through this challenging season of fires.”
County of Grande Prairie Reeve Bob Marshall echoed some of Clayton’s sentiments, telling MyGrandePrairieNow.com this is not the first time GPREP has stepped up to help other communities as they deal with natural disasters, referencing the Chuckegg Creek Fire in 2019, which forced High Level evacuees to Grande Prairie.
“Unfortunately, we are getting very good at this, but our people are very competent, very caring, and we are doing the best we can to help these people during these tough times,” Marshall says.
“We have always done that in the past, and I don’t see this changing; it is just the nature of the people. Especially after what I saw with the fire we experienced and how people stepped up, it is very heartwarming. I am very proud of the region in what we have done and what we are willing to give to help other people.”
As of Friday, Grande Prairie was one of eight municipalities taking in South Slave Evacuees from the NWT and one of three out of those eight communities who were at capacity. While the communities of Fox Creek, Valleyview and Whitecourt were among the seven communities so far, taking in those displaced from Yellowknife.