Grande Prairie City Council has approved a public consultation project regarding the future of the Bear Creek dam.
According to Mayor Jackie Clayton, the consultation will be conducted in a two-phased approach with the hope that the information gathered will assist the 2026 council with the ultimate decision on handling the dam question.
Clayton says the first phase is all about informing the public about what must happen right away and what can wait, such as a plan to begin armouring the dam, which a study revealed must be done as soon as possible. The first phase also includes a feasibility study which is scheduled for sometime this Fall.
The Mayor adds that the dam requiring major rejuvenation in the next 30 years opens up the question of when to act, as other major projects will require council’s attention within that timeframe.
“30 years, there are other projects, there are a lot of significant pieces of work that will need to be done,” she says.
Additionally, the study carries a $200,000 price tag, which led to some council members voicing their concerns regarding whether a survey that could be irrelevant by the time the project is considered would be worth it.
Still, Clayton maintains that exploring the opportunities and possibilities of the dam is considered a “priority” by her council, and several options, such as removing the dam entirely will be considered in the survey.
“There is everything as an option, from dredging, to removing the dam, [but] those aren’t pieces of work that will get done right away,” she says. “This consultation will come back with information, pricing, et cetera, and from there, administration will go out and engage with the community.”
During their meeting, Councillor Chris Thiessen brought up the idea of “thinking beyond” the current council’s term when it comes to significant projects like the dam, and Mayor Clayton says passing the survey’s findings along to the next council will assist them in making the ultimate decision.
“In order for the next council to make decisions and the council after that, there needs to be some work identified,” she says. “Right now, we’ll wait to see what that report comes back.”
During the consultation portion of the project, council will be looking to members of the public to provide their input on what they would like to see with the dam, before passing that information off to the next council for their consideration in the spring of 2026.
