All four mayoral candidates and all but one candidate for Grande Prairie City Council will take part in a forum on the art, heritage, and culture in Grande Prairie.
Hosted by a cooperative of non-profits including the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie Live Theatre, Centre for Creative Arts, Grande Prairie Public Library, and the South Peace Regional Archives, the forum will press potential candidates for answers on a wide number of topics.
Art Gallery of Grande Prairie Executive Director Jeff Erbach says candidates for council and for mayor set policy that has a massive impact on what happens in the community, and they’re looking to get insight from each of them as to how they envision that future.
“Residents in Grande Prairie deserve to hear from the candidates and what their vision is for the social, cultural, and financial outlook for our community,” he adds.
Erbach says cultural facilities and organizations don’t just play a role in the social attitude in the community, but he believes they play a major role in tourism and in attracting and retaining both talent and investment. He says as the city and province continue to assess the long-term impacts of COVID-19, it’s a vital conversation to have.
“I think the new council and mayor have an opportunity to set progress and expansive vision for what community recovery looks like in Grande Prairie,” he says.
“The effects of COVID-19 are still being felt and will be for I believe a number of years, particularly in the cultural sector… I think it’s critical that new councillors and the mayor are putting thought into what that vision is for our community.”
The event will take place on October 5th and will be live-streamed on Facebook and YouTube on any of the participating host’s social media feeds starting with the council candidates at 7:00 pm and Mayoral candidates beginning approximately at 8:30 pm.