A podcast looking to shed some light on some of the Peace Region’s greatest true crime and paranormal mysteries is on track to release in the new year.

Lindsay Janes, a receptionist by day and a true crime buff by night says she is hoping for her podcast- “Disturbing the Peace” will invite listeners to educate themselves on decades-old cold cases and paranormal activity in the Peace Region.

“All of the stories will be coming from the Peace Region, both in Alberta and in BC,” Janes says. “We’re mostly doing stories from the past like 20 years or over because we didn’t want to do anything too recent and talk about investigations that are maybe ongoing,”

Janes adds that she has utilized numerous local resources in her endeavours, including the South Peace Regional Archives, the Grande Prairie Public Library, and local art galleries to research and unearth some secrets of the Peace Country.

The podcast is set to debut with five episodes banked so far, but Janes says she is putting the call out to any Peace Region residents with unexplainable or interesting stories to send them her way.

“We’re hoping to find maybe family members that were involved, maybe even people who were in the media back then when the story was a major case,” she says. “[And] I’d love to expand my web a little bit and explore some cases in those surrounding areas.”

As a Grande Prairie local, Janes says she grew up with an interest in local true crime and paranormal phenomena; however, she says she hopes to educate some Grande Prairie “transplants” in the history of the region through unique and unexplainable stories.

“I would love to be able to spark some curiosity to people who are newer to the area,” she says. “I think it’s important for people to know what’s available to them,”

Disturbing the Peace is set to be available on most streaming platforms after its launch in the new year.

The City of Grande Prairie is scheduled to play host to numerous winter-related sporting events in the new year.

Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says supporting high-level athletics is critical for the city as athletes from around the province and country will have the opportunity to see what Grande Prairie has to offer in the athletics space.

Mayor Clayton says that events like the highly-anticipated 2024 Alberta Winter Games will open up a multitude of avenues for residents as Grande Prairie gears up to host the event.

“From February 16th to the 19th we will see approximately 2000 athletes coaches and officials come to our community to compete, get the experience to visit our community, and embrace our great community and the work that our people do on a day-to-day.”

Clayton adds that council is encouraging residents to take pride in hosting and embracing Grande Prairie’s history as a “games city.”

“Our community really does a great job hosting and executing, and I think being a games city is something that we should be very proud of.”

Later in the year, Grande Prairie is on track to become the first Alberta community to host the Northern Aboriginal Hockey Championships in May. According to Mayor Clayton, eight men’s teams and eight women’s teams from around the country are getting ready to battle it out on Peace Country ice in Grande Prairie.

“Being the first Alberta community [to host] is something we’re very proud of.”

According to games representatives, the 2024 Alberta Winter Games will be the first “major sporting event” the city has hosted in nearly six years.

As of the 2024 – 2025 school year, a catholic high school program is reportedly not an option for students living in Fairview.

The announcement comes following the announcement that the Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools put work on the St. Thomas More School building on hold indefinitely. According to a release from the Fairview School Division, on Monday, December 18th trustees from the Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools reportedly met and put together a short-term, mid-term and long-term plan for the St. Thomas More community. While staff and students will remain at the Northwestern Polytechnic campus until the end of the school year, the school board is proposing in 2024 students in kindergarten to grade 9 will move into a standalone modular school on the campus. The standalone modular school would include a library and office spaces, plus playground facilities. This operation has reportedly been sent to Alberta Education and Alberta Infrastructure for consideration.

A release from the Peace River School Division reads, “Regarding the high school program at St. Thomas More, GPCSD has informed their school community that continuing a Catholic high school program in Fairview is no longer a feasible option. As a result, these students will be encouraged to enrol at Peace River School Division’s Fairview High School after the current school year.”

The PRSD says they look forward to welcoming these students to the “Fairview Cobra family.” The two school divisions are reportedly in talks about the possibility of offering a Religion class that would be open to all students at Fairview High.

In October a value-scoping session was held to discuss the future of education in the Fairview community, with a popular option from that session being the two divisions to put forward a joint request “for a high school facility on the NWP property, and a separate K-6 joint-use facility on another property within Fairview.” A possible option for the other location is said to be the Fairview High School grounds.
“Placing a Jr./Sr. high school on the NWP property makes a lot of sense to the PRSD. By doing so, students would have increased access to various CTS programming through a collegiate school model between the PRSD and NWP,” continues the PRSD release.

Last week the GPDCS announced that St. Thomas More Catholic School is “officially without a building” according to the Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools, citing costs related to removing asbestos and increased project scope as the reasons they will be putting the project on hold indefinitely. At the time the two divisions put out a joint release this decision has expedited the need for a new school Fairview. However, at the time of the statement two school divisions stated that a new building is at least five years away from being completed.

The City of Grande Prairie has released an updated study that identifies the current state of Grande Prairie’s retail market.

According to the report, the city’s total trade area increased to 295,079 with a total retail spending of $5.1 billion. Additionally, the study showed the city has 4.15 million sq. ft. of retail space and can support a further 500,000 sq. ft. of new retail space by 2032.

Trends in the report also pointed to respondents wanting more full-service restaurants, clothing and footwear, sporting goods and toys, and entertainment at affordable prices.

Top spending categories for residents included grocery and specialty foods, auto/RV/motorsports, fashion & accessories, restaurants & pubs, and home improvement & gardening.

Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says the report confirms the city’s steady economy and continues to serve as a “significant retail hub” for Northwestern Alberta.

“The City continues to seek opportunities to attract retailers and businesses that support a high quality of life for residents and a strong economy,” she says.

As a result of the report, Invest GP says they will take a targeted approach to attract new investment in commercial and retail sectors and are considering new tenants such as Uniqlo, H &M, Indigo, T&T Supermarket to match the city’s demographic profile.

The Grande Spirit Foundation has discovered a “sophisticated phishing scam” that has resulted in monetary loss for the organization.

According to the foundation, cybercriminals posing as a vendor associated with the organization sent out a series of emails to deceive the Grande Spirit Foundation into transferring funds to an incorrect account.

The foundation says they are taking “swift action,” in collaboration with law enforcement, and cybersecurity experts to investigate the incident. The Grande Spirit Foundation maintains that the incident was isolated to one account change and no customers have been impacted; however, additional security measures have been implemented as a result.

The foundation is now encouraging all customers and vendors associated with them to exercise increased caution when it comes to unsolicited communications.

Due to a lack of physician coverage, the Beaverlodge Municipal Hospital emergency department will be without physician coverage for 24 hours starting Christmas Eve.

According to Alberta Health Services the interruption will start at 8 a.m. on Sunday, December 24th to 8 a.m., Monday, December 25th. According to the provincial health authority nursing staff will be on-site in the emergency department during the closure, doing urgent triage and assessments and providing referrals to other emergency departments in the region. All EMS calls are being rerouted to the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital, 42 kilometres away.

Residents are being reminded that some services can be provided by their local pharmacies and to call Health Link at 8-1-1 anytime with all non-emergency medical questions.

A 42-year-old man was shot by the Grande Prairie RCMP following a domestic dispute service call on December 20th.

According to police, the suspect held a woman in her Mountview residence after assaulting the woman causing injury, and discharging a firearm inside the residence.

Officers arrived and contained the area, gained entry to the residence where an interaction took place between officers and the man with the firearm. Police say they were able to extract the woman during the interaction and bring her to safety.

Following her extraction, police say they promptly exited the residence and kept the area contained while waiting for support from the Emergency Response Team. During this time, the RCMP says the suspect discharged a firearm, which resulted in the responding officers discharging their firearms, and shooting the man.

Police say they provided first aid before paramedics took over, and the man was transported to hospital to receive additional medical care. The injured female victim was taken to hospital and has been released. Police say no officers or members of the public were injured during the incident.

Additionally, the hold and secure notice around the community has been lifted and there is no longer a concern for public safety at this time.

The investigation has been passed over to the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, and the RCMP has notified the Director of Law Enforcement, launching an internal review process independent of ASIRT’s investigation.

A new exhibit is hitting the Grande Prairie Museum to feature Grande Prairie’s sport history and celebrate upcoming major sporting events in 2024 and 2025.

The “Lace ’em Up” exhibit will showcase numerous historical sports artifacts, photos, and memorabilia from Grande Prairie-hosted sporting events like the 1995 Canada Winter Games, 2000 Alberta Summer Games, 2010 Arctic Winter Games, 2015 Special Olympics Alberta Winter Games, and the 2018 Alberta Summer Games.

Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says the city’s history with sports has allowed the city to make investments and support sporting events in the future. She adds that council is committed to supporting major sports events in the city.

“We’ve had the opportunity to host a number of high calibre sport tourism events in the past,” she says. “Council is honoured to continue this into next year and beyond with the upcoming 2024 Alberta Winter Games, 2024 National Aboriginal Hockey Championship, and 2025 Special Olympics Alberta Summer Games.”

In addition to its historical value, the new exhibit features numerous hands-on games and activities including Lumoplay hockey, foosball, bubble hockey, and floor curling.

The exhibit will be available to visit at the Grande Prairie Museum’s Campbell/Rodacker Gallery until the beginning of April 2024. The museum is open Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m.

The Grande Prairie Regional RCMP has issued a few safety tips for motorists to stay safe during snowy conditions.

Grande Prairie is a city known for large trucks, and semis and school buses can pose a threat to untrained drivers who might find themselves in smaller vehicles.

According to RCMP Public Information Officer Corporal Mathew Howell, drivers in smaller vehicles should remain mindful that their line of sight might not be the same as the semi-trucks and school buses they share the road with.

“What you’ve got to realize is if you’re driving a vehicle that is not a pickup truck, your line of sight is not the same as if you were higher off the road,” he says. “So whenever you’re trying to go around a vehicle or see what’s ahead, you have to realize that you might not see as much as you would normally see if you had another vehicle in front of you.”

Additionally, Howell says slippery roads and other conditions could lead to loss of control for vehicles, so drivers should maintain an extra level of caution when navigating around the city during the winter.

“You have to realize you have to be a lot more careful, one of the biggest things is following distance, so the further back you are from the vehicle in front of you, the more line of sight you will have.”

Howell adds that large vehicles might take longer to stop, so maintaining a safe distance between vehicles is crucial, especially in low visibility. He says large vehicles like school and city buses will also be driving slower and making more frequent stops due to their precious cargo.

“Especially with school busses that need to make a stop you need to make sure you’re keeping a safe distance for yourself, the bus, and the kids,” he says. “Your safest bet is to keep that extra distance for visibility, and also gives you that time to stop and react if ever there is something going on in front of you.”

Howell maintains that the first step to take this winter is changing out to winter tires and driving to the conditions of the road.

Alberta Health Services is celebrating a record year for its annual Toys for Tickets Campaign, with nearly double the toys received compared to last year.

According to AHS, this year saw the most donations ever since its inception in 2018. AHS says more than 870 toys were collected across the province, compared to 470 last year.

In Grande Prairie, all toys collected will be distributed by the Grande Prairie Regional Health Foundation to children staying at the hospital.

Sergio Roppo, an AHS Parking Operations Manager says the event’s success reflects the community’s compassion, and turning what can be a frustrating situation for many into a moment of joy for hospitalized youth.

“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the incredible community that turned parking tickets into moments of compassion,” he says. “Your support has truly brightened the season for both our staff and the young hearts that will now have more toys to play with over the holidays.”

The campaign allows toy donations as an alternative form of payment for AHS parking tickets issued between November 6th and December 15th annually.

County of Grande Prairie council has pledged to provide over $4.5 million in grant funding to numerous community sport, recreation, and cultural organizations in the upcoming year.

According to the county, the $4,501,807 will be split between Community Assistance Grants and Capital Community Projects. These funds reportedly will be used to help the different organizations from the county, along with the communities of Beaverlodge, Grande Prairie, Sexsmith, and Wembley support and offset their operational costs.

The $2,362,321 in Capital Community Projects funding has been allocated to help approximately 18 different non-profit organizations make improvements to their current facilities or are building new facilities. Included in this funding is $500,000 for the La Glace & District Agricultural Society for the Recreation Centre Dry Fit-out, $100,000 to Rising Above for a new building that will double the number of treatment beds available, and $100,000 to the Grande Prairie Emergency Youth Shelter Society. According to the county with the $100,000 in 2024 they will have fulfilled $200,000 of the $300,000 commitment they have made to the youth shelter society.

Of the $2,139,486 in Community Assistance Grants, $475,078 is going to the Grande Prairie Agriculture & Exhibition Society for operations, $100,000 to the Alberta Winter Games, and $429,535 will go to the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation for television services installation. According to the municipality, the $100,000 to the Alberta Winter Games will fulfill the $200,000 commitment they made over two years, and the money to the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation will fulfill the $1 million commitment they made.

Earlier in the week Reeve Bob Marshall told mygrandeprairienow.com that non-profit community groups provide such a valuable service to the region’s ratepayers and volunteers.

“There is no way we could provide that service from a county level so anywhere we can help them out with funding and grants and stuff to keep them viable and going.”

A full list of pledged grant allocations can be found on the county’s website.

A new joint study conducted by several agencies has revealed an “overwhelming” majority of Peace Country workers are satisfied with the region as a place to work.

The study, conducted by the Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce and Northwestern Polytechnic revealed that across the City of Grande Prairie, the MD of Greenview, and the County of Grande Prairie, 92 per cent of workers said they were satisfied with their community as a place to work.

According to the chamber, the research displayed the region’s friendliness towards families, K-12 education opportunities, and job opportunities working together to attract new residents to work and stay in the region.

As a result of their findings, the Chamber of Commerce and NWP are now working to build attraction and retention programs which are on track to be available for employers and communities by spring 2024.

Additionally, Tanya Oliver, CEO of the Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce says the region’s economy “continues to rebound” after COVID, and pressure to find skilled workers is only increasing.

The report found that 58 per cent of local employers “feel required labour has been more difficult to find” over the past year, and semi-skilled jobs continue to be the most difficult positions to fill.

The Chamber says 195 employers and 465 employees and job seekers from around the Peace participated in the study earlier in 2023.

The City of Grande Prairie is inviting local organizations and employers to participate in a series of upcoming workshops to share their experiences in attracting, retaining, and helping immigrants integrate into the community.

The workshops are set to take place as part of the Grande Prairie Inclusive and Caring Community Initiative and the initiative is supported by a $300,000 grant from the province.

According to the city, immigrants make up approximately 11 per cent of the population, with over 7,000 individuals with diverse backgrounds.

Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says the GPICC represents Grande Prairie’s “commitment to being a mosaic” of cultures.

“Participation in these engagement sessions is crucial for fostering a place where diversity is celebrated, and every individual feels valued,” she says.

Numerous workshops for employers, service providers, and other organizations are scheduled to take place from January 8th to the 16th in person at the Grande Prairie Museum, the Ernie Radbourne Pavilion, or online through Zoom.

Interested individuals are encouraged to register on the city’s website.

The Grande Prairie RCMP is advising the public of a heavy police presence in the Mountview neighbourhood.

Members of the public are asked to avoid the area within four boundaries: 96th St, 100th street, 116th Avenue, and 108th Avenue. Anyone within view of police response is asked to shelter in place and stay away from windows.

Additionally, residents are being asked not to share photos on social media until the incident is over.

The RCMP says an official release will be sent out once the scene has cleared.

The County of Grande Prairie’s snow removal crews are gearing up to activate over 30 snow-clearing vehicles to clear snow and ice from the county’s 3,700 km of roads.

As the region shows the first real signs of winter this year, the county says when a large amount of snow falls, high-volume roads and school zones are cleared first, followed by all roads in hamlets and residential areas cleared within a 12-day cycle.

Additionally, the county says all gravel roads will be cleared within a five-day cycle once 15 cm of snow has accumulated; however, multiple snowfalls and frigid temperatures within a short period may affect the clearing cycle.

Ryan Konowalyk, General Manager of Transportation and Utilities for the county says the county is asking residents to do their part by making room for snow removal vehicles this winter.

“We all appreciate how important snow and ice control is and the County asks residents to do their part by moving vehicles to reduce the risk of property and equipment damage and to keep snow clearing moving efficiently.”

Konowalyk adds that residents should remain aware of digital “No Parking” signage at entrances to hamlets and subdivisions. Vehicles are required to be moved from roadways between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. when the No Parking sign is lit.

Temporary parking restrictions will affect the Hamlet of Clairmont, Wedgewood, Maple Ridge, and Taylor Estates, the Hamlet of Hythe, and the Hamlet of La Glace.

Status updates will be issued online via the county’s residential snow removal status web map.

Students and staff from the St. Thomas More Catholic School are “officially without a building” according to the Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools.

The school division cited costs related to removing asbestos and increased project scope as the reasons they will be putting the project on hold indefinitely. According to a joint release from the catholic school division and the Peace River School Division, this decision has expedited the need for a new school Fairview.

The joint statement reads, “While Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools, Peace River School Division and Northwestern Polytechnic are working towards creating a plan for the construction of new schools in Fairview, the reality remains that a new building is at least five years away from being completed.”

Since school started in September, St. Thomas More students and staff have been using the Northwester Polytechnic campus as a temporary home, however with the work on the school being put on hold indefinitely a “more long-term solution” is needed.

Peace River School Division has reportedly expressed that they would be able to help meet the need for classroom space on a more long-term basis. The Board of Trustees from both school divisions are scheduled to meet during their annual joint board meeting in the new year.

A new online tool has been launched by the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters to help facilities and organizations across the province like Odyssey House be more inclusive of individuals from the 2SLGBTQ+ community. However, though the ACWS has launched the Guide for Gaps, officials say that it can be accessed and used by any group wanting to make their workplace or services more inclusive.

Kristy Harcourt, a social worker and facilitator of the ACWS 2SLGBTQ+ Community of Practice group that created the Guide for Gaps, says the tool was developed through the Blueprint Project, which is a federally funded project and action-based initiative that is focused on limiting barriers for people experiencing domestic violence. The Guide for Gaps tool has two parts to it, the first being a quiz where organizations can assess where they are at on their inclusion journey along with where they can grow. The second part is several resource materials; these tools address several areas including attitudes and awareness of staff and clients, the workplace culture, policies and operations that could impact the 2SLGBTQ+ service user’s experience.

“People really want their organizations to be inclusive, they want to be serving their whole community, but sometimes we really don’t know where to start. So the guide helps people to decide whether they are starting, deepening or maintaining the work they are doing.”

Jill Shillabeer Manager of Learning for the Alberta Council of Women Shelters adds the guide is designed to meet people and organizations where they are at, and the language used in Guide for Gaps is intentional to create a safe space to learn.

“I think it is important to recognize that we often don’t know what we don’t know, and even when we think that we are doing really well around inclusion, there is always room to improve. So a tool like this gives people an opportunity to pause and reflect about where they are and access direct recourses in terms of how they can be even better.”

Harcourt and Shillabeer in several communities, including Grande Prairie, several organizations are doing or wanting to do this kind of work and support those who are dealing with domestic violence. Harcourt says that when there is a broad scope of organizations working together it creates a safety net, but what the guide does is it helps groups to check for holes in the net and make sure that it is solid.

“So this is just one approach to helping organizations think about who do we serve right now, is there anybody else we could or should be serving, and do we know how to do that?”

The guide can be accessed online on both a desktop computer and smart phone.

The City of Grande Prairie has announced the winners of the “How did the chicken cross the road?” Student Road Safety Contest.

The contest aimed at educating students regarding important road safety measures through creative expression and the city says they received an “overwhelming” number of entries across various age groups.

This year, three $500 first-place prizes went to young artists across three age groups. Hudson Goldberg took home first prize in the Kindergarten to Grade 3 category, while Fynn Brazier took first in the Grade 4 to 7 category and Alexis Beagan nabbed first in the Grade 8 to 12 category.

Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says the entries displayed not only the students’ creativity but also a deep understanding of the importance of road safety.

“This awareness among our youth is a crucial step towards ensuring safer roads in our community,” she says. “Congratulations to all the participants for making this contest a success and for being champions of road safety.”

Prize winners are invited to a special presentation in the new year, and a full list of first, second, and third prize winners is available on the city’s website.

Grande Prairie’s annual Grande North Winter Festival is returning once again at three downtown locations in January.

From January 12th to 14th, Bonnetts Energy Centre, the Montrose Cultural Centre, and Muskoseepi Park will host a variety of ice and snow-related activities to embrace the cold season.

Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says the event is significant as it gives residents the opportunity to explore the city they call home while connecting with the community during the winter season.

“High calibre events like Grande North Winter Festival create a tourism draw for our downtown core, highlight our community’s vibrant spirit while supporting enhanced quality of life for our residents through free, family-friendly activities.”

A variety of events are scheduled for the festival including ice gardens, live music, and ice carving demonstrations at Bonnetts and numerous free activities such as a snow maze, a live DJ and even an ice slide at the Montrose Cultural Centre. Additionally, food trucks, horse and wagon rides, and a skate party will be available for attendees at Muskoseepi Park.

The city says the event is aiming to stimulate the local economy and support downtown businesses, and a full list of scheduled events is available on the city’s website.