The County of Grande Prairie’s top municipal leader says inflation, along with the continued growth the county has seen played a role in the 2.9 per cent property tax increase council tentatively approved for the 2024 interim budget.

County Reeve Bob Marshall says according to the federal census since 2016 the municipality has seen a 5.6 per cent increase. Marshall explains that even with the continued growth the county has tried to keep taxes stagnant and avoid implementing increases, though at times the municipality has had to implement increases to the workforce to keep services at the same level.

“Unfortunately we can’t keep that going on forever, we were dipping into some of our reserves and our savings to help soften that blow for our residents. But, you can’t do that ongoing otherwise you will get to the point where potentially you will have a massive tax increase.”

Some of the additions that council made to keep the service levels for the growing community included the addition of a new fire prevention officer position, along with eight full-time firefighters which equaled a $750,000 investment. Marshall says that another area that is important to keeping service levels is the amount of grant funding the county has available to the various community organizations; ; which is why an estimated $6.6 million was approved for community grants.

“The different groups such as recreation and ag societies provide such a valuable service to our ratepayers, our 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.”

The county reeve says even with the 2.9 per cent increase, the county’s tax bump is still lower than the tax increases being seen in not just other parts of the province but the country.

“There originally was a seven per cent tax increase that our administration working group was asking us to do, but we worked with them through that three days to try to bring that down,” Marshall says. “Again this is just the interim budget, so when we do the final budget in April we will still be looking at, what is the final tax rate going to be?”

Marshall adds that the final numbers for the 2023 budget have not come in yet the speculation is that there will be a slight surplus, which will be put toward the 2024 budget

Drivers heading along Highway 43 at Range Road 133 near Demmitt and the weight scale are being asked to slow down as county emergency crews are responding to a tanker truck rollover.

According to the county, Regional Fire Services from the Hythe, Clairmont, and Beaverlodge stations are responding, and no injuries have been reported.

The truck is carrying diesel which is spilling from the tank, and as a result, the County Regional Fire Service’s hazardous materials team is on the way to mitigate the spread of fuel. The county says there is currently no risk to the public.

Anyone driving through the area is being asked to watch for traffic control personnel as flow is being affected while crews continue to work.

The Fairview Health Complex Emergency Department will not have a physician on-site for 24 hours twice in one week, with the first 24 hour period starting Tuesday morning.

According to Alberta Health Services, the disruption will start at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, December 19th and is expected to end at 7 a.m. Wednesday, December 20th, the department will again be without physician coverage from 7 a.m. on Thursday, December 21st until 7 a.m. on Friday, December 22nd.

However, the provincial health authority will cancel the disruption if sufficient coverage is found.

Nursing staff will remain on-site to provide triage and assessments. EMS calls will be re-routed to surrounding facilities, including the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital.

AHS also reminds residents they can contact 8-1-1 anytime about non-emergency health questions.

Santa Clause flew into Grande Prairie Regional Hospital with STARS Air Ambulance to deliver toys and take photos with some of the hospital’s “youngest and bravest” patients.

On Monday, December 18th Santa and with a team of STARS emergency responders touched down at the hospital at 10 a.m. with the bag of Christmas gifts they had to hand out. STARS Donor Relations Officer Bethany Rose says giving Santa a lift with their signature red helicopter is an important part of the season for the patients, their parents, and STARS alike.

“STARS is very happy for the opportunity to host Santa in the helicopter so he can leave his sleigh behind for one day,” she says. “It’s just a beautiful thing to be able to do, we work all year with our crew to save patients every day, providing critical care anywhere. But this one exception every year [where] we get to have a joyous flight over to the hospital to bring nothing but joy to the patients here.”

As Santa made his rounds passing out stuffed animals to kids of all ages, there were smiling faces and laughter that filled the room mixed with cries of “thank you Santa” that rang out as Santa traveled through the hospital from the emergency department to the pediatric unit.

Naomi Smith, a mom who’s daughter received a gift from Santa says the visit was validating as sickness and injuries during the holidays can be quite straining on families.

“It’s very exciting for her and for me, it’s so nice to see him [Santa] spreading cheer and bringing joy to all the kids and people in the hospital,” she says. “Seeing that they’re still here spreading the cheer and getting everyone excited even during hard times when they’re sick.”

The Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation put on the Santa visit and say they plan continue the tradition next year.

UPDATE: The County of Grande Prairie has confirmed clean-up operations have been successfully completed.

Clairmont residents are being asked to avoid part of 113th Avenue as crews work clean up a fuel spill.

According to Regional Fire Service Deputy Chief Jason Nesbitt, the spill is between 95th and 96th Street and estimated to cover approximately three-quarters of a municipal block. Investigators have traced the spill back to a residential diesel container in a driveway.

“Our crews have stopped the spill from spreading any further and cleaned up what we can and we turned it over to our transportation department who’s working on bringing out the hydro-vac truck to clean up the remaining fuel.”

Nesbitt says the liquid diesel has been cleaned up by crews; however, a hydro-vac is required to properly clean up fuel absorbed into the ground and snow to avoid any runoff when the weather warms up.

“Now it’s just a matter of getting the hydro-vac in there to spray down the road with hot water and then suction up the remnants of it.”

Additionally, Nesbitt says there is no environmental impact as the fuel has not been identified in any catch basins or other reservoirs, and there is no immediate danger to the public.

Thanks to a loan guarantee from the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation five Indigenous Nations have made a partner investment into a cogeneration unit at a gas plant in the County of Grande Prairie.

According to the AIOC, the $20.5 million deal with the Niyanin Nations LP, which is made up of the communities of the Horse Lake First Nation, Duncan’s First Nation, Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, Sucker Creek First Nation and Aseniwuche Winewak Nation of Canada, will be used to invest in a 15-megawatt cogeneration unit at the Wembley Gas Plant. According to NuVista Energy, who is also a partner in the cogen unit, it will help offset over 9,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, which the company adds is a step towards meeting its environmental goals.

A release from the AIOC says “With this investment, the Niyanin and NuVista partnership will own a majority interest in the Cogen project. The terms of the transaction ensure long-term economic benefit to the participating Nations.”

President of the Aseniwuche Winewak Nation of Canada, David MacPhee says ownership is fundamental to sustainably developing Indigenous traditional lands and can create a path for the project to align with the idea of caretaking the land for future generations.

“Indigenous ownership has been something we have worked towards for a long time,” MacPhee says. ” This is one way the government can assist Nations to generate and sustain economic independence and make important improvements in our Nations.”

Through the investment, Niyanin will receive a share of the economic returns from the project. According to AIOC other Indigenous groups in the province have participated in similar deals, and the financial returns have done what MacPhee says by helping the nations provide support and improvements to their communities.

AIOC CEO, Chana Martineau says the Niyanin deal brings the total of loan guarentees the AIOC has made to $680 million.

“It is always heartening for me to see another group of new Nations continuing their journey towards the freedom and stability that comes from these investments, and for another company to show true action when it comes to reconciliation.”

The City of Grande Prairie has announced they have launched an investigation into an “incident” that occurred at the Eastlink Centre on the afternoon of Friday, December 15th.

According to the city, the appropriate officials were notified immediately. The city shared on social media that they do not have any information they can share regarding the individual involved.

The city adds they are committed to protecting the privacy of the individual and their family throughout the investigation.

The Grande Prairie RCMP has confirmed the individual was injured and the event is being treated as “non-criminal” in nature.

Residents in the Hamlet of Hythe are being advised of a planned water outage on Monday, December 18th.

According to the County of Grande Prairie, repair work is being done on failed infrastructure in the hamlet’s water distribution system. During the repair work, some residences will be impacted by the planned water outage which is expected to start at 12 p.m. and go until 5 p.m.

The Peace Regional RCMP has requested public assistance in identifying a suspect following reports of fraudulent use of bank cards in downtown Peace River.

Following reports of a lost wallet on December 7th, investigators obtained surveillance footage of a male suspect using bank cards at numerous locations around Peace River.

According to police, the suspect is described as having a light to medium complexion with a mole or tattoo under the left eye, wearing blue jeans, a yellow and black hat, dark shoes, and a black sweater with the words “TRANSPORT LTD” on the left sleeve.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the Peace Regional RCMP at (780)-624-6611 or through local police and Crime Stoppers.

Santa Claus is coming to town, but not by a reindeer and sleigh, instead he is coming via STARS Air Ambulance to visit the Pediatric Unit at the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital.

Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation Philanthropy Engagement Officer Sally Bellerose says the annual event is important for their patients and families alike, as it lets kids know they are cared for during a difficult holiday season.

“It’s really just a special thing for our pediatric patients, they’re our youngest and bravest patients, and when Santa can make it all the way in for special trips just for them it really brightens their day,” she says. “It means that during this scary and sometimes lonesome time, they’re still thought of, and Santa is going to go that extra mile and make sure they’re taken care of this time of year.”

According to Bellerose, the STARS signature red helicopter will act as “Santa’s sleigh,” and give him direct access to the pediatric unit and its patients.

“They give him a safe ride right to the hospital’s helicopter pad which gives him expedited access to those kiddos.”

The foundation has set a tentative flight for 10:00 a.m. on December 18th pending availability from STARS; however, Bellerose says if STARS is called on a mission, the time will be deferred to 1:00 p.m. or 10:00 a.m. the next morning.

The County of Grande Prairie Firefighters Charitable Foundation raised $10,722 for the Grande Prairie Palliative Care Centre through their mustache competition and Stash Bash event in November.

According to the charitable group, these funds will be used to help develop the #mengrievetoo program, which reportedly will focus on programs and services that will help men deal with emotions that come with grief and loss.

In November, Firefighter Mike Mcleod told mygrandeprairienow.com that one of the reasons supporting the program at the Palliative Care Centre is so important is because everyone has lost someone and had to deal with grief and loss at some point in time.

“What we want to do is bring awareness to this and help support such an amazing society within the local community that we have. We want that support to be there so you can have that support system for you when you are dealing with the worst times of your life,” Mcleod said.

In their announcement, the Charitable Foundation thanked everyone who donated or supported the campaign in some way.

The Helping Hands Society of Grande Prairie says a “significant” number of hampers in their Christmas hamper campaign have yet to be sponsored.

According to Northreach Society Executive Director Dalyce Sather-McNabb, there are 98 hampers unsponsored. She says the number is alarming as nearly 200 families depend on them to make it through the holidays.

“What’s most alarming about this is hunger doesn’t go away just because it’s Christmas, if anything it increases.”

She adds that Christmas time is naturally an expensive part of the year for most families and some working-class families simply cannot afford Christmas dinner anymore due to rising costs.

“Students come home from college, extended family shows up, and some people don’t have the capacity for those extra groceries,” she says. “Groceries are just untenably expensive right now so I think regardless of whether a household is swelling in population or not, groceries are just very hard to pay for.”

Additionally, Sather-McNabb says grocery scarcity has become an increasing problem in years past, and traditional holiday meals have become much harder to not only afford but even find at the grocery store.

She adds there is no donation minimum, and items such as hygiene supplies, comfort items, along with gifts for teens and adults are in high demand. Those interested are encouraged to visit the Northreach Society to sponsor or donate.

County of Grande Prairie residents will see a 2.9 per cent property tax increase during the 2024 tax year.

On Friday, December 15th county council approved the interim 2024 budget after three days of deliberations. According to the county, council focused on maintaining vital services and programs and worked with administration to keep the tax increase below the seven per cent that was recommended.

A release from the county reads “If approved at final budget in the spring, the proposed 2.9 per cent average municipal tax increase would translate into approximately $56.96 annually, or $4.75 per month on a property valued at $482,000.”

Reeve Bob Marshall adds that in the past four years council has worked to avoid putting increases on residents and one of those ways has been by holding the line on property taxes.”

“During that time, Council has been accessing reserves, withdrawing more from savings than we are able to replenish, which is not sustainable,” Marshall says.

The $157.6 million budget includes an estimated $109.5 million for general operations and $48.1 million for capital investments. Included in the capital budget are several road and bridge projects, which roughly 70 per cent of the money will go towards according to the county.

Also approved in the 2024 budget is $3 million being paid to the provincial government for RCMP policing costs, $2.4 million to the Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework, and $1.2 million to the City of Grande Prairie for the revenue sharing agreement. Council also agreed to $5.7 million for grants that will go to organizations that apply; for projects that focus on recreation, health, community, culture, seniors, special needs transportation and libraries.

In April council will approve the 2024 final budget and tax rates once the provincial government confirms the amounts collected for education and property assessment values.

Grande Prairie RCMP are investigating a report of a hit and run that occurred between 5:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Friday, December 1st.

Police say preliminary investigation has revealed that the pedestrian was struck by a “metallic coloured sedan” around 5:20 p.m. while crossing the crosswalk on Lakeland Drive at 90A Street. The suspect vehicle allegedly fled the area after a reported “short conversation” with the pedestrian, who was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police have released information regarding the potential suspect who is described as a 20-30-year-old female with black, shoulder-length straight hair, who wears black glasses.

Police are asking anyone who was in the area and may have witnessed the event or have dashcam footage to please contact the Grande Prairie RCMP at 780-830-5700 or Crime Stoppers.

The Art Gallery of Grande Prairie has appointed a New Executive Director and Chief Curator.

Chair of the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie Board of Directors Terry Gorgichuk announced on Thursday, December 14th that Jessica Groome has taken the position.

In the announcement, Gorgichuk says “Jessica brings with them a wealth of experience and a proven track record in the art and museum field having most recently held the position of Curator at the AGGP. Their visionary leadership, passion for the arts, and commitment to AGGP’s mission makes them the ideal candidate to guide us into the next chapter of our journey.”

In Groome’s new position they will oversee the overall strategic direction, daily management, and operations of the gallery, along with shaping the artistic vision of the gallery.

Groome is taking over the role from Daniel Becker who resigned from the position at the end of September. Becker served as Executive Director after taking over the position in the summer of 2022.

The Peace Regional RCMP are seeking assistance in finding a female suspect after a credit card theft near Grimshaw.

According to police, on December 1st, officers responded to a report of a stolen credit card and subsequent use of the card at “several” retail and banking locations around the area of Grimshaw.

Investigators have obtained surveillance footage and are now looking for help from the public in identifying one female suspect.

The woman is described as having a thin build with brown hair, a light complexion, keys on a blue lanyard, and wearing a teal coat with blue jeans and dark shoes.

Anyone with information surrounding the incident is asked to contact the Peace Regional RCMP at 780-624-6611, or through Crime Stoppers.

Grande Prairie’s Centre for Young Parents is ringing in the new year with a special Christmas dinner to show their clients support during the holiday season.

According to Community Engagement Coordinator Heather Tilapaugh, the event is significant for both the centre’s staff and clientele as it welcomes in the Christmas spirit for everyone involved.

“All our staff get together, we essentially cook all day long, and we bring in our clients and their families as well as our volunteers, and we sit down and have a big meal together.”

Tilapaugh says the organization currently supports 54 client families and just under 70 kids with parents aged 14 to 24. However, she adds with the decline in donations, resources have gotten tighter this year.

“At our Christmas Dinners Santa and Mrs. Claus make a special appearance and hand out a small gift to each child that comes, [but], as with everything else in the city we are lacking donations this year across the board.”

“We look at our shelves that are usually full of toys and diapers and they’re getting pretty bare so we are really looking for a Christmas miracle,”

Tilapaugh adds that despite the lack of resources, several young parents are still looking to make the holiday season special for their kids, and many turn to the Centre for Young Parents for aid.

“We have those young parents and some of them are still kids themselves, and they’re working hard trying to make Christmas special for not only themselves but for their kiddos,”

“Typically what happens by this time each year we’ve got some donations from the community and that varies. We get donations of toys, we can get gift cards, personal hygiene items, even cleaning supplies,” she says. “Everybody needs a hand up, it doesn’t matter the age.”

Interested individuals are encouraged to donate at three drop-off locations around the city including the Lions Learning Centre, the CYP’s Project Thrift Shop, and the 2Day FM studio.

Aquatera has officially completed the installation of a fleet of solar panels at their Zone 3 Reservoir and Pump Station to mitigate increasing costs.

According to Aquatera CEO Vaughn Bend, the decision came as a result of “inflationary pressures” on the company which ultimately led to higher costs for consumers. Additionally, Aquatera says the move is strategic in the long term as it decreases their dependence on traditional outside energy sources.

“We thought, instead of paying for somebody else’s assets somewhere else, let’s invest in our region,” he says. “Power came first to mind because it’s something we could partner with a local company and put in a significant investment in the region.”

Officials say the panels are expected to produce approximately 80 per cent of the power required at the Zone 3 pump station. Bend says the company is now exploring additional options for future projects similar to this.

“We’re really pleased because this is our first foray into something like power generation and it’s something that we will be doing more of.”

“I think there’s more opportunities for Aquatera to do more solar to reduce costs, so we’ve got about two or three projects on the review stage so hopefully within the next year or two you’ll see a few more of these things.”

The project was completed by Empower Energy and the panels began producing power for the facility on December 8th, 2023.

The Bandaged Paws Animal Rescue Association in Grande Prairie is experiencing restricted storage space heading into the new year as renovations are set to begin on Bandaged Paws’ food storage area.

The facility, which is owned by the City and County, is shared between Bandaged Paws and the regional pound and Bandaged Paws Executive Director Natasha Arsenault says the garage serves as an important space saver for the association.

“When the City and County bought the building, they had plans to renovate the space – into more of a reception area I believe, and we currently have a lot of our food donations stored there,” she says. “A lot of those items will need to be moved and won’t be able to go back into that space.”

According to Arsenault, Bandaged Paws currently houses between 150 and 200 animals, and without proper storage space food will need to be stored in kennels, reducing the number of animals they will have the capacity for.

“All of our rooms in our office are used for various storage, we only have one office dedicated for staff, everything else is related to animal-related purposes.”

“Having the food donations that we do allows us to feed animals that have special food requirements and feed the massive amount of animals that we do have, we really do require that much space to store food that’s constantly rotating.”

As a result, Arsenault says the facility requires storage space elsewhere, but in the meantime, efforts are currently underway to transition several dog kennels into food storage areas.

“The dog kennels that we will be moving it to don’t have shelving so that’s a need,” she says. “So we are seeking out some sort of alternative, but having food donations we need them in a temperature-controlled environment.”

Despite the current space limitations, Arsenault adds donations are still welcome at this time as they are “what keeps the facility running.” Additionally, Arsenault says the Association when the time comes to move the 10,000 lbs of food, volunteers will be greatly appreciated.