The 3D Children’s Society has presented St. Kateri Catholic School with the Ryan Wagner Memorial Award for their fundraising efforts and participation in the 3D Charity Hockey and Soccer tournament.

The award recognizes one school every year based on sportsmanship, integrity, fundraising, and participation in charity events. Schools from all three Grande Prairie districts are eligible to nominate one another and 3D Children’s Society Chairman Darren Foley says St. Kateri “exemplified” the charity’s key values this year.

“St.Kateri showed all of those good things that we want to see kids exemplify whether they’re in school or out of school,” he says.

Foley adds that the award is important to the community as schools from different Grande Prairie regional school boards participate, with support in place for kids from public and Catholic divisions.

“Even though these kids from the school don’t know all the kids that are recipients of our charity and the fundraising that we do, they do it as a true act of altruism, as a way of giving back to the community without looking for any recognition.”

This year’s annual hockey and soccer tournament marks the 24th in its history and has raised nearly $1.6 million for local kids dealing with serious medical issues.

As Halloween quickly approaches, the Grande Prairie RCMP reminds residents and drivers to keep safety top of mind as youngsters gead out to trick or treat Tuesday night.

Sergeant Shawn Graham says while things like the weather can’t be helped, both youngsters and adults can play a direct role in making the spooky evening safe for everyone.

Graham says whether the plan is taking kids trick or treating, hosting a get together, or just staying home, everyone can do their part to make sure those taking part are as safe as can be. He says those old enough to brave the elements and the scares on their own can make some alterations to their costume to help stand out.

“At least have some reflective tape, glow sticks, anything you can have with you that gives you a little more visibility for drivers out there.

“By having that, it will make you safer crossing the road because drivers will be able to see you better,” he adds.

Sgt. Graham says when it comes to drivers, taking an extra couple of minutes to help plan for extra foot traffic can also make a big difference.

“They need to be cognizant that there will be a lot more people out, and in residential areas, and take time getting to where you’re going.”

Graham says another great safety tip is to have a fully charged cell phone with a group of trick or treaters, and a plan including who to call in case something goes wrong.

In the first game of a weekend double-header at Bonnetts Energy Centre, the Grande Prairie Storm will wear purple in partnership with IMPACT to support Family Violence Prevention Month.

On November 3rd, the Storm are scheduled to face off against the Lloydminster Bobcats in the Paint the Stands Purple game. Storm Executive Director Nicole Menzies says the game will feature booths and information set up in the lobby before and during the game for fans to educate themselves about the work IMPACT does in the community.

“We thought it would be a good way to kickstart the month by bringing awareness to family violence prevention and the resources available to people in Grande Prairie and the Peace Country should they need them,” she says.

In addition to educational opportunities for fans, Menzies says fundraising efforts are scheduled for the second intermission of the game, with funds going directly to IMPACT.

“This is really important for us because our players are young male athletes, and we know they can do a lot with helping to educate and promote all of these different causes.”

Fans are asked to wear purple along with the team at the game, and the puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

The aquatics area at the Eastlink Centre is completely reopened, with the residents able to use the 25 metre pool again. The program pool is the last amenity needed to reopen since closing at the beginning of September for maintenance work.

The program pool opened at noon on Saturday, October 28th, more than a week earlier than planned. Earlier in October, the City of Grande Prairie announced the it was scheduled to reopen on November 6th, delayed because of necessary repairs to the 50 metre competition pool that were found after the pool was drained.

Other work done during the several-week closure of the aquatics area included deep cleaning all the facility’s amenities, fixing broken tiles and lights, line painting the 500 metre pool, and resurfacing more than 3,100 square metres of the deck. According to the City of Grande Prairie, a decent chunk of the work completed over the shutdown falls under a ten-year maintenance cycle.

Grande Prairie is highlighted in a new book focused on the evolution of the women’s shelter movement in Alberta. Odyssey House Executive Director Lisa Watson says something “We Need to Do This” highlights that isn’t commonly known is how the provincial movement partially started in Grande Prairie.

“We are one of the oldest shelters in the province, operating at 43 years of service right now, and the creation of [the] Alberta Council of Women Shelters actually started in Grande Prairie. So publishing this book is actually a way to give some of that credit to our local residents who are here, that started the woman’s shelter movement.”

“We Need to Do This” is written by Alexandra Zabjekand and is said to focus on interviews with “entry-level workers at fledgling shelters fighting to battle the assumption that their facilities would create crime, small-town shelter directors forced to self-censor or lose community and financial support, Indigenous women fighting to serve their sisters in Indigenous spaces.” Watson explains that Odyssey House started as a small duplex that grew to a 42-bed emergency shelter and a second-stage shelter with 14 units.

“We really started small and moved up that way, quite similar to a lot of the shelters who are operating throughout Alberta.”

The book is printed by the University of Calgary Press is available online for purchase.

The Royal Canadian Legion #54’s 2023 poppy campaign kicked off in Grande Prairie on Friday, with all proceeds raised supporting local veterans. President Brad Lewis and Vice President Frank Skolly presented City of Grande Prairie Deputy Mayor Kevin O’Toole and County of Grande Prairie Deputy Reeve Peter Harris with the first poppies from the local campaign.

Lewis says that the Grande Prairie community is always extremely supportive, and this year more than 500 businesses across the community want to carry poppy boxes.

“If you can’t get to any of those locations, please come into the Legion. We can show you some of our newer upgrades to the Legion itself, get you a poppy, and you can see some history.”

He adds the reason the poppy is important is not only because of the significance of Flanders Field but because of the peace it now represents.

“It is a very important time for us so that veterans can be recognized for the commitment that they have done, for the ones who have given their lives for Canada.”

He says on November 11th, there will be a Remembrance Day Ceremony held at Bonnetts Energy Centre, which will start at 10:45 a.m. and will then be followed by coffee and desserts at the Legion. The Grande Prairie #389 ANAVETS host the outdoor ceremony at Jubilee Park.

UPDATE: The Grande Prairie RCMP is reporting that Jaime Beaulieu has been located safe. Police thank the public for their assistance.

RCMP are asking for the public’s help locating a missing 41-year-old woman last seen in Grande Prairie.

According to Grande Prairie RCMP, Jaime Beaulieu was last seen on Friday, October 27th, and police are concerned for her well-being.

She is described as being 5’2″, with brown eyes and black shoulder-length hair, weighing roughly 99 pounds. Beaulieu was last seen wearing a black sweater and black rubber boots with camouflage pants.

Anyone with information about Beaulieu’s location or circumstances around her disappearance is asked to contact RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

Drivers should expect delays around Township Road 723 at Range Road 63 because of a multi-vehicle collision early Saturday evening. Grande Prairie RCMP says the driving lanes are partially blocked.

“RCMP are advising motorists that are travelling in the area to expect delays and to consider taking an alternate route.”

An investigation is underway. No further information is available.

Due to a lack of physician coverage, the Beaverlodge Municipal Hospital Emergency Department will be without physician coverage for 24 hours starting 7 a.m. Sunday morning.

According to Alberta Health Services, nursing staff will be on-site in the emergency department during the closure, doing urgent triage, 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.

The provincial health authority is also reminding residents that some services can be provided by their local pharmacies and to call Health Link at 811 anytime with all non-emergency medical questions.

The emergency department is scheduled to re-open at 7 a.m. Monday, October 30th.

What could the future of customs look like in the Grande Prairie region, specifically at the Grande Prairie Airport? That was a conversation briefly held at the October 17th Inter-Municipal Collaboration meeting between the City and County of Grande Prairie.

Mayor Jackie Clayton says feedback municipal leaders have heard from residents in the region is bringing custom services to the airport would be a possible benefit for not only travelers but the industry as well.

“CBSA and custom services for freight would be an opportunity for packages to arrive and clear customs here directly in Grande Prairie, which in turn saves time. So when industry has deliveries coming to this region, it could go through the Grande Prairie Airport, clear customs, and then, in turn, get to the recipients quicker.”

“We have had preliminary conversations about what is possible; this is not an item that is going to be dealt with in a quick manner because there is a lot of information that still needs to be gathered.”

Clayton adds they will continue with conversations as they move forward with exploration.

During the latest Inter-Municipal Collaboration meeting, the County of Grande Prairie provided an update on a potential new RCMP detachment in Clairmont.

According to County CAO Joulia Whittleton, the central part of the update is the municipality is still in discussion with the RCMP and province about the new building.

“The Hamlet of Clairmont reached 5,000 people last year, so as a result, we will be entering into a municipal policing services agreement,” Whittleton says. “As part of that, we would be required to provide the facility to host the RCMP, but at the same time, with the changes that were announced in the city, we would also like to see the RCMP Rural detachment move into the building we are hoping to provide.”

She adds right now, the municipality is in the process of identifying the land that would be most suitable for the new facility. She says several moving pieces must be figured out before an estimated timeline can be released.

“We need to figure out what the RCMP would like to see in this building; we would also like to see provincial commitment to the facility in case they change course and go to the provincial police force. We don’t want to spend money on a facility that could sit empty.”

She says more information will be available once all the moving pieces fall into place.

Two people are facing charges after police in Falher found an alleged stolen pick-up truck with a loaded weapon inside.

Western Alberta RCMP say they located the stolen vehicle on October 19th, when two people exited the vehicle and entered a local business, and were arrested without incident.

A search of the truck yielded a loaded firearm, ammo, and other weapons. The two accused, a 34-year-old man from Grimshaw, and a 32-year-old woman from Berwyn, are facing numerous charges including possession of property obtained by crime, and nearly half a dozen firearms charges each.

MD of Greenview councillors Tyler Olsen and and Bill Smith have been re-elected as reeve and deputy reeve for the municipality.

Ward 9 councillor Olsen, in addition to being a two term councillor, has been a volunteer firefighter for nearly 20 years years and is also currently serving as the Captain for the Grande Cache Station #33 under the Greenview Fire-Rescue Services department.

Ward 8 Councilor Bill Smith will also serve as Deputy Reeve of the MD of Greenview for a fourth term. Smith says that he is thankful for the confidence of his fellow council members.

“I am deeply grateful to Council for their continued support and trust. It’s an honour to work alongside such dedicated individuals in serving our community.”

Both were reelected as part of the MD of Greenview organizational meeting held on October 24th.

annual

The city is hoping for a smooth transition into winter operations will help lead to a manageable winter season for residents across Grande Prairie.

Transportation Director Wade Nellis says despite the first skiff of the season already falling, they have started the transition into winter operations with a full operations are scheduled to begin on November 5th.

“We’ve been spending the last month getting our equipment prepared, reviewing our procedures, and when we move into next month that’s when we will split shifts up into a 24 hour rotation. Nellis says an overall goal in the year to come is to improve the reliability and predictability of snow removal service.

“So, moving into our days of the week, or week a and week b programs, it has allowed us to provide a level of predictability, so when their cars need to be moved, they know, typically, after a large snowfall, when we are going to be arriving in their neighbourhoods,”

“It’s been a very positive thing for our operations, and hopefully, the city and residents are starting to see those improvements,”

Nellis says the safety of equipment operators and drivers are both a top priority, and one reason they not only have several sets of crews working over a 24 hour period, but how they prioritize overall snow removal.

“During an active snowfall, we are focusing on the arterial network, making sure first responders are able to get to every corner of the city,” he says.

“At the conclusion of that, that’s when we start rolling into priority two and three roads, hitting those bus routes and collector routes, and then eventually into our residential program.”

You can find more information, including snow removal schedules, on the City of Grande Prairie website.

As winter begins to set down its roots in the Peace Country for the next six months, Grande Prairie RCMP is reminding residents across the region to not leave their cars running unattended to heat up.

RCMP Sgt. Shawn Graham says as cold mornings become the norm, it’s tempting to turn your vehicle on to get warmed up. However, he adds the majority of car thefts are crimes of opportunity, and it doesn’t take very long for that opportunity to get seized.

“Sometimes there are keys left in them, and they’re unlocked, and that just makes for a crime of opportunity for somebody to go out and steal the vehicle,” he says.

“If you have command starts, it certainly does help, because a lot of times that disables the vehicle. But, if you don’t need to, but, vehicles don’t really need to be started for a long time prior to them being driven,” he adds.

“Sometimes we are going to start our vehicles ahead of time, if you can use command start, you do not want to leave your keys in the vehicle,” he adds.

Graham adds there is traditionally an uptick in thefts of and from motor vehicles at the start of the winter season, but there are additional ways for residents to protect themselves from becoming victims of crime, and that includes keeping valuables out of sight.

“You always want to have your vehicles locked, nothing in the vehicle that could allow access into your home, like a garage door opener, spare keys, etc.”

Overnight temperatures in Grande Prairie are expected to remain well below average, with lows dipping into double digits below zero until at least the start of next week, according Environment Canada.

Another set of child sex charges against the former Medical Officer of Health for the AHS Northzone have been withdrawn after Albert de Villiers entered a peace bond last month.

According to Global News, a $2,000 peace bond was issued mid-September, with conditions including no contact with the victims or their families.

de Villiers is currently serving a 5 1/2 year prison sentence in connection to the sexual abuse of a young boy between 2018 and 2020. Prior to the bond, de Villiers was also facing three more sex offence charges involving a child between January 2017 and December 2019.