An educational assistant has been charged with sexual offences involving a youth. Grande Prairie RCMP says it got a report about a potential inappropriate relationship between the employee and a youth on September 28th.

The investigation led to 23-year-old Brooke Richer of Grande Prairie being charged with sexual assault, sexual exploitation, and luring a child. She has been released from police custody with a court date set for November 8th.

Rising Above Ministry board member Dan Rigler went sky high in the basket of a crane in the Staples parking lot Friday morning to raise funding for a new $5 million residential addiction treatment facility in Grande Prairie.

The Rising Higher Crane Event is a two-day test of endurance where Rigler will sit 150 feet in the air to raise awareness for drug poisonings and overdoses in the community. Rigler has built up a reputation as the daredevil of Rising Above, spending two days wrapped in chains while walking around the city five years ago and pulling a 120-pound crate around the city to represent the weight of addiction.

“God put it on my heart to do this originally 10 years ago, and it transformed my life,” he says. “Ten years ago we were trying to raise money to keep the doors open, and it’s really cool to see in 10 years we’ve grown so much that we need more money for another building to keep growing.”

Despite Rigler’s desire to live on the edge, he says these stunts are no walk in the park, and he depends on the support of his friends and ministry to pull him through.

“I’m claustrophobic, I’m afraid of heights, and I get motion sick,” he said before the event. “I have the confidence from all the other stuff I’ve done that God shows up, my friends show up, and it works really well, so this one I can have my fears, but it’ll still go good.”

Rigler is scheduled to remain in the crane’s basket for the entire weekend, and eager visitors are encouraged to head to the Staples parking lot to witness the stunt and donate to the cause on-site.

A family-friendly run is sticking to the spooky season while raising funds to support the 2024 Alberta Winter Games in Grande Prairie.

Kinesiology students at Northwestern Polytechnic have planned the Saturday, October 21st event, which will see all proceeds go to support the Alberta Winter Games committee to pay for costs associated with bringing the roughly 2,400 athletes and coaches from across the province to the region to compete in 18 different sports.

Alberta Winter Games Manager Lisa Kerkhof says the unique part about Saturday’s event is that participants can register as runners or zombies.

“The idea is that the Zombies will chase the runner throughout the course, make it a little more fun that way, and you’ll have a flag on. The zombies will try to rip those flags off, so you have to make it across the finish line with the flag intact,” she says. “”We are going to leave registration open as late as we can so you can come and register the day of the run.”

The run will start at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Northwestern Polytechnic and go 2.7 kilometers through Muskoseepi Park.

“There is different rest stops along the way, there are different games along the way, so there is lots of opportunity to rest if you don’t want to run the whole loop.”

Along with the run, prizes will be handed out for the best costumes, and all participants will receive tickets to the NWP Basketball games later that day.

More information, including registration, can be found here.

Three people from Grande Prairie are facing human trafficking charges after a woman from Toronto was allegedly forced into sex work. The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams Human Trafficking unit believes the victim was coerced to relocate to Grande Prairie over social media under the pretense of a job.

It’s alleged that when she got to the city, she was forced to work in the sex trade under the threat of violence. Her money was apparently withheld to pay back the moving expenses covered for her.

The woman managed to escape from the group’s control in May 2023 and she contacted the Toronto Police Service. The three suspects were arrested on September 19th with the help of Grande Prairie RCMP.

As part of the investigation, ALERT searched two homes and allegedly seized cash, a truck, and more than $30,000 worth of cocaine.

23-year-old Romeo Spence is charged with trafficking a persons, procuring, material benefit from trafficking a person, uttering threats, and possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking.

46-year-old Andre Wright is charged with trafficking a persons, procuring, uttering threats, possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, possession of proceeds of crime, and possession of another person’s identity.

29-year-old Hipai Bangisa is charged with trafficking a persons, procuring, possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of proceeds of crime.

All three suspects have been released from custody. Bangisa and Wright are scheduled to appear in court on October 23rd and Spence is scheduled to appear in court on November 2nd.

Sergeant Chris Hayes from ALERT Human Trafficking says the best advice he can give is to know who you’re talking to and what you’re getting yourself into.

“If people are offering you deals that seem too good to be true, ask questions. If they’re offering to buy you plane tickets and fly you across the country, ask for details and find out the facts. Understand what is going to be expected of you.”

Survivors of sex trafficking can call 211 for help.

Numerous small businesses across the Grande Prairie Region will be recognized during the Grande Prairie and District Chamber of Commerce Awards of Distinction.

Seven awards will be handed out during the Thursday, October 19th event, including Emerging Business, Legacy Business, and Young Entrepreneur Award. Keynote speaker Eddie LeMoine will speak at the Small Business Week event before the awards are handed out.

Lemoine will touch on several topics during his talk, including trends shaping the labour market, the impact of the pandemic on work dynamics and business operations, and ways to identify the essential leadership traits required to succeed during the current challenging times in business.

Earlier in the week, Invest Grande Prairie marked the annual week by reporting that in 2022, 250 new businesses opened in Grande Prairie, with over 3,000 businesses in the city spread out through various sectors.

Sideworx Connect employment agency took home Business of the Year in the 10 or more employees category, while M3M Marketing snagged the under 10 employees spot.

International Paper Grande Prairie Mill took the Legacy Business award and Sexsmith’s Braeheid Gardens grabbed the Young Entrepeneur spot. T

The GP Regional Association of Volunteer Operations won the Diversity and Inclusion award, and the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre made the Greatest Impact according to the chamber.

The Marketing award went to Once Upon a Child and Paradis Valley Honey was the winner of the Leading Edge award, Ruby’s Treats and Charcuterie finished the night taking home the Emerging Business award.

Winners were chosen by a selection committee, who scored each category based on criteria for each unique award.

Nearly three weeks after the investigation began, Manning RCMP arrested a suspect connected to an alleged attempted vehicle and fuel theft.

Police say they located and arrested Fort Vermillion resident Jarrett Michael Ducharme on October 14th.

On September 30, Manning RCMP received a complaint of an attempted vehicle and fuel theft. Officers attempted to pull over Ducharme’s car which proceeded to flee from police.

Ducharme was found and charged with three counts of possession of stolen property over $5,000, two counts of theft of fuel, attempted theft of a motor vehicle, forgery, uttering a forged document, operating a motor vehicle without insurance, and criminal flight from police.

Police add that through further investigation, Ducharme was linked to other thefts in High Level, Fort Vermillion, Peace River, and Manning areas.

An investigation into drug trafficking in Fairview has led to charges after drugs were seized from a Fairview home.

According to RCMP, on October 6th, RCMP officers conducted a search warrant at a Fairview home in the 101 Street area; during the search, officers seized meth, cocaine and fentanyl.

Mounties have charged 57-year-old Robert Allen and 37-year-old Brittany Salmond with charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking all three narcotics.

The RCMP Western Alberta District Crime Reduction Unit started to investigate drug trafficking in the town of Fairview back in September, which led to the search warrant execution.

Allen and Salmond have been released on conditions and are next scheduled to appear in court on October 25th.

Grande Prairie’s Coordinated Care Campus received a $780K bump in funding from the Financial Stabilization Reserve to replace the facility’s roof.

The city purchased the repurposed hotel and conference centre in 2021 and the building required a roof replacement in two to five years. Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says the decision was made because the facility has already been revamped and modified several times to suit the needs of the campus.

“Council decided that it was an appropriate time to do the roof before we move everybody in and in short time need to move everybody out to redo the roof,” she says.

Construction on the roof will begin as part of Phase 3 of renovations, which includes 43 units on the top floor, adding to the already completed 63 rooms in the facility.

The RCMP is reminding residents about the dangers of street drugs after responding to a pair of overdoses, one of which resulted in the death of a 29-year-old man.

On Wednesday, Peace Regional officers were called to help with a suspected fentanyl overdose in Grimshaw. Despite the efforts of EMS and the Grimshaw Fire Department, the man passed away.

Hours later, police were called to help with a second suspected overdose in the town. Emergency responders transported the person to hospital, where they are recovering.

“Using information received from this call, Peace Regional RCMP is also conducting welfare checks on two other individuals,” police say.

In the wake of these incidents, the RCMP is investigating these overdoses and reminding residents about the safety of drug consumption.

“Peace Regional RCMP would like to remind the public that street drugs are not always what they appear to be. Had it not been for the fast actions of those around and the immediate response by emergency medical personnel and RCMP, the surviving individual may have had a very different outcome.”

Signs of fentanyl overdoses can include low, irregular, and shallow breaths, pinpoint pupils, muscle stiffness, and seizures. Naloxone can treat an overdose but is not always effective.

According to mounties, safe practices for using street drugs can start with not using substances while alone, being sure to have someone check in, and testing the potency or strength of the drug.

Police ask anyone with information regarding the pair of incidents on Wednesday to call RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

A local youth advocate for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community is urging Grande Prairie’s municipal leaders not to stay silent on what they believe is a recent rise in hate.

After the 1 Million March for Children protest sparked counter-protests across the nation, 17-year-old Peace Country Progressive Alliance representative Sam Ellwood took the opportunity to express her concerns to Grande Prairie city council on Monday. She calls what she believes silence on the matter “unacceptable.”

Citing a recent post made by Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton where she asked protesters to follow laws, remain respectful, and “not spread hate,” while saying the “Community is of great diversity,” and that “makes Grande Prairie strong.” Ellwood asked the Mayor and council directly to take immediate action rather than address 2SLGBTQIA+ concerns after the fact.

However, following her delegation in council chambers, Ellwood suggested the concerns she raised may not have been received as intended.

“I feel like they heard my critique and it just went straight over their heads,” Ellwood says. “Mayor Clayton’s statement about how they support the community felt like it was not answering any of my concerns.”

During the local protest on September 20th, local organizer Dione Martin said they were fighting multiple levels of government for wanting to implement Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity programming. She added they are looking for parents to have more of a say in what is taught in classrooms.

“We just want them to teach math, science, arithmetic and leave the kids alone with all the other programming,” Martin said at the protest.

As a result, Ellwood called on the mayor and council to address her concerns and take a stronger stance against protests related to 2SLGBTQIA+ issues.

“I believe that if someone like Mayor Clayton were to speak against the 1 Million March, it could make her supporters think that there may be something wrong with it,” she said at the protest.

City council received the presentation for information and did not question Ellwood or her colleagues any further on the matter.

Rising Above Ministries’ request for $333,000 from the City of Grande Prairie to help towards its new residential addiction treatment facility is heading to budget deliberations next month.

The total ask for the project is $5 million, to be split between the province, municipal government, donations to the non-profit, and business support. Rising Above is asking for $1 million from the Grande Prairie area, with a third of the funding coming from the City of Grande Prairie, a third from the County of Grande Prairie, and a third from the MD of Greenview.

“What we raise from the community, matched by what we get from the municipality and the provincial government, we should have our building up,” Rising Above Executive Director Mel Siggelkow says.

According to Siggelkow, the new building will accomplish two key goals for the ministry — increased access for women enrolled in classes and programs, and a 30% capacity increase for programming.

Siggelkow adds they had 400 applicants for programming and space in 2022, with only 102 gaining access due to space limitations. He says a bump in capacity can go a long way in providing more help for those who need it.

“So if you increase that by 30%, next year after the building they’ll probably bring in 130, or 135 [people], but by then we’ll probably have 500 applications, so we’re slowly trying to close that gap, but the gap in addiction treatment right now is very large.”

Fundraising efforts remain the backbone of Rising Above’s funding such as their annual banquet, radio share-a-thons, and the Rising Higher Crane event scheduled to take place on October 20th, where board member Dan Rigler will rise above the clouds for two days when he is suspended nearly 200 feet in the air in the basket of a crane.

Mowing is back on the docket next to residential property fences and on 84th Avenue as the city enters its second year of the Boulevard Naturalization Pilot Program.

Starting in the first quarter of 2024, the decision comes after council was made aware of risks associated with overhead power, snow storage capacity, and beautification standards.

“Naturalization in council’s mind is not just about leaving grass uncut, it’s about strategic moves that make sense,” Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says.

“The motion that was put forward will bring back a report for considerations of how we, in year two, look at naturalization with an aesthetic lens to it.”

Additionally, council directed administration to prepare options and budget implications related to adjusting the remaining two years of the program to ensure aesthetically pleasing naturalization is utilized in 2024.

In his second weekend of playing with the Grande Prairie Storm, Tomis Marinkovic recorded 10 points, earning him the Pizza 73 AJHL Player of the Week.

In the four games played between October 9th to 15th, Marinkovic put up three goals and seven assists. The 19-year-old had three assists in a pair of losses against the Okotoks Oilers and Calgary Canucks. Then, in two 5-4 wins, he posted a goal and assist against the Canmore Eagles and scored 2 goals plus 3 assists against the Drumheller Dragons.

In the five games Marinkovic has played with the local team since coming from the Western Hockey League Calgary Hitmen at the beginning of October, he is averaging two points a game.

A traffic collision at the 105 Avenue intersection between Dairy Queen and Radical Streetwear is causing delays for motorists in the area.

Around 6:25 p.m. on October 17th, a GMC pickup truck and a smaller SUV appeared to have collided during a turn, flipping the pickup and causing significant damage to the SUV.

Witnesses describe what appeared to be a mistimed turn between the two vehicles, resulting in the crash.

“The truck had come up to [the crosswalk] and pulled through, and the woman in the white SUV was crossing assuming they had stopped for the pedestrian,” says eyewitness Jennifer Farquhar.

Numerous police, fire, and EMS were on scene. However, no serious injuries have been reported.

The Grande Prairie and District Chamber of Commerce is warning residents after receiving reports of people receiving suspicious emails supposedly from them.

According to the chamber, the email comes from an unknown source offering to sell the organization’s “Mailing List/Distribution List” or “Registrants/Attendee Contacts” from chamber events.

“We DO NOT share our contact list with anyone. Our members choose what information they share on our website, and even then our directory does NOT publish emails or websites.”

The chamber adds that a link is needed to access their directory, a measure taken to prevent cyber mining. The organization is reminding residents to be vigilant regarding web security settings and to check in with their provider if they have a business account. Anyone who allegedly receives suspicious emails from the chamber is asked to inform them.

A provincial funding announcement which includes adding seats to one of Northwestern Polytechnic’s nursing programs comes a day after the post-secondary announced its new nursing education program.

The Grande Prairie-based post-secondary announced on Monday it has launched the Practice Preparation for Domestic and Internationally Educated Nurses, which kicked off with a course focusing on preparing to write the NCLEX – Rn exam, the licensing exam nurses must pass to work in Canada. The school plans to have seven online courses available through the program by December 2023 offering a self-paced learning option.

Continuing Education Associate Dean Michelle Wallace says the hope and plan is that the initiative will help build and strengthen the province’s healthcare workforce.

The program announcement was made just a day before the provincial government announced the school was the recipient of half a million dollars to add 96 seats to its nurse bridging program. The funding is part of a larger $11 million infusion into nine post secondary schools to create 1,221 new spaces in nurse bridging programs provincially, including 848 seats for registered nurses and 373 for licensed practical nurses.

Minister of Advanced Education Rajan Sawhney says the seats will be added over three years, helping nurses from other countries to train to work in Alberta.

As well the province is putting $7.8 million into bursary programs for internationally educated nurses. These nursing students could receive up to $30,000 over five years to help with living expenses and tuition, with the condition they work in rural Alberta.

A warm welcome into the winter season came to the Odyssey House Emergency Women’s Shelter in Grande Prairie as Richmond Dry Cleaners and BNI Northern Connections dropped off coats and winter garments as part of the Share the Warmth campaign.

This year’s campaign saw nearly 700 garments worth more than $4,000 in dry cleaning delivered to the Odyssey House. Don Murray, President of BNI Northern Connections says despite the turnout, numbers are down compared to past years.

“I think people are having a tough time, but the people that can donate have been and we appreciate everything,” he says. “Everybody needs help, and if we can help a little bit, if we can put some smile factor on some people that’s what it’s all about.”

While Murray reports the numbers to be down compared to previous campaigns, 219 pieces of clothing were reported as collected and donated last year.

Five people were reported to have died from accidentally drug poisonings in Grande Prairie in the month of July.

According to the Alberta Substance Use Surveillance System, its the first month with more than two opioid-related deaths in the city since April 2023. July 2023 is also the highest single month total since December 2022. Since the turn of the year, 22 people have died from fatal drug poisonings in Grande Prairie.

In July, there were 161 fatal drug poisonings reported across Alberta.

A 10.3% funding increase for the Grande Prairie Public Library is headed to municipal budget deliberations next month.

The increase request, which translates into approximately $250,000, was presented to council in the summer of 2023, with members of the Grande Prairie Public Library board returning to council Monday to further discuss three funding options for the library, each with their own benefits and consequences.

Grande Prairie Library Board Chair Deb Normington says a 0% increase may result in the elimination of programming budgets, fewer open hours, and loss of hours for part-time employees.

“We really struggle with reducing hours, because as it stands we have short hours on Sundays that we would like to increase,” she adds.

Inflationary funding would see a 3% or $55,362 funding increase for the library and minimal closures during specific timeframes.

“With inflationary, we’ll limp along and do our best, but it only defers the problem,” Normington says.

“It doesn’t take a mathematician to know that if you don’t get the increase today, sometimes tomorrow, then you need an even bigger increase, and we would hate to see that happen as well.”

The 10.3% would break down over a two year span, with a $172,329 increase ask for 2024, and $55,362 in 2025. Officials say that will help with increasing staffed hours and hours of operation, as well as supporting library programs and services.