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.

There will be no physician on-site at the Fairview Heath Complex Emergency Department for 24 hours starting Tuesday morning.

According to Alberta Health Services, the lack of physician coverage will start at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, October 17th and is anticipated to conclude at 7 a.m. on the 18th. However, the provincial health authority will cancel the disruption if coverage is found.

“Patients are asked to call 9-1-1 if they have a medical emergency. EMS will remain available to the community and will be re-routed to surrounding healthcare centres.”

Nursing staff will remain on-site to provide triage and assessments. EMS calls will be re-routed to surrounding facilities.

There will be no physician on site at the Valleyview Health Centre Emergency Department overnight Monday.

According to Alberta Health Services, the lack of physician coverage will start at 5 p.m. Monday, October 16th, and is anticipated to conclude at 7 a.m. Tuesday, October, 17th. However, the provincial health authority will cancel the disruption if coverage is found.

“Patients are asked to call 9-1-1 if they have a medical emergency. EMS will remain available to the community and will be re-routed to surrounding healthcare centres.”

Nursing staff will remain on-site to provide triage and assessments. EMS calls will be re-routed to surrounding facilities.

After a police-involved shooting in Grande Prairie between a man armed with a gun and Grande Prairie RCMP on the evening of October 15th, the RCMP says its internal review process has been implemented.

After the shooting, the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team was directed to investigate the situation and its surrounding circumstances. According to police, the internal review process was launched independent of ASIRT’s investigation to gather a full account of what occurred during the incident.

“The RCMP is, of course, fully cooperating with ASIRT,” the RCMP says.

The internal review is in place after Grande Prairie RCMP were dispatched to a disturbance at a home in the area of 104 Avenue and 92A Street in Grande Prairie. Upon arrival, RCMP were reportedly confronted by an armed man outside of the home.

The suspect was struck by a shot and transported to hospital by EMS where he died shortly after due to his injuries.

The Business Visitation Program is being highlighted as the City of Grande Prairie, and Invest Grande Prairie marks Small Business Week.

According to the municipality, the program is designed for businesses to build a connection with the community and, in turn, helps the city keep an eye on the local economy and create relationships with local businesses. The program is said to help the Invest Grande Prairie Team serve those in the business community.

“This includes monitoring their needs, recommending improvements to City services and creating connections between businesses and valuable resources.”

To start Small Business Week, city council members, including the mayor and members of Invest Grande Prairie, did a walkabout of businesses in Grande Prairie. During the walk, the municipal leaders and city team went door to door, visiting various small businesses and sharing information with owners and employees on the different programs offered in the city, including the Business Visitation Program.

Mayor Jackie Clayton says the programs show a commitment from Grande Prairie city council to grow local businesses along with the economy.

“We believe that Small Business Week is a perfect time to highlight the crucial role that small businesses play in Grande Prairie’s economic landscape.”

UPDATE #2: The RCMP has confirmed a suspect in the investigation was shot and killed. It’s reported officers were confronted by the armed man when they responded to a report of a disturbance at the home around 7:05 p.m.

The RCMP says shots were fired, without going into specifics, and the suspect was hit. First aid was administered and the man was taken to hospital by EMS, where he later died.

The Director of Law Enforcement has been notified and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the actions of the officers will be done by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams.

UPDATE: The Grande Prairie RCMP says the shelter in place for those in the 104 Avenue and 92A Street area has been lifted. It’s expected police will remain on scene later into Sunday night. More details are expected to be released in the near future.

A shelter in place advisory has been issued for people in the area of 104 Avenue and 92A Street, as the Grande Prairie RCMP is responding to a firearms complaint in the area.

Police say that while the the situation is contained to a home, people are asked to avoid the area, remain in their homes if in the vicinity, and follow the directions of responding officers on scene.

Mounties are asking those in the area not to post police activity on social media until after the situation is over.

It’s hoped that Grande Prairie residents can stay better informed with what is happening through a new text service. The City of Grande Prairie says the new service will help the municipality and residents stay better connected and “provide alternative communication methods, catering to the diverse interests and needs of Grande Prairie residents.”

While signing up for the service, residents can choose what sort of notifications they would like to receive, from community events and announcements to important updates from the city. Signing up takes six steps, with the first being to create an account on the City of Grande Prairie’s website and click the “Opt-in for SMS Text Service Updates” option.

“Existing AccessGP account holders looking to enable text alerts or adjust preferences can log in to their account or text ‘MANAGE’ to 311000.”

All messages will be sent from 311000.

The number of people unemployed in the economic region that includes Grande Prairie saw a bump last month compared to the same month in 2022.

According to Statistics Canada, the unemployment rate for the Athabasca – Grande Prairie – Peace River region was 6.1 per cent up from the 5.2 per cent reported in the same month last year.

Compared to the 6.3 per cent unemployment rate reported in August, September saw a slight drop.

Across Alberta, the unemployment rate stayed steady at 5.7 per cent. The Red Deer region recorded the highest unemployment rate in September, while the Camrose-Drumheller region reported the lowest.

Time is running out to make nominations for this year’s Grande Prairie Regional Association of Volunteer Organizations Volunteer of the Year Awards.

Residents can nominate those who they believe make the community better for several awards, including the Corporate Volunteer of the Year, Volunteer of the Year and the Leaders of Tomorrow Awards for youth ages 13-15 or 16-18.

According to the Grande Prairie Regional Association of Volunteers, those nominated could have significantly impacted a single project or a volunteer’s continuous, long-term dedication to an organization; Friday, October 20th is the deadline for nomination submissions.

Nominations for a pair of City of Grande Prairie Awards will close on Monday, October 16th; the awards include the George Repka Outstanding Achievement Award and the Bill Bowes Volunteer Organization of the Year Award.

The Awards will be handed out on December 5th during the Annual International Volunteer Day Celebration Breakfast.

The Nomination form is on the Grande Prairie Regional Association of Volunteer Organizations website.

Funding to replace the roof of the Coordinated Care Campus will be discussed at Monday’s City of Grande Prairie Council meeting.

The request is for $780,000 to replace the roof of the old Stonebridge Hotel, with the recommendation for the money to come from the Financial Stabilization Reserve. According to the 2021 Building Condition Assessment, the roof of the former hotel needed replacement in two to five years.

“There is an opportunity for significant savings if the roof replacement occurs as part of the Phase 3 renovations.”

At the end of August council approved an additional $1.06 million in additional funding for the Coordinated Care Campus, estimating the renovation of the building to be $23 million, $8 million more than initially forecasted in 2021.

Several events are happening in the city over the next few days to mark Small Business Week in the region.

The events are being put on by the Grande Prairie and District Chamber of Commerce, kicking off with the sold-out Women in Business lunch on Tuesday, October 17th. Ashley Callingbull-Rabbit is the event’s special guest, an Indigenous Canadian actress, ambassador and contestant on The Amazing Race Canada.

According to the chamber, “This March, Ashley was announced as the first Indigenous First Nations woman to become a Sports Illustrated Model. Ashley is currently an In-Game Host for the Canadian Football League, the National Lacrosse League and the National Hockey League.”

Other events happening throughout the week include Wednesday, October 18th, 2023, SBW Rotary Lunch presented by the County of Grande Prairie, which will include a talk from CEO of the Northwestern Alberta Foundation Laura LaValley about how business and philanthropy work together to support and grow the community.

The 2023 Chamber Awards of Distinction Evening Presented By The County of Grande Prairie is on Thursday, October 18th. The annual event will include best-selling author and expert in employee engagement, Eddie LeMoine as the guest speaker. The 2023 Award of Distinction recipients will be recognized following the keynote speech, including the Marketing Award of Distinction, Diversity and Inclusion Award of Distinction, and Young Entrepreneur Award of Distinction.

The Small Business Week festivities will conclude a week later with the Wrap-Up Golden Showcase on October 26th, which, according to the chamber, will be formatted as a mini trade show.

UPDATE: Alberta Health Services says it has found physician coverage for 7 a.m. Sunday through 7 a.m. Monday. The emergency department will still be without a doctor until then.

Due to a lack of physician coverage, the Beaverlodge Municipal Hospital Emergency Department will again be without physician coverage from 7 a.m. on Saturday October 14th, to 7 a.m. on Monday, October 16th.

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 8-1-1 anytime with all non-emergency medical questions.

A pair of Grimshaw residents are facing firearms and drug-related charges.

According to the Peace Regional RCMP, a home in the 55th Street area was searched on October 5th with the help of the RCMP Police Dog Section. During the search officer seized meth, cocaine, and a gun.

37-year-old Gordon Shpeley and 41-year-old Eliza Jackson are facing numerous charges, including possession of methamphetamine and possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine.

Shpeley was released with conditions and scheduled to appear back in court on October 23rd, while Jackson has been remanded and will return to court on October 11th.

RCMP have laid second-degree murder charges in connection to the death of a 47-year-old Horse Lake First Nation resident.

According to Beaverlodge RCMP, EMS contacted officers on October 8th about transporting a man to hospital from the nation under suspicious circumstances, where he later succumbed to his injuries. The RCMP Major Crimes Unit took over the investigation in partnership with other law enforcement units, including the Grande Prairie Forensic Identification Unit.

The investigation resulted in the arrest of Cameron Ferguson, a resident of Horse Lake First Nation; Ferguson is charged with second-degree murder.

The 36-year-old was brought before a Justice of the Peace and remanded into custody; he is next scheduled to appear in court on October 16th, in Grande Prairie.

The first Spirit Seekers Oskayak Conference is happening over the weekend in Grande Prairie. Throughout the conference, participants will hear from 16 panellists and keynote speaker James Jones, more well-known as Notorious Cree.

Spirit Seekers conferences have been running in Grande Prairie for more than 20 years, but the decision was made in 2023 to change the age group in the spotlight. Spirit Seekers Co-ordinator for the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre Sheila Moerkoert says attendees at the Oskayak Conference are between the ages of 18 and 26 years old, and the panels look at the different needs or interests those in that age group have.

“We have four panellists [per panel] that will be sharing their experiences from education, leadership, business, and knowledge. Some of those panellists are local, some are coming from afar, so we are super excited to be hosting here in Grande Prairie.”

Moerkoert says, leading up to the event, the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre and Conference organizers asked the Grande Prairie residents to nominate Indigenous youth for Role Model awards. They will be handed out during the awards ceremony on Friday night.

“We are really hoping that the youth will be able to come out and take in some knowledge, listen to people’s experiences as far as being successful – alongside with that, we will have a space set up with some mental health supports, [and] some supports from Elders in our community.”

The weekend will start with a bannock and tea mixer and awards ceremony on October 13th, followed by the different panels and talk from Notorious Cree on the 14th.

A 52-year-old man is facing charges in connection to an alleged break and enter of Peace River business at the end of September.

According to Peace Regional RCMP, on September 27th, officers responded to a reported break-in at a business, where they were able to get surveillance footage from the incident. Later that day, Mounties received a report about a suspicious man who fit the description of the break-and-enter suspect.

Derek Anthony Hartwick of Peace River is facing charges for break and enter of business and theft under $5,000. He was released from custody with an undertaking on conditions and is scheduled to appear in provincial court at the end of November.

UPDATE: Highway 2 has been cleared. Police say preliminary investigation has revealed that thick fog and poor visibility contributed to the cause of the crash. Three vehicles were involved and two men were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

All lanes of Highway 2 are currently blocked at Range Road 55 due to a multi-vehicle collision. A detour is in place and delays are expected.

Grande Prairie RCMP is investigating.