The wildfire danger is considered “moderate” for the Grande Prairie Forest Area according to the latest reports from Alberta Wildfire.

Officials suggest that cooler temperatures and widespread rain showers have provided some much-needed relief to the forest area.

Despite the risk being considered moderate, crews continue to operate on active wildfires and monitor some that are considered under control.

Since January 1st of this year, a total of 79 wildfires have been reported in the Grande Prairie Forest Area, burning nearly 373 hectares. Alberta Wildfire suggests that of the 79 reported, 70 fires have been extinguished, two remain out of control, five are considered under control, one is being held, and one has been turned over to the responsible party.

A fire restriction remains in place for the entire Grande Prairie Forest Area. As a result, existing fire permits are restricted, suspended, or cancelled, and no new fire permits will be issued. Additionally, campfires are permitted as long as they are being burned in a safe, controlled manner within fire rings in campgrounds.

Members of the Grande Prairie RCMP are investigating a reported plane crash that occurred on the Heritage Day holiday.

According to police, on Monday at around 7:00 p.m., members of the Grande Prairie RCMP were made aware of a downed aircraft off of Range Road 53A near the City of Grande Prairie.

RCMP Media Relations Officer Corporal Troy Savinkoff suggests that the initial investigation revealed the aircraft was an “ultralight” or very small plane, and no one was found in or around the vehicle upon arrival.

“We’ve done searches and nobody was located,” he says. “It was kind of a minor collision, it doesn’t appear at this time that there were any injuries, and the investigation is continuing into exactly who was flying the plane.”

As of August 6th, the RCMP has confirmed the owner of the aircraft has been located; however, it does not appear that they were flying the plane during the incident.

NavCan traditionally investigates collisions with airplanes; however, Corporal Savinkoff speculates that due to the type of plane, and the “non-severity” of the incident, it has been left to the RCMP to investigate.

“We’re not exactly investigating the plane crash itself, we’re investigating the ownership of the plane at this time, and the circumstances around- how did it get in the air, how did it land, and where is the pilot,” he says.

Savinkoff suggests that police will continue their investigation into the matter in the coming days.

The Grande Prairie Northreach Society has officially opened its doors in its new facility after a weeks-long closure to support the move.

Northreach previously operated out of its old space on 98th Street until the closure on July 26th, providing harm reduction supplies, STI testing, and other services to its clients.

Now, the organization will operate out of the Aberdeen Centre near City Hall, which Harm Reduction Team Lead at Northreach Lindsay Loset says is beneficial, as the new space is closer to the organization’s street-engaged client pool.

“Because we’re closer to Wapiti House, the St. Lawrence Centre Street Outreach Centre, some of our more street-engaged clients, now we’re a lot closer to them so it’s easier and more accessible,” she says.

Loset adds that the move was necessary, as the organization continues to grow, and now it is in a better, more purposeful location that can provide its clients with the services they need.

“We had kind of outgrown our space, in a way that was functional for us, there was lots of space in the other building, but it just wasn’t set up super well for us to have good flows of people coming in and out of the building,” she says. “This building is newer, it’s been renovated specifically for us in the space we’re in, and it has AC.”

The Team Lead maintains that all of Northreach’s services will remain accessible for its clients, and says the hope is that with a newer, larger space, the organization could see some programs expanded to better serve those who access them.

“Whether that’s accessing harm reduction supplies, or getting STD or STI testing done, we’re open and ready,” she says. “There’s nothing new currently, but that is a hope, if we do start to expand or change our programming, there’s space for that as well.”

Currently, the Grande Prairie Northreach Society provides STI testing, harm reduction supplies and education, Naloxone distribution, and sexual health education to a variety of Grande Prairie residents.

A 24-year-old wildfire firefighter in Jasper has died after an incident on Saturday.

According to the RCMP, officers were notified of a serious injury to an Alberta Wildland Fire Employee from a falling tree while fighting an active wildfire northeast of the Jasper townsite.

Following the alert, the young firefighter was extracted from the scene by STARS and was declared deceased.

The fallen firefighter was a resident of Calgary and based out of the Rocky Mountain House Fire Base.

As a result, Alberta Wildfire staff participated in a procession to mourn the loss on August 4th.

Occupational Health and Safety has been notified of the death and will continue the investigation in the coming days.

The Grande Prairie Regional Sport Connection’s annual Try It Day is returning for its Fall session on September 14th.

Two Try It Days are hosted every year, once in the Winter and once in the Fall, and the wintertime session saw sports like skiing, curling, and other traditional winter activities being opened up for Grande Prairie youth to try a new sport they might not otherwise have the chance to do.

This fall, the GPRSC will be offering 24 different sports for local youth to try out, including a variety of martial arts, dance lessons, gymnastics, lacrosse, and ringette.

Grande Prairie Regional Sport Connection Executive Director Karna Germsheid says the annual Try It Day offerings are beloved by both the community and her organization alike.

“The community loves Try It Day as we do, it’s very close to our heart, we had hundreds of kids go through different sport organizations, and the sport organizations do such a bang-up job in receiving those kids and offering such great service in the community,” she says.

A full list of event offerings and additional information regarding venues is available on the GPRSC’s website.

At least one of the three wildfires burning in northwest Saddle Hills County is listed as out of control as crews from the region continue to battle a trio of blazes.

The first fire, is reported in the Gordondale area, south of Highway 49. Officials say the fire is approximately 120 hectares in size and and is currently out of control.

Residents south of Highway 49, east to Range Road 102, and west to Range Road 111, should be prepared to evacuate on short notice, if required

A second small fire in the area is also being reported south of Township Road 790, west of Range Road 103, and east of Range Road 111

The third fire is burning approximately 2 kilometres north of Gundy. While only currently reported as one hectare in size, all residents in the Gundy area should be prepared to evacuate at short notice, if required.

Members of the Beaverlodge RCMP responded to reports of a “significant” act of vandalism at St. Mary Catholic School in Beaverlodge on August 1st.

According to police, between the evening of July 31st and the morning of August 1st, more than 70 windows were broken at the school resulting in damages estimated to be around the $100K mark.

Investigators suggest that the information gathered as of late has not led to any sufficient evidence to allow for the arrest and charge of any individuals.

As a result, the RCMP is reaching out to the public to seek assistance in identifying anyone who may have seen or heard anything related to this incident.

The Beaverlodge RCMP is asking anyone with information, no matter how minor, to come forward and report to the RCMP detachment in the community at (780)-354-2485 or anonymously through Crimestoppers.

The school recently shared on social media that they are grateful to the community for donation offerings; however, “all damages are to be covered by District insurance,” therefore, no donations are being accepted at this time.

After tabling the issue during the June 24th County Council meeting, the County of Grande Prairie is hosting a public hearing to hear feedback from residents regarding several land use bylaw assessments.

The subject in question would see four potential changes to different lots of land in the county to accommodate a number of subdivision applications.

The first would see a portion of the northwest corner of the boundary of Valhalla Centre changed from Urban Reserve to Intensive Recreation to allow for a single-lot subdivision. The second would see a portion of a lot located north of Highway 672 changed from agricultural to medium industrial use for a potential subdivision. The purpose of the third amendment would see a portion of a lot to the southwest of Highway 672 changed from agricultural to medium industrial use, and the final amendment would see a portion of a lot southeast of Highway 674 changed from county residential use to agricultural use.

Public hearings are scheduled during regular council meetings beginning at 1:00 p.m. However, the length of each hearing is variable, and exact start times cannot be provided.

Anyone wishing to speak on the matter can do so at the hearing or provide written comments in advance. The county says written submissions must be received by 4:30 p.m. the Thursday before the scheduled hearing.

Written submissions are asked to be sent to the county’s Planning and Development Services department via email or at 10001 84th Avenue, Clairmont Alberta.

The MD of Greenview is joining most of the Peace Region in downgrading the previously implemented Fire Ban to a Fire Advisory for its communities.

Residents in the communities of Valleyview, Ridgevalley, DeBolt, and outside the Forest Protection Areas within the MD are advised that safe wood campfires will be allowed provided they are within a metal, brick, or rock containment ring.

Fires must be on rock, gravel, sand, or any non-combustible surface that extends one metre around the flames.

Additionally, those who choose to burn must have a responsible person in attendance to keep the fire under control at all times and extinguish it before leaving and must have enough water on-site to extinguish the fire.

The MD has also provided a list of safe practices for residents to safely burn brush, vegetation, or debris on their property to ensure no preventable fires burn out of control.

The province is working to give Jasper evacuees a chance to see the toll the wildfires have taken on the community.

According to Parks Canada, the plan was approved by the groups that are part of Unified Command and will be executed by the Government of Alberta. The idea of the tours is to give evacuees some comfort as they process their grief and loss. According to officials, the Resident Bus visits will happen as soon as it is safe to do so.

According to officials crews continue to put up fencing around impacted structures, while debris is being picked up and utility work is continuing in the town’s downtown core. The Canadian Red Cross is also setting up an evacuee reception centre for evacuees in Hinton. According to Parks Canada officials, undamaged items are also being recovered from businesses when it is possible.

As of 9 o’clock last night, the Jasper wildfire complex is estimated to have grown to 39,000 hectares in size, with the majority of the growth on the south end of the fire. Because of the hot and dry weather, officials are expecting that there will be more wildfire growth today.

Alberta Wildfire helicopters began bucketing operations last night.

Police are concerned for the well-being of a 36-year-old who was last seen at the end of July.

According to Grande Prairie RCMP, Kenneth Norman Sparrow was last seen in Grande Prairie on July 30th and police are turning to the public for help.

Sparrow is described as being 6’2″, weighing roughly 154 pounds, with blue eyes and blond hair. He was last seen wearing a black long-sleeve shirt and green cargo pants.

Anyone with information on Sparrow’s location is asked to contact RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

Police are asking for the public’s help locating a missing 35-year-old last seen in mid-July.

According to Grande Prairie RCMP, Cody Raymond Harmsen was last seen on July 16th in Grande Prairie and police are concerned for his well-being.

Harmsen is described as being roughly 6’1″, weighing 146 pounds with blue eyes and blond hair. He also is said to have a goatee.

Anyone who knows where Harmsen is or has information is asked to contact RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

As wildfires continue to impact communities and forest areas across Alberta, the provincial government is encouraging residents to consider joining the Alberta Wildfire Reservist Program.

According to the province, the reservist program hires emergency firefighters if needed or other support staff in a variety of positions, including non-fire line roles such as stevedores, data entry, camp supervisors, and others.

Contractors are also a critical part of Alberta Wildfire’s response, and those with heavy equipment such as bulldozers, excavators, water trucks, and carriers are encouraged to complete a contract offer process which ensures the province has access to additional heavy equipment if needed.

Getting started is a two-step process, first, candidates are encouraged to watch the Wildfire Deployment Orientation video, before contacting their local forestry office or signing up online.

Successful candidates interested in front-line work must complete specific online or in-person training before passing a physical fitness test.

A former Grande Prairie resident has taken action to support her family and friends affected by the ongoing wildfires in Jasper.

Tina Sideroff, who now lives in Ottawa says her sister Twila and her family were among the thousands of evacuees from Jasper, and unfortunately lost their home as a result.

“When my sister spoke with her insurance company, they mentioned that they’ll likely be working together for two to three years so it’s going to take some time before things return back to normal,” she says. “It might be some time before they’re able to return to work.”

Sideroff says Jasper is an incredibly meaningful place to her family, like so many others from the Grande Prairie region, sharing fond memories of the park, so the loss was financially and emotionally devastating.

“My entire family are all originally from Grande Prairie, born and raised, and my sister moved to Jasper, got married in Jasper and everything,” she says. “I live in Ottawa and I have neighbours coming up to me and they’re crying because Jasper meant something to them as well so it’s across the country.”

As a result, Sideroff decided to take matters into her own hands and started a fundraiser for her sister’s family and friends who were affected by the fires. She says her sister’s family is “deeply involved” in their community, so seeing the loss so many are suffering through was too much to ignore.

“They’re just that type of family that always thinks about their community all the time so when they lost their house, they lost everything, their house went, their garage went, so I just felt like it was my turn to help them out, even if it was something small to get them back on their feet,” she says. “They’re always participating in the annual Christmas fundraisers, her son even started a drive to help the homeless.”

Sideroff says no fundraising goal has been set; however, during their time of need, all donations are welcome.

“Anything helps, they have nothing, some of their friends don’t have insurance so its just little things,” she says. “She knows her community well so she’s just been out there helping others as well as herself.”

Donations can be made via e-transfer, and those interested in helping out can send their assistance to [email protected] to donate.

Most city facilities are scheduled to close in recognition of the Heritage Day holiday on August 5th.

City Hall, the City Service Centre, Eastlink Centre, Design Works Centre, Bonnetts Energy Centre, Montrose Cultural Centre, Grande Prairie Museum, Dave Barr Community Centre, Activity and Reception Centre, and Cedar Point will be closed on the fifth in observation of the holiday.

Despite the closures, the Ernie Radbourne Pavillion at Muskoseepi will be open from noon to 5:00 p.m. and the Aquatera Outdoor Pool will be open from noon to 7:00 p.m.

Transit will also be operating on Heritage Day on holiday hours of 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. for regular service, and 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. for late-night on-demand service.

To celebrate Heritage Day, the city will be hosting its annual free event on August 3rd at the Grande Prairie Museum.

Residents are encouraged to come out and celebrate Alberta culture at this year’s event and participate in old-fashioned games, interactive demonstrations like ropemaking, and community booths.

Limited access to Highway 16 through Jasper National Park is opened at a limited capacity for commercial traffic.

Parks Canada announced yesterday, officials will be facilitating access for commercial vehicles on a limited basis between the hours of 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The RCMP is controlling access in the park and will have staffed checkpoints on Highway 16 in both directions.

“Commercial vehicles are defined as trucks, tractors, trailers, or any combination thereof, with a registered gross vehicle weight exceeding 11,794 kilograms,” the update from Parks Canada reads. “These times are subject to change without notice and are dependent on fire behaviour and operational needs. We are entering a period of hotter drier weather, and the fire is anticipated to become more dynamic.”

Although limited access to the highway has been announced, it is not guaranteed, and commercial drivers are being advised to anticipate delays. As well, in the coming days Jasper evacuees in British Columbia will have a chance to be escorted back to Alberta on Highway 16, officials say more information will be released when it is available.

As of Wednesday night, the Jasper Wildfire Complex is still classified as out of control, with warmer temperatures and winds resulting in the fire spreading on the south end.

“In some areas, trees occasionally candled, meaning fire activity moved from surface to tree top.”

Officials say there is still a very present risk to the national park and the Town of Jasper, but they have used the days of lower fire activity to prepare and put measures in place to protect the community. However, with the warmer temperatures crews are anticipating that they could see extreme fire behaviour as soon as tomorrow.

“Jasper residents should be aware of the possibility of intense fire and spread. Our top priority remains protecting the community and critical infrastructure and every effort will be made to prevent further impacts from the fire.”

When it was safe to do so yesterday crews were using helicopters to map the wildfire perimeter more accurately. The perimeter is made up of the furthest area burned and not what is currently burning. Inside the estimated perimeter there will be areas that will be completely or partially burned and areas that were not burned at all.

Over the past week resources from BC Wildfire Services, Alberta Wildfire, Ontario, Yukon and the Northwest Territories have responded to the incident. Officials estimate to date over 100 organizations have supported or contributed to the wildfire response in Jasper.

Alberta Sherriffs’ surveillance teams are on the ground across Alberta in rural communities to work alongside local police to address rural crime in the province.

According to the provincial government, rural crime continues to be a top priority for residents and businesses in communities across Alberta. As a result, the province opted to invest $4.3 million for the Alberta Sheriffs to put boots on the ground and address the problem head-on.

Provincial Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis calls the project “another key component” of rural law enforcement in Alberta.

“Criminals and organized crime are not welcome in Alberta. Full stop,” he says. “The addition of two new surveillance teams will further support our law enforcement partners in stamping out criminal activity in Alberta’s rural areas.”

Two plainclothes teams, one in the north and one in the south, will support police in carrying out surveillance on criminal targets in rural areas. Both teams have been fully staffed and are operational. The two teams are tasked with working to prevent crime, monitor agricultural theft, and work in collaboration with local police agencies to share intelligence.

In Grande Prairie, County Council recently greenlit the Crime Prevention Committee’s Annual Work Plan, which emphasizes finding ways to reduce crime through strengthening the focus on crime watch committees and exploring virtual meeting options for committee members.

More than $1,555,446 was raised during yesterday’s Alberta Day of Caring for Jasper, including donation matching funds from the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta.

On Wednesday, July 31st radio stations from across the province, including 94.1 CJOC and 98-1 the Ranch, came together to raise funds for the Canada Red Cross, as of 6 p.m. Wednesday, the humanitarian aid organization reported $518,482 in direct donations.

The total tally continues to be calculated as bottle depots across Alberta also took part in the day, collecting donations for Jasper. Another update is expected later today.

The Grande Prairie RCMP is investigating reports of multiple weapons, a laptop and a short sleeve Alberta Sherriff Uniform Shirt were stolen from a home in Grande Prairie.

Police say they were called to the scene shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday and say an unknown suspect or suspects entered the home and accessed several secured firearms, including long guns and a shotgun. Also stolen were bicycles, a lap top and a short sleeve Alberta Sherriff Uniform Shirt.

Authorities say all of the firearms stolen belonged to the victim and were not Alberta Sherriff firearms. Mounties say they’re working to determine the exact number make and model of the stolen firearms. Anyone with information about the theft are urged to call police or Crime Stoppers.