As winter fades away and springtime begins, the Grande Prairie RCMP has released a number of safety tips for spring driving.

According to the RCMP, winter often gets all the attention when it comes to hazardous road conditions; however, spring driving has safety hazards of its own.

The RCMP says springtime means construction crews will be more prevalent than ever, and Constable Kelsey Davidge says law enforcement is taking construction zones seriously, and residents can expect an increased police presence in those areas to ensure construction worker safety.

“We will be out again making sure that everyone working on those roadways are safe,” she says. “Please respect those work zones, and pay attention and give yourself lots of time to move over to the service lane, or slow down in those construction zones.”

Additionally, Davidge emphasized the importance of post-winter vehicle maintenance for drivers. She says simple steps like ensuring your tire pressure is adequate as cold conditions can lead to lower tire pressure, and checking wiper blades due to winter wear and tear, can make the difference during the spring.

Drivers are also encouraged to watch for increased pedestrian, cyclist, and motorcycle presence on the roads as people get outside to enjoy the warm temperatures.

“Make sure to slow down and share the road with walkers and cyclists, and keep an eye out for motorcycles when merging, passing, turning, and approaching intersections,” Davidge says.

Springtime also brings unpredictable rain showers, and Constable Davidge says wet pavement is a significant contributor to accidents in the spring so motorists should leave extra distance between vehicles, turn on headlights, and avoid hard braking.

The RCMP continues to emphasize the importance of sober driving, especially in the spring, as “many Albertans hit up the patios” when the weather warms up. Residents who choose to drink are always encouraged to do so safely by using designated drivers, taxis, or public transit to get home safely.

The Peace River School Division and the Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools have announced a joint effort to provide a solution to support the St. Thomas More Catholic School community.

According to the school divisions, at the March 14th meeting of the PRSD Board of Trustees, a motion was approved to grant the GPCSD permission to build a temporary modular school building on E.E. Oliver Elementary School property in Fairview.

The PRSD says as the landowner, administration must approve the physical location of the temporary facility, and that a joint-use committee be formed to oversee the development of the project.

PRSD Board Chair Crystal Owens says the decision comes from a place of support for students in Fairview.

“We are looking to support all students,” she says. “We want to support Fairview as a community.”

The Town of Fairview has also played a significant role in the discussion, meeting with the school divisions and discussing the practicality of a temporary modular school building on an existing school property in Fairview, and through those discussions, the decision was made to put the temporary building on the selected property due to its existing underground water and sewer infrastructure.

The school divisions say the project is a top priority this year as the facility “must be completed” in time for the 2024-25 school year.

Additionally, both the PRSD and GPCSD say the ultimate goal of building a new joint K kindergarten to grade nine school in Fairview remains and should be completed within “the next five to ten years.”

It was a record-breaking weekend in Grande Prairie with temperatures rising beyond 20 degrees at times.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday all had their previous records broken when Friday saw highs of 12.2°C, breaking the 1947 record of 10°C, Saturday saw highs of 15.2°C, five degrees higher than the 10°C record set in 1959, and Sunday experienced highs of 21.3°C, shattering the old record of 9.4°C set in 1976.

Alyssa Pederson, a meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada says El Niño is still hard at work, bringing warm, dry temperatures to the west; however, with such high levels of variation coming this week, she says mother nature is simply looking to balance itself out after the unseasonably warm weekend.

“When we get extreme temperatures and extreme weather patterns that are causing the really high temperatures this weekend, the atmosphere kind of wants to balance itself out,” she says.

According to Pederson, a low-pressure system is expected this week in a natural response to the warm weather, and she says Grande Prairie could be back to its usual late March weather soon.

“It’s going to bring lots of snow, and then behind it, we’re going to get that arctic air coming back into the province.”

For the gardeners, Pederson says it might be best to keep plants indoors for now, as it is not uncommon for the weather to shift dramatically until as late as May.

“For last frost and bringing plants outside I would not recommend doing that even in March or April,” she says. “When we’re talking about the last time we’re going to go below zero, in Alberta, that’s May, we could easily get snow right through into May.”

One topic of discussion that is continuously brought up to ECC is the warm, arid conditions that come along with the El Niño weather phenomenon, but Pederson says warm weather is not the only change to consider when El Niño comes into play.

“What it also does is weakens our jet stream which leads to bigger lobes, bigger variants in that jet stream, essentially more extremes across western Canada.”

Grande Prairie residents can expect temperatures well below zero this week, along with a high chance of snow on Wednesday to bring the region back to the reality of winter.

During Saturday’s WPCA Tarp-Sale and Fundraising Gala, the Grande Prairie Stompede presented PARDS Therapeutic Centre with a check for $25,000 for the UNBRIDLED program. Chuckwagon Director Dean Dreger explains the partnership between the Stompede and PARDS plays a part in the legacy that the organization wants to leave. Dreger explains to him mental health is an important topic to him, and after raising three kids he has seen the impact that a horse can make.

“It is a bond that you can’t replace, kids, especially when they are coming into their teens they need a lot of distractions and there is nothing better than a horse for a babysitter,” Dreger says. “A horse is just as compassionate as a dog if you let them. Kids let those horses into their lives and they become a part of their lives as they go on.”

In 2023, Stompede and Pards unveiled the UNBRIDLED program and the three-year partnership. At the time Executive Director Jennifer Douglas told mygrandeprairienow.com that UNBRIDLED was many years in the making, and focuses directly on helping youth work through experienced traumas in a healthy and empowered way.

“The horse is whatever the youth needs them to be in that moment and that is what is so powerful and almost magical about – equine-assisted therapy,” Douglas said. “A horse will mirror your emotions, so it really helps anyone to process where they are at because sometimes the hardest thing to do is name what you are going through.”

More information about the program can be found here.

The RCMP Major Crimes Unit is investigating what they believe to be the suspicious death of a 34-year-old Grande Prairie man.

On Thursday, March 14th Grande Prairie RCMP officers responded to a report of human remains that were found in a rural area near the community of Clairmont. Police have identified the victim as Echer Marcial and say they are considering his death suspicious. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday, March 18th in Edmonton at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Anyone who may have video surveillance in the area of Range Road 55, south of Township Road 730 where the deceased was found, especially anyone with dash camera footage from March 13th to March 14th, is asked to contact RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

The Beaverlodge RCMP is asking for the public’s help in tracking down a missing 43-year-old woman. Police say Hythe resident Selena Wanihandie was last seen in the municipality on March 15th at approximately 8:45 a.m.. Police say there is for wellbeing and believe she may have been heading towards Grande Prairie.

Wanihandie is described as having a medium complexion, standing 5’6″ tall, with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a purple shirt and grey pants. Anyone with information on Wanihandie’s whereabouts is urged to contact the RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

The City of Grande Prairie has issued a Fire Advisory along with the County effective at 6:00 p.m. on March 15th.

The city says the advisory is in place until further notice and comes as a result of the forecasted dry, windy weather conditions.

Under the advisory, current permits remain valid, and new permits will be issued on a “case-by-case basis.” Any burning without a valid fire permit other than a campfire is prohibited.

Safe wood campfires on rock, sand or other non-combustible surfaces that extend one metre with enough water on site to extinguish the blaze and are on private lands are permitted, along with backyard fire pits, portable propane fire pits, gas or propane stoves and barbecues, and catalytic or infrared style heaters are permitted under the advisory.

Residents who choose to burn are asked to never leave a campfire unattended, and soak, stir, and soak again until cool to the touch to ensure it is extinguished.

A fire advisory has been issued for the entirety of the County of Grande Prairie, including the towns of Wembley, Sexsmith and Beaverlodge.

The advisory comes as the region is expecting likely record breaking heat over the weekend, in addition to already unseasonably warm and dry conditions. The advisory also comes the same day as a similar advisory was issued by Alberta Wildfire for the Grande Prairie Forest Area.

Officials say while existing permits will still be considered valid, any burning without a permit, with the exception of a campfire, is prohibited until further notice.

Scouts Canada’s Grande Prairie Branch is seeking donations to send their boys and girls to the Pacific Jamboree in Sooke, BC in July.

Brittany Hishom, a fundraising committee member and mom of Barrett, a beaver in Grande Prairie, says sending the troop is beneficial as it gets the kids out of the city and into the real wilderness to learn the basics of surviving outdoors.

“It gets them to see Canada, everything we have to offer here in Canada, we have such a vast amount of different forestry areas that really could benefit the boys and girls, get them out of the city centre and really get them into the wilderness,” she says. “They will be doing things like canoeing and crafts, and learning the basic skills for outdoors.”

Hishom says all donations of all levels are welcome and will help the scouters on their journey to British Columbia.

“We will take anything, go into your pockets, we’ll take change, we prefer the bills, but we will take anything, and you are welcome to go to the Scouts Canada website.”

Donators who choose to use the Scouts Canada website are asked to select the “Grande Prairie” check box when making their donation to ensure the money goes to our local branch, and cheques are also being accepted.

Additionally, Hishom says any donations that go above the goal to send the scouts to Sooke will go directly to the local branch to support activities such as their year-end campout.

AHS is inviting new and expecting parents to an information session to learn more about pregnancy, birth, and early childhood.

The event is scheduled for March 21st from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Rotary Room at the Grande Prairie Public Library. AHS says healthcare professionals will be available to meet with parents to provide information and resources.

Participants can learn a variety of topics including routine immunizations, infant feeding and nutrition, infant safety, pelvic health, mental health, local AHS prenatal education classes, and more on AHS healthcare services.

Additionally, AHS says representatives from local community organizations will be available to provide information and resources at a local level.

Residents requiring pregnancy, birth, and early childhood support before and after the event can contact the Grande Prairie Public Health Centre at (780)-513-7500.

Members of the Fort St. John RCMP executed a search warrant on a residence on March 14th leading to six arrests.

According to police, members of the Fort St. John RCMP Street Enforcement Team executed a search warrant at 10017 92 Street, Fort St John on suspicions of drug-related activity.

Investigators say approximately five ounces of cocaine, meth, and magic mushrooms were seized along with numerous pill bottles containing dilaudids and hydromorphone pills, cartons of unstamped tobacco, and a firearm.

Street Enforcement Team Commander Constable Connor Watson says the residence was “set up like a drug convenience store” and it appeared that individuals were trading items or using prepaid Visa gift cards as currency during drug transactions.

As a result of the investigation two males and four females were arrested in the residence and police say the individual believed to be running the operation will be facing “significant” numbers of charges.

The Fort St. John RCMP is continuing to investigate the matter and anyone with information regarding the matter is asked to contact the Fort St. John RCMP at (250)-787-8100 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers.

The High Prairie RCMP is asking for help from the public in finding a missing 53-year-old man.

According to police, Everett Lamouche was last seen leaving the hospital in High Prairie just after 1:00 p.m. Investigators say it is believed that he walked towards Highway 2 and there is concern for his well being.

Lamouche is described as having a medium complexion, five foot ten inches tall with black hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information regarding Lamouche’s whereabouts, saw him walking or given him a ride is asked to contact the High Prairie RCMP at (780)-523-8477 or anonymously through crime stoppers.

The annual Northwest Alberta Sport Excellence Awards are returning to Grande Prairie once again to recognize the athletes and volunteers that make the Peace Country sport scene so significant.

On April 12th, 45 nominees will be recognized this year and Grande Prairie Regional Sport Connection Executive Director Karna Germsheid says she is excited to see such a high quality group of nominees this year.

“It’s a really exciting event for our athletes, coaches, volunteers and sport builders within the community,” she says.

Germsheid says the event is significant as it serves as a chance to recognize the people who have built up the athletics programming available in the Grande Prairie Region.

“I think it’s incredibly important to recognize the people, especially the people supporting the community, our athletes are not just athletes by themselves, they need to have events created so they can compete, they need to have coaching and guidance, and the coaches need to have support from parents and volunteers, and we need facilities, it’s a real ecosystem.”

Additionally, Germsheid emphasized the volunteer side of athletics. She says without volunteers, Grande Prairie sports simply would not exist.

“An event that recognizes both our elite athletes, our elite coaches, but also those community coaches and volunteers and sport builders that are driving the system so our youth and adults have those opportunities is really important,” she says. “They’re not doing it for the recognition, they’re doing it for the love of a sport, the love of a child in the sport but ultimately it never hurts to recognize people and this is an event that we can use that to do that very well.”

Tickets for the evening are on sale and ticket information is available on the Grande Prairie Regional Sport Connection’s website.

In an effort to continue building Grande Prairie’s economy to attract new investment opportunities, the City of Grande Prairie announced the acquisition of former Grande Prairie-Wapiti MLA and Provincial Finance Minister, Travis Toews.

According to Mayor Jackie Clayton, the hire is an important one, as it marks an important step in building a strong economy in the Grande Prairie region through Toews’ connections at the provincial and nationwide levels.

“As a senior advisor in investment attraction, the success of this reflects on the fact that council wants to do things differently.”

“We will demonstrate how investment in our community is an opportunity, and really this region is attractive to investment,” she says. “His experience and relationships across the country are valuable to our region.”

According to the city, Toews will provide strategic advice, planning, and support meetings with investors in the energy and agricultural sectors. Clayton says he will report to council through the City Manager and his contract runs until December 2024.

Lifemark Vocational Services has announced the date of their upcoming Spring Job Fair in Grande Prairie.

The event is scheduled for April 11th at the Delta Hotel in Grande Prairie and Lifemark says the fair is designed to “bridge the gap” between job seekers and career opportunities.

Lifemark Program Manager Brandon Williams says as the job market continues to evolve, it is important to recognize the importance of providing a platform for residents to connect with potential employers in a unique and meaningful way.

“We understand the challenges that job seekers face in today’s competitive landscape,” he says. “Our goal with this Job Fair is to provide a conducive environment where candidates can showcase their skills and talents while networking with industry leaders.”

The event will feature a variety of employers in a number of sectors including- retail, customer service, finance, transportation, oil and gas, and more, and attendees can expect opportunities from entry-level positions to executive roles.

Lifemark says they are anticipating a high level of interest in the event, so registration for the Job Fair is required due to limited capacity.

Residents interested in attending are asked to register online on Eventbrite for free.

The economic region, including Grande Prairie, had the lowest number of people unemployed across the province in February.

According to the latest numbers from Statistics Canada, the unemployment rate for the Athabasca – Grande Prairie – Peace River region was 4.8 per cent, tying the region for the lowest unemployment rate with the Camrose – Drumheller for the second month of 2024.

Compared to the same month in 2023, the region also saw the number of people unemployed dropped by nearly a per cent from 5.6 per cent.

Across Alberta, the unemployment rate for the first two months of 2024 stayed consistent at 6.2 per cent, a .3 per cent increase from February 2023. Lethbridge reported the highest unemployment rate across the province in February.

Grande Prairie City Council has formally adopted its advocacy priority list for the year to ensure the correct items are pushed toward other entities to have in the city.

Council identified five key items on top of the previously identified, in its most recent list including- electricity distribution, additional hospital support, medical response funding, support for Northwestern Polytechnic, and affordable housing.

Mayor Jackie Clayton says council utilizes the list to ensure its members remain aware of what residents are asking for in the community and provide other government bodies with a concise and clear message of what the city is asking for.

“The idea of the advocacy priorities list is in essence, we focus on main advocacy items, but also we focus on different advocacy ministers, whether they’re provincial or federal, we like to have a document prepared that highlights the main, core priorities,” she says. “Those five items that were approved today are items that we work on on a regular basis and they are the ones that continually, we’re hearing from residents and businesses across the region of where we need to focus our advocacy attention.”

According to the mayor, the items on the list are reviewed monthly and the document is revisited by council annually to determine whether some need to be adjusted or what items are successful.

“If we’re successful, that item gets removed, and if new things come up across the region in our engagement with residents and stakeholders, we add them to the list,” she says.

Council formally adopts the advocacy list for the year annually, and Clayton says the items identified become part of the city’s marketing materials for the year.

Grande Prairie City Council opted to grant the Bear Creek Folk Festival an $80,000 funding boost to support operations and infrastructure for this year’s event.

The funding comes from $50K of the City’s Sponsorship Fund and $30,000 from council’s strategic initiative funding. Recently, council approved changes that cap the amount one event can obtain from the sponsorship fund. Mayor Jackie Clayton says going above the sponsorship fund through strategic initiative dollars was appropriate, as the event drives tourism from around the world to Grande Prairie.

“Council believes that the Bear Creek Folk Fest is really a premier event and a highlight of the summer, it drives tourism in our region, and with that council decided to go above and beyond the policy to support it with strategic initiative dollars, not to break the policy but to support it in addition to the policy,” she says.

Event Producer Sarah Card says the folk festival is grateful for council’s funding as the event has continued to accumulate costs, growing as high as 30 per cent when compared to years past, as demand grows every year.

“We asked for it because we really needed it, and we’re very grateful to the city for finding a way to make that happen,” she says. “As certain funds tend to dry up as you go over time, it is so important to have stable funds coming from somewhere so this helps us continue to work on keeping our event on a solid footing.”

According to Card, this year’s event boasts more than 400 volunteers and expects a sold-out crowd of up to 7,000 visitors on the grounds this summer.

“We are absolutely shattering the numbers from last year, our ticket sales are where they were in late May last year and that was with some pretty major names on the ticket, so we are anticipating a sellout as early as possibly this month,” she says. “These are numbers we usually see in mid-July and I am just very excited to see that the community is that engaged and excited to be a part of it.”

The 2024 artist lineup has been released and features acts of all genres such as Alan Doyle, Amanda Panda, Buffalo Nichols, and more. Tickets are available on the Bear Creek Folk Festival’s website.