Residents from around the Grande Prairie area are being asked to share their input regarding a potential regional transit network.

According to the county, the Grande Prairie Regional Public Transportation Study is a collaborative effort between the City and County of Grande Prairie, and the towns of Beaverlodge, Sexsmith, and Wembley to explore the combination of various bus and shuttle transit options into a single-service.

County Director of Family and Community Support Services, Kathleen Turner says the project would improve inter-community connectivity and improve transit accessibility for everyone in the region.

The county adds that the project team will engage current transit service providers throughout the region, and Turner says response from as many residents is vital for the project in order to find the most adequate solution for residents.

“It is important that we hear from as many people as possible, including what is already working well, and what can be improved,” she says. “We are focused on determining a solution that is right-sized for our communities and improves how existing resources are used.”

Numerous open houses are scheduled on March 12th and 13th for residents of Hythe, Beaverlodge, Sexsmith, Clairmont, and Wembley in their respective towns and residents can provide feedback online until March 29th.

Grande Prairie MLA Nolan Dyck is continuing his push for foreign and domestic workers to come to Alberta with a campaign on his proposed bill regarding a potential Foreign Credential Advisory Committee. 

Bill 203 was tabled by Dyck last winter with the goal of “streamlining” the process new Alberta residents go through in order to find a job. 

“We know that we need workforce, we know we have newcomers coming to Alberta, we see them constantly coming,” he says. “I would love to welcome them here even quicker.” 

Currently, the province has a system in place for workers moving to Alberta with a job in place for them. The Rural Renewal Stream acts as a support system for rural communities in the attraction and retention of foreign workers, and MLA Dyck says his bill seeks to “remove the red tape” involved in the credentialing process for foreign workers in Alberta.

“That’s a gamechanger I see it, great steps in the right direction for us to be able to say we have a path forward that isn’t lowering the bar but is simply saying- is there anything obstructing, how do we work together to allow people who are qualified from across the world or across Canada to be able to come to Alberta and work,” he says. 

Dyck adds that the program would open up further opportunities for workers to get the jobs they have an education in, through more efficient foreign credential recognition.

“I think we all have friends that maybe aren’t working in the industry they have an education in,” he says. “We all want a job, I think that’s why people come to Alberta, that’s the Alberta advantage, so let’s continue to utilize that.” 

The provincial opposition has criticized the bill, saying they fear the committee would become another “government-controlled” platform that could ignore the best interests of the people.

In response, Dyck has launched a public survey for residents to encourage discussion around how the bill would affect both foreign and domestic workers.

The bill is tabled for discussion and Dyck says he hopes to have the proposal passed by mid-April.

March is Fraud Prevention Month and RCMP officials are looking to help the public protect themselves against scammers by sharing tips.

The education campaign highlights several scams, including romance scams, phishing emails, phone scams, identity theft or impersonation scams. Over the next four weeks, the RCMP will focus on themes and share different ways residents can protect themselves from scams. Some suggestions include using a strong and unique password for your online accounts and knowing the red flags for phishing scams. Corporal Sean Milne from the Alberta RCMP Provincial Financial Crime Team says it is important to also know how to protect your accounts from cybercrime and take precautions such as not sharing online banking information, shredding personal and financial documents, and keeping up to date on your accounts.

“As technology continues to evolve, scammers are finding new and innovative ways to convince a target that they are legitimate. Canadians can better protect themselves from these online tactics by learning how to secure their accounts, devices and digital connections,” Milne says.

According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, across Canada in 2023 victims lost more than $554 million to fraud a jump from the $23 million reported in 2022.

Victims of fraud, or those who think being targeted to be a victim of fraud, are advised to contact the local authorities and call the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

Local Indie-pop artist Cecily Phelps is hitting the radio for the first time with her original song “Won’t You Love Me Still,” after winning last year’s GP Soundcheck contest.

The 20-year-old musician was born and raised in Grande Prairie and says the opportunity to have her song played on the radio gives her a platform to bring Grande Prairie’s music scene “out of the dark.”

“I find that when people think Grande Prairie, they don’t think big artists especially around here and I find that our music scene is kind of on the backbone, so to be able to be now approaching radio play, I want to bring everything out of the dark, all the music and amazing talent we have around the city,” she says.

Phelps says she wrote the song as a tribute to the long-lasting love she observed in her personal life, and as a call to action for listeners to “give their all” to their relationships.

“I wrote it based off of the amazing love and relationships and strong bonds I’ve seen built around me through my grandparents and my parents and all the other amazing couples and families around me,” she says. “It’s about long-lasting love and the trials of long-lasting love, and how important it is to love somebody no matter what and give your all in a relationship.”

Phelps’ message to all of Grande Prairie’s aspiring musical talent is to continue going to open mics, building connections, and stepping out of their comfort zones to further build on the city’s budding music industry.

“Won’t You Love Me Still” will be live on air for the first time on the morning of March 8th on 2Day FM.

Wildfire preparation remains “front of mind” for County of Grande Prairie councillors as the region heads into the warm season.

During county council’s March 4th committee meetings, County Fire Chief Trevor Grant provided wildfire projections for 2024 in the county, saying without significant precipitation in the next six weeks the region will be at “extreme fire risk.”

County Reeve Bob Marshall says due to the severity of last year’s wildfire season, the chief’s findings are concerning, due to the “drought-like” conditions the county has faced over the winter.

“We already had the first wildfire, a grass fire, back just before this snowfall hit out by Wembley,” he says. “We’re in a very precarious situation, especially with what happened last year with all the wildfires in the northwest, there’s a number of people that are definitely on edge and we need people to really be cognisant of any burning restrictions or bans that come out.”

Currently, the county has been preparing for the worst while hoping for the best by implementing several techniques to ensure fire crews are prepared for the anticipated fire season such as equipment prep, exploring support options, and expanding the use of local resources.

“We’re prepping and having it front of mind with our fire services so they are prepared,” he says. “They’re already scoping out helicopters so that we have one on standby for bucketing purposes so we can be on top of fires especially if they’re in remote locations.”

Additionally, the county is still offering Firesmart evaluations for property owners in the county for free in order to mitigate any further risks presented by wildfires in the summer.

“I would encourage people to do that, to be proactive in their own right on their own properties, just potentially with what we’re seeing, if we don’t get any more moisture than what we already have, it’s going to be a fairly serious situation.”

On March 4th, Council’s Committee of the Whole directed administration to bring back a report regarding the costs and funding options for further mitigation strategies to a future council meeting.

Grande Prairie city councillors donned retro Grande Prairie Storm jerseys during their March 5th committee meetings.

Councillor Grant Berg, a prominent figure in the city’s entertainment scene says it is important for city council to stand behind the AJHL team as they head into the post season on March 7th.

“We just wanted to show the Storm that city council supports them in their playoff run, and happy to cheer them on in their success,” he says.

Berg says quality of life is a major focus for the current city council and the team is a significant contributor and attractor for many thinking about moving to the Peace Country.

“People want to be entertained and they want to be entertained as a family,” he says. “We often talk about quality of life and having a place to take the kids and the grandparents and do some family bonding at a nice event and the Storm always provide top notch entertainment.”

The AJHL recently went through a significant shakeup, losing four teams to the BCHL, and councillor Berg says standing behind our local team shows the skaters that residents value and appreciate the work they do both on and off the ice.

“With the shakeup in the AJHL I think now more than ever we need to get behind the team and support them and say the community is behind you despite some challenges within the extended league.”

The Storm are scheduled to begin their post season run on March 7th when they take on the 11th seed Olds Grizzlys at Bonnetts Energy Centre in a best-of-five play-in.

After being left unfunded in Grande Prairie City Council’s 2024 budget deliberations last fall, council’s proposed covered outdoor structure discussions have been moved to 2025 budget deliberations.

Discussion surrounding the opportunity for a covered outdoor structure has been ongoing since last year, with potential locations in various neighbourhoods in the city such as Swanavon; however, Mayor Jackie Clayton says through public engagement with residents, the project was seemingly unwanted by residents in the neighbourhood.

“They, at first glance, weren’t really interested in this amenity; however in conversations with other neighbourhoods, and people across the community, we’ve learned that there is interest,” she says.

Clayton says council continues to appreciate the proposal “in principle” but higher-than-anticipated costs have halted council’s willingness to move forward.

“At this point, I don’t think council appears to be interested in spending the money, so we’ll defer it to budget deliberations as council thinks it is a good idea in principle, just not looking to ask administration to spend more money developing or designing the amenity,” she says.

The project was originally anticipated to cost the city around $1.2 million and would see a structure available year-round for residents looking to participate in both summer and winter activities.

Council is slated to debate the project once again in Fall 2024 and will determine whether the plan is worth continuing future discussion during budget deliberations.

Two people are facing a slew of charges after allegedly stealing mail from multiple mailboxes over a six-week span from December 2023 to January 2024.

Police say between December 14th and January 22nd, the accused were involved in 27 thefts from different mailboxes across the city, and thanks to video surveillance being available from one the locations, they were able to identify a male suspect and vehicle. Authorities say a subsequent search warrant was conducted, which then lead to the arrest of the man, and a second, female suspect.

30-year-old Gary McKeever and 29-year-old Beth Seymour, both of Grande Prairie, are facing charges including theft from mail, illegal possession of government documents, and possession of forged documents, among others.

Shortly after the Government of Alberta finalized its proposed 2024-25 budget, numerous Grande Prairie officials expressed concerns regarding the lack of funding for the construction of the Highway 40X connector project.

County Reeve Bob Marshall says residents were “hoping to see the construction” of the project included in the budget, alongside the funds to continue with the road’s planning and engineering.

Despite the concerns, Grande Prairie MLA Nolan Dyck says he will continue to advocate for the connector, as it serves as an important factor for both traffic and commerce in the Grande Prairie region.

“Around Grande Prairie some of the heavy traffic is going through the city, that’s just the reality,” he says. “If we can bring that around, for one it frees up city traffic and reduces those numbers, but it also allows for free-flowing of more trucks around Grande Prairie so we can haul more.”

Dyck adds that he remains “hopeful” that more large-scale projects come to the north, and a means of controlling the anticipated heavy traffic is a key factor in making that happen.

Rural firefighter recruiting efforts are in full swing across the province, and numerous departments in northwestern Alberta have launched a joint recruitment campaign ahead of the anticipated 2024 wildfire season.

Tim Harris, Fire Chief for the Town of Peace River and the County of Northern Lights says he has seen an “uptick” in recruitment in the region, despite seemingly low numbers of casual, volunteer firefighters across the province.

“Recruitment and retention, in volunteer, part-time, casual fire departments has always been an issue across this area and across the province,” he says. “The number of volunteer firefighters across the country has dropped by thousands over the last few years, we’re all looking for new members, all fire departments in this region.”

The recruitment campaign, which includes fire departments from Peace River, the County of Northern Lights, High Level, and Zama City, presents a unique opportunity for recruits to be reimbursed for their time in training, which Chief Harris says opens up further opportunities for residents who struggle to find the time while working a full-time job.

Harris adds that currently, casual firefighters assist the department with municipal fires and wildland fires alike, and the need for more bodies continues as demands are simply higher due to the size of the regions affected by wildfires in the north.

“The community in the north here, we are spread out, with some of the large wildland fires, it’s hard for some of the volunteer, casual firefighters to be off work for a week to go and fight a wildland fire,” he says. “We are calling on more from these casual firefighters so the more we can have on a department, it spreads the workload a little bit.”

Interested residents can apply through their local fire department’s website or through phone.

The Grande Prairie Fire Department has announced the launch of a new initiative aimed at “inspiring and empowering” young women and gender-diverse individuals to enter the fire service through hands-on experience.

“Camp F.I.R.E.” is scheduled from May 3rd to May 5th, and presents a unique opportunity for participants aged 16 to 20, to learn about firefighting and build professional development.

According to the city, attendees will be subject to a series of hands-on, specialized educational activities such as PPE, search and rescue, and confined space strategies.

Mayor Jackie Clayton says the program fits council’s commitment to creating an inclusive community while instilling independence and resilience in its participants.

“This camp not only provides young individuals with a glimpse into the firefighting profession but also instills in them the values of independence, resilience, and empowerment,” she says.

Camp F.I.R.E. recently received a $19K grant from the Northwestern Alberta Foundation, and has received support from six community organizations such as Aquatera, and Brogan Fire & Safety.

Applications for the program are open until March 28th, and the city is encouraging young women and gender-diverse individuals who demonstrate physical fitness, and a positive mindset to apply. Interested individuals can apply on the city’s website.

The Beaverlodge Municipal Hospital replacement project will receive a $25 million funding boost from the province after the Government of Alberta closed its 2024-25 budget.

Grande Prairie MLA Nolan Dyck calls the budget a “responsible one” with an emphasis on education and healthcare. He says the investment in northern healthcare is welcome, especially in Beaverlodge which acts as an additional growth area for the region.

“Beaverlodge is so important, the whole area, that is such a catchment for us all the way from the BC border,” he says. “It’s an important zone, it’s also an overflow opportunity for us to continue to build really high-quality structures, really high-quality healthcare in the north.”

Additionally, $126 million has been allocated to increase health education initiatives over the next three years. Northwestern Polytechnic has recently emphasized its health education programming through projects like the new Primary Care Paramedic Program.

“In health and education we saw a significant budget increase from over the years, I think it was just over four per cent on both, so we have some opportunity to see continual growth in those areas,” MLA Dyck says.

The MLA adds that he and his provincial colleagues continue to “look forward” to seeing more health items coming to fruition this year.

UPDATE: Environment Canada has ended the warning for the Peace Country communities.

An extreme cold warning is in effect for the Peace Country, including Grande Prairie, Beaverlodge and Peace River. Environment Canada issued the warning just after midnight with temperatures expected to reach minus 40 with the wind chill. Those going outside this morning are advised to cover up to avoid frostbite, and anyone who feels it is too cold for them outdoors is urged to stay inside. Temperatures are expected to warm up this afternoon but the extreme cold could return tonight.

St. John Paull II Catholic School Fabrication teacher Jacques Lecerf has been awarded the CAREERS Award of Excellence in Skilled Trades.

According to the Grande Prairie Catholic School division, the award is given by youth career advocacy organization- CAREERS: The Next Generation, in recognition of mentors who make valuable contributions to Alberta’s designated trades.

The GPCSD says Mr. Lecerf has been a mentor for his students throughout his career through his emphasis on safety awareness and ensuring his students are employable and able to join the workforce.

The teacher says he has always been passionate about trades, and the award validates his hard work in ensuring his students are prepared for a career after school.

“I am blessed to work in a role where I can assist students to become better prepared for life after high school,” he says.

The schoolboard calls Lecerf’s commitment and dedication to his students “paramount,” and his teaching provides “life-changing” opportunities for students in his program.

Following the provincial government’s proposed 2024-25 budget, Alberta Municipalities has expressed some concerns regarding the allotment of $722 million to the Local Government Fiscal Framework.

Despite their concerns, Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says the announcement came as “no surprise” for the swan city, as Minister of Municipal Affairs Ric McIver has reportedly been advising municipalities of the budget’s expectations.

“Alberta Municipalities does have the stance that the pot needs to be bigger overall; however, Grande Prairie in the new formula did very well because it’s based on some of the gross calculation as we talked about in regards to why we’re doing the census,” she says.

Despite the lack of surprise for the Mayor regarding the provincial budget, Clayton says Grande Prairie and other mid-sized cities have expressed some concerns regarding the lack of funding for affordable housing support.

“The federal government has their housing accelerator fund, to date, the city of Grande Prairie has not heard whether or not we are getting federal support,” she says. “I know that many municipalities across the province, smaller municipalities, have heard whether they are or not but mid-sized cities to date have not heard which is concerning.”

According to Mayor Clayton, Grande Prairie currently boasts a one per cent vacancy rate, and she says support from the federal government is now crucial to help residents who require affordable housing.

“I’m optimistic that the federal government will support mid-sized cities,” she says. “Support from the federal government to recognize the needs across the country and not just in the larger centres in Canada is a priority.”

ABmunis says a “long-range” strategic plan with considerations from municipalities must be considered by the province in order to adequately address the infrastructure challenge across Alberta.

AHS has announced the Beaverlodge Municipal Hospital Emergency Department will be without physician coverage from 8:00 a.m. March 4th to 8:00 a.m. March 5th.

AHS says nursing staff will remain on-site to provide triage, assessments, and referrals for patients to alternate emergency departments in surrounding communities.

In case of emergency, residents are asked to call 9-1-1 as EMS remains available, and will be re-routed to the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital. For non-emergencies residents are asked to call Health Link at 8-1-1, for 24/7 inquiries.

Additionally, patients seeking care at the ED are asked to remain aware that services could be available at local pharmacies depending on their needs.

AHS adds that if coverage is found, the disruption could be cancelled.

Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen made an appearance in Grande Prairie on March 1st to speak on the provincial government’s plans to mitigate wildfire risk going into the warm season.

The province’s 2024-25 budget included numerous wildfire-fighting technologies and items such as increased night vision helicopter capacity, increased drone presence, and the continuation of Artificial Intelligence capabilities.

Additionally, Minister Loewen has been quite vocal regarding recruitment strategies for boots-on-the-ground firefighting personnel, and plans to recruit 100 more firefighters are in place in preparation for the 2024 wildfire season.

“I want to reassure Albertans that we are preparing for the worst while hoping for the best in the wildfire season ahead,” Minister Loewen says.

Loeewen says the province will be facing the anticipated wildfire problem on an as-needed basis for regions.

“When we’re considering where to put equipment and personnel, we look at the conditions and we evaluate where the most likely place they’ll be needed and we do that across Alberta, if this region is deemed to be in most need, that’s where the resources will go.”

Locally, fire departments around the north have been upping their recruitment efforts by offering paid training opportunities and Minister Loewen says recruitment has been successful so far.

“It’s going really good, in fact, it’s one of the best years for recruiting that we’ve had, I think because of the wildfires last year there’s a lot more awareness and people looking for jobs,” he says.

In terms of funding, local fire departments are managed and funded by their municipalities, and therefore, it will be unlikely for any of them to receive any additional funding from the province directly; however, Loewen says firefighting and mitigation strategies seem to be front of mind for several communities.

“I’m not sure if there’s going to be more funding going to those per se,” he says. “I’m guessing that everyone is a little more aware, a little more concerned going into this fire season.”

With the unseasonably warm and dry conditions much of the province has experienced this winter, Minister Loewen and his colleagues say they are anticipating a “tough season,” but he says spending and efforts could greatly depend on potential weather shifts.

“The indications are that we could have a tough season based on the snowfall and rain and the weather conditions we’ve had this winter,” he says. “It would only take a couple nice snow storms like we had last weekend and a few nice rains in the Spring that could make all the difference in the world.”

Minister Loewen says recruitment for the additional 100 firefighters will begin upon approval by the provincial government.

There were three accidental fatal drug poisonings in reported in November in Grande Prairie, down from the four reported the previous month.

According to the Alberta Substance Use Surveillance System this down from the number of deaths reported the same month the previous year, which was four. All three incidents were reportedly connected to non-pharmaceutical opioids.

From January to November of 2023, there were 32 accidental drug poisoning fatalities reported in Grande Prairie. Across the province, there were 138 fatal drug poisoning incidents reported in November.

The Grande Prairie RCMP is asking for help in finding a missing 26-year-old woman.

Brittany Gorman was last seen in Grande Prairie on February 28th at 10:00 p.m. The Grande Prairie RCMP says they are concerned for her wellbeing and would like to speak with her.

The 26-year-old is described as having a fair complexion, five feet four inches tall, weighing 130 pounds, with brown hair, brown eyes, nose, and lip piercings, and was last seen wearing a purple hoodie, grey sweat pants, black Converse runners and a baseball cap.

Anyone with information regarding the location of Gorman is asked to contact the Grande Prairie RCMP at (780)-830-5700 or anonymously through crime stoppers.