Grande Prairie Minute: Resident Survey, Capital Amendments, and a Tennis Facility Pilot

Grande Prairie Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Grande Prairie politics

This Week In Grande Prairie:

• Tuesday is Standing Committee Day. At 9:00 am, the Strategy and Communication Services Committee will meet. On the agenda is a discussion about the results of the most recent Resident Satisfaction Survey. According to the survey, 91% of residents rated the quality of life in the city as good or very good. Additionally, 13% believe quality of life is improving due to new infrastructure and roads. However, 38% feel it is worsening, citing concerns over the economy, crime, and homelessness. The Operational Services Committee meeting, originally scheduled for 9:00 am, is cancelled.
  
  
• Continuing Tuesday's Standing Committee Day, the Public and Protective Services Committee will meet at 9:30 am. The Committee will discuss a proposal to authorize funding from the 2024 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships being disbursed to support the Indigenous Sport Council of Alberta (ISCA) as part of a legacy fund. The proposed legacy funding will be distributed through ISCA's existing grant streams to support Indigenous athletes and communities near Grande Prairie to help with equipment purchases, travel for elite athletes, and support for community sports programs.
  
  
• Wrapping up Standing Committee Day, the Financial and Administrative Services Committee will meet at 10:30 am. The agenda includes potential amendments to the 2024 capital budget to address four mid-year projects. These include reallocating funds to repair the Campbell Cabin roof, installing Maskwoteh Park Signage, transferring $300,000 from the 911 Grant for fire and dispatch technology upgrades, and funding Phase II & III of the Montrose Cultural Centre remediation. The Invest GP Committee will meet at 11:30 am. The Committee will discuss a pilot project for The Bowes involving setting up tennis facilities to test the venue's potential for increased sports bookings. The initial investment will be approximately $1,000 for portable tennis nets and line marking tape, and if the pilot is successful, additional costs for future upgrades could total $251,380.

Last Week In Grande Prairie:

• Council has approved transferring ownership of the land housing the Rising Above addiction treatment center to the organization. This transfer will facilitate the construction of a new four-story building with 38 residential units for men, allowing women's units to relocate to the existing facility after renovations. The sale price of the land is $1, with the City continuing preventative maintenance until 2031, at a cost of almost $1.2 million. The land, originally purchased for $1 from the province in 2014, is now valued at $1,192,400.
  
  
• Grande Prairie added eight physicians in the second quarter of this year, bringing its total to 162, according to a new report by the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta. Last year, Grande Prairie had 144 physicians at the end of June, with an addition of 18 physicians in the second quarter. Alberta experienced its highest-ever physician growth in the second quarter, adding 124 physicians in three months and 496 over the past year, reaching a total of 11,756 practicing physicians. Efforts to attract more physicians continue, including increasing medical school spaces and training opportunities for international medical graduates.
  
  
• The City released a video on social media explaining its residential recycling process. This update follows the Council's recent consideration of transitioning to the Alberta Government’s Extended Producer Responsibility waste management program. The video covers the current recycling procedures, including collection, processing, Eco Centre features, and accepted products.