Grande Prairie Minute: Street Renaming, Microgrants Open, and Flight Service Expanded

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 Operational Services Committee will meet, and at 9:15 am, there will be a meeting of the Investment and Strategy Committee. At the latter meeting, the Committee will discuss the 2022-2025 Strategic Priorities Progress Update for Q3, as well as a jurisdictional scan regarding Council Parental Leave and Bereavement Leave.
  
  
• Also on Tuesday, at 9:45 am, the Financial and Administrative Services Committee will meet. The agenda includes the 2025 Business Improvement Area Budget Review. At 10:00 am, the Public and Protective Services Committee will convene to discuss parking opportunities, grant recommendations, and a service area update.
  
  
• The Community Microgrant program is now open for applications. This funding supports events and projects that bring the community together through arts, culture, and gatherings. Both developing artists and non-profit organizations can apply for grants of up to $1,500. Applications must include reference letters, work samples, and a resume or portfolio. Grants will be reviewed within 30 business days, and the intake will close once funding is fully allocated or by December 31st. The application is available online.

Last Week In Grande Prairie:

• At last week’s Council meeting, several topics were discussed. The City is projected to have a $3.4 million surplus by year-end. National Addictions Awareness Week was proclaimed from November 24th to 30th, and a new Fibre Optics Rebate Program was approved to support business expansion by offering rebates on City fees for fibre optic projects. Additionally, Council delayed approving a new Elections Bylaw, and set March 14th, 2025 as the date for its tax recovery sale.
  
  
• The Grande Prairie Airport announced an expansion to its flight service with a new connection to Edmonton, starting in the summer of 2025. WestJet is adding an additional daily flight between Edmonton and Grande Prairie, running from May to October. The new flight will depart from GP at 12:05 pm, in addition to the existing 7:35 pm departure. Airport CEO Brian Grant expressed his satisfaction with the progress and ongoing efforts to establish more direct flights to various destinations.
  
  
• 107th Avenue has officially been renamed Tenille Townes Way to honour local country music artist Tenille Townes. The renaming ceremony took place on November 19th, 2024, just before Townes’ return to the city for her “Thing That Brought Me Here” tour. The City recognized her contributions to the community, including her philanthropic work and music career. Townes, who started the Big Hearts for Big Kids fundraiser at age 15, has raised over $2 million for the Sunrise House, making a lasting impact on the region. Mayor Jackie Clayton expressed pride in commemorating Townes' achievements and her representation of Grande Prairie on the international stage.