Grande Prairie Minute: Tax Deadline, Regional Collaboration, and a Food Security Pilot

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

This Week In Grande Prairie:

• Today, at 1:00 pm, there will be an In-Camera Meeting of City Council, followed by a City Council Meeting that is open to the public at 3:00 pm. Council will appoint a Returning Officer for the 2025 Municipal Election, appoint Mayor Clayton and Councillor O'Connor to the Regional Competitiveness (Invest NW) Committee, and discuss funding of $160,000 to Helping Hands as a two-year pilot project to coordinate food security efforts, among other items.
  
  
• The City says it will clear snow in both Week A and Week B neighbourhoods next week to address recent snowfall. Crews will prioritize areas based on need, working on a day-by-day schedule instead of the usual two-week rotation.
  
  
• Grande Prairie is reminding property owners to pay any outstanding property taxes by December 31st, 2024, to avoid a 6% penalty. Due to the Canada Post strike, reminder letters may not arrive before the deadline. Payments can be made by cash, online banking, debit, cheque, money order, or bank draft, but e-transfers are not accepted. More information is available online.

Last Week In Grande Prairie:

• Mayor Jackie Clayton said that the Wonder Valley Project is a symbol of regional collaboration, expected to bring global investment to the Peace Region. The initiative, led by the MD of Greenview in partnership with O’Leary Ventures, will establish the world’s largest AI Data Centre Industrial Park. The project builds on the Invest NW Alberta initiative, a joint effort by the City, County, and MD of Greenview to promote economic growth through shared resources and marketing. Mayor Clayton says a unified approach was key to securing Greenview as the location for this transformative project.
  
  
• The City of Grande Prairie has opened nominations for the 2025 Women of Influence Awards, celebrating exceptional women across five categories: Next Generation, Game Changer, Workplace Leadership, Community Leadership, and Lifetime Impact. The awards aim to highlight women driving innovation, breaking barriers, and fostering equality in the community. Nominations are open until January 24th, 2025 and can be made online. The 2025 theme is #AccelerateAction, intended to emphasize the need to speed up progress toward global gender parity.
  
  
• The Grande Prairie Storm have boasted some of the highest attendance figures in the AJHL, with over 1,500 fans per game packing Bonnetts Energy Centre to support the team. Executive Director Nicole Menzies credits this success to the team’s stellar on-ice performance, a passionate fan base, and efforts to make games a lively entertainment experience. Enhancements like local choir performances, fun intermission activities, and rule changes allowing grittier play have added to the excitement.