2021 Municipal Election

Candidate Introduction

I truly believe in Grande Prairie and its people. I am business-minded and future-focused, and believe that together, we can build an even better community at an affordable cost. I am
committed to Grande Prairie today and in the future. To learn more about me visit my website jackieclayton.ca

Grande Prairie’s entrepreneurial spirit is boundless. Our city was recently recognized in the Financial Post as “the first to emerge from a brutal recession”. I recognize that unique situations
such as this need to be managed responsibly with foresight and vision to best enhance the future of this region. And, while we are fortunate to live in a region filled with opportunity, it is
critical that opportunities and risks be recognized, captured, and planned accordingly.

Serving as your interim Mayor gave me the opportunity to learn and appreciate the day-to-day organizational operations; I know firsthand how extremely hard City employees work. This also
provided me with the opportunity to visualize how we can grow and strengthen our position within the province and country.

Grande Prairie needs and deserves a hard-working, resilient leader—a voice that will fight for its citizens. A leader who will work hard to represent them, connect all levels of governments,
and remind politicians and business leaders of the value, importance, and significance of what our City and our Region provides to the province and the country. I am that leader.

Labour Attraction and Retention

Historically, Grande Prairie has seen many labour shortages in all sectors of the economy; this condition is not new. I believe that this big-picture issue necessitates action from multiple angles, including working with appropriate stakeholders to share the message of our region's opportunities, bolstering our recreation, arts, and culture community, nurturing private and public partnerships for economic investment, and working closely with regional municipalities to strengthen our advocacy positions. Through partnerships we can cross market and highlight the region and numerous opportunities. These opportunities may include out-of-market trade shows, trade publications, joint social media and traditional marketing campaigns.

Recently, the City of Grande Prairie was a proud partner in the Labour Market Needs Assessment led by the Grande Prairie and District Chamber of Commerce, alongside the County, MD of Greenview, and Alberta Immigration and Labour. The intent was to understand the data behind the labour force; we hear from businesses that they have trouble hiring the right people and filling the right skills. After this first step, the next step will be to build on this to develop an action plan for building our local labour force through both attraction efforts and skills and training development. I am very excited to share that GPRC is now on board for the next phase of this project as we take the next steps needed to bring much-needed labour to our region.

Hospital Staffing

It is essential to collaborate with AHS to augment the recruitment efforts of AHS. These activities are a natural extension to attracting many types of high calibre professionals, trades people, and wage-earners to our region. Relating directly to health care professionals, I see our new, modern teaching hospital to be a recruitment tool itself.

Our job is to ensure the right people know about this exceptional facility and understand its purpose of teaching, healing, and contributing meaningfully to our community and region. As
our hospital’s research programming is developed, I look forward to supporting local research and development initiatives that have not been accessible here in the past.

The personal touch is extremely important as well. Continuation of the Mayors Physicians Appreciation event, amplifying the Rural Health Professions Action Plan and the continuation of
meeting with the AHS North Zone one a regular basis are all elements of a collaborative plan.

Recreation, Arts and Culture

Having a full array of recreation, arts and cultural amenities within our region is extremely important. Not only for our residents, but also for professionals who are considering calling
Grande Prairie home.

Amenities need to be diverse but affordable. Facilities such as skate parks and walking trails are necessary, day-to-day affordable offerings. However, having facilities that allow high level athletes to train and remain competitive on various stages of competition should always be considered and are an added ‘tool’ in our recruitment efforts. These facilities do not always  need to be new facilities, but can be existing facilities that are retro-fit to be better utilized.

We are a young, family-focused city and we are also a Winter City. We need to provide cultural, arts and recreational opportunities for residents to participate even in the darkest, coldest of days. Visit jackieclayton.ca for my very unique specific Recreation platform.

Following Sport Tourism, Festival Tourism is the next best type of tourism for our City. Looking beyond the traditional type of festivals, we should include festivals that feature ice sculptures,
or light displays, outdoor art festivals, food festivals and kids' festivals. The possibilities are endless and adding these missing elements in our already list of activities in the region will absolutely help to attract, recruit and retain professionals, not to mention create another great source of economic activity.

Affordable Housing

Working with industry to ensure solution-driven options are available is vital. We need to be dedicated to work with industry to support them where needed, especially in potential grant applications. We need to connect industry with different levels of government, social agencies and housing organizations. We cannot fix this on our own.

Housing options need to support not only the ‘hard to house’, but also the residents that simply need a small amount of support in order to make ends meet. Studies show that 80% of families looking for support generally need approx $200 more per month to live comfortably. The challenges facing the community housing sector call for adaptive, innovative, and inclusive solutions. We need to explore opportunities and find the support and solutions that make Grande Prairie a more liveable City for all.

Affordable Housing options always need to consider Seniors. Seniors want to live where their grandchildren live so let’s support them in finding the right fit for them. I, for one, would absolutely love to see a P3 development for a Seniors Housing complex on the City-owned land adjacent to the Montrose Cultural Centre. It would be a perfect fit.

Real Estate Development

Outside of the empty big box stores, vacancy rates are actually not that high. Lease rates, however, have been beat up pretty bad and that can have a direct impact on City's revenue. The City of Grande Prairie needs to continue to support business, and property owners with authentic, creative solutions.

Our newest series of economic supports is DIG, or our development incentives and grants program. This program supports long term strategic investment in key areas and also seeks to expand the City’s tax base over 10 years.

In collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce and our Economic Development department, I look forward to more creative initiatives such as the DIG program.

Few cities of our size are fortunate enough to have greenscapes such as Muskoseepi Park and the Bear Creek Corridor. A network that travels from one end of the City to the other. We must protect, maintain and enhance this jewel.

When discussing greenscapes we should also discuss Naturalization, or grass mowing. I believe that we should mow our arterials and neighbourhood recreational spaces. Naturalization should not be about saving money. It aids in enhancing outdoor spaces, protecting our ecosystem, and making the built environment more enjoyable and it also creates
space for pollinators.

Greenspaces create inclusive communities, we need to let the neighbourhoods have input. Greenscapes, parks, landscaping and recreation plans and their amenities need to be adaptive.

Regional Project Planning

Regional collaboration should not only be a priority within the County of GP and MD of Greenview boundaries, it should reach much further. If elected I would like to prioritize the establishment of a Northwestern Coalition. The Coalition would bring together elected leaders from the Peace Country of Alberta and BC. Being connected, trusted and relatable in my relationships with Mayors of Dawson Creek, Fort St. John and other Northern Communities is something I will bring to the table. With this group we will advocate for interprovincial trades certification recognition, collaborate on forward-thinking economic development opportunities, and foster stronger regional relationships. The conversations need to be authentic and in turn create a more connected region.

Another regional project I will expand on is the future and the potential opportunities in our Hughes Lake land. The options are endless at this point but when our Alternative Energy Strategy is presented to Council for consideration, I would like both the City and County of Grande Prairie Council’s to sit down and have a high-level conversation on any potential overlap and collaboration.

Public-Private Partnerships

Over time the need for improved and/or new infrastructure in Grande Prairie will continue to grow and we may be faced with the difficult struggle to keep up with demands. In the years ahead, Alberta municipalities will face a particularly difficult challenge in funding their infrastructure needs given the reduction of provincial funding and the continual rise in the cost of operations plus the essential need to balance budgets while paying off debt.

Public-Private Partnerships, or P3’s, offer many benefits, and may allow Grande Prairie to access new infrastructure when needed while also creating new economic growth, employment and social goals.

While the private sector designs and builds both traditional and P3 infrastructure projects, P3s need to protect the public interest with a transparent and competitive procurement process that is overseen by Administration which I would fully observe and support.

If elected, I will work with my Council colleagues, bringing both the private and government sectors together to discuss numerous opportunities, including but not limited to Seniors lodging downtown at Montrose, Hughes Lake, and the potential future of a GPRC Centre of Excellence.

Infrastructure

At the beginning of this past term, the City of Grande Prairie was spending approximately $7m annually on road rehabilitations and overlays programs. In our four-year budget deliberations, Council made the decision to increase the annual amount to $11m. This past summer, through significant support from the Federal & Provincial government, we were able to increase our Road Rehabilitation & Overlay program to almost $18m and in turn develop the largest Capital Plan in the City’s history. Following this paving season we expect to see a decrease in the immediate needs in regards to our roads, which should allow us to focus on increased safety and connectivity within our City. For example, we need to address the lack of appropriate sidewalks and crossing lanes from Pinnacle and O’Brien to the CKC Campus, across one of the busiest highways in Alberta. With that being said, we have significant work to do on Wapiti Road over the next few years and we need to have an honest discussion regarding our priorities and the tax impacts of large capital and/or infrastructure projects.

No infrastructure conversation would be complete with bringing up Aquatera. Now, with the extensive, time consuming discussions of our Inter-Municipal Collaboration Framework with the County of GP coming almost to an end, I believe we sit down with all Shareholders and have an open, honest conversation about our goals, expectations and future of Aquatera.

Taxation

In my opinion, Council should always consider a 0% tax increase, or possibly even a tax reduction when our financial position will support it. Not increasing property taxes is a tough job, but in times like now we need to support our residents and business owners to help stabilize our economy.

Council and Administration worked very hard this term to have a negative tax impact of almost -1% over four years. Inflation, assessment, and a reduction in provincial government aside, taxes were less overall this term.

At our most recent budget deliberations, I was the only Mayoral candidate that voted in favour of city Administration presenting budget scenarios showing no tax increase. My intent was for
Council to have the information needed to make informed budgeting decisions, including considering what implementing a 0% tax increase for our residents could look like.

Our economy is still in recovery mode. Families are suffering and small businesses are closing. Grande Prairie deserves a Mayor that is fully committed and works hard as a big picture thinker
who is not afraid to have difficult conversations; a Mayor who will continually advocate for lower taxes and affordability.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

As a mother, I absolutely understand the importance of having a safe community to live in and drive in. Therefore, if elected, I will commit to ensuring the primary focus of Automated Traffic
Enforcement is to create a safer community. I think we can all agree that ATE in school zones and playgrounds is of utmost importance. In these areas I believe that unmarked ATE vehicles are most appropriate. To ensure overall speed reduction and to maintain intended community safety, if elected I will require that all ATE vehicles that are not located in school and playground
zones are clearly, visibly marked in an educational way. Regarding all ATE revenue: If elected, I would allocate a portion of photo radar revenue to develop a grant that would allow for increased neighbourhood and residential safety measures.

Going forward, Council will need to give thorough and fair consideration for a City of Grande Prairie Police Force. Operational opportunities will need to be considered while assessing the financial impact. Consideration for a local police force includes the financial review while at the same time recognizing that the ultimate outcome should be an overall safer community. The RCMP will still have a significant role and could still work hand in hand with a City Police force, the main difference being that a local police force would have a locally-focused mandate.

Grande Prairie Regional College

After serving GPRC Board of Governors for six years I have a very solid understanding of GPRC and the post-secondary system. It is not a new idea, but we must train more of our kids right here in Grande Prairie, educating our youth at ‘home’ is extremely beneficial. Financial benefits aside, there are numerous examples that show people with a form of higher education are often more
engaged, creative, and independent.

As GPRC formulates their plans for bringing a Polytechnic to life we need to support them as an authentic partner. The City can assist by connecting the necessary regional stakeholders and industry partners. That may include school boards, other levels of government or even other post secondary institutions.

In my vision GPRC needs to be a Centre of Excellence focusing in Gas, Agriculture, Forestry, Medical Research and Development in conjunction with our new hospital and for coaching excellence. We need to be inclusive as partners and be creative. GPRC is a gem within the post-Secondary system and establishing a Centre of Excellence is the forward-thinking we need to ensure future succeed no only for the institution but for the region as well.

Labour Attraction and Retention

When we have a happy, healthy workforce, our businesses thrive. Everything the City does to meet the needs of our residents will help attract and retain employees and their families, but there are a few actions we can take:

· Launch a City-wide survey to determine what skills are currently lacking for key industries and businesses in the community (from restaurant workers to retail, from forestry to oil & gas).

· Collaborate with our neighbours wherever possible for regional results.

· Develop a program to interview representative sample groups of workers in those industries and businesses to hear directly from workers about the challenges of coming to Grande Prairie, and what would be the key factors that compel them to stay.

· Have 1-1 conversations with industry leaders and businesses to supplement and verify survey results.

· Based on the data collected from the points above, develop and implement a plan to:

1. allocate resources if the City can help address those gaps.

2. advocate to the Provincial and Federal Governments for any program or resources needed, for those solution outside of the authority of the City.

3. collaborate with stakeholders like GPRC on common needs to maximize the impact of our efforts.

My additional efforts will include Healthcare Professionals Strategy and a focus on Healthcare Sector Growth.

Hospital Staffing

This is a similar approach to attracting and retaining skilled employees to support business growth.

· Assist Alberta Health and AHS with their strategies and collaborate on meeting local needs.

· Meetings 1-1 with key Alberta Health and AHS Officials to determine the key factors of attracting and retaining health care professionals in the region.

· Based on the data collected from the points above, develop and implement a plan to:

1. allocate resources if the City can help address those gaps,

2. advocate to the Provincial and Federal Governments and Colleges (of Physicians and Surgeons, Nurses, and allied health professions) for any program or resources needed, for those solution outside of the authority of the City, like credentialing and national/international moves, and

3. collaborate with stakeholders on common needs to maximize the impact of our efforts,

4. assist in providing temporary housing if needed,

5. foster introduction and inclusion of individuals and families into the community – school, sports, recreation, culture.

I’ve developed a longer-term Healthcare Growth Strategy that protects public healthcare while driving innovation to meet the needs of Grande Prairie and Region.

Recreation, Arts and Culture 

· Develop a realistic Arts & Culture Master Plan, making sure resources will be reasonable and available to implement the recommendation of the study. A 4-year budget for this topic can be earmarked at the beginning of the term for implementation after the study is completed.

· Stronger and more proactive promotion of our existing art gallery and other artistic and cultural assets and venues in the region is a must. Our Economic Development Team working in coordination with the Chamber of Commerce and other regional partners can play a significant role in achieving this goal.

· The old Composite High School and the former Leisure Centre will be demolished in the summer of 2022, creating a blank canvas to brainstorm a potential recreation hub in that part of the City.

· The majority of the existing rec facilities are located in the south side of the City, and there is significant potential for development in the north to northwest portion of the City (Arbour Hills, Royal Oaks north, Hidden Valley area). Existing rec facilities are located a considerable driving distance from that sector of the City.

Affordable Housing

An Affordable Housing Strategy is a dynamic document that has to be revisited from time to time, to adjust to the always evolving needs of a City of our size. It is time to update ours.

· We can use the data from the existing base document and engage the development and building community to come up with creative, sustainable plans (smaller lots and housing footprints, more energy efficient homes with lower utility costs, density bonusing for builders, etc.)

· Offset the drawbacks of density with good design standards.

· Consider when Public Private Partnerships might augment our inventory of affordable housing and provide long-term returns for investors.

· Affordable housing is a national issue, and we need to study the experience of similar communities to

• identify trends so we can anticipate future needs and avoid unintended consequences,
• understand what works and what doesn’t,
• incorporate best practices for affordability in planning, development, and building design standards (counterbalance density with design), and
• set realistic targets with incremental change over time to ensure solutions are sustainable.

Real Estate Development

Real estate activity is directly linked to a thriving city that attracts and retains residents and sustains businesses, so it relates back to all other strategies.

Improving the attraction, but most importantly the retention, of new residents in Grande Prairie, automatically there will be a lower vacancy rate (overall).

More residents will trigger more housing demand (various types, from multi-family residential to duplexes to single family homes), so the previously discussed strategies of providing expertise from various departments from the City (Planning & Development, Economic Development, Engineering, Social Services, etc) and working in close coordination with the real estate community to determine the best housing / land products that will fit the market for the next few years and then the City can implement policies to facilitate the development of those products.

More residents also trigger business growth through demand for products and personal and professional services; however, the pandemic may have permanent repercussions with remote work and online options becoming commonplace. The City must develop a plan to address vacant retail and office space. In consultation with the business community, real estate professionals, and community organizations, may need to create a pathway to re-purpose buildings in an economical and sustainable way to meet the changing needs of the City.

· Green space is paramount for livable, sustainable cities. The city has its jewel park at Muskoseepi (linear park) but we need to be mindful of developing neighborhood parks to serve the needs of residents as the city grows and expands and the travel distances to the Bear Creek corridor increases.

· Green space must be balanced with other development needs and include a mix of playground structures, trees, gathering spaces, and edible landscaping, with contemporary planning to maximize the impact of compact green spaces.

· There are some areas of the city that need more neighborhood parks. As part of redevelopment in the future, our Planning Department will play a significant role in addressing this matter. I am committed to community consultation and study of best practices to achieve results that delight our neighbourhoods and meet the goals of our developers.

Regional Project Planning 

Regional collaboration is utmost in my mind. Residents of the Peace Region don’t really care where the municipal boundaries are, but they do want value for their taxes and access to jobs, recreation opportunities, and activities to enhance their lifestyles and social interactions. In many cases, these expectations can be met (and exceeded!) by working collaboratively with our regional partners (County of GP and MD of Greenview, etc.)

I’m committed to laying the groundwork for successful collaboration.

· City studies and plans (recreation, arts, culture, etc.) must include regional assets and mutual benefits as long-term plans are laid.

· The Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework (cost-sharing framework) between the City and the County will soon be in place. It will provide a basis for each municipality to better address their respective costs of facilities and services. Going forward, it is my belief that the work done this past term has revealed opportunities for collaboration that the municipalities can explore together with a deeper sense of mutual understanding.

· A good approach can be to resume and expand conversation of the Tri-Municipal Partnership, and work on partnership opportunities with the County of GP in fringe areas around the City, where many residents cross borders on a daily basis.

We can go fast alone, but we can go further together.
(Paraphrase of an African proverb.)

Public-Private Partnerships 

I believe in open communication and open minds. PPP projects are important to consider when significant infrastructure projects arise, for example mass recreation facilities (Build & Operate Models) and in areas such as affordable housing for large projects with long term returns.

In our current Capital Plans, the private sector is the main builder / long term maintenance of our infrastructure (roads, sidewalks, water and sewer) thru competitive bidding process. The PPP model has to be used when appropriate is those multi-million-dollar projects with long life span, when the private capital injection and, potentially, private sector operation make sense.

Consultation is key; listening is imperative.

We can go fast alone, but we can go further together.
(Paraphrase of an African proverb.)

Infrastructure

Currently, the maintenance and replacement of infrastructure is being done via stand alone systems (like Road Matrix for roads) in a decentralized manner that misses the opportunity to prioritize in a systematic way. My priority is to support the work that has begun to modernize and improve data necessary to make good decisions.

Two years ago, the City began a project to bring all assets under a centralized function that connects our financial and procurement systems via the Asset Management Plan. I’m committed to supporting this plan as it will

· maintain a centralized inventory of all city assets and their condition,

· optimize the balance between new infrastructure and extending the life of existing infrastructure, and

· maximize the life span of municipal assets by identifying the optimal times to inject funds based on the condition index of each asset.

I’m committed to further developing this approach, incorporating resources in those departments with significant assets (Transportation & Parks for linear assets, Facilities for vertical assets) as an integral part of tax control measures.

Taxation

I’m very proud that taxes in this 4-year term have been kept at close to 0% with minimum impact on service levels. Due to inflation and shifting priorities this trend isn’t sustainable, but we can continue to do more with what we have.

To accomplish it, we’ll need to have a serious conversation at community level about expectations for levels of service. After that engagement, Council can be better equipped to allocate resources appropriately to satisfy the needs of the residents, prioritizing what is important for them, and re-allocating some resources from less critical areas.

Inflation affects the goods and services procured by the City, as well as personnel expenses. Keeping budget changes in line with inflation will help ensure long-term fiscal sustainability by meeting real cost increases. I believe the ideal is to stay within inflationary increases and do more with the money we have through initiatives like:

· Priority Based Budgeting (PBB) – ensuring that Administration prepares a budget that aligns and supports Council’s strategic objectives. PBB ensures that investment is placed where Council has prioritized and that taxpayer dollars are being responsibly spent.

· Lean Initiatives - City staff are empowered to identify improvements that save money and improve process, like our Collision Reporting Centre - paid for by private industry instead of City budget, efficient reporting of non-injury collisions at Eastlink Centre rather than the RCMP Detachment.

Adding new tax revenue through industrial development and creating investment opportunities through an Environment, Social, Governance (ESG) Strategy will reduce our reliance on the residential tax base.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

We deserve to feel safe in our homes and on our streets. Putting resources into the most effective places is fundamental to addressing safety.

I’ll continue to support the City’s Policing Advisory Committee that I had the opportunity to sit on as a Council member. This Committee provides a platform for dialogue between RCMP, City Enforcement Services, and the public.

Two specific targets I’d like to RCMP to prioritize are:

· reducing our score on the Crime Severity Index, and

· targeting the most prolific offenders in our community.

I’m pleased with the Province’s announcement of a Drug Treatment Court in Grande Prairie, but there are other issues to address, including:

· the unjust funding model,

· the current Provincial review of policing, and

· and funding for mental health and addictions prevention and treatment.

Police have a core mandate to address crime, but sometimes they are not the right resource to handle the issues that make us feel unsafe. I’m committed to bringing community together to address threats to our wellbeing and will continue to explore solutions that will meet our City’s needs, like the Mobile Outreach Program (MOP).

The MOP team has responded to over 4627 calls so far in 2021 and made 3946 referrals to medical and mental health services, shelters, and addiction treatment, diverting calls that would otherwise have gone to police. I will continue to support investment in diversion and recovery.

The Grande Prairie Fire Department (GPFD) recently completed a review and identified a few areas of update and implementation, which I support going forward. These measures will ensure that the fire department shows up quickly when called, has the resources to save lives and limit damage to property, and continues to do so in a cost-effective way.

· Standard of Cover review – looking at how GPFD compares to national standards, including response times and response force capabilities, and bringing forward recommendations to Council.

· 911 technology upgrade - investments are required to meet changing dispatch standards and to maintain market share of dispatch clients. Dispatch clients are other municipalities that have contracted GPFD to provide dispatch in their areas. This is a revenue stream for our Emergency Services.

· Integration of a Records Management System to gather and analyze data that will help inform business decisions related to operations.

I believe the City is on the right track with a focus on supportive housing in the near-term, and I’m committed to resourcing the Homelessness Strategy for Grande Prairie.

The City must:

· support community agencies who provide affordable and appropriate housing (Wapiti House, Sunrise House, Canadian Mental Health Association, and Grande Spirit Foundation),

· support initiatives that reduce the impact of street-level behaviour and crime, like the Mobile Outreach Program (MOP) and the Police and Crisis Team (PACT)

· continue to advocate with Provincial and Federal levels of government for programs and services that

• provide prevention and treatment, and
• cross boundaries of ministries like justice, healthcare, and community and social services,

· collaborate with community stakeholders – those with lived experience, social agencies, Enforcement Services and RCMP – to discuss and implement ways to reduce the stigma and address substance abuse and addiction and the street-level behaviours that impact our neighbourhoods, and

· provide pathways for individuals to access supportive and transitional housing, counselling services, and reintegration into society where needed.

· Update the City’s Affordable Housing Strategy for transition to at-market housing

· Develop and Implement a Community Wellness Initiative

Grande Prairie Regional College 

GPRC is near and dear to my heart, as it is to the hearts of many in our region. I am an alumnus of Nursing Program (1988) and a past member of the GPRC Board of Governors. When I was on the Board of Governors, I donated 100% of my remuneration to the GPRC Learning Lab at the new Regional Hospital.

GPRC fills a critically important role in our community and the region. Our economic drivers rely heavily on trades, due to the resource nature of the area. Looking ahead, the shift to polytechnic status provides unprecedented opportunity to contribute to the growth, economic diversification, and competitiveness of our region.

I am committed to:

· continuing engagement of the City’s Economic Development Department with GPRC to develop regional programs that will benefit the residents and attract more workers into our key economic engines of agriculture, forestry and oil & gas,

· collaborating with GPRC, the Chamber of Commerce to identify emerging fields and attract ESG investment that will further benefit the economic well-being and diversity of our region, and

· developing a Healthcare Sector Growth Strategy with GPRC, AHS and Alberta Health, the Chamber of Commerce, City Economic Development Department, and other stakeholders, by which we can establish Grande Prairie as a world-class medical centre in the same way we have been a leader in oil & gas, forestry, and agriculture.

Candidate Introduction

I'm a programmer that two decades ago bought a house by City Hall. But I'm not running because that building is close by. My proposition is to make Grande Prairie a direct democracy. As Mayor I would only do what the majority voting on my website support.

Labour Attraction and Retention

I will let 3rd parties endorse crowd sourced ballot ideas to help promote them.

Hospital Staffing

If we become the first city to actually solve problems thanks to direct democracy, the quality of life in Grande Prairie will speak for itself.

Recreation, Arts and Culture

Make Grande Prairie a four-day work-week city... it's a great idea to run by voters online to see if it's worth investing money to properly research and re-pose to voters.

Affordable Housing

Rising property taxes are pushing fixed-income out of the city their taxes built, right when they need to be close to health-services. Adjusting property tax rate remains the simplest way for government to meddle with housing demand, except we've already exceeded half our debt limit and lose 7% of revenue to interest on that debt. Crowdsourcing an idea from voters is what I would do even if I didn't have a solution. Although I think 3D printing homes is a promising technology bylaws/building-code are blocking.

Real Estate Development

Free market. Small green spaces aren't being utilized as intended. They are frequently occupied with a drug addict and parents end up turning back. The first concern Hillside residents raised with me when I was on the Neighbourhood Association board was fears that edible plants would attract homeless. I like green spaces, but unfortunately the majority may view the smaller ones as more trouble than they are worth.

Regional Project Planning

Open lines of communication between their voters and ours using my voting system... without an elected official to control on their end, engagement wouldn't be very high though.

Public-Private Partnerships

Lack of transparency creates doubt which in turn feeds apathy. If elected, I will have won by convincing non-voters to abandon their apathy. My role will be to serve as the eyes, ears and most importantly the voice of the voters. I will listen and help relay information from my colleagues to voters online.

Infrastructure

We should prioritize extending the lifespan of roads with proper maintenance. I developed a very specific solution by talking to city employees and looking at public financial records. Ultimately I only do what the voters of Grande Prairie support. I'm also a 'concrete technician', so I have no shortage of solutions to extend lifespan of sidewalks and curbs. Basic maintenance like clearing thick dirt and grass off sidewalks needs to start.

Taxation

The cities budget consultation falls victim to apathy because people don't trust politicians to actually obey the majority. I'm offering everyone in the city a way to vote on what to sacrifice and prioritize by voting online knowing that as Mayor I will obey the majority.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

Take full advantage of smartphones using an optional APP. Patrolling as part of the Neighbourhood EYE program I find stolen goods hidden and we have to stand there waiting for police to find us, to find it. Pretty awkward when the thief returns first. I'd prefer being able to take a couple pictures tagged with GPS instead. Being able to stream both cameras in the event of a violent encounter where dropping the phone is likely wouldn't hurt either. Preventing theft will deny funds to support drug habits and reduce animosity towards many that aren't even thieves. We should be treating dependency as a medical issue under the responsibility of the province, but I wouldn't wait. Significantly lower relapse rates are observed when you don't place people back into communities they have connections to drugs or can easily find a new source. Small towns in Alberta struggle to fill jobs. Responsibilities are the most effective way to make rehabilitation stick. We can make this city a place where theft can't support a drug habit and also partner with small towns to provide recovered addicts the best environment for them to avoid relapse.

Grande Prairie Regional College

We lose skilled workers to larger cities at a rate that requires increasing the supply locally just to maintain the status quo. A high-rise dormitory paid for with higher revenue from international students would be the best course of action to increase revenue for GPRC to support smaller programs and new ones starting. A self-climbing steel concrete-form that doubles as a roof means we could build each floor only when desired. Giving the voters of Grande Prairie the option to vote online makes such projects easy to propose and quantify spending money to explore.

Candidate Introduction

I am a Canadian Citizen, married to a supportive man and I've got a 12year old daughter. I've lived in Canada for 16years and in Grande Prairie for 7years. I've got a Bachelor's degree in Finance (Major) and Banking (Minor), and a Masters degree in Development Economics from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. I've worked for two of Canadian top 5 banks over 10years helping business owners grow their businesses, then, I worked at the Grande Prairie Regional College and the Grande Prairie Regional Innovation Network helping small and medium entrepreneurs. I've sat on the City of Grande Prairie Community Advisory Committee for 3years and I currently sit on the City of Grande Prairie Economic Development and Strategic Planning Committee. I also sit on the Leadership table of the CBYF (Community Building Youth Futures). I am the Founder and Principal Consultant at my women entrepreneurship network (de Sedulous Women Leaders) with 6 city chapters in Canada, one in UK & USA. I am the CEO, Simply Ejibola Inc. that specializes in stationery. My vision and what I stand for can be summarized under 4 major pillars - To build a city that is transparent, entrepreneurial, connected, and inclusive. Please read the full details of my platform here https://ejibola.com/ejibolas-platform/ I'm a leader not a politician, I lead to make impact and initiate change and that is why I would like to represent the City of Grande Prairie on Council.

Labour Attraction and Retention

A forward-thinking city and a city that is ready for the next level of growth should definitely have strategic plans in attracting and retaining the best of talent; not only that, also attracting the best business investment into the city that can foster and help reduce unemployment. Having sat on the Economic Development and Strategic Planning Committee in the past months especially during this time of pandemic, I see the efforts and the initiatives that have been developed to ensure businesses within the city thrive and continue to grow. I intend to continue this work when I get to Council in making sure we attract investment opportunities that can help elevate employments for the residents and to retain our youth after their college degree. With the big hospital almost ready for opening, this too will bring an inflow of the best talents we seek for and also attract more opportunities for the City. As an entrepreneur myself, I have the vision in working with the business community to understand what we can do better and how we can help elevate them their businesses in scaling up growth particularly the Start-ups. During my time at GPRC Research and Innovation department before Covid pandemic started, I initiated a research study to be conducted for the business community, I intend to continue this research study to uncover the gaps and challenges faced by our business owners and to profer ways we can help overcome these challenges.

Hospital Staffing

I worked at MD Funds Management for 5years and I am blessed to have 3 siblings as Medical doctors in Canada, I have been exposed in knowing the number of medical doctors we have in Canada and the strategic ways Provinces attract and retain health officials to their region. The City of Grande Prairie can equally do same, we do not have to reinvent the wheel, all we need do is to pivot same approach that has worked in other Provinces and apply same strategy here. If I am elected to Council, I will be a voice in this area in making sure the recruitment of health practitioner strategic plan is developed with the help of experts and health consultants. The new hospital opening later this year brings fresh opportunities for the City, hence, we also need to throw in some value-add benefits like housing incentives, recreational subsidy benefits, and City-wide shopping incentives that can further attract the professionals and talent we aim to bring into the city.

Recreation, Arts and Culture

Recreation, Tourism, Arts and Culture definitely serves as a value-add in any growing city. Council should consider subsidizing recreational services charges, funding more arts and cultural activities that will showcase more traditions and cultures residents can benefits and get educated on. Supporting artist from different cultural background to showcase these talents. Funding language learning services within the city (this is done in other bigger cities that it helps promote connection and inclusiveness). Professionals and families wants a vibrant city that can cater for their individual and family growth, and having easy access to recreation, tourist attractions, arts and culture will add value to them considering making the City of Grande Prairie home.

Affordable Housing

I am 100% in support of this view. Affordable housing is one of the Top 5 reasons professionals and the best talents can be recruited to the city because every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call a home. I believe a new attractive housing initiative to help address the housing needs of vulnerable residents by rapidly creating new affordable housing will help retain skills. The initiative will also help support the City’s economic recovery by creating employment in the housing and construction sectors.

Real Estate Development

As a city we need to create the demand in order to bridge the gap in supply. When we make the City of Grande Prairie attractive to work, when we create employment opportunities that people are yearning for especially at this time of pandemic, when we create a need for labour and skills, then, we have succeeded in creating demand .... demand for housing, demand for services, demand for recreation, demand for food, clothing and other living essentials, likewise, the need for housing. The City needs to develop ways to create those demands and attracting business investment is one of such. As a committee member on the Economic Development and Strategic Planning at the City of Grande Prairie, that has been our focus and I already see the roll out of these plans and new initiatives. Greater days are ahead for the City of Grande Prairie, I see a brighter side, I see better days ahead.

Regional Project Planning

There is a need to have dialogue, dialogue into what the end gain will be, what the long term relationships benefits can do and the economic outcomes to the region. Drawing up a fair and balanced Memorandum of Understanding with mutually beneficial advantage to each respective municipalities will ensure prioritizing and pursuing infrastructure projects that focuses on growth and development for the region. We need to seek out projects that can connect our mutual municipal advantage, a project that will create regional growth and prosperity. I would propose having a roundtable conversation to talk, to uncover, and speak on what existing infrastructure or new infrastructure will enhance regional planning and improve economic outcomes. Growing the North has been an great avenue to uncover what is going on in other municipal, I would propose a gathering of municipal leaders and council only to discuss intra-municipal investment potentials and intra-municipal connections that can spark a good pursue of mutually agreed project

Public-Private Partnerships

P3s absolutely come with its community benefits. If elected, I will work cooperatively with my elected colleagues in engaging private sector to participate in building major infrastructure in our community and region. It all starts with having a conversation and an engagement around the subject matter. If elected, I will work with elected colleagues in conversations and roundtable sessions with the private sector to draw up ideas, gather facts and possibilities, and engage in positive possibilities that is doable, reasonable, and actionable.

Infrastructure

My priority will be for us to have an Asset Management Plan where we have a detailed record of all the City Assets and infrastructure, there lifespan details, asset maintenance plan, asset sustainability plan, asset replacement plan, asset maintenance bidding process, new infrastructure bidding process, asset construction compliance policies etc That will be my priority when it comes to infrastructure in the city because this creates the transparency and accountability I'd like to see and which I believe several residents would like to see. Maintenance of current roads, sidewalks, curbs, and paths shouldn't be an ongoing challenge if we can only be accountable about it.

Taxation

The recovery of the City's economy will be aided by the growing population (attracting talents and attracting more business/investment opportunities that will drive labour) which in turn will aid increase in revenue to the City. The City should focus the investment of tax dollars where they are needed most, eliminate waste, control spending, and find efficiency to balance the City budget year-to-year. Keeping health spending growth below growth in City population and inflation; returning the City's capital spending to normal spending level as the City's economic recovery becomes broad-based over the coming months. Continuing to tightly manage discretionary spending across board.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

The issue of dangerous drugs, alcohol dependency, and homelessness is a major concern within the city and one we have to take tactical action and approach in handling. In terms of homelessness and dangerous drugs, one of the strategic plan I would propose is a complete and detailed research in that topic by ensuring the City work with the Research and Innovation department at the Grande Prairie Regional College (considering that I have worked in this department for 3years, I know we've got the capability to do such) in carrying out research report and to look into the age groups involved in this act. We need to first know the root cause before we can address the issue. I would love to have data around this first and then invite experts even from other Provinces if necessary to proffer solutions that are specific to the data gathered from the research. We also need to have a roundtable session with organizations that cater for the homeless, mental health, suicide prevention etc. to understand the challenges and the gaps that exist in servicing this target audience. In regards to emergency services, I would like to see lower cost charges; I see the benefits but the cost shouldn't outweigh the benefits. In regards to crime and law enforcement, we definitely can do better as a City; we need more policing, more action taken when a crime is committed. The follow up by the police when a crime is committed is of priority to me.

Grande Prairie Regional College

How to retain and keep our college graduates after school is of priority. How do we support the international students and help them in making Grande Prairie home so they can make referral for the college via word of mouth is of priority. The college should be working with recruiters to attract international students and not raising international student tuition fees. The college should be competitive in this area compared with other cities. Lower tuition fees for international students to attract more demands for your programs. Have an international student coordinator that is capable of supporting them adequately. Develop ways to keep them within the City after graduation to fill the gap in labour shortage. Encourage local high school students to study here for the courses we offer. Attract the best of instructors on full time basis not contract, instructors can will stay long term and can contribute towards research and innovation. Boost more research and innovation where college students can learn beyond their classroom and work with instructors on creative programming and ideas.

Candidate Introduction

I have been a small business owner here in Grande Prairie for the past 5 1/2 years. Since moving to Grande Prairie 30 years ago, I have volunteered and worked to improve our quality of life, helping small business grow as a marketing partner and advisor as well helping grow sports, culture and recreation. I have volunteered for the Grande Prairie Storm, Grande Prairie Stompede, was involved with Bud Country in its early years, served as the Chair of the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie during it's construction to become Alberta's second largest public art gallery and served on the Premier's Council for Culture as the only Peace Country representative under four different Premiers. Most recently I have served on the Grande Prairie Downtown Association Board and was honoured with the Art Ouelette award and the GP Chamber of Commerce Eagle Feather Award and just this year was a finalist for an Alberta Business Award of Distinction.

Labour Attraction and Retention

We have to look at three key elements. 1. Opportunity, is the job you are coming for offering you the career development & opportunity that advances your career goal & dreams. I, like many others, planned to come here for a year or two & then move on, those two years have turned into 30 & I have built community & family around me. When we hear similar stories, Grande Prairie is doing something right. Our diverse economy has insulated us from being the hardest hot when we see downturns in oil & gas, lumber & agriculture, we must continue to develop our economy around added value products for our raw resources & invite new technologies to come & see the opportunities we offer. 2) Quality of life, when attracting people, especially those with families, what is there to do after work or school? What kind of sport & recreation opportunities are there in the city? What type of culture is there to explore while participating & sharing your culture & experiences with others? What type of education & health care exists, do we have state of the art health care, schools & colleges where children can learn & reach their full potential? 3. Safety/security, is my home and family safe? Is my business secure? I believe we have the first two, opportunity & overall after work/school quality of life. I believe we need to improve on the safety & security, we need to address the cause, mental health issues & people fall through the cracks, falling to the point of homelessness & crime

Hospital Staffing

People work where they are welcome and appreciated. We need to work with the province and AHS to offer stability, not threatened pay cuts and ripped up contracts. Our hospital will be world class for a city our size, I suspect this will be a draw for professionals currently working in smaller communities across Canada plus those graduating looking to build a medical practice and a life. Our city council and Chamber of Commerce need to welcome potential recruits. Show them a welcoming level of customer service that shows them what life can be like outside of the hospital walls, tour neighborhoods for potential homes, show the sport, recreation and cultural facilities we enjoy. Give doctors access to commercial real estate so they can build an educated business plan and business case to move here.

Recreation, Arts and Culture

The single biggest comment that I have heard around this is that we need more indoor soccer pitches. Soccer/Football for foreign trained medical professionals is a huge part of their life. Most, if not all are coming from warmer climates than ours. With a short outdoor season, we are lacking indoor capacity to play and watch their favorite sport. The City commissioned a culture master plan roughly 10 years ago, a roadmap that we invested in that set out a starting point and where the city should go as we grow. This master plan has been largely shelved in recent years, what was once heralded as a path to growth and greater cultural opportunities has been met largely with indifference as targets and milestones are frequently missed or even ignored. While I agree the Cultural Master Plan should be reviewed and should change as the society and world shifts, it should not be abandoned or we simply do not advance, or any advancements we do have were instituted with little planning or foresight. While I see indoor soccer as something for the immediate future, I would like to see a smaller swimming pool on Grande Prairie's north end in the next 5-7 years, ideally in the immediate area of the new Comp high school. Finally, I would love to see the performing arts centre on the Montrose site in the next 10-12 years. We have the amazing Cardinal Theatre at GPRC but our city outgrew that over a decade ago. While not an immediate need, it does need to get back on our radar.

Affordable Housing

Historically affordable housing comes in two forms, apartment rentals or smaller homes in older neighbourhoods. Affordable housing grants have been offered by both the provincial and federal governments in recent years. We as a city need ensure we are either taking advantage for ourselves or supporting developers and entrepreneurs looking to build and offer affordable housing themselves. The common complaint from developers is navigating the application system. We need to be a resource and advocate communicating with higher levels of government to ensure the money actually gets to the people that need it rather than a surplus budgetary line for monies not awarded.

Real Estate Development

I see this a major issue that presents itself in two forms, one is yes, the economy has impacted our business community, on the flip side, many businesses in the city have left and moved to the county. We as a city are not competitive enough & these building sit empty for years. I will qualify, investments such as Canadian Tire, Windsor and Hansen Ford along with Wheaton, formerly Doug Marshall are very welcome, however it has left buildings vacant that I would love to see occupied or redeveloped. We still have the Sears Centre vacant. Large properties that sit vacant are a cost to the investors & in some ways portray the city in a negative light. During the final city council meeting, local investors brought forward a request for the Richmond Industrial Park to help make the park & its roads more attractive. It was cited that taxes were not the issue, rather the unsightliness & safety & security. Street lights were mentioned as they believe more light would create fewer opportunities for break-ins and theft. A measure of landscaping might make the park more appealing to a wider and diverse type of business. These people are successful business people and we should hear them out. The Richmond Industrial Park is a major source of tax revenue for the city and with so many vacant buildings we need to make it attractive for other uses. Development within the city owned green spaces, to me, is not a priority until we fill our current glut of vacant buildings.

Regional Project Planning

Communication, communication, communication. Boundaries and borders confine and hold us back. In this case, each government must answer to its citizens and tax payers. Major projects like Nautical are welcome where a development on this scale benefits the region from resource extraction and exports, taxes to the county and employment as residential taxes to the city and a shot in the arm to the retail and service economies of the city. Our Economic Development teams must work together but in the end, it comes down to a willingness to work together and communicate.

Public-Private Partnerships

The infrastructure that stands out the most in this instance is affordable housing. The city is not in the business of building apartment buildings or multi family homes yet there are dollars for affordable housing. Private business has in other parts of the world invested in sport and recreation facilities as a private for profit business, but the business case has to be there. Does the city offer tax subsidies or grants to make that happen enough to tip the scales? Typically though, when thinking of examples, these are initiated by people with extremely deep pockets but examples exist as close as Edmonton. The investor takes out the mortgage instead of the city. This is something that would take exploration and cite successful examples. Roads in new subdivisions where the road and utility costs along with the land are largely paid for in the lot price.

Infrastructure

We are fortunate in that we do not have major bridges or overpasses to build or maintain. I have not been educated on how the city does their prioritizing. I would suspect that we would know the typical life expectancy of a road in northern Alberta and how frequently it would need to be replaced. We could then forecast even 10 -15 years out when that infrastructure would need to be replaced. We simply cannot slip into an infrastructure deficit as history has shown across North America, they are almost impossible to dig out of. I have noticed significant investment the past couple years in resurfacing roads and replacing cracked and beat up sidewalks. I do not see that I would initiate any significant infrastructure projects around replacements, rather calculated and strategic investments based on projected lifespans of the current networks.

Taxation

I firmly believe we need to hold the line on taxes, we are on the higher end and much of that is where we live and our climate. In a COVID world, financial stresses are very real and extremely challenging for residents and businesses. I do look forward to the city budget talks in early October. The city is a big machine with many moving parts. Everyone says they want to find efficiencies. To find those efficiencies you need to understand how the machine runs. We all have our view from the outside and many of our perceptions positive and negative may be real, cut here, merge there, more people doing this and less people doing that. This is one area where I will take a deep dive to learn how the machine runs, what's running smoothly and what needs tuning. For anyone that runs a business or even a household, for someone to step in without a true and accurate understanding will only grind the gears and inflict damage that may cost more in the end. I will commit to looking at every item, questioning where I see an issue and holding the line until we at least get to the other side of COVID and re-evaluate needs.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

I have long been an advocated for mental health and proper supports. The people with drug and alcohol issues and homeless are in large part those with mental illness that have repeatedly fallen through the cracks. While mental health and addictions are a provincial responsibility, it's the city that has to deal with those the system does not catch & fall to the level of street engaged homeless addiction committing crimes either to get money to feed their habit or just because they are not mentally with it. Lets also be real, crime has been around since the beginning of time. We will never eliminate but we can reduce it. We need better resources & we need the provincial government to step up, this problem is not exclusive to Grande Prairie, as I travel I have seen better & I have certainly seen worse. How do we help these people, lets call on the provincial government to properly fund mental health. Many reach out multiple times, they do not want to fall but treating the brain is not as easy as a broken arm & are sent away, losing hope & falling deeper & deeper, we need to support people before they fall that far. For those that have, we absolutely need more long term mental health & addiction treatment facilities. While we do have one here, it was built for a population 1/3 our current population and the program is too short, very few can turn their lives around in just a few short weeks. Properly treating these people will have a major impact on crime reduction

Grande Prairie Regional College

I am currently the Chair of the Arts Advisory Committee at GPRC, the committee is made up of a broad range of arts engaged people in the region. The committee has two rolls, to be advocates & promoters of the arts programs at GPRC but also to give our personal input based on careers & experience plus the opinions of our peers. That could be recommendations on where the future careers are headed, also helping others understand that some subjects & course are not linear, rather to provide an education that provides many options vs one option. The simple answer to this question on how to support it is to engage the community & ask what do you need? A credit to the GPRC, they have & continue to do exactly that. The world is changing at a rapid pace around technology & automation. We must look at what jobs may disappear in 10-15 years & what new jobs will suddenly be in demand & in short supply. We must also teach creative & adaptive thinking. Quoting Wayne Gretzky, "I go to where the puck is going". The puck bounces & changes direction, people with the ability to adapt & innovate are the ones that will succeed. Jobs like nursing & electrical will always be with us, but the role of nursing has changed dramatically as we advance medicine, electrical in a computer age has grown exponentially. The skills required to not only get a job today but for lifelong learning is critical, not only learn to do but to innovate & develop critical thinking. These are the messages we convey.

Candidate Introduction

There will be significant change to Council on October 18th, as at least half the seats will be filled with new faces. I believe it is important to seek out candidates who are experienced, resourceful and capable. I am experienced, having served on council for nine years, between 2001 and 2010, before running for Mayor. I believe I have a solid track record. Additionally, I spent the past 15 years of my working career managing non-profit organizations. Under my leadership, the United Way increased funding from $450,000 to over $1M. At Suicide Prevention, I was able to add new programs while expanding others. I have successfully completed some very large projects on shoestring budgets, proving that I am very resourceful and not afraid of new ideas. And I am capable. I have a business degree and a good understanding of financial reports. I can work with diverse groups of people. And I can recognize a story when I hear it. I feel these attributes will make me an asset to council and to Grande Prairie. Those are reasons for you to vote for me. However, I am running because I believe in Grande Prairie and I want our home, yours and mine, to be the best home we can build.

Labour Attraction and Retention

There are many great advantages to living in the north, yet too often we fail to advertise that value. Yes, Grande Prairie is an industrial city, with an over-population of large trucks and too much wind. This should be treated as an attribute! We live in an exciting city, a city which does not sleep, where new industries thrive, with new ideas are realized with new patents, where careers are fast-tracked because of an over-abundance of opportunity. We have great facilities for recreation, education, health care and transportation. We have everything. And if we don’t have it, tell us, and we will build it! Grande Prairie needs to market the heck out of the benefits of working here and raising families here. I feel that previous marketing campaigns have sometimes seemed tired and apologetic, when we need to sizzle with energy. I think that the Chamber, the business community and local government can create that great marketing plan together. Good people will come and stay when we show them there are greater opportunities here than exist in other places. And we need to show people this every single day.

Hospital Staffing

Grande Prairie seems reasonably successful in attracting medical professionals here. However, we struggle to keep them here. Retention has not always been an issue. A good number of Grande Prairie’s long serving doctors have come to us from other countries and stayed for a lifetime. I don’t think this is true any longer. We need to better understand why our health professionals are leaving in order to find a solution to keep them here. Perhaps it is unrealistic to expect immigrants from equatorial countries to acquire an affinity for snow and sub-zero temperatures. Maybe recruitment should focus on countries with similar climates to Grande Prairie. Perhaps the city and province can work together to build incentive packages tied to years of service, to draw health professionals out of Edmonton and Calgary and into rural areas. Rural incentive programs have been discussed in the past, but there seems little appetite in moving beyond discussion. I feel the time is right to push that agenda harder.

Recreation, Arts and Culture

Grande Prairie has good facilities for both recreation and for arts and culture, beyond what most cities of our size have. The difficulty we face is distance to larger communities, where larger populations can support bigger facilities and programs. People who live in LaCombe can drive into Red Deer for better recreational opportunities. People in Red Deer are only a couple hours drive to great cultural events in Edmonton or Calgary. We don’t have that luxury; travelling to larger centers is time-consuming, expensive and often not safe. That means that, to attract young families to Grande Prairie, we must always be searching for ways to build more and better facilities. We need to consider partnerships and look for creative budgetary solutions. It is clear the Leisure Centre must be replaced with a better recreational facility, and some time will need to be spent in partnership with the Chamber to determine what that should look like. While I was on council, I chaired a committee which looked at future uses for the Montrose lands, and I still agree with the findings of that committee – that the City retain ownership of those lands for future recreational or arts and culture purposes. What eventually is built there needs to be determined in partnership between the City, the Chamber and the residents of our city. Another solution may be to develop affordable and rapid transportation links to Edmonton, so that our citizens can take advantage of large recreation and cultural eve

Affordable Housing

I have travelled to more than 30 countries and have rarely stayed in hotels. My husband and I like to immerse ourselves in neighbourhoods, meet local residents and learn about their lifestyles and preferred foods. I’ve learned that housing looks much different in much of the world. Single family residential is often the exception, not the norm. However, in Grande Prairie, we have a tendency to fit all of our housing needs into one mould. Attempts to use single family residential for affordable housing results in small lots, parking issues and streets unsuitable for public transportation. We need to look for solutions to affordable housing that accommodate the needs of families with children, yet take advantage of multi-family buildings. This might mean incorporating more green space, ensuring that common walls are truly sound-proof, considering what services might be common-use (such as parking or recreation) or down-graded to a more affordable model (such as curb and gutter). I believe there is every opportunity for by-laws and land use plans to be adapted to take advantage of the creativity and innovation of local builders, and Council needs to be more adaptable and flexible. We shouldn’t worry so much about what may or may not work; afterall, we have made many decisions in the past that didn’t really work out as predicted. And we’ve made some that were absolutely brilliant.

Real Estate Development

I think one of the issues we face regarding empty commercial space is our tendency to restrict our vision for a building to its original use. For example, we see the old Canadian Tire building as a large retail space. Of course, it is well suited to retail, with a large floor plan, ample storage and a large parking lot. But it could also house a factory, or a hydroponic farm growing lettuce, just to name a couple ideas. In Japan, high rise office buildings have been converted to vertical farms, growing all types of produce. I think the real estate community, together with council and the Chamber, should consider marketing the many opportunities suitable to a particular site, rather than focusing on the rear-view mirror. And I don’t think it is overly optimistic to suggest that our local economy is once again gearing up. I think in a year or two, Grande Prairie will once again be growing by leaps and bounds. When that happens, it will be important to remember that green space is a valuable resource. We cannot be too careful about building new developments for the future, and not just for today. People need parks and open areas to thrive. Particularly if their personal space doesn’t afford much opportunity for outdoor living.

Regional Project Planning

I have supported and advocated for regional planning and cooperation since joining council in 2001. Individually, our voices are irritating whispers in the ears of provincial and federal governments. Bring those whispers together, and their hearing improves substantially. In addition to collective noise, people who live and work in the north move across civic boundaries every day, for work, for recreation, for shopping and for worship. Any development that impacts the economy of our neighbours also impacts the economy of our city, both good and bad. I feel it would be beneficial to share a marketing plan and closer economic development efforts than has been the case in the past. I feel that the incoming changes to revenue sharing due in April will make it easier to work together. I am optimistic that the changes we will see throughout the region on October 18th will lead to healthier partnerships with all of our regional partners.

Public-Private Partnerships

Governments are good at managing process, but often less successful at delivering product. Many of the services in Grande Prairie wouldn’t be as successful as they are without public-private partnerships. For example, land development works best when government provides the legal framework and private businesses operate the shovels. We don’t always think of this as public-private partnerships, but it is just that. Of course, the relationship gets tighter when both sides contribute equally to the balance sheet. Often the best long-term projects for a city need extra incentive to get built. Under the right circumstances, I am not opposed to government incentives to push worthy projects forward. While it would be nice if the government in question was provincial or federal, there are times when the most logical partner is municipal government. I think its important that the private sector always know that city council is focused on the best long term goals for the city, and always open to creative solutions. There is nothing that drives me squirrely quite like hearing, “Yeah, we tried that in 1964 and it didn’t work.”

Infrastructure

Ah, yes, potholes and snow removal. The joys of living in the north. I think there must always be some juggling between repair and maintenance, and new construction. I know that Public Works tries hard to find that balance, and of course they don’t always get it right. For example, the city’s total sidewalk replacement project started with my neighbourhood of Ivy Lake five or six years ago, but our sidewalks were in good shape. The VLA area had terrible sidewalks, yet they were only recently replaced. New infrastructure ensures new growth, and while it is typically handled by developers, there are times when the city needs to push ahead in order for development to follow. A good example of this was the paving of 92nd street between 68th and 100th avenues. Once that gravel road was converted to a rural paved standard, development followed quite quickly. Today, the city really needs to encourage industrial development to ease the tax burden for residents. My priority for infrastructure would focus on encouraging industrial development in the newly annexed lands north and west of the city. This is a good case where building infrastructure ahead of development would encourage the type of growth best suited to those lands.

Taxation

As mentioned in the previous question, I believe we need industrial development inside city limits. Its well known that without more commercial and industrial development, the tax burden on residents will continue to grow or services will be reduced. Industrial development can be encouraged by changing the rules that continue to make development in the city expensive. Not all streets need curb and gutter. Not all businesses need paved parking or mandated landscaping. Infill offers another solution. We need to maximize use of infrastructure that is already in the ground. That means that old neighbourhoods should be redeveloped to higher density and empty commercial buildings should be repurposed and put back into use. There are steps the city can take to encourage such development, and to ensure it is carried out to a high standard. I support investigating such steps on a case by case basis.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

I believe enforcement and emergency services need to be more fully funded by the province. However, I do not support moving to a provincial police force. I think the RCMP provide better policing than what I have experienced in Edmonton, for example. Generally, I think policing in Grande Prairie is effective, but it should be more visible. Drivers respond positively when they see a marked cruiser in the lane beside them. I feel that if our intention is to slow traffic down, a fully marked and highly visible photo-radar vehicle would be more effective than a surprise ticket in the mail a few weeks down the road. I also support safe injection sites, and like the mobile unit in Grande Prairie. While this is safer for addicts, it is also safer for the general population. I accept that the Stonebridge Hotel project is going ahead, and I do have a couple of concerns. Right now, it is being well supported by federal and provincial money, but I am concerned that over time those funds will disappear and the city will unavoidably become the primary funder. I am also concerned that moving Enforcement Services into the building will act as a deterrent to the very people needing those services. I have learned through years of working in mental health and service delivery that there is no simple solution to homelessness and addictions. Providing enough housing is just not an effective answer.

Grande Prairie Regional College

Forty five years ago, I met my husband at GPRC. With such a long history in Grande Prairie, there must be so many people who found happiness there. I feel that GPRC belongs to the community, and both the community and the college do better when that relationship is celebrated. The campus is a jewel, the centre of arts and culture, and a leader in education in many fields. This must continue, as a recognizable institution such as the college attracts workers and businesses to our region. It helps all of us grow, regardless of our age or economic position. Partnering with the new hospital to provide training in many medical fields will help stabilize the delivery of health services in our region, as well as boosting economic growth. It is important that the city continue to support the college in their efforts to continue to thrive as accredited polytechnic facility.

Candidate Introduction

These are exciting times for our city. I am inspired and ready to make a difference for our community, so I am putting my name forward for City Council. I would be honored to be one of the nine members of the city council that listens to you, is accountable to you and articulates your values and vision which will make Grande Prairie the recognized city it deserves to be. Currently, I work as the Executive Director of the Grande Prairie Downtown Association and I sit on numerous boards and committees. I am passionate about supporting business in my work but I also want to promote the rest of our city too. Every citizen deserves a city to be proud of. I am well versed in advocating for our core community in both a social and business capacity. I have worked closely with the City Council, Administration and the Chamber of Commerce for a number of years. I have come to know that building relationships and collaboration is key to Grande Prairie’s collective success. Given what we have gone through these past 18 months, we need our businesses to stay open, our kids participating in activities and our citizens to be working - while keeping our community safe. I am business focused because I believe a strong economy translates to prosperity and success in all sectors of our community. This includes social and not-for-profit. As I have always done, I will listen, advocate and promote our community.

Labour Attraction and Retention

Developing, attracting and retaining skilled workers is essential, considering that we are facing and will continue to see labour shortages in GP. I have spoken to a number of business people in our community who are literally losing sleep over this. Working in conjunction with the Grande Prairie Chamber of Commerce there are ways to mitigate this concerning issue. Retention of skilled labour is the easiest solution. Working with GPRC to build new polytechnic programs which would provide our city with access to locally sourced and trained skilled labour is primary. Recruitment of workers requires an even broader focus. Working closely with the Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce and Alberta Labour and Immigration, among other organizations will support in achieving results. These programs include the Canada- Alberta Job Grant Program and the Alberta Job Now Program: these programs could be used to recruit truck drivers and environmental professionals for example. Offering employees opportunities to grow professionally is another way to retain and recruit. There is funding available to support workers in their professional development. For example: employers can access funding to hire new employees and provide professional development opportunities I would also like to focus on Economic Development bringing in more industry, commercial business and residential opportunities to our city.

Hospital Staffing

I would support recruitment efforts and retain health care professionals in our region. Promoting Grande Prairie is critical and we can all help. Our community can partner by inviting local professional partners like Grande Prairie Regional Tourism and community groups to showcase our city through activities we can all get involved in; these include community welcoming events; BBQs, meet and greets, local tours, community festival and fundraising events and even adventure opportunities like hiking, fishing, skiing and hunting. Partnering with the Chamber of Commerce, AHS recruiting department and the City, utilizing their new Health Sector Development Strategy, would best work to address potential recruitment and retention issues for medical professionals in Grande Prairie. There are lots of reasons to move to GP, we have a vibrant arts community that is recognized as a cultural hub in the Northwest region of the province. We are revitalizing the City Centre to be a strong and thriving urban core. We have community organizations that assist and promote diversity and inclusion and great sport programs that are building a strong sport tourism sector.

Recreation, Arts and Culture

Grande Prairie is deemed a young demographic in our province but we also have a strong and vibrant adult and seniors community. Recreation, arts and culture touches each of our citizens in one capacity or another. There is much need to keep our kids in activities to promote healthy living and positive opportunities for sport engagement. The city needs to provide more indoor and outdoor spaces to meet these needs. Communities with a strong recreational focus provide an attractive environment for families who will want to move here and will want to stay in our city. Creating healthy lifestyles helps to create a healthy city. Arts and Culture is much the same. A vibrant city needs to include entertainment, the arts, festivals, parks, environmental living and social engagement opportunities to support and balance the hard-working culture we have. Keeping a focus in this segment will also help to attract new people to our region and is a key part of any economic development planning strategy. As a municipality, I believe we need to continue to support these economic drivers while providing a vibrant city for our families to want to live in

Affordable Housing

Affordable housing is a problem in most communities across Canada. We need to advocate, assist development projects and collaborate with partners to end visible and invisible poverty to increase the quality of life for all citizens. However, given our geographic location, a person buying a home in Grande Prairie may feel particularly vulnerable to investing in high priced homes. This of course affects the retention and recruitment of workers we need here. Addressing this problem should include utilization of CMHC reduced interest rates programs, so developers will be incentivised to invest in P3 projects. (Private, Public partnerships) For example, this type of project can include housing units for both regular and affordable housing options within a single development. Addressing affordable housing needs will require we look outside our city to find success stories like small modular builds, similar to what Vancouver has done or even cooperative housing developments similar to what Jasper has done. This may require investment from multiple partners, including community partners, provincial partners and small businesses who will want to invest.

Real Estate Development

I do agree that over the past couple of years with the ongoing pandemic and the collapse of the oil and gas sector, our business real estate community has been hit hard. But in saying this, I have spoken to several real estate professionals and businesses in the area of leasing who indicate that things are turning around. In the past 4-5 months the substantially hard hit office spaces are once again moving in a positive direction as people are coming back to the office. The industrial and commercial spaces are starting to come around as well and the residential pace is still positive. There are still vacancies but with Grande Prairie being the economic driver in this region, business is resilient. For example: we will benefit from the potential growth of the Montney Basin and the Hughes Lake development, thereby providing huge opportunities in all areas of real estate for many sectors.

Regional Project Planning

No community is an island when it comes to economic development. We must focus collectively on regional economic partnerships. To increase this regional economic hub, we need strong partnerships with local municipalities. We also have opportunities to work with organizations like PREDA (Peace Region Economic Development Alliance). Other partners include Alberta Economic Development, Regional Tourism, the Chamber of Commerce and Community Futures. Working together with these partners is essential in pursuing economic infrastructure projects like Nautical for example.

Public-Private Partnerships

I believe the incentive for attracting investment in public-private partnerships is to make the investment decisions attractive to the private business sector. In 2020, the Alberta government passed the Alberta Investment Attraction Act. Bill 33 is designed to attract high impact investment which would create long lasting jobs and contribute to long term economic prosperity. Working with elected colleagues, I would look to expand the investment in what we have already in Grande Prairie. This may include incentives for private partners to help address affordable housing issues, opportunities to expand our public facilities, including; mental health, health care and education facilities. These are primary needs in our community. Given the expense of these projects, there should be room for public private partnerships that also reach out to partnering with municipalities. We have seen the success of these partnerships with the Hwy 40 twinning project where municipalities partnered with the province to develop 21km of highway and bridgework, as well as successful healthcare ventures with facilities in Valleyview and Beaverlodge.

Infrastructure

The city has an infrastructure plan which includes an annual requirement of improved sidewalks, streets and development areas. Opportunities, such as of late, for infrastructure maintenance and development are dependent on Provincial and Federal grants along with a low interest rate borrowing. For example: The new Smith subdivision recreation center funding came from the Covid 19 Canada Infrastructure Program. Additionally, projects such as the Hughes Lake industrial development and the downtown revitalization project using low financing rates and grants. These are great opportunities for our city to create employment and build and revitalize our city. We need to find more opportunities like these.

Taxation

Given the past 18 months, living the realities of a pandemic, the oil and gas sector downfall and construction, now is not the time for tax increases. To rebuild we need to focus on Economic Development to increase industry, commercial and residential investment. We need to be competitive and resourceful in attracting new business. With increased industry and commercial business, this will alleviate the tax burden on the residential properties. We need to attract local, regional and international business. Bring in investment that is new to our community such as new technology-based industry, medical technologies and business in the historic sectors. City facilities have had decreased operation expenditures due to shut downs and restrictions this past 18 months. Therefore, the city is looking at a surplus which could be used to keep taxes at a zero increase. Recent surplus funds would be better used to take the burden off of our citizens. I believe the surplus should be used to reduce taxes for homeowners and businesses. It is time to rebuild not tax more.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

While policing and emergency services are an essential in our community, it comes at a very high cost to taxpayers. Policing alone is 54% of the city’s budget, while fire services is about 35%. I am a strong advocate of the RCMP and Enforcement Services. They do an excellent job serving our community. I would like to assist our crime and prevention partners by having our city council concentrate on strengthening our neighborhood associations to become more proactive instead of reactive to crime. I have always advocated how best to utilize these services and reduce crime in our city. More programs are needed to mitigate root causes of crime such as the drug treatment court instead of jails. I have been, and I am currently, involved in a number of initiatives to deal with social issues in our city. This includes sourcing the funding for the daytime shelter, working with the city with the Mobile Outreach Program, the Crime Mitigation Grant and the RCMP Community Engagement Program.

Grande Prairie Regional College

With the exciting announcement of the Grande Prairie Regional College moving to polytechnical status, the city can support the college in identifying programming needs related to the current labour shortage while proactively partnering in new opportunities identified in our economic development and diversification strategies. For example, with our new state of the art regional hospital this can include additional programming for health and wellness jobs for this facility but can also provide educational opportunities for those workers supporting the healthcare industry. We can develop more trades related to oil and gas and provide additional opportunities for the environmental trades that will be coming to this region.

Candidate Introduction

I moved to Grande Prairie 10 years ago to run youth programs throughout the Peace Country. I was one of those guys that was here "just for a few years. But I ended up having a family, founding the disc golf club, volunteering with many organisations, starting a business, and serving one term on City Council. I doubt I'm ever leaving GP. I love it too much! The upcoming 4 years are critical to Grande Prairie. We are facing big challenges, including the ongoing impacts of COVID, ballooning RCMP costs, and huge provincial cuts. But we also have huge opportunities, including the opening of a new hospital, industrial development, and key pieces of land coming up for redevelopment and revitalization. Our next Council has some tough decisions coming before it. I hope to be at the table to make sure that Council is hearing from and talking to the community as it works to build a better Grande Prairie. I have proven track record of community engagement, working hard to learn about what is going on, and looking for new solutions. I also have professional experience in all three sectors of our economy: business, non-profit, and government. Getting our entire community working together is vital to our future prosperity. I've posted lots of information about me, including a detailed platform, at www.bressey.ca. Thanks for being engaged in this important election!

Labour Attraction and Retention

Finding labour is one of the top challenges to our local economy. As a business owner who works with many customers to find labour: I know this first hand. In partnership with the Chamber and others, the City has undertaken specific initiatives to help attract and retain labour. This includes community preview and relocation materials for employers to use in their recruitment of candidates. However: the best thing we can do to attract and retain labour is to foster a great community where people can work and learn, but also want to live, play, and raise their families. We don’t need to bust the bank doing it, but we need to continue investing in Quality of Life. This means continuing to look for low cost recreation opportunities, such as the Crystal Lake bike park of the Activity Centre in Smith. It means closing the gaps in our sidewalk and trail network. And it means strengthening our partnerships with cultural, sport, and other non-profit groups. We also need to have a focus on safety and on fiscal management. Although they aren’t completely accurate, we do have past media stories about being an unsafe or unfairly taxes community. Council needs to work hard to counter these risks to our reputation. To see more about how I think we can build a great community to attract and retain labour, checkout my platform: www.bressey.ca/platform

Hospital Staffing

Hospital staffing has been a priority for Council. We've hosted Physician Appreciation events to help local doctors connect with our community and one another. We've advocated to the province to make health care staff a priority. And we've invested in the area around the new hospital to make it an attractive place to work and to heal. Personally, I've also gotten friends who work in hospitals elsewhere in Alberta to slip Grande Prairie Re-location Guides into the magazine piles of break rooms. Medical recruitment is very much on my mind! I'd like this work to continue. I also see potential to expand on events which allow physicians and other healthcare professionals to network and experience the great parts of Grande Prairie. However, when it comes to all types of labour attraction and retention: Quality of Life is important. If we want professionals to live here, we need to continue to build an excellent community for them and their families. You can see my ideas to invest in Quality of Life at www.bressey.ca/qualityoflifeplatform

Recreation, Arts and Culture

My first point of involvement in Grande Prairie was founding the Disc Golf Club. I partnered with the City, volunteers, and corporate sponsors to build the Thrill Hill Disc Golf Course. This is a popular recreational facility that is very low cost for the City to maintain, free for members of the public to access, and used by a wide variety of people. We do need more recreational and cultural opportunities in Grande Prairie. But they don't need to be state-of-art. And they are best when the City is empowering volunteers and non-profits to enhance our community. When it is demolished, I'd like to see us replace the Leisure Centre with indoor recreation opportunities. But at this time, we don't need another Eastlink Centre. A low cost facility such as is being built in Smith should be considered. Having something cost effective to build and operate creates more potential for non-profit use and partnership. And a building with a 20-30 year (instead of 50+ year) lifespan allows for redevelopment when community needs change in the future. I'd like to see us continue fixing our Community Group funding to give recreation and cultural groups more predictability as they apply for grants. I'd like to see better resourcing of Neighbourhood Associations. And I have other ideas too. You can see them at www.bressey.ca/qualityoflifeplatform

Affordable Housing

EVERYONE deserves an affordable place to live. Housing for all ages should be prioritized. However, there is currently an especially high need for seniors and young people in our community to find places to live. One priority needs to be working with Grande Spirit foundation to clear our waiting list of seniors waiting for affordable housing. There are also young people in our community who do not have family to live with or a credit history: the City should work more closely with the Centre for Young Parents and Sunrise House to find a strategy for getting them into appropriate rentals. Expanded market opportunities have an impact on both rental and ownership costs. The City needs to work with industry to make sure that building new housing is as cost effective as possible. We should also explore incentives for housing types that are in high demand but low supply (ex: 3+ bedroom apartments). Federally, housing is a priority. However, a disproportionate amount of money gets spent in the large cities. The City of Grande Prairie should work with regional municipalities and other mid-sized Cities to make sure that federal grants are spent in our communities too. You can see more of my ideas about housing at https://bressey.ca/housingplatform

Real Estate Development

When it comes to green space: Grande Prairie has a lot of it. And it is a huge asset for our community. It is also vitally important in new developments. People need opportunities to get outside, be active, and meet their neighbours. However, all individuals and families have different recreational needs. Some value having a big, huge, awesome space to play in, even if they have to travel to the edge of their neighbourhood to access it. And some prefer having smaller spaces close to their home. Green space should be prioritized in new developments, but we should give residents options by allowing it to be developed in various ways.

Regional Project Planning

I know this gets said by every candidate every election. But… I want to work hard to see our next City Council work better with the next County Council. And this time, there is a new opportunity: The province is mandating a cost sharing agreement between the County and City. We are required to have it completed by April. At that point, conversations about money for existing services will be completely off the table for the rest of the Council term. When we have no ability to quibble over that money, there will be a lot more opportunity to roll up our sleeves and figure out how to actually work with each other. This opportunity, combined with many new members on each new Council, gives me reason to hope for better regional partnerships. Regional collaboration must be a priority. Some projects I see worthy of regional conversations: industrial attraction, renewable energy generation, improving regional transportation networks, and collaborating on any new major recreational facilities.

Public-Private Partnerships

A part of my platform is to advocate for the creation of Benefit Driven Procurement or Social Procurement policies. When it comes to purchasing goods and services, there are a variety of trade agreements that the City must follow. These prevent us from favoring local companies when purchases hit certain dollar amounts. However, some municipalities will favour local on smaller projects where they are allowed to. I'd like to see us do the same. Many governments are also building social values into their bidding processes. For example, companies can score better by employing some workers with barriers to getting into the workforce. Or some municipalities require a percentage of contractor procurement to come from small or medium municipalities. Within the City of Grande Prairie, I believe we have the staff expertise to build better procurement policies. But it hasn't been a priority of Council. I would like to see that changed. If you want to learn more about Benefit Driven Procurement, the City of Calgary just went through an interesting process to build better processes. You can learn more about it here: https://www.calgary.ca/cs/supply/supplyhome/benefit_driven_procurement.html

Infrastructure

Infrastructure spending will be a major challenge for our next Council. In Canada, municipalities own over 60% of public infrastructure while collecting less than 10% of all tax dollars. This makes the City very reliant on government grants to care for its infrastructure. Next year, we will be losing about $4,000,000/year in provincial infrastructure grants. The reality is, this probably means that it will need to reduce infrastructure funding. When it comes to allocating infrastructure dollars, maintenance of road and storm water systems need to be a priority. Both types of infrastructure cost exponentially more money if allowed to fail rather than if maintained proactively. (More information on roads at www.bressey.ca/roads) City Administration is currently working on an Asset Management Plan. It will allow Council to better understand how much investment is needed to maintain or improve the condition of existing infrastructure. I look forward to Council debating it. In terms of new infrastructure, Council should prioritize the active transportation network. There are lots of routes inaccessible to people on a bike, in a wheelchair, or with a stroller because they just need a small amount of sidewalk or trail built. The cost to close all these gaps would be approximately $7,000,000. I'd like to see that completed over the next 5 years.

Taxation

Over the last 4 years, Council has been obsessed with finding efficiencies and scaling back low priority programs. This is because tax control was a priority. And it worked. Despite ballooning RCMP costs, huge cuts by the province, and new municipal services (ex: Outdoor Pool and Mobile Outreach Program), an average residential tax bill has gone down by 1% over the previous Council term. I'm proud of this success. And we need to continue striving to be better. But I'm skeptical that there are enough inefficiencies remaining to continue reducing taxes while maintaining or increasing services. However, a few ideas I have: Council needs to undertake Service Reviews of our most expensive programs to determine whether or not the current level of service is appropriate for our community. I expect that the provincially mandated cost sharing agreement we will have with the County will give money to the City. This money should be put towards tax relief, not new services. Properly maintaining our infrastructure and properly helping people with poverty or mental health struggles are important strategies to keep taxpayer costs down in the long term. You can learn more about my view on taxes at www.bressey.ca/taxes. You can see more ideas to make the City work better at www.bressey.ca/cityplatform

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

Over this Council term, I have been very engaged in Policing and Emergency Services. I represented the City at meetings hosted by the province to discuss the Police Act. Along with other Albertans, I advocated for increased community input, better complaints processes, a more fair funding formula, and changes to training. The Minister has indicated that these priorities will be reflected in amendments that will be made this fall. I successfully pushed for Council to form a Police Advisory Committee made up mostly of public members. I Chair this Committee. I also Chair the Community Opioid Response Task Force. I was also a strong supporter and the Council Spokesperson for the Coordinated Care Campus. This project is strongly supported by RCMP, Fire, and Bylaw. Our first responders think that it will reduce social disorder in our community and free up their jobs to better address criminal and other safety matters. Next Council term, I hope to see focus put on transparency and public engagement. I'd like to strengthen the role of the Police Advisory Committee so that local civilians have more input into RCMP priorities. I'd like to see us better communicate how enforcement decisions are made and what happens with reports from the public. And our entire community needs to work better together to support those dealing with mental health and addictions challenges. You can see more about my ideas for enhancing safety at www.bressey.ca/safetyplatform

Grande Prairie Regional College

GPRC is vitally important to our community. By training workers, it is a key part of our economy. But it isn't just an economic engine. Many of its programs also enhance quality of life in our region. It's very concerning to see huge cuts being made to GPRC's funding. Cuts have been made to post secondary institutions across the province. But GPRC was cut more than most. Pushing back against these cuts should be a top advocacy priority for Council. I also would like to find more direct ways to support GPRC. One potential opportunity that could be better explored: work experience. The City has a huge variety of careers within it. I'd love to see more GPRC students getting learning placements with the City. This would aid their education. It would also help the City by developing potential future employees.

Candidate Introduction

I have lived in Grande Prairie for the past 27 years. I have been married for 27 years. My husband and I have raised two children here in GP, who have experienced the many opportunities that this community has to offer to their development. I grew up in the rural central Alberta town of Didsbury. I attended SAIT, obtaining a Power Engineering Diploma with a Third Class Steam Certificate. I have sat on a number of Boards and Committees here in GP, some of which are GP Public Library Board (6 yrs), Finance Chair-GPPL Board (3yrs), City of GP-Pursuit of Excellence (9 yrs) and presently serving on City of GP’s Community Advisory Committee. I am proud of the accomplishments and growth I have seen on these Boards and Committees. Dedicating my volunteer time to governance has prepared and shaped me for Council. As your City Councilor, I believe in serving our community to make GP our proud home. I will do this by being grounded, working hard and being committed. I will show leadership. I will advocate for you and be dedicated to you and your families. I will be committed to having tough conversations and work for positive partnerships to help GP plan forward to grow and prosper in an efficient fiscal manner. But most of all I will be approachable and be here for you and represent you. I believe in building GP’s future upon our communities strengths, making a quality of life that all city residents want to achieve together.

Labour Attraction and Retention

The attraction and retention of skills in Grande Prairie has been a concern for a long time. GP has always been known for being a transient community with residents of GP moving in for a short time and then leaving to obtain work elsewhere. So the question is how do we get the younger transient community to stay. As a city we need to promote career growth opportunities. Support for economic development in our areas creating jobs and opportunities. We need to apprentice and hire locally. The population has doubled in 27 years, seeing the older population starting to climb. This is from families like mine who have stayed and raised their families here in GP. Their children have grown and stayed, or parents moving closer to their transient children. Having a city that is affordable and friendly, would encourage people to stay. The new residents need the connections in GP to stay, being family or something in the community that makes that person connected to GP. By making programs for social enjoyment affordable would help create that attachment. Making user group rates affordable for our facilities, such as the Eastlink Centre, helps individuals and families to connect and build community. Also having or building facilities here in GP that can encompass different extracurricular opportunities. As a city we need to take every opportunity to create friendliness so we are just not known as a city that has opportunities, but also known as a Friendly City.

Hospital Staffing

The city and community of Grande Prairie is very excited to have the new hospital opening at the end of the year. AHS has a dilemma of how to get more professionals and workers to Grande Prairie and the region to work in the new hospital and area. The City of Grande Prairie can help AHS and other businesses in the area by creating a service that would have a package about GP to distribute to prospective individuals wanting to live in and work in GP. In the package you would find written information and a video of GP. Some of the items that may be included about GP would be neighbourhoods, schools, parks, facilities, services, groups, arts and culture, and communities around GP. It would be important to give as much information that would help individuals and families prepare for our community. This package may also include up to date links to sites to find a home or rental, or a job in the GP for other family members or friends. Also, which can be included for a cost to AHS or a business is an individual to help tour you in GP in person or through live virtual tour. Arrangements then can be made for looking at prospective homes or rentals. This individual will be trained for this position of touring prospective professionals to the area for employment. Having this service from the city will help settle a person moving to GP. As a city we also want to support and advocate for our GP Regional College, seeing programming that helps grow our community.

Recreation, Arts and Culture

Grande Prairie has grown and I am proud of the good job the city has done keeping up with development and maintaining of facilities. Having many wonderful new facilities, keeping up to date with services needed for the community, examples of which are the Eastlink Center, Cocoa Center, Montrose Cultural Centre with the library and art gallery. Grande Prairie would benefit from having another indoor skating rink, curling rink and pool on the northside of the city. GP’s northern side is growing and needs to be attractive for potential residents. GP would also benefit to have another indoor soccer pitch, as soccer is a growing sport in our community. These are all of which are only if the city’s budget can hold the costs. Our parks and green spaces are very important to our community. I would like to see continued beautification within our city, benefiting our residents and welcoming visitors. These areas need to be safe. I believe a facility that would also be attractive and a benefit to our community would be a large theater. I understand that land is set aside for this facility next to Montrose Cultural Center. This is the first step and the city will have to be watching closely to make sure it is built when the city is ready for it. I would also like to see more funding available for culture and cultural awareness in the city, as our eithnic populations are growing. As a municipality we also need to be aware of the 94 Calls to Action for truth and reconciliation an

Affordable Housing

Access to affordable housing has been on the minds of many in our city. With the Coordinated Care Campus, Wapity House for Grande Prairies people with complex needs and homelessness. The campus will be partialy running this winter and will be running fully by spring, relieving pressure off homelessness here in GP. The city needs to take very careful quarterly analysis as to how this facility is filling the needs here in GP and managing and keeping to the budget of its expense. After careful consideration if another facility is still in need this can then be taken in consideration as the cost for housing is expensive and most residents in GP do not want to see a tax increase for this purpose. If another facility is required, a shared initiative between another service in GP and the city with funding coming from federal or provincial homeless initiative programs, lessening the burden on taxpayers. This only addresses the homelessness, but there is a larger population that is working and below or just at the low income line, what can we do to help the hard working low income families and individuals here in GP. This is what I like to see concentrated on here in GP for low income housing. Creating more housing in this area or proposing an incentive to the private sector - apartments for this type of housing. This housing is not a tax burden as low income families want to pay their bills and find a positive path for their families.

Real Estate Development

Grande Prairie is a strong business community providing services to GP and community. Covid-19 has had restricted lockdowns and isolation to stop the spread of the virus, having a devastating effect on the business community of GP. We need these businesses to continue to be here in GP as they support our community in employment and services. There are many businesses that have not made it through and had to close, leaving their building empty. There are also empty buildings as some are moving into the County of GP. How can we promote business and help those businesses still holding on here in GP. Lessening the tax burden of a new business for a period of time to encourage the business here in GP. Those businesses that have a proven loss and are unable to cover their tax for proven time can receive a tax exemption for a period that would be reviewed, to encourage their business continuation within GP. As for green space in GP, I very much promote it and need it to be appealing to view and be in. Some of our newer areas are not seeing good green space, parks or paths and this needs to be a requirement of the developer to have “x” amount of green space per number of units. This needs to be increased. The newer areas of GP, especially high density housing are not seeing appealing amounts of green space, parks or pathways. This high density housing needs green space as they do not usually have their own space.

Regional Project Planning

To improve Grande Prairie's ability to move goods around the city would be to build a ring road around the city. GP has many trucks that move through our city on a daily basis and we need to focus on moving the larger transport trucks around the city. With the new bypass on the north side of GP this has relieved road traffic in the city on the northside. To continue to add to relief of truck congestion in GP, a bypass needs to be made on the south side of the city. The city provincial roads in GP are in bad shape within the city from heavy loads being driven on them. The spread of dirt and mud is also creating wear and tear on the roads from the truck traffic coming in from the south side of town. Something that is never spoken of is air quality within the city from the dirt on the city roads. Reducing the dirt on the roads in GP will create a better air quality, which in hand will be seen in the residential respiratory health here in GP. Therefore, Provincial roads in GP also need to see street sweepers on a regular basis until a bypass can be made on the south end of town, and this will need to be advocated for. I will support and advocate for economic development in our area which creates jobs and opportunities, that also needs to be done by the City Council. The city needs to promote partnering with other Municipalities or the Province if the opportunity arrives as a service to the area to improve life for residents in GP.

Public-Private Partnerships

As Grande Prairie grows and new infrastructure is built and is needed, as a City Council we need to look at promoting and encouraging the businesses within GP to bid on the jobs for development of the new infrastructure in the area. As a city we also need to negotiate the cost for the bid from the local business, so that the work can be done by our local businesses at the best cost. As your City Councilor I need to be informed to make sure and understand the appropriate price for the work is discussed and approved. Having local companies bid on jobs for our city’s development of infrastructure, promotes employment in the area and business strength. But, saying this, the job also has to be given to an appropriate business that understands and has the true ability to complete the task and within the budget. We need to be careful that we as councilors have no affiliation with the business so that negotiations are not compromised. As our City Councilor I will have to be informed of policies and bylaws that would be in effect of the development of the infrastructure before negotiations.

Infrastructure

Grande Prairie is a growing city and the infrastructure within the city must also continue to grow with the city itself. Even though we are a growing city our present infrastructure within the city can not be ignored. The infrastructure that is in place must be maintained first and foremost within the city’s budget. A taxpayer of GP you have paid for the present infrastructure and this needs to be maintained. The city’s buildings, roads, sidewalks, parks, paths and services. The infrastructure within a new development or neighbourhood is also important to develop and should be within the city’s budget and should be done. If these areas of present and newly developed areas can be completed and within the budget, then as a council we can look at new capital infrastructure development in the city that supports the Strategic plan for the City of GP and can be accomplished without being a burden to the taxpayer. The city then receives important infrastructure that will make the city appealing to the residents of the city, as I have mentioned above in Recreation, Arts and Culture.

Taxation

Taxes! This is the biggest concern for our residents of Grande Prairie. Taxes affect our residents financially but, also it affects the residents as what they see their tax dollars doing for them within the city. This will be the most important task that I will have as a City Councilor representing our residents of GP. Our residents are extremely hard working people here in GP and want to see responsible spending of their dollar they give in taxes, without having large tax hikes. As your City Councilor it is my job to approve a balanced well thought out budget. The budget can be looked at more closely to make sure that the budgeted items - services are up to date and require the funds that are given to them for the year. I have to stay informed of the budget as the days, months and the year go with spending, for the resident of GP. I need to make sure that over spending is not being done within the city of GP and if so, there needs to be accountability as to where the funds have gone. If there has been over spending, follow up needs to be done. Budgets are approved but that does not mean they can not be altered during the time to adjust to life, as long as they are balanced. If capital spending is being done, it will be done so that the taxpayer does not feel harsh implications of this. It is not to say that an increase can not happen to the taxpayer but, to have as little increase as possible to the hard working families of GP.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

The enforcement and emergency services here in Grande Prairie are very much appreciated for the work they do within this city. Let's just say without it we would be in shambles here in our city, and couldn’t be the city we are without these services. As a resident I appreciate that crime is in the care of our enforcement services, and they are here for the citizens of GP to keep our city safe. Many of our services in our city have to deal with our drug problem here in GP. As a service they need to keep going with this continual problem of keeping drugs out of the hands of the children, our family members, and friends. For drivers to be adhering to the driving laws. Photo radar upsets many but if all photo radar, including the mobile units are posted for the driver to see, then the onus is on the driver. I am sure even with doing this many will receive a citation and not be happy. I appreciate that our enforcement services handle our homeless population with care and do a good job keeping them away from our family neighborhoods. I can only leave issues with those with complex needs, addiction and homelessness in the hands of our city services and make sure they receive funding and support for their service they do for the city of Grande Prairie.

Grande Prairie Regional College

The Grande Prairie Regional College is very important to this area and Grande Prairie. Many of the residents have attended this secondary school and have stayed within GP for their work in their field after graduation. Some graduates have come from other areas of the Province or Canada and stayed in the community. The college is important as it supports by educating and developing many important fields that can be found within our area. Both professional and trades. If residents had to go elsewhere for their education they may not come back to GP. Educating individuals here within GP keeps our residents here helping GP to grow. The college is good at making sure they have programming that supports the community needs. The college itself employs many people from GP to help the institution operate. As your councilor I will support the GPRC to grow in programming. I will also support and advocate for the GPRC for Provincial and Federal funding. As a side note the GPRC has one of the prettiest buildings in Grande Prairie, which I am proud to show people.

Candidate Introduction

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the traditional territories of the Indigenous peoples of the Treaty 8 region and the Métis Settlements and the Métis Nation of Alberta, Regions 1, 4, 5 and 6. I respect the histories, languages, and cultures of First Nations, Metis, Inuit, and all First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our community. I am from Northern Alberta having grown up just a few hours north of Grande Prairie in Manning, Alberta. I have lived in Grande Prairie for nearly 4 years. I decided to settle here after graduating law school in January 2018. I am running for City Council so that I can be a part of the solution, and to ensure that there is as much transparency for, and consultation with, the residents of Grande Prairie as possible.

Labour Attraction and Retention

I would consult with the local business community and ask them what supports they would need. I think it is important for City Council to ask interested parties for solutions and not just try to come up with solutions themselves. If there is an ability to further collaborate with the business community, this would be something to explore. Between businesses advertising jobs and the City providing advertising regarding amenities and other reasons to live here, there is a lot of room for potential consultation and collaboration.

Hospital Staffing

I believe that there could be potential for collaboration with AHS using social media and other accessible communication methods to create a widespread recruiting campaign. If the City is keen to attract both experienced and young/new professionals to the area, with limited expenditures, then targeted social media advertising could be very useful.

Recreation, Arts and Culture

Similar to my previous answers, consultation and collaboration are key and using widespread social media campaigns to provide information to people from other communities regarding the availability of recreation, arts and culture in Grande Prairie could prove effective in attracting professionals and families to the City.

Affordable Housing

Availability of affordable housing is very important to our community like it is in many others. Any collaboration between the City and other levels of government, non-profit organizations or other non-government organizations that could lead to an increase in availability should be explored.

Real Estate Development

I would characterize the amount of green space in the City as adequate, but also acknowledge that I believe that the more green space that can be included in new developments, without significant expenditures, the better.

Regional Project Planning

I think that there needs to be a focus on projects that improve economic outcomes for our City before we look at regional projects. However, I do believe it is important to collaborate with other communities when doing so would improve both/all areas. Ensuring there is consultation with our City's residents before moving forward with any regional project that would utilize the taxes paid by those residents would be an important first step.

Public-Private Partnerships 

N/A

Infrastructure

Providing more accessible information to the residents about how decisions on infrastructure are made is very important. If there are choices to be made between new infrastructure or repairs to current infrastructure, then the residents need to be aware of those choices and how the final decisions are made. I believe the residents will be more satisfied with decisions if they can have the confidence that those decisions are transparent and result in less tax-payer funds being used, while also maintaining what infrastructure remains.

Taxation

Community consultation on non-essential spending is key as is transparency on essential spending. However, it not only about transparency, but I believe active engagement with the community on how funds are spent in advance of the spending would go a long way. This would provide more opportunity for residents to speak up and have their say on spending before it happens.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

I would like to see the relationship with the RCMP continue in Grande Prairie though if there were potential policing solutions that would cost the taxpayers less money, then those should be explored. If more can be done to help reduce or reverse the stigma attached to substance/alcohol dependency and unhoused individuals, then I believe this will help those individuals in choosing to seek out assistance with the organizations offering supports in our City.

Grande Prairie Regional College

I would characterize the GPRC programs as essential. The college, soon to be polytechnic, is vital to the city and to the neighbouring communities. It brings many people into our City, which in turn brings more money spent at local businesses. It would be important to consult with GPRC to identify their needs, but again, collaboration with the City when it comes to advertising could be useful.

Candidate Introduction

Hi my name is Michelle, I have lived in the Grande Prairie area since 1980. I raised 4 kids here and we recently welcomed our first grandchild. I feel I am open minded, honest, reasonable, transparent and want what is best for our community. I will do my best to listen to the people of Grande Prairie and represent them to the best of my ability.

Labour Attraction and Retention

I would love get involved in creating a community online portal that contains a multitude of information in one location. For example (All local) - job listings, training courses, sporting & recreation events, lessons, local businesses, restaurants, childcare, children's programs, schools, festivals, rentals, happenings, salons, real estate companies etc. I would also like to promote more community events to bring our community closer together.

Hospital Staffing

I would like to help create a positive culture and see about establishing some staff spaces within the hospital for self care (relaxation in tranquil setting, exercise area).

Recreation, Arts and Culture

I would like to help build a stronger community connection by encouraging more neighborhood pop up community events.

Affordable Housing

I would like to see the city relax zoning, developing rules on affordable housing. Id also like to look into the possibility of vacant commercial buildings and reforming them into affordable housing if suitable.

Real Estate Development

I would like to add commercial real estate available for lease to the community portal for potential businesses to find easier. If vacant buildings become a hazard, property owners need to be accountable. The amount of green space in the city is great and needs to continue into new developments. Pathways need to be created and maintained to connect all the neighborhoods and business areas together.

Regional Project Planning

I would like to work with other close communities on creating a walk/bike path between centers. I would also like to establish a regular mode of public transportation to the communities in our region..

Public-Private Partnerships

I would like to have all local companies invited to provide quotes, safety records and time lines. If there is limited local companies available, I would like to invite outside quotes to ensure pricing is within reason. I also would like to encourage a large vendors list as to provide more opportunities within the community.

Infrastructure

We need to ensure we have quality workmanship and accountability. We need to take care of what we currently already have in place. If the city takes care of our spaces, I feel the community will reciprocate.

Taxation

I would like to look at areas of spending to try and be as efficient as possible without affecting programing.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

I would like to see more crime prevention programs like neighbor hood watches, patrols, tip lines. I would like to see mental health resources available 24/7. Trauma, mental health, addiction and crime often go hand in hand and are a vicious cycle.

Grande Prairie Regional College

The GPRC programs are very important. The community and local businesses should all work together to provide training and courses for what is needed within our city.

Candidate Introduction

Born and raised in Grande Prairie, I have made a living as an engineer but made a life out of giving back to the community. For the last twenty years I have been a School Board Trustee learning the importance of culture and system improvement. I have sunk my teeth into various initiatives such as the construction of the west side of South Bear Creek on an old landfill, and evolved the local Rotary lotteries in the community to become a leading fundraiser for many non-profits. I am a cofounder of Design Works Engineering and Inspections, named one of Canada’s top start-ups by MacLean’s magazine. Most importantly, I have a wonderful wife Donna, two children, Adam and Analise and two hounds that give the gift of enthusiasm each and every day.

Labour Attraction and Retention

People come to the City for opportunity and stay because of community. The City can help by improving the latter. Having continued access to some of the best facilities and organizations is critical to people going beyond making a living and creating a life for their families. Creating a growth mindset for development within the City will also fuel more opportunities, which will also encourage people to stay and develop roots and promise for a long term future.

Hospital Staffing

With the new hospital demanding more staff and specialties recruitment and retention will be critical. As an Alberta Health Services Board member I pushed for the new hospital location adjacent to the college, as it could then move toward a teaching institution. That is one tool. Getting more residencies in the City would also be helpful, as many stay where they are trained. As a married man I know the importance of selling the family on a move. I would be curious if a welcoming committee from either the Chamber or the City could be made available to tour families relative to their specific areas of interest, schools and basically sell the virtues of the City. Finally, there might be potential for a start-up or seed clinic to allow new practitioners a preestablished clinical environment for them to get started for a limited time. This way they could concentrate on their practice and build their own office when they are settled. A happy spouse and a running start might be the tipping point for some new recruits.

Recreation, Arts and Culture

Grande Prairie has long proven its reputation as the volunteer City. We appreciate a good “get-together”. I think there is room for more festivals in the City. Dovetailing with larger centers such as Edmonton to bring in acts before or after they start, like we do with the Street Performers’ Festival is something I would support. Along with community, two other things that promote mental health and happiness are exercise and nature. As such, I would support more trails and outdoor community events

Affordable Housing

Talking to banker recently, their comment was that the lower tax rate in the County allows a new buyer to qualify for $200-300,000 more house in the County than in the City. If that continues, residential development in the City will be at a further disadvantage. The reversal begins with ensuring value in taxes. My experience is that not only is it possible, but necessary, to improve service through reduced taxes. It is also important to create affordability by minimizing urban development costs through cost effective construction methodology. You can also defer taxation increases on home renovations for five years to incentivize improvement and stir growth in the local construction industry. Finally, offering cash-in-lieu incentives for developers to shift their multi-family focus from the perimeter of the City to closer downtown might also be something to consider.

Real Estate Development

The empty buildings won’t go away until the economy gets a boost and the pandemic ends. However, Grande Prairie has established itself as a regional hub so growth will occur in time regardless of the price of oil. To be ready for this, I think the best way for the City to help is to create a “Growth Mindset” for development. I have seen the difference what a pro-growth municipality can accomplish, and the impact is real. With regards to green space, the City should make application to turn the Bear Creek Reservoir into a regional Storm Water Management Pond (SWMP) like the County does with Clairmont Lake. This will reduce SWMP needs for developments, which is very expensive and often creates 3-5% of non-recreational areas within a subdivision. Developers using this option could be compelled to build more trails or contribute a bit to parks. If you are using the reservoir as a SWMP then what is stopping the City from generating power from the overflow. Directionally drilling a pipe and putting in a micro generator could create power that could be sold back to the grid and used to support non-profits or local recreational projects.

Regional Project Planning

I believe the regional plan developed by all three municipalities in the MD of Greenview is a good example of joint preplanning. With the City annexing a large swath of land to the west, this is an area that should be further prepared for development. Presently there are some broad natured Area Structure Plans, but work should be undertaken to bring this through rezoning and some tentative subdivision plans. This will allow industry to be able to move with certainty and in a timely fashion in the development ideas. Having to wait over a year for some certainty will often leave Developers moving elsewhere as “Time is money”. If there could be some overlap with the County lands this could be mutually beneficial.

Public-Private Partnerships

The development of the Ice District in Edmonton in hindsight has proven to be a good example of how a PPP can result in a positive tax and recovery scheme. Perhaps there is a similar opportunity in Grande Prairie if the right proposal can come from the private sector? There are also good examples of homeless shelters and addiction facilities that are either funded or operated by private facilities and initially created with municipal funding. The City is not always the most efficient operator, and many tasks can be better operated privately. In either case, it is important to ensure that every system and department is held accountable to high standards and that each one acts as great stewards of the money they are given. Perhaps the new Care Campus will need to be looked at in this lens as it evolves in its operations.

Infrastructure

As an engineer involved in land development for thirty years, I have seen how different municipalities build differently; Using different standards to promote various types of growth. In general, infrastructure is the boring, non-sexy stuff but it needs to be done right before you can spend money on other areas. If you let the roads degrade too far, they get to a point where they become unsalvageable. A properly constructed capital plan deals with this. It is important to invest in the potholes and snow removal. Again boring, but if not done properly you don’t have the public confidence to do other things. Priorities for construction after roads would be walking trails, as they connect the community and build healthier citizens.

Taxation

Grande Prairie has some of the highest tax rates in the Province. It is significant enough that it is pushing new development out of the City. Taxes need to come down. In many cases long standing organizations get initially better with more funding, but in the long term you often actually get worse results with more funding. There are many reasons for this, but it leaves many opportunities. My experience is that in most cases, if managed properly, you can get better results with less funding. This is done through either transformational change or establishing operating standards that holds departments accountable. On the Alberta Health Services Board we bent the spending curve by $600 million/year while improving outcomes. In education, we posted two surplus budgets with 0% grant increase while again showing improvement over time. I look forward to seeing where the opportunities are.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

Although I think there was some gaps in the process of purchasing and permitting the new Care Campus the promise by those involved is to provide a concentrated effort to deal with homelessness and addictions. That does sound promising. Funding of this is to be accomplished by some operational and building gymnastics. The hope would be that all this materializes. Hopefully, the facility properly transitions people in and out of the facility. Hopefully the strain on health and police is noticeable and results in measurable savings. Hopefully there are improvements in other areas, and mandate creep is managed. It will be the responsibility of the new council to ensure that the old promises are kept. If not, other options will need to be investigated such as seniors housing or a community board to run the facility, similar to an Aquatera model.

Grande Prairie Regional College

A great step forward for the college is its new ability to become a degree granting institution. As a Polytechnical Institution the future is bright. Educating our local students obviously will encourage retention of trained professionals. The college needs to ensure that it is the default institution for students in the Peace Country. Finding a focus of excellence will help that cause. The City can help by co-advocating with the College, to both Alberta Health Services and Advanced Education, to ensure that there are enhanced health related educational opportunities.

Candidate Introduction

My wife Tina and I have called Grande Prairie home for over thirty years and have raised our twins here. I served two previous terms on council, it is the only job I truly love. I was known on council as the one with grit and not afraid of asking the tough questions or taking the unpopular side. I successfully lobbied for funds for services and infrastructure from other levels of government. I will continue to be involved and active in fighting for our city.

Labour Attraction and Retention

I would work with the Federal government to have us on top priority for immigration. We need to have incentives to be attractive. Kenny announced Alberta Jobs Now as a joint grant from the province and the federal government to provide grants to cover salaries and training. I would work to make sure our businesses have the opportunities to access these programs.

Hospital Staffing

This is a ten year delay. We need to put pressure on the province to get this staffed. Our region produces a lot of the provinces revenue. The pressure needs to be on the province.

Recreation, Arts and Culture

Excellent question, I have addressed this on my flyer. We need to have a new multiuse sports fields to anchor the north. We need to work with the leaders of our sports organizations to make sure their needs are met. We need more cultural events to show the diverse heritages we have in the city. We have over eighty ethnic associations in Grande Prairie.

Affordable Housing

There should be an open and transparent process. These grants are at the provincial and federal levels.

Real Estate Development

The real estate community could work with our committees to try to find solutions if they have suggestion. We need to make sure the green spaces that are in the plans are adhered to.

Regional Project Planning

As a city we have brought in other Sexsmith, Clairmont, Wembly and other communities to participate in Aquatera. I think we need some fair share funding if we will be a region. The way funds are coming back to municipalities now is not in line with population.

Public-Private Partnerships

The Private partners need to be involved at the table early in the conversations if it is a project that a Public- Private Partnership has been advised.

Infrastructure

I think it is past time for some major infrastructure on our trail system. We need to connect trails with solar sidewalks so our kids are safe. We need to start using pedways as we have some major pedestrian traffic at intersections with highway speeds. The provincial governments needs to finish the ring road around the city. Sidewalks and curbs need to be maintained with our disabled citizens at top of mind.

Taxation

We need to look at our budgeting from the bottom up not the top down. Here's what we have. We have to work within it.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

I want to keep the RCMP. They are highly trained and recognized around the world. I think the RCMP need to be better funded from the Federal and provincial governments to have nurses and mental health staff working with the RCMP on the ground.

Grande Prairie Regional College

I think we need to support our grads so that they stay in our region. We need to offer industry specific training to help our local employers. As a polytechnic we will have more degree granting and expand the apprenticeships. We need to support the college in being a voice for funding.

Candidate Introduction

Incumbent City Councillor, owner/president of various businesses in Grande Prairie. Grande Prairie is home for myself and family, I want to ensure that Grande Prairie continues to be a great place to live, work and play for generations to come.

Labour Attraction and Retention

To attract and retain professionals and skilled labour, my efforts will be towards ensuring GP has a welcoming and positive environment, wide array of amenities, good schools and hospital, safe vibrant community with a strong stable economy.

Hospital Staffing

My comments are the same as for previous question

Recreation, Arts and Culture

As far as recreation, arts and culture go GP rates very well, but that does come at a cost, so we have to ensure budgets are sustainable and the city continues working with and promoting these areas.

Affordable Housing

The city can provide land and some financial support, that stated, the city has to work with the Provincial and Federal governments for more funding to be able to provide more.

Real Estate Development

First question; majority of programs that assist businesses are either Provincial or Federal, that stated the city can help with rezoning and creating an environment that attracts and retain businesses. Second question; I believe GP does a fairly good job ensuring each area has green space. A big improvement would be connecting all the cycling and walking trails throughout the city.

Regional Project Planning

It is imperative that the city work closely with our neighbors, as each grow, the proximity to each other is less making it important to have a joint area structure plan, and funding arrangements for ongoing infrastructure and facilities.

Public-Private Partnerships

Services the City provides i.e., snow removal, waste management, road repairs, transportation, etc. For these types of services contractors should always be brought to the table to see if they can provide better service at a lower cost.

Infrastructure

Firstly, only build what you can financially maintain, all infrastructure mentioned has a limited useable life span, eventually, needing repairs and or replacement. Maintenance is important, nobody likes driving through potholes or having trails that are in poor condition or hazardous. Poor maintenance will lead to higher costs down the road.

Taxation

If possible, all new projects should be financially self-sustaining, implementing more user-pay and contracting out services where feasible.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

You can't put a value on the importance of people feeling safe in their homes or as they walk down a street. It is total nonsense when protesters want to defund police forces or when the provincial government wants to reduce/review salaries for Doctors and Nurses. Social issues such as drug and alcohol addictions, abuse, homeless are all very difficult issues to address. The city needs to ensure that services to get help (for those that want it) are available in a very timely fashion.

Grande Prairie Regional College

GPRC is already a well-known college and a valuable asset to the city. To maintain their status GPRC must continue to attract and maintain high quality professors, staff. GPRC must also continue to evolve, offering courses and degrees relevant to our community and outlying areas.

Candidate Introduction

I came to Grande Prairie in 1973 for four years. After meeting my wife here we decided to raise our family and Grande Prairie became our home. I earned a Journeyman Carpentry ticket and have worked in the construction industry for many years. I have also had a number of community group and non profit board positions including being chair of; GPLT, Camp Tamarack, Swan City Rotary club, GPRC, Alberta Wine Education Society and the GP and District Chamber and the Alberta Chambers of Commerce. My board experience positions me well to represent all residents. My board governance training will aid me in focusing on the goals of the city. I now have the time, passion, energy and the determination to be the best City Councilor. I have been attending zoom city council and sub committee meetings since January and have treated this as a full time job. I work at it daily and will continue to do so after the election. Past councilors told me this is not a part time job, It definitely is a full time position! There are many time commitments including sub committee work, So those who know me will already know, I approach any job, project or committee with 110% effort. So I will not be outworked. Grande Prairie residents deserve a full time councilor. I have been researching and interviewing City admin, past & present; councilors and mayors, non-profit Groups, business leaders, Institutions and politicians. I am a future focused person and want to help our community to grow and thrive.

Labour Attraction and Retention

In my past experience on the board of the GP and District Chamber of Commerce between 91-97 gathering all stakeholders to a strategic planning session and creating new goals for the city was highly successful. Creating additional flights, having highway 40 paved and marketing Grande Prairie as a destination. I would like to see the same strategy used establishing new goals and milestones looking to the future and a strong pathway forward out of a COVID dominated economy. With those new goals in sight I would like to showcase our city and region to the rest of the province and country to stimulate new growth in all areas of Grande Prairie.

Hospital Staffing

Recruiting for the hospital is a challenge as many doctors, nurses and other health professionals are uncertain that they want to move here. Grande Prairie has some of the greatest amenities a city can offer - the Art Gallery, a College, a live theatre and an annual Folk Festival as well as walking trails and first class sports facilities. We need to work with health officials to market the lifestyle Grande Prairie has to offer families, not just offer them the job. We also need to work with The Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Association and the Chamber to market Grande Prairie.as a great place to live, raise a family and have a great career. If we can get them to Grande Prairie and keep them for 4 years we have a much better chance of having them stay and become active members of our City.

Recreation, Arts and Culture

A thriving community is dependent on a strong recreation, arts and culture scene. Using an open dialogue with all community stakeholders and looking to other communities for new innovative ideas and identifying new goals for our community. Collaborating with Alberta Tourism to showcase our world class art gallery as the only free admission Gallery in western Canada. Highlighting our top notch Library and our now polytechnic institution. Where we can build award winning fine arts and sport programs. Training is essential to our City and growing our general population. showcasing our brand new regional hospital where we can support the North with Radiation therapy and other advanced procedures which will open the door to medical tourism. Ensuring we have a diverse selection of extra curricular activities for all of our children's developing minds. We also have to ensure all of the programs are funded to their full capability so top athletes and artists seek to live in Grande Prairie. If elected I will work diligently to build and grow a stronger recreation, arts and culture community within Grande Prairie.

Affordable Housing

Affordable housing seems to be an ongoing issue in many cities including our own. The solution is difficult and will require innovative and out of the box thinking. Supporting ‘Housing First programs’ will be essential going forward to ensure there are rents that match the lowest of income earners. The city will need to keep a close watch on rent increases as our rental market reaches extremely low vacancy rates. Educating people about available subsidies and other strategies to maximize their hard earned dollars. Utilizing The Grande Spirit Foundation and truly understanding the market and what key factors drive the market so additional housing can be obtained and provided. Maintaining the strong relationship between the city and non profit groups will continue to be essential to ensure all voices are being heard. I look forward to working with community members, nonprofits, City administration and council to build the best possible plan to ensure affordable housing is available to those who need it.

Real Estate Development

I believe this is where council has an extremely important role to play, showcasing our city to attract new business to our city. Marketing Grande Prairie in a strategic fashion to all industry sectors. Armed with the information from Grande Prairie’s strategic planning goals we will essentially be able to market to the businesses and types of industry our city needs and direct market to them. A committee should identify the opportunities to market GP and start attracting new businesses and families. We have to promote ourselves and present a positive reason why a business and family should move here. Green Space adds to the attractiveness of our community and is extremely important. The Muskoseepi Park trail system is a very positive feature in promoting Grande Prairie. The park helps give you a country feel within City limits. We currently have a good balance of green space and we would need to ensure this balance is maintained in newly developed areas as the city grows.

Regional Project Planning

I think that Regional Project Planning is critical in growing our region. First steps would be to form a regional committee that includes all business and sector stakeholders. This is where we would involve many city and town councils, industry leaders, Alberta Tourism and Development, our MLA’s and our MP, Economic Development departments, our tourism groups and from all Chambers of commerce’s in the region. We now have to look at the region as a whole and how we support our surrounding communities. Of course we should do a think tank as to what the communities would like to see. I know this is possible because the Chamber did this in the 90’s. You have to start somewhere and a meeting with the communities and stakeholders would be easy over Zoom.

Public-Private Partnerships

Collaboration is one of the single most important things we can do as city councillors. There is an abundance of truth in two heads are better than one. It is only when the government at all levels and all community stakeholders work together that the best outcome can be achieved for our community. Being innovative and finding ways to make projects become a reality. Working with the provincial and the Federal Government is an important step in ensuring projects meet regulations and are not bogged down in red tape. Collaboration between city council and the chamber of commerce could provide the much needed strength advocating and navigating through growth and development so the needs of the community members can be met. Ensuring private business is aware of all of the infrastructure projects upcoming and that the city attracts a diverse group of private businesses for each project so there are multiple options available to complete projects at the highest quality and at the optimal price for the job. As councillors we also must be forward thinking. We need to start looking at alternative energy projects. Utilizing Geothermal technologies may be on the horizon, Alberta and Grande Prairie should be leading the field and it is through public/private collaboration that we will succeed.

Infrastructure

Again Collaboration and communication with city administration is the most important priorities when it comes to infrastructure .In my interviews with administration they have told me there are set assessment criteria for all roads and sidewalks. It is my role as councilor to bring concerns forward and ask how they are being addressed and follow up until they are. Ensuring there is open dialogue between administration, city council and residents is vitally important. I also believe it is my role to ask administration the hard questions like; Are there technologies out there that can seal roads sooner in the season? If so, what do they cost and can we put that in the budget? My greatest concern is for the life cycle of our roads. What does your department do to lengthen that life span? What can be done differently? Can the specifications at the time of tender address proper curing times, testing and ensure longevity in our sidewalks. My construction background and training with our concrete suppliers will be a benefit and an asset at sub committee meetings ensuring all the questions that need to be asked are asked before these projects start.

Taxation

Taxes are always a very difficult subject; it is difficult to guess what changes could be made without having the knowledge of the actual budget. I don’t want to promise something today only to learn there is no way to deliver that promise once elected. I believe there may be some redundancies that could be streamlined to reduce costs. As a former business owner I know you can’t just keep increasing your prices. We need to assess every cost, is it necessary? Can we do without? Or a more cost effective approach? What new technologies can be used? The easy answer to cost savings seems to be to reduce wages and salaries but I believe this is counterproductive. We need people to do the work and if we over work them or do not pay them enough we end up having high turnover and lower quality employees that cost more in the long run. We also need to ensure we have a strong pipeline of talent to replace those who move on. Ensuring manageable workloads for employees is also extremely important in retaining employees. Creating a positive work culture within the city is important as it will help attract the best of the best to Grande Prairie. Creating a fiscally responsible budget will be extremely hard work for the new council, and all its members need to be ready to give it the time and effort it deserves. I know I definitely am! I am eager to find savings for our citizens and ensure the quality of services residents of Grande Prairie expect.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

I envision a safe community for all residents. Focusing on solving crimes and greatly reducing the drug trade should be the main focus of our enforcement services. The mental health of our community is another top priority which I believe to be closely related to the community's drug trade. We need to continue to stay diligent for our first responders ensuring we have what they need to be at their best. We need to support our street engaged population and help them get off the street into secure housing. The coordinated Care Campus at the old Stonebridge Hotel was a surprise and shock to me and many residents. Now that the project is underway, we must do our best to ensure we monitor the safety of the residents and businesses that are surrounding the facility. My research on Homelessness revealed this concept of a coordinated care campus is a key piece in helping street engaged people get off of the street. Northreach's approach helps them reacquire their identity, If Northreach can help them get into the system then they can start the road to recovery. When we talk about “not in my backyard” (NIMBY) There is also a very mobile and organized criminal element (on bicycles) looking for crimes of opportunity, We can not paint these two groups with the same brush. We need to ensure enforcement services have the means and opportunity to protect the residents of Grande Prairie from the individual responsible for the crimes of opportunity.

Grande Prairie Regional College

GPRC Programs are critical in the development of our workforce, our students and our community. The fine arts, music and sports programs are part of the lure for attracting families and students to move to Grande Prairie and enjoy life here. Their apprenticeship and trades programs are important to many industries seeking staff with enhanced skills and knowledge. The nursing programs will fill the need for employees at the new Grande Prairie Regional Hospital as well as in community based programs such as Home Care. The teacher education program is also vital to keep our new graduates working in our local school divisions. Grande Prairie Regional College continues to talk with the Community about what the education needs of the future will be so they can continue to graduate people with the skills our community needs going forward.

Candidate Introduction

I am married to my wife of 17 years, a real Newfie from Conception Bay South and our marriage is blessed with two teenage boys. I recently completed a master's program in Public Administration. I also have a master's degree in Technology Management and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. I am an IT project manager with the County of Grande Prairie. We can't sit idle and keep complaining that things are not working right in our city. It is time to get involved. My aim is to promote a family friendly city, with a culture of love. My focus is to reduce crime and move Grande Prairie from the list of most dangerous cities in Canada to one of the safest cities. Promote a strong and diversified economy and make Grande Prairie more affordable by reducing taxes and lowering fees for recreation facilities, as well as to encourage the celebration of our diversity and harnessing the potentials thereof.

Labour Attraction and Retention

I was elated with the news of GPRC attaining the status of a polytechnic. That is a step in the right direction. The next project should be that of a facility that provide training for medical personnel. It is possible to have a faculty of medicine in Grande Prairie that is affiliated to a university elsewhere in Canada or anywhere in the world. I believe that when we are able to train these professionals locally, we can retain a significant percentage here. Beside a medical facility, we need to encourage some other vocational training institutions to establish in the Peace region. It is my belief that we can make some sacrifice by donating land and giving of tax incentives to individuals or organizations that have the capacity to make these things happen. As a member, I am committed to allowing the chamber, as subject matter experts, to lead the way and be given every assistance needed.

Hospital Staffing

My ultimate goal is to see a medical training facility built in the Peace region. As a temporary measure, I will support a broad physician recruitment strategy. We will advertise internationally for physicians, as well as work with physicians recruited internationally to navigate the huddles they need to cross to practice here. If it is in my power, any physician that is licensed anywhere in the world should be able to function in some capacity, under the supervision of a more qualified doctor, soon after arriving in Canada, while pursuing their professional designation. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. These are desperate times for our healthcare system. So, we need to do something desperately.

Recreation, Arts and Culture

I have and will continue to advocate for lowering of the admission fees to our recreation facilities. The EastLink Centre is a world class facility, but it is highly underutilized because of the high cost of admission. For a city of its size, the city needs more economical recreation facilities. The city of Red Deer has so many of such. We need to copy from them.

Affordable Housing

To provide affordable housing, there are two things we can do. First, we need to provide incentives to developers and builders to embark on constructing low-cost housing projects. Secondly, we need to partner with not for profit organizations that have had success in other parts of the country managing these low-cost housing units on behalf of the cities and towns. We may need to encourage the setting up of a housing authority, like that of the city of Red Deer. This is a public private partnership initiative. It has proven to be effective in other parts of Canada and I believe we can make it work here too.

Real Estate Development

To support the real estate community, the city can partner with a not for profit organization and buy some of the vacant houses that can then be converted to low cost housing units. Green spaces are very valuable to the health of a community, beside the esthetic. That is why I am not very happy the way we build houses almost on top of each other in Grande Prairie. Beside the designated green spaces, we need to encourage bigger lots with lots of green space in between houses. A lot of residents are relocating to the County for this reason.

Regional Project Planning

In my campaign, I have been advocating for the formation of more partnership with the County of Grande Prairie and the MD of Greenview. As the population continue to grow, Grande Prairie may one day turn into a mega city like Edmonton, Calgary, or Toronto. The more we form these partnerships and foster developments in neighboring communities, the better for us. One of the things that I have also advocated for is the formation of a joint economic development corporation. A joint economic development corporation by these three municipalities will surpass what each of the economic development departments can do separately. Such venture have worked for other regions and it will work here too.

Public-Private Partnerships

As a graduate of public administration, I have come to know much about how other countries have benefitted from public private partnership. I have already been talking about this and I will educate my fellow councillors with accurate data, how this can be of benefit to us. There are things that the private sectors excel at way more than any government. It will be foolish not to partner with them and let them use their expertise to improve the lives of citizens in the Peace region. It has often been stated according to the New Public Management perspective that government should steer, while the private sector does the rowing. This is what I will persuade my fellow councillors to do. We cast the vision and let the private sector do the execution.

Infrastructure

It is an old saying that a bird at hand is worth two in the bush. While we need to build new infrastructures, we must focus on maintain existing ones first. When the existing infrastructures are up to standard and are performing optimally, we will be able to shift focus to building new ones. It must be noted that having your current infrastructure performing optimally can be a way to attract investors and high-quality immigrants from across the country and oversees. If you cannot take care of a Volkswagen beetle, it is doubtful that you can take care of a Cadillac.

Taxation

Most of us have heard about lean six sigma. It is about avoiding waste and doing things to perfection. When you eliminate waste, it means that you can do more with less. When I have access to the data, I will be able to identify where the wastes are and nix them. We need to move to a zero-budgeting system, where departments or programs must justify their impact regularly before they can qualify for more funding. Having that in place, it is my belief that so many phony programs will go, and we will generate some surplus that will enable us to lower taxes. Meanwhile, we can lower taxes anytime we want. We will make adjustments in some other areas. There are so many cities with less resources than Grande Prairie with less tax burden. Let us find out how they do it. It is not a sin to emulate something good.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

Reducing crime is the focal point of my candidacy. Having the name of my city on the list of most dangerous cities in Canada is not funny. It drives away quality investment and high-quality immigrants looking for a place to raise their families. My approach is to let the law enforcement subject matter experts direct on how to go about this. It is my understanding too that there are ancient bylaws that inhibit the work of our law enforcement organizations. Those bylaws need to be critically reviewed and every impediment to the functioning of modern-day police force will be expunged from them. With sufficient resources, I want to advocate that we partner with GPRC to establish a department to train law enforcement officers. With time, we will have our own regional police. Having regional police will benefit us in more than one way. First, most graduates of these program will be local and have a good understanding of the topography. Also, any strategy formulated will be local and easy to implement without the need to ask for Ottawa’s approval. The current practice of using RCMP is expensive and not very effective. Creating an effective crime prevention strategy is also an avenue that I have chosen to pursue. I have heard from competent sources that the solution to the drug epidemic is to use what is known as the Portugal model, where all drugs are legalized. I have not studied this model yet. Until then, my take on this is to step up patrols of drug prone neighborhood by the p

Grande Prairie Regional College

GPRC programs are very beneficial to the local economy. The Peace region is a hub in northwest Alberta and as such, entrepreneurial activities are multiplying on a steady basis. These businesses need trained individuals to carry on their activities. GPRC programs fills these gaps. We can encourage a graduate recruitment strategy that will reward local companies for hiring graduates of the college. I also propose that we work with the industries and GPRC administrators to find out what skills are in demand and encourage the introduction of such programs to the college. With time, GPRC may need to expand, the city can assist with providing a suitable location.

Candidate Introduction

I have lived in Grande Prairie for 55 years, I moved here from Prince George, I am married for 41 years to my wife Catherine we raised our three children here and we have 10 grand children. I want to make sure raising a family in Grande Prairie is safe, great place to live, and have jobs, Careers, education without leaving our city. My previous life I am trained as a Machinist with Red seal, I also own my own business which is a firearm repair shop and Firearm training instructor Federally Appointed.

Over thirty years as a small business owner in Grande Prairie.

Labour Attraction and Retention

This comes into play every term, Council has met with Chamber of Commerce, Home builders, UDI, AHS on a regular bases to discuss these needs and how to approach the need or demand. We have also inquired with industry, GPRC,

Hospital Staffing

I always reach out to see what's needed in our community I have conversations with AHS, Chamber of Commerce, and other sources of expertise. I have then Lobbied Local MLA's and
Ministers. Council Hosts an event each year where we brag about our city and hospital to new Drs. That are looking for right fit with the specialty they chose could be phycology joint replacement, or Family Medicine

Recreation, Arts and Culture

I feel the city currently supports Art Gallery of Grande Prairie, Centre of Creative Arts, we also have many open space parks and recreation facilities. There may be a need to enhance our support, but we also give gift in-kind to these nonprofits.

Cricket field enhancement, Pickle Ball, Portable skateboard Park, Low cost recreation building and Reception centre. Walking trails, New bridge across Bear Creek by the hospital. All things I had supported on my last term

Affordable Housing

I have spent most of the last three terms supporting this initiative supplying land to Habitat for humanity as well as Grand Spirit foundation. Over my last 11 years I have heard so many successes story’s, Carin on the boulevard many success stories just in that Apartment. Yes we can always improve, this past council made it a commitment to make certain we support Affordable Housing. This is very important to me.

Real Estate Development

I am disappointed in industrial business’s leaving the city and moving to the M.D. or the county, but they are leaving for more land and easy access to their business. Maybe its time to re visit the zoning of the industrial park in GP. And diversify the land. Grant incentives for facade improvements have been introduced and taken advantage of and expanded to other areas in GP.
I also understand we have over thirty business’s start up just recently in GP..

Regional Project Planning

Well I can tell you I for one don’t want a gas plant in the city, or a pipe yard in the downtown or Residential area of the city. We have had discussions in the past where some municipalities just
make more sense like Nautical they originally came to do business in Grande Prairie, But our water supply and rail access was not ideal. They in turn said they would set up in the south of
Alberta past city manger ask them to talk to the county. This is where they are planning to build and the city will be still be involved some how.

Public-Private Partnerships

3P works in some cases and not in others, it depends on the project. The city administration has investigated these before. I understand on the proposed projects we sent out Request For Proposals, the investment would not be pay enough dividends to
the Private investors

Infrastructure

We spent a substantial amount of money on roads and sidewalks this year and we did this because council wanted to get ahead of the Curve. Residents wanted major road repairs completed our message to them was it could be painful, the city has a paving
crew, and the pothole crew work pretty much all year. Freeze and thaw cycles are hard on the roads. We also have many types of soils under are roads from Clay to Peatmoss, depending on the area of the city, we have no real rocky base it needs to placed. Our city is over a hundred years old. The city hires third party engineers to tell us the information administration and council needs to make decisions.

Safety, Health, accessibility are my priorities

Taxation

The city has implemented a program called Lean, as well as corporate efficiencies review and these two processes’ have saved us not only money, but time and space in the past term. I also pay taxes; I also want to pay the least amount just like you. Council reviews the quarterly updates from the CFO each quarter. Every dollar is scrutinized by many sets of eyes.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

Safety of our residents, education, Police and firefighter staffing concerns are my priorities.

Some day I would like to see multi skilled fighters who are trained as a Para Medic be legally allowed to provide this service in Alberta while being a firefighter, this is an asset we could use. This happens to be a complicated process.

I put my neck out on this, as well as current council to purchase the Stonebridge since being on council in 2010, the topic of homelessness came up ever year, no fault of council or administration all we could do was put a band aid on the problem the same concern as the addiction issues. We had a concerned business owner offer the city a deal which we felt we should look at and we did our research and came up with a plan.
In do time we will be able to house the Chronically Homeless, deal with the individuals with Mental health, and those who have addictions. This facility will be staffed by experts in the field, 24hr security with patrols outside the property, separated secured
floors no guests just residents are allowed in the facility. Part of this plan is to get these residents back to the workforce be able to cook for themselves, learn what is acceptable and what is not. But most of all giving them something to be proud of and that maybe their family.

Grande Prairie Regional College

The GPRC is a vital asset to our city, looking forward to the poly-tech expansion soon. The GPRC and council are in contact regularly. I always bring up the GPRC, the Hospital, and the Philip J. Dinosaur Museum and our airport when out visiting the different ministers or a visitor to city hall.

Candidate Introduction

I’m Paul Rovin Ngemital. I’m married with two kids and I have a teacher and accounting management background, a family-oriented and bilingual candidate for City Council who strives for an inclusive and safer community. I have lived in GP for 7 years. Since I arrived in GP, I have been doing lots of volunteer work like (community garden, Spirit Secker's Youth Conference, Circle of Aboriginal students metis Nation of Alberta Region 6, Street Performance, Bear Creek Festival, Volunteer Income Tax Program for : ( indigenous, senior, disability, youth and newcomers), helping francophones with their settlement process in Grande Prairie ) etc... By doing that, I have come to realize that the well being of this lovely city passes through Diversity and Commitment. That’s why I have decided to run for city council. As a Councilor, I will contribute to building an Inclusive and Safer Community. As a first language French speaker, I will promote bilingualism; I will look into affordable housing for low income families and as I am already doing, I will continue to offer a free tax clinic program. The ice control system needs improvement, as well as the public transportation system ; I will also look into that. I will work together with my colleagues Councilors to make sure that all decisions taken are for the well being of our community. Vote for Councilor Paul Rovin Ngemital Thank you all,

Labour Attraction and Retention

A varied business community shows a strong economy. The City of Grande Prairie has always supported multiple businesses, but the COVID-19 has negatively impacted our growing economy. Most businesses are struggling and need more support from the City. My plan is to work with all the existing economic groups/boards to create a “Business Recovery Plan”. The plan will elaborate on strategies to support the businesses based on their sectors as some businesses were impacted harder than others.

Hospital Staffing

The new hospital opening is a great opportunity to create wealth and jobs. The City has in place multiple Plans such as the “College Park Redevelopment Plan” to accommodate our growing population. I will support and be part of the City plans to accommodate housing, safer neighborhoods and increase visibility of the City in Alberta and Canada.

Recreation, Arts and Culture

The City of Grande Prairie is rich in terms of diversity, and the City should create opportunities to show that culture/arts. Council should consider reaching out to existing groups, associations, etc.. to organise more festivals. Families want more affordable and diverse activities. Council should consider supporting sport league, playground development, kids’ art display within the City.

Affordable Housing

Affordable housing is one of the key points of my campaign. because of the pandemic, a lot of people had lost their jobs. I’ll make sure that the city of GP secures more buildings like the spirit foundation, dedicated to low income families; by doing so, they will not find themselves in a waiting list for months or years.

Real Estate Development

A lot of citizens of Grande Prairie are leaving the City because they lost their job. The pandemic is hitting our economy and has created a housing crisis. Rebuilding our economy with the “Business Recovery Plan” I propose will help our real estate community. The City of Grande Prairie “Municipal Development Plan” Bylaw C-1237 present the City development vision. The plan supports green space in all development plans. I will support the existing Plan and improve it when needed.

Regional Project Planning

A strong business and opportunity community attracts investors. Rebuilding our core economy first will show our potential to grow and lead to partnership within the region.

Public-Private Partnerships

P3 projects have been built in Alberta, mostly Edmonton and Calgary for many years. I will support the P3 initiative when good for our City economy.

Infrastructure

The need of new infrastructure is needed with new development, however maintaining the existing infrastructure is as much important to extend the life of the existing infrastructure. My priorities will be based on recommendation from our City of Grande Prairie expert, but Safety will remain my first choice.

Taxation

Paid for what you use when you use it. This includes giving the option to residents to up out of curbside recycling and garbage collection. I know, property taxes are high in GP. I’ll collaborate with those who have better plans to bring taxes down in our community.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

Some neighborhoods have seen their crime rate sky-rocked over the last year. The RCMP is doing a great job by keeping track of them and uploading the “Grande Prairie Crime Map” for the public. I think the next step will be to support the RCMP by providing them with the support they need to lower that rate and by educating our citizens on how to avoid being in an unsafe situation. Drug and alcohol usage also increased over the past year due to the pandemic. Rebuilding the economy will partially help and secondly support existing groups and associations who deal with dependency and homelessness.

Grande Prairie Regional College

The GPRC is an indispensable element for the growth of our community, and the announcement that GPRC would not become a university is a step back for our economy. I will support the GPRC initiative to create new opportunities.

Candidate Introduction

I have called Grande Prairie home for the last 7 Years, I currently own to 2 small businesses and look to raise our family here long term. I would like to be the voice for people and keep an open mind to change and innovation. We need to continue to focus on the future long term for Grande Prairie.

Labour Attraction and Retention

Part of our initiative is to research what innovative businesses would be able to add to our existing services in the business sector. Medical Labs, Technology companies and others would benefit from the infrastructure here in Grande Prairie.

Hospital Staffing

By advocating that Grande Prairie is a great place to live, we have a great airport for quick travel to most parts of the world. When elected I would have to review what is being offered and what they need assistance with.

Recreation, Arts and Culture

Once voted in I would have to look at what has been done in the past, evaluate future events based on budget and what is in the best interest for the citizens of Grande Prairie.

Affordable Housing

The focus would be on our current residents needs, continued support to move them into a job market with secured employment. The addition will help residents that are looking to further transition into a more secure long term residence, this will open up more room for people needing help.

Real Estate Development

The amount of vacant lots is unfortunate, as we focus on continued growth for the city they will continue to fill up, we have some of the best realtors in Canada working with clients daily, they are providing the best possible options for customers locally and from other areas. The green space balance right now in Grande Prairie seems to be working well, Would like to see continued growth and fields to hold more out door activities.

Regional Project Planning

We need to have open and honest conversations while looking at the budget and work together so it is not one sided.

Public-Private Partnerships

With open and honest communication, evaluate each job scope individually.

Infrastructure

To consider looking at new technology for road development, currently in British Columbia they use a rubber compound in the roads with high volume of trucks and heavy equipment as well. The roads there are typically in better condition, so a review of what the City is currently doing would be step 1,

Taxation

Once elected we would have to review this and see where savings could be made, and look at future expenditures.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

1- To try utilize other services that will allow the RCMP to decrease workload on minor issues so they can focus on larger ones, we have a few ideas on a neighborhood initiative that once elected we will try implement.

Grande Prairie Regional College

The advancement of the College is a very important area, the more services they are able to offer the more they attract people from other areas that will be able to contribute to our community. This will also allow us to keep our current residents here long term.

Candidate Introduction

I am a proud 43 year old father, raising my family in the city that I love and have spent over half my life in. I am an out-of-the-box thinking change-maker who has served on Council the past 2 terms, working hard in my role as a voice of positivity towards building a beautiful, more sustainable community for all to thrive in. I offer honesty, intelligence, leadership, accountability, a unique perspective, and an open ear. I love what I do, and I get results. Such as, increasing opportunities and investments in affordable housing and mental health supports; creating plans to sustainably manage and protect our watershed; proposing and adopting Alberta’s first Edible Landscaping Policy; advocating for more trees, orchards, gardens, and connections to nature; investing in cleaner technologies; supporting local business and community groups through grants and resources; nurturing the growth of events that help drive tourism and raise community pride, spirit and awareness; improving the accessibility of the city for all residents; creating balanced recreation opportunities throughout the city; managing our resources wisely. I am running for a third term on Council because I love Grande Prairie, my ideas are still fresh, and I believe my voice is still needed at the table to sustain momentum and build upon all the good we are doing. Finally, I want to help support, guide, and connect our new Council and Mayor, so that Grande Prairie continues to prosper now and in the future.

Labour Attraction and Retention

The City of Grande Prairie and Council are already working with the business community to attract and retain talent in a variety of ways. Firstly, from the establishment of several grants this past term such as the DIG (Development Incentive Grants) and Economic Recovery Programs, that provide funding support to local businesses in ways of business retention & expansion, revitalization, new business development, infill, marketing, and staff training. These have been driven by the voices of our business community and actioned through Council’s revamped and resourced Economic Development Advisory Committee. Secondly, one of the things that draws people and skilled labourers to cities is jobs or the ability to create their own job. Grande Prairie is an innovative, dynamic, young community with many opportunities to develop professionally, be employed in a multi-industry economy, or start a successful small business. In that spirit, we should support our emerging and existing industries and businesses today, while seeking out opportunities to create the jobs and industries that will also support our people tomorrow. We better enable this by improving our processes and working with our partners in the Region, towards a variety of business attraction strategies. Lastly, we should always endeavour to create and showcase our community, as the truly great place it is – one with a high quality of living - that people choose to live, work, play, raise a family, and retire in.

Hospital Staffing

The first thing Council would need to do would be to have proper consultation with Alberta Health and AHS to understand what the needs are, once the new hospital is fully operational. The Alberta Health North Zone already does a good job informing our recruitment efforts and gaps within the community, through the Peace Health Advisory Council. With a clear understanding, we can advocate tandemly as a Region with our health providers to the Ministry, to better resource these areas and speed up the recruitment process. We can also advocate for our state-of-the-art hospital to be designated as a training facility for surgeons looking to have Operating Room time. In a way, this could help the city introduce many young professionals to our wonderful community and hook them in to set up a practice in the area. Working with GPRC’s new designation as a polytechnic institution, there is an opportunity to become the ‘Health Hub of the North’ - the education hotspot for northerners and locals aspiring towards careers in the medical fields. Rather than having our kids leave to find their education and future job in larger centres, we can provide for their education here, thereby creating a natural recruitment and retention centre by training professionals of our own. Of course, we should always be proud to showcase our Region’s world class facilities, river valley and park trail system, our rich and diverse art and culture scene, and our land’s natural beauty to all professionals.

Recreation, Arts and Culture

This past term, Council was very intentional with where we constructed new recreation facilities in the City, to balance sporting opportunities for kids of all ages. These included the Drop-In Activity Centre in Smith Subdivision, the Bike Skills Park in Crystal Lake, the outdoor pool in Muskoseepi Park, and the Pickleball Courts near the Comp. Now, no matter where you choose to live, a family has several opportunities for recreation. We have world-class facilities we should always be promoting the use of, such as the ELC, MCC and Art Gallery, as well as groups within the buildings we maintain like the Curling Club, Golden Age Centre, GPLT and the Centre for Creative Arts that provide quality of life opportunities and generate community through their own programs. I would like the new Council to consider the benevolent impacts of these and other community groups, such as the Friendship Centre, and look towards how we can maintain or increase our support as part of an overall community wellness strategy. I would also like to see an increase in the budget for large scale tourism events, as a means of raising the profile of our community and creating more opportunities to bring our people together in spirit and pride, through a variety of events. When people have more outlets to creativity or activity, pursuant to their passions in the community they live, their ability to establish connections and be happy grows exponentially. And people tend to stay where they’re happy.

Affordable Housing

Ensuring people have housing makes wise business sense, as with every dollar spent on housing, it provides at least a 2-1 social return on investment. Housing stability creates economy. Access to affordable housing across the spectrum was my major platform goal 8 years ago, and upon being elected I became known as the “social housing guy” on Council. Relentless in my belief for housing as a human right, I was rewarded with a seat at the table with the Province on the Interagency Council for Housing and Homelessness, as the representative for AUMA from 2014-16. Our work helped create substantial investments in affordable housing with supports across the province, and successfully advocated for the government to take a cross-ministry approach in tackling the issues surrounding homelessness. Upon re-election in 2017, housing became Council’s top priority in our Strategic Plan. This prioritization has led to our Affordable Housing Master Plan, our Affordable Housing Action Plan, P3 partnerships, land transfers to social housing agencies, a stronger partnership with Grande Spirit Foundation, and significant investments in the creation of homes with supports for seniors, youth, persons with disabilities, and people suffering from poor mental health and addictions. There is still a great need for more family housing and a growing need of seniors who wish to have the ability to age at home. I will always be a strong voice creating solutions that address any housing barriers.

Real Estate Development

The hopeful part of me says that this is an ebb in the market and the real estate community handling these properties should see a rebound as we start to move out of the current Covid reality. Of course, any future market demand could continue to wane and that would be problematic to both the real estate community and our tax base in the long run. The first part would be to continue to have open dialogue with our home builders, developers, and real estate agents through their various groups (CHBA, UDI), both informally and with Council. Having a full understanding of the market situation on a quarterly basis and engaging in regular discussions for solutions early, would be paramount to developing strategies that address this issue. Our Economic Development team is currently well resourced to be able to work with the real estate community and act as conduit to Council, to present the issues and any potential viable solutions. Green space is very important to the character, beauty, and saleability of all developments. Outside of aesthetics, green spaces provide numerous benefits to the community such as flood mitigation, water storage, carbon reduction, habitat creation, ecosystem health, pollinator promotion, and food production. People seek out neighbourhoods with old trees, nice parks and green spaces, or close access to our river valley. Having natural areas to walk, sit, or play in is vital to our physical and mental health. If you say ‘trees’, I say ‘yes please’!

Regional Project Planning

We used to have a Regional Planning Commission back in the day, before it was dissolved in the 90’s, that by all accounts functioned fairly well. Since then, we have moved into more of a competitive relationship with our regional partners, which is why the province mandated the ICFs (Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework), so we could all address the inequities caused by an unlevel playing field between urbans and rurals. Currently, our ICF with the County is in the arbitration phase of its completion. Once done, we can get to work on updating our IDP (Intermunicipal Development Plan) and start to engage in the potential of bringing back a Regional Planning Commission. This would help us equally in planning, as we could actively work in tandem to draw investment into our Region, and start putting developments where they need to go, rather than competing for the tax base. This would also save money in our economic development and planning departments via staffing and travel, by working together for a common cause rather than our own self interests. Regardless of whether this becomes a thing, the City, County, and our Regional partners have a good history of advocating for the Region when it comes to Economic Development. Some recent advocacy projects that we have worked together successfully in seeing forward movement with the province on, is the 43X bypass, the twinning of Highway 40, the Nautical project, and housing creation through the Grande Spirit Foundation.

Public-Private Partnerships

Private-Public Partnerships are an intriguing solution, to a growing problem across Canada, in closing the gaps of our infrastructure and housing deficits. This past term, the city sought out P3’s, towards the building and creation of affordable housing in our community. Two of those projects fell through due to funding, while one is still working towards its completion in the renovation of the old Fletcher Building. With road construction projects, the only significant one that I could see the city benefitting through a P3 currently, is the old bypass that we inherited and requires significant upgrades. If we chose to go with a more permanent road structure (ie. concrete slabs vs asphalt), the cost would be higher, and it might be better to employ a private company to build and maintain it for the term of a contract. As councillors holding the public trust, we should always weigh the benefits and consequences of our actions today for tomorrow. I would encourage all solutions that positively impact the longevity of our assets, fill infrastructure or facility gaps, and minimize our costs though it all. The first step in this process would be to discuss further with administration where they see P3s providing the most benevolent outcomes in our infrastructure maintenance and creation. The new Council should be receiving our first ever “State of Infrastructure” report upon election, that would help inform a strategy, as to where a P3 could provide the most benefit.

Infrastructure

If you ask a man to dream, he will reimagine the world!! My number one priority for infrastructure within the city, would be an overpass crossing the tracks to the east side of town. It is this or we build a new fire hall and police station across the tracks, as currently these services are at the mercy of the train schedule, when it comes to responding quickly to an emergency. To date, and lucky for us, this has yet to become an issue. As we grow out further to the east, the need for an either/or solution becomes more pressing. New stations and halls with accompanying staff, building, and associated costs or an expensive one-shot deal to ensure response times, with the services and staffing we already have? I advocate for the roadway as a solution today, even if it means negotiating deals and making concessions with CN to do so. Other infrastructure priorities I have would be to close the connection gaps in our trails and pathways, as well as sidewalks to bus stops; Sloped curbing into crosswalks and roadways giving easy access and better mobility for people with disabilities who need to get around in wheelchairs; More electronic speed display signs in high ticket/collision areas to create safer streets and reduce the reliance on photo radar contracts; More affordable family housing, youth housing, and a continuing care centre in the city for seniors who can no longer age well at home; And finally… investing in renewable/clean energy projects.

Taxation

Council and administration did a glorious job this past 4 years, doing exactly just that. We employed Priority Based Budgeting (PBB) to ensure we were making investments and resourcing services that were in alignment with our highest priorities of our Strategic Plan. This put a focus on our budgetary process and helped to eliminate a lot of extra spending. City administration also employed LEAN processes across our departments to improve corporate efficiencies and maximize our returns on staff workloads. Collectively between council and administration, we able to chart a direction through PBB and LEAN that saw minimal negative impacts to our service provisions (and in some cases even created higher levels of service), while keeping our tax rate flat over the terms duration (0% total tax increase over 4 years). Currently, administration is finishing up a robust analysis of all city departments and developing a new Corporate Efficiencies Strategy for the new Council to digest and reap the benefits from. The big question remains, through these processes and strategies, will a new council be able to come in and maintain our service levels while keeping the impact to our taxes low amidst a rising tide of inflation? Only time with the proper direction, our will to find solutions and make tough decisions, and how we better enable administration to execute their processes, will tell the tale fully this next term.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

My priorities for crime and law enforcement in the city are that our RCMP is properly resourced to be able to respond quickly to domestic emergency situations, be a deterring and visible presence in our core, and mitigate the negative impacts of property crime, theft, and vandalism. With Grande Prairie recently receiving a contract to establish a Drug Treatment Court to deal with crimes caused by addictions, this will go a long way towards giving addicts the opportunity to get the help they need through treatment and reparations rather than incarcerations, which usually places them back in the same circles of people at risk to reoffend. It will also greatly improve our court times, leave more room for our Crown Prosecutors to prosecute major offences, decrease our prison population, and hopefully reform the offenders. There is not much currently I would change about our emergency services. If there is an area I think we could resource better for our firefighters and first responders, it would be to provide more access to counselling and trauma services. Being on the front lines of emergencies (especially during Covid), can weigh heavily on the mental health of our emergency services people, seeing things sometimes we all would never even wish to imagine. Trauma counselling, therapy, peer support, and mental health supports are all ways we can support our front-line heroes in maintaining their well being and should be strongly encouraged from governance through management

Grande Prairie Regional College

The programs offered at the GPRC are crucial to us sustaining our growth towards becoming a major city centre. By educating and training nurses, teachers, technologists, builders, entrepreneurs, and so much more, GPRC acts as a hub in Grande Prairie to degree granting status - developing a homegrown workforce of essential services that improves the well-being of our entire community. This keeps our kids here and draws other people from the north to choose post-secondary options closer to home. As a newly designated polytechnic institution, GPRC will be able to provide more program choice and will support Northern Alberta’s growth, economic diversification, and competitiveness. Council can best support GPRC by continuing to be engaged in the conversation with GPRC, to ensure that we are lockstep in advocating for the things that will not only improve student life, education quality, the college’s own reach and growth, but the quality of life created that having a high-caliber post-secondary institution in the city provides.

Candidate Introduction

I'm Neil Tuazon. A community Leader since the age of fifteen. I would like to be the voice of the minority and to give new ideas for our city development.

Labour Attraction and Retention

To attract and retain talent on our community we must simply need to support the needs on our business community by addressing the issues specially on labour market. We need to identify culture and strategy we need and seek on the qualified individuals and give them good programs to develop.

Hospital Staffing

First we need to let them know that Grande Prairie is a very good place to grow with their skills. We also need to to maintain proper wages to maintain professionals to our region.

Recreation, Arts and Culture

The next council should consider social responsibilities for the residents of Grande Prairie. It should provide physical activities and recreation in a safe and inclusive environment. We need to build a safe and vibrant communities to attract more people, so they will see more interest on staying here on our city.

Affordable Housing

We should ensure that everyone has has a place to live but on the right size. we should not have a crowded community that will create problems at the end. We need to balance taxes and cost of living on our community.

Real Estate Development

Well we all know how hard this pandemic hits our Real Estate. For me to cope with this problem is to give them rebate on property taxes but it should be only on the period of the pandemic. The green space on our city is a place of great future projects. It is really important to have a concise plan to make better development.

Regional Project Planning

We need to work with other municipalities for environmental protection and conservation by building a strong, dynamic, and inclusive community. Although we are an oilfield country we still can preserved our environment . We need to spend our infrastructure money wisely.

Public-Private Partnerships

If elected I will work with my colleagues on planning on city infrastructure projects. My proposal is to ask the private sector to submit their program of works on a so called projects to see different ideas and to have more transparency.

Infrastructure

This is a very interesting question for me because it was one of my priorities. We need to stop BAND AID works for our city. Fixing the same pot hole on the same spot every single year is much more wasteful spending on peoples tax money. We need to repair our roads properly. Maybe yes we will spend more but only once and will save infrastructure in years to come.

Taxation

We should only focus on projects that is only needed for our city. We need to have a great team on Administration to do the feasibility studies. If we do not have a proper study on our spending we will be just making deficit larger.

Crime, Enforcement and Emergency Services

For our city our resident are the most important to resolved crime. They need to help our law enforcement to report unusual circumstances here on our city. And on the other hand law enforcement should response as quick as they can. On the emergency side we need more advance equipment to serve the needs of the people. The only solution that we need for drug, alcohol, dependency, and homelessness is our very own Rehabilitation Center.

Grande Prairie Regional College

GPRC is truly has good programs that support the needs of our community. Grande Prairie Regional College can be best supported to provide them access to programs of other College and University. And hopefully one day to help GPRC to be an University.