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Our Advocacy

We have been the voice of business in Grande Prairie & District for more than a century!

Letter of Advocacy for Electrical Distribution Legislation Changes

2024 letter sent to Ministers MacKinnon and Anand regarding the grain terminal strike in Vancouver.

2024 Provincial Policy Resolutions

Our Chamber sponsored and co-sponsored the following policy resolutions which were adopted by the Alberta Chambers of Commerce (ACC) network at the 2024 ACC Annual General Meeting and Policy Session in Red Deer May 24-26.

Approved policies are shared with government officials for follow up and discussion with the goal of eventual implementation based on the recommendations of our network. Policy development is based on feedback from our member businesses.

The complete 2024 Policy Book can be seen here Policy Book 2024

2023 National Policy Resolution

The Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce submitted the following policy resolution to the Canadian Chamber of Commerce: "Flexible Solutions to Address the Gap in Immigration Biometric Services" which was adopted by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) network at the 2023 CCC AGM & Convention in Calgary. Resolutions are brought to the attention of appropriate federal government officials and departments to whom the recommendations are directed. The full list as well as past resolutions can be found here https://chamber.ca/advocacy/policy-resolutions/

The Issue

Strong rural economies mean a stronger Canada. Immigration plays a crucial role in growing Canada’s economy and is especially vital for rural communities to grow populations and fill labour shortages. Yet current policy regarding immigration biometric services, a requirement of the immigration process, places undue hardship on applicants in some rural or northern areas in Canada, requiring them to travel long distances and bear the associated travel costs to access this service. Such policy is neither aligned with the federal government’s commitment to address systemic inequities in core institutions and policy development nor its concerted efforts to remove barriers to newcomer attraction and retention in rural Canada.

Our Recommendation

That the Government of Canada:

1. Amend Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) policy to expand the list of eligible providers of immigration biometric services for applicants within Canada, taking into consideration those organizations outside the public sector that are fully accredited organizations through the RCMP's Canadian Criminal Real Time identification Services (CCRTIS), to fill this gap in service across Canada.

The City of Grande Prairie is proud to be a designated community under the Rural Renewal Stream of the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program.

The Rural Renewal Stream offers eligible workers the opportunity to immigrate to Alberta as a Provincial Nominee with the formal support of the municipal government.

With the support of this program, the City of Grande Prairie fills local labour gaps by endorsing employers and job seekers to fast-track immigration for eligible candidates.

The Grande Prairie Rural Renewal Stream Community Partnership is made up of community stakeholders with a shared mandate of supporting employers and newcomers to the community.

The partnership is made up of:

  • The City of Grande Prairie
  • The Grande Prairie and District Chamber of Commerce
  • The Grande Prairie Centre for Newcomers
  • The Council for Lifelong Learning

The ‘Community Partnership’ is responsible for supporting the City of Grande Prairie in identifying eligible employers and endorsing candidates who are a good fit for the community and are interested in applying for permanent residency through the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program – Rural Renewal Stream.

For more information, visit https://cityofgp.com/culture-community/about-grande-prairie/moving-grande-prairie/immigration-rural-renewal-stream

Highway 40X Connector: Driving Growth and Prosperity

Highway 40X Proposal - FINAL_1.pdf (2)1

Highway 40X Proposal - FINAL_1.pdf (2)2

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