Back to SearchProvincial Historic Designation of the Hythe Arena – Council directed Administration to write a letter to Alberta Culture and Tourism indicating that the County will not proceed with the Provincial Historic Site Designation for the Hythe and District Memorial Arena. Without the historical designation, the building can be repaired and altered in a timelier manner with regular building materials. It also frees up decisions around replacing the building at the end of its life cycle. The item will also be referred to the County’s Historic Resources Committee for consideration of a Municipal Historic Resource designation. The Village of Hythe was in the process of obtaining the designation when it was dissolved into a hamlet of the County of Grande Prairie on July 1, 2021. At the Council Meeting on November 29, 2021, Council directed Administration to investigate the implications of the designation.
Hythe Tax Penalty Bylaw Rescinded – Council approved Bylaw 3178 Rescinding the Hythe Tax Penalty Bylaw, with all three readings. All Hythe properties will now fall under the County of Grande Prairie Tax Penalty Bylaw 3095. Under the County’s current penalty bylaw, the maximum charge is 15 per cent annually, significantly less than the penalties for Hythe.
Board Member Appointed to Hythe and District Pioneer Homes Advisory Committee – Council appointed Councillor Rosvold to the Hythe and District Pioneer Homes Advisory Committee for a one-year term expiring at the October 2022 organizational meeting of Council. With the dissolution of the Village of Hythe, the Committee requested an amendment to their ministerial order to change the Board member appointment from the Village of Hythe to the County of Grande Prairie.
Contract Approved for 911 Dispatch – Council approved the Emergency Fire Dispatch Services Agreement with the City of Grande Prairie for the three-year term commencing January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2024 in the amount of $77,590. The current five-year contract expires on December 31, 2021.
Aquatera Rate Subsidy Approved – Council approved a $250,000 subsidy to be applied to the Aquatera residential and non-residential wastewater rates in the Hamlet of Clairmont and County Other for the first four months of 2022. Council also requested a presentation by Aquatera at a future Committee of the Whole meeting seeking additional information prior to making a decision on subsidies beyond April 2022.
County to Pursue Grant Funding for Geothermal Technology Pilot – Council directed Administration to apply for funding through private, provincial and federal organizations, as grants become available, to develop and pilot geothermal technology in the County of Grande Prairie. The County has been actively pursuing geothermal options for heat and power generation. Securing funding will be the next step in developing a pilot project.
Annual Operating Assistance Requested by Teepee Creek Stampede Association – Council deferred the request from the Teepee Creek Stampede Association for recurring annual funding to a future Committee of the Whole meeting along with any additional similar requests from large venues. Funding considerations would fall under Policy K14 – Operating Assistance Facilities. At the Council Meeting on May 17, 2021, Council approved a one-time COVID-19 emergency funding request of $40,000 for the Association but had deferred the operating funding request to a future meeting.
Flashing Light Approved for Intersection – Council approved the purchase and installation of a solar powered beacon at the intersection of Township Road 750 and Range Road 100 to improve safety, at a maximum cost of $3,500.
Road Extension Request Denied – Council took no action on the proposed road extension request to access Pt. NW-31-72-2-W6. The decision was informed by a report from Administration on the additional information requested at the Council meeting on November 15, 2021.
Speed Limits Assessed on Paved Roads – At the Council Meeting held on March 22, 2021, Council directed Administration to conduct a points-rated road speed assessment on 14 paved roads in the County to determine whether the existing 80 km/h speed limit could be increased to 100 km/h. Based on the pass/fail points rated assessment using the Alberta Transportation Geometric Design Guide for road construction, none of the roads met the criteria to increase the speed limit. Council accepted the Paved Road Speed Assessment as information. Council also directed Administration to bring back costs to upgrade Township Road 750 from Range Road 110 to Range Road 83 in order to qualify for a speed limit increase to 100 km/h.
New President of Northwestern Polytechnic Introduced to Council – Justin Kohlman, President and CEO of Northwestern Polytechnic was introduced to Council. Mr. Kohlman took over leadership of the former Grande Prairie Regional College in August 2021. On December 6, the post-secondary institution formally announced its new name and official designation as a polytechnic.
Policy Development Changes Approved – As part of the policy review that will take place in 2022, Council approved Legislative Services’ proposed changes to Policy B1 – Policy Development. There were no substantial changes to the content of the policy, and the approval provides a consistent and quality standard for policies.
Unsold 2021 Tax Sale Properties – A tax sale held on October 19, 2021 saw three properties left unsold. Council directed Administration to determine the potential costs associated with taking title of all three properties.
Council Postpones Public Hearing for Bylaw – The public hearing for Bylaw 2680-21-038 to re-designate 21.05 acres of land located on the west side of Range Road 91, approximately 0.5 miles south of Township Road 720, and roughly 1.4 miles north of Highway 43, from an Agricultural (AG) District to a Country Residential (CR-5) District to allow for the subdivision of two lots for country residential use was recessed a second time to March 7, 2022.
Bylaw for 2022 Fees, Rates and Charges Approved – Council gave all three readings to Bylaw 3177 Schedule of Fees, Rates and Charges for 2022. The approval rescinded and replaced the former Bylaw 3154. The fees will come into effect on January 1, 2022.
Staff Introductions – County Regional Fire Services welcomed District Fire Chief Bryan Hall whose first day with the County was December 13. Reid Fralick joined the Human Resources department on December 6 as the Human Resources Advisor.
Review of Correspondence – Council accepted as information a letter to Regional Director of Alberta Transportation regarding installation of a traffic circle at Highway 43 and Highway 733, and a letter from City of Cold Lake regarding the assessment process for physicians from outside of Canada.
Council Task Lists – Council accepted the Council and Committee of the Whole Meeting task lists up to and including December 6, 2021 as information.
The next Committee of the Whole Meeting will take place on December 22, 2021. The next Regular Council Meeting will take place on January 10, 2021.
Council and Committee meetings are available to the public via live stream. Find connection instructions and meeting agendas through the events calendar on the County website.