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County of Grande Prairie residents say they are proud to live in the County, feel the quality of life is good, and are satisfied overall with their municipal government’s performance. This marks the third time the County has reached out to residents with a Citizen Satisfaction Survey, following those conducted in 2011 and 2014.  

“The high levels of continued satisfaction seen in several categories are reaffirming,” said Deputy Reeve Peter Harris. “Knowing with certainty that Council and administration are on the right track as we work toward addressing our residents’ priorities is vital to our strategic planning.” 

Highlights from the survey report include  

  • Quality of Life: Perceptions are on par with 2014, with 96% of residents rating the County’s quality of life as very good or good. Nearly all surveyed (95%) expressed pride in being a resident of the County. 

  • Areas of Success: 86% of residents say the County has been successful at encouraging economic development, 76% note the County’s success in developing a financial framework with a fair tax rate system, and 74% for effective service delivery using innovative tools.  

  • Safety: Most (86%) agreed that the County is overall, a safe region. 

  • Services and Programs: General satisfaction levels around the overall level and quality of County of Grande Prairie services and programs were on par with 2014 results (82% in 2021 vs 86% in 2014).  

  • Highest Levels of Individual Satisfaction: Residents provided top marks to Fire Services (93%), Campgrounds (85%), Maintenance and Cleaning of Ditches (82%), Financial Support to Non-Profits (82%) and Agricultural Services (80%). Notably, Support Services for Seniors (73%) saw a nine-point increase over 2014 data.  

  • Internet Connectivity: The County included this as a new topic in this year’s survey, with only 47% of residents saying their needs are met in this area. 

  • Growth Management/Value for Taxes: Perceptions continue to be strong. Survey results are on par with 2014 data, with 78% of residents agreeing that the County is doing a good job managing the level of growth and development in the County. Overall, 55% of residents indicate they receive good value for the municipal portion of their property tax bill.  

  • Top Priorities: Residents prioritized road conditions (50%), taxes/high taxes (10%), followed by crime (5%). Road conditions have consistently been the leading top-of-mind community issue, reflecting 2014 survey data.  

  • Inter-municipal Collaboration: Identified as important by 91% of those surveyed, with 80% expressing satisfaction with the County’s joint service provision efforts.  

  • County Operations: In terms of total satisfaction with Council and Administration as a whole, the County ranked higher than municipal norms (83% versus 77%).  

“A municipality must be forward-thinking,” said Deputy Reeve Harris. “As we set future direction, this survey will be an essential tool to help define our strengths and identify areas for improvement. Feedback from our citizens is key in our ongoing efforts to improve programs and services to meet their diverse and changing needs.”  

The report can be found at www.countygp.ab.ca/satisfaction. 

The survey was conducted by Ipsos in partnership with the County. The sample size for this survey was 320 randomly selected County of Grande Prairie residents who completed the telephone survey between November 3 and 22, 2021. Overall results are considered accurate to within ± 5.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. 

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Media Contact:  

Peter Harris 
County Deputy Reeve 
780-933-3074 
pharris@countygp.ab.ca