Council Highlights

April 25, 2025

Spring 2025 Wildfire Preparedness — Council directed Administration to allocate $425,000 to support Regional Fire Service having firefighters in place at all fire stations during extreme conditions and peak burning times, to ensure prompt response.

April 7, 2025

Specialized Fire Equipment Replacements Approved — Council directed Administration to proceed with purchasing replacement specialized fire equipment at a cost of use $222,520.63, as identified through an internal equipment audit. Some of the existing equipment is nearing its end of life/expiration dates and has been in use for over 13 years since the County Regional Fire Service was formed. Assorted items needing to be replaced include multiple Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) cylinders, hoses and nozzles, pumps, and fittings.

March 24, 2025

Hommy Park Management Plan and Lease Transfer — Council received an update from Administration regarding the Hans O. Hommy Memorial Society’s desire to transfer the ownership of Hommy Park’s recreation lease to the County. The Society highlighted its challenges with aging volunteers and limited capacity over the years. Mr. Milton Hommy was in attendance and Council thanked him and his family for their dedication and hard work over the decades. Council approved the Hommy Park and Campground Management Plan as presented and directed Administration to request that the Society transfer the Provincial Recreational Lease 88024 to the County.

March 10, 2025

Updated Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework with Saddle Hills County — Council approved the updated Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework (ICF) agreement between the County of Grande Prairie and Saddle Hills County as presented. The Municipal Government Act (MGA) requires that an ICF exist between municipalities that share common boundaries. Due to an amendment to the MGA, a bylaw is no longer required to approve an ICF.

February 24, 2025

2024 Innovation Awards Winner Recognition — The County of Grande Prairie aims to foster a culture of innovation within its organization. A campaign between June and November 2024 encouraged staff to nominate individuals and teams who demonstrated exceptional innovation within the County. A total of 27 nominations were received for the three award categories: Best Created Solutions, Best Drivers of Change, and Best Positive Impact. 

February 10, 2025 

Veterans Memorial Garden and Interpretive Centre Funding Awarded — Council approved the $5,000 funding request from the Canadian Motorcycle Tourism Association (CMTA) for the Veterans Memorial Garden and Interpretive Centre. CMTA runs the Veterans Memorial Gardens & Interpretive Centre in the City of Grande Prairie. The project started in 2017, as a place to teach the community about the military history in northwest Alberta. Since 2019, the County has awarded $20,600 in grants to the initiative.

January 27, 2025

Aquatera Utility Bylaw Approved — Council gave final reading to Bylaw #3246 Aquatera Utility Bylaw as presented. The new bylaw includes a 4.5 per cent annual increase in water and wastewater utility services, effective March 1, 2025. Residential Clairmont customers are expected to see an increase of approximately $5.69/per month, while remaining County residential customers on Aquatera systems will see an increase of approximately $5.34/per month. While Aquatera continues to explore opportunities to avoid increasing costs, periodic increases are required to ensure the rate matches the cost of delivering essential services. Over the next four years, Aquatera will be undertaking a significant capital infrastructure addition and replacement cycle.

January 13, 2025

Clairmont Municipal Police Service Agreement — Council approved signing the Clairmont Municipal Police Service Agreement as received from Public Safety Canada, permitting the County of Grande Prairie to enter into the agreement establishing the municipal RCMP service contract in the Hamlet of Clairmont, effective April 1, 2025. The Alberta Police Act indicates that when a village (the Act treats hamlets as if they were villages) reaches a population greater than 5,000, the local municipality is required to provide policing services. The Act provides some options for doing so, including contracting the RCMP. In 2022, the Province of Alberta provided an estimated population for Clairmont at 5,135. In response, County administration worked alongside representatives from Public Safety Canada to formalize the new agreement.

December 16, 2024 

November 25, 2024

Action on Unsold Tax Sale Properties — Council directed Administration to bring the unsold properties from 2022, 2023 and 2024 with additional information to a future Committee of the Whole meeting for discussion. The County’s Land and Development Services department will review these parcels and provide future recommendations on how to proceed.