Grande Prairie MLA Tracy Allard (left) with Public District Board Chair John Lehners, Superintendent Sandy McDonald, and Mayor Bill Given at the November 1 sod-turning for the new Comp. high school. Photo by Curtis Galbraith.

By Curtis Galbraith

Schools

MLA happy GP is “on the map again” for new schools

Nov 12, 2019 | 4:30 AM

November 1 was a big day for new school projects in this area.

Sod was turned for the new Comp. on the same day the province announced funding for design work on 25 new schools across the province, including a replacement for Harry Balfour and a new Francophone school in Peace River.

Grande Prairie MLA Tracy Allard says she is “glad to see Grande Prairie is on the map again.”

“One of the things I’ve been fighting for for our city and for our region is that we tend to send a lot of money elsewhere in the province and it’s nice to see some infrastructure coming back to Grande Prairie.”

She adds a lot of people not from here understand Grande Prairie is a young, growing community but don’t really understand unless they have been here.

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“Quite often, Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray get lumped together as the north and we’re geographically quite far apart. Our complexities of investment and the way our communities have been settled are quite different. I think that, in and of itself, is something we have to get over in telling the story of Grande Prairie. We’re a northern hub.”

Allard understands some people are also frustrated by cutbacks, that were announced during the unveiling of the UCP’s first budget.

“We want to work with school districts to make sure that we serve our students the best. We’re looking for a way forward collaboratively with school boards and school districts. I’m super-thankful for the relationship I have with Grande Prairie Public, Grande Prairie Catholic, the Francophone District here, and Peace Wapiti. I’m just so grateful for the people, the folks on the ground in Grande Prairie here, that are willing to work with us.”

Allard maintains what the government has said about this budget being a balanced approach.