Photo by Curtis Galbraith

By Curtis Galbraith

City Hall

Other highlights from Monday’s City Council meeting

Jul 16, 2020 | 5:30 AM

Other highlights from Monday’s Grande Prairie City Council meeting include:

Council approved giving a $291,000 economic stimulus grant plus a $100,000 per year operational grant to a new supportive housing facility that would go into the old Grande Prairie Long Term Care Centre on 98 Street. It would include 44 residential units, plus have staff on hand 24 hours a day. Proponents say they would be revitalizing that building and using local tradespeople to do the work. The hope is to have the project completed in six to eight months.

Council approved a development permit to convert empty space where a pharmacy used to be in the CAIRN building on 102 Street into three smaller business spaces and two residential units. Counselling and health care businesses would go in there. A near-by property owner asked Council not to approve anything that would lead to more overnight parking as the area is already crowded. There are currently 83 residential units and 67 assigned parking stalls. A CAIRN spokesman estimates abut 40 residents have vehicles. Council approved the development permit application in a unanimous vote.

A report on council remuneration done by a volunteer committee presented its report to Council. The report compared salaries, per diems, and other compensation for council members in Grande Prairie to other places like Dawson Creek, Airdrie and Lethbridge. The report recommends that the Mayor’s pay go up three per cent to $109,917.48 a year. Councillors pay would stay at $58,348.05. The report authors say this would bring compensation for local politicians more in line with what is paid in comparable cities. The salary increase would kick in after the next municipal election in 2021 and the same salary would be in place through the four-year term. Council has referred the report to one of its standing committees.

Council also approved some changes and requests for its Community Group Funding. That included removing the Public Library from this process but still giving it a separate $1,650,000 grant. There is also $108,000 for the GP Sport Council and $25,000 for the Volunteer Services Bureau. It had asked for $116,000 and the initial list had it not receiving anything. The $25,000 was added at the committee level. In all, Council approved $232,500 worth of group funding, plus another $150,000 in capital funding. The biggest share of that second amount, $123,400, is going to Nitehawk. Council cut the community funding by over $150,000 this year and the capital funding by another $11,750.

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Council’s next meeting is scheduled for August 10.