The village office was closed on Wednesday, with administration and services now being delivered out of the county offices in Clairmont (Photo: Shaun Penner / EverythingGP staff)

By Shaun Penner

Hamlet of Hythe

Hythe now officially a hamlet of the County of Grande Prairie

Jul 2, 2021 | 11:08 AM

Hythe residents can now refer to themselves as County of Grande Prairie residents, as the village officially dissolved into a hamlet of the county on July 1.

This transition to becoming the Hamlet of Hythe follows a vote by village residents at the end of March as to whether they wanted to dissolve the village and become a part of the county.

Residents voted overwhelmingly in favour, 239-12, to dissolve the village due to rising operational costs and costly infrastructure repairs becoming too much for the village to manage on its own.

While change is never easy, Reeve Leanne Beaupre hopes Hythe residents see this transition as a positive.

“The objective is really to show them that things should not really change a whole lot, other than they maybe have an opportunity to a wider range of services that they hadn’t had in the past.”

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With the dissolution now complete, the village office in Hythe was closed on June 30, with services and administration now being delivered at the county offices in Clairmont.

With that transition, the county will be extending job offers to four permanent and three seasonal staff members with the village, while four positions from the village have been eliminated.

Chief Administrative Officer of the County Joulia Whittleton says the four jobs were eliminated to avoid a duplication of services.

“These are not decisions we take lightly,” said Whittleton. “It is important to note, that the decision to eliminate these positions is not a reflection of the work of these employees and their service to the people of Hythe.

“These decisions were made as a result of duplication of work and our responsibility to manage tax dollars effectively.”

The dissolution also means village council has been disbanded. Hamlet residents are now a part of Division 7 in the County, with Councillor Linda Waddy being their representative.

Now former Mayor Brian Peterson says in an open letter posted Wednesday that he thanks the community for trusting him and giving him the opportunity to lead the community.

“I will have no formal position after (June 30), but I will still be here as a dedicated community member,” he wrote. “I will still do my utmost to assist with concerns, clarification and direction to the appropriate resource.”

As for programs and services, Beaupre says all have been transferred over to the county, including the library and Family and Community Support Services (FCSS).

Moving forward, Beaupre and county council will be taking a deep dive into the bylaws and policies from the village, as the order from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs dictates that those that existed from the village will remain in effect in Hythe until such time as county council officially votes to rescind or amend them.