County of Grande Prairie Council Chambers (Photo: Liam Verster / EverythingGP staff)

By Shane Clausing

information sessions

County holding information session for municipal election candidates

Aug 24, 2021 | 6:35 AM

County of Grande Prairie residents that are interested in running for a seat on council in the upcoming municipal election are invited to participate in an information session on Thursday, August 26.

The Municipal Government 101 Information Session will take place from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the LSM Room at the TARA Centre at Evergreen Park.

Carol Gabriel, the Director of Corporate Services for the County, says this event is meant to give current or future candidates an idea of what type of job it is they could be getting into.

“Essentially, it’s going to kind of be an overview of the rules and responsibilities of council,” said Gabriel.

“(We’ll talk) about the time commitment involved in being a councillor, what opportunities they have to influence the future of the municipality, and how they can provide directions on the policies and programs that will lead to better quality services for their communities.”

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The session will also go over the Municipal Government Act.

“We’ll go through the various responsibilities as legislated through the Municipal Government Act and moving into what that means for the County of Grande Prairie and how that all ties in for this municipality,” explained Gabriel.

Gabriel mentioned that council felt this could help people running for council get more comfortable while going through the process.

“It’s definitely something council felt was important, so they would have an understanding of what (running for council) means before they get involved and are surprised by the process moving forward,” she said.

No registration or paperwork is required for those wanting to take part in the event. However, the County asks anyone wanting to attend the event to let them know in advance, so they can get an idea of how many people they’ll need to accommodate.

More information can be found at their website.

The 2021 municipal election will take place on Monday, October 18.