By Curtis Galbraith

City Hall

Police petition, purchase of Bandaged Paws building discussed at Monday City Council meeting

May 31, 2023 | 6:00 AM

Grande Prairie City Council held its regular meeting on Monday.

– Council voted to receive a petition related to the new municipal police force for information. It had called for a plebiscite on whether Grande Prairie should have its own police force. City Manager Bob Nicolay told council the petition that was first taken to city hall on May 8 had 1,731 unverified signatures, which was not enough to satisfy requirements of the Municipal Government Act. The legislation requires 10 per cent of the population sign a petition for it to go forward.

– Council has approved a deal to buy the current home of the Bandaged Paws Animal Rescue Association. The deal would see the building purchased from the Edmonton Humane Society for $750,000 – with the city picking up 60 per cent of the cost and the county 40 per cent. The building is located in the industrial park near the airport. Conditions of the sale include a lease renewal with Bandaged Paws and the negotiation of a new service agreement between Bandaged Paws and the city and county. County council will meet Wednesday afternoon to discuss the idea.

– Council voted to second a resolution on affordable housing from the City of Edmonton that it wants to send to the next Alberta Municipalities gathering for discussion and a vote. The resolution calls on the province to increase funding to “address growing gaps in supporting affordable housing needs across Alberta” and to increase the housing supply. It also asks that non-profit affordable housing suppliers be exempt from municipal and education taxes. Council also voted in favour of seconding a resolution from the City of Airdrie that calls on the province to establish rent assistance funding for low-income people, increase awareness of assistance programs and simplify the application process. Alberta Municipalities will lobby the province for these changes if delegates to the group’s fall conference in September in Edmonton to endorse these ideas.

– Council also voted to endorse its own resolution that the province pay back municipalities that have fire service employees qualified as Medical First Responders that respond to emergencies when paramedics are not available or delayed. The city says the Grande Prairie Fire Department will respond to such calls when EMS will be delayed by more than 15 minutes. The fire department says in the last two years, the average wait time has gone up by five minutes to 11.5 minutes. Officials are worried this adds more risk and liability to the city without any compensation. This resolution will also to the September convention for Alberta Municipalities for discussion and approval.

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– Council approved using $1,250,000 from a reserve fund to pay for its share of the new firebreak that has been built south of Grande Prairie. The county is paying the same amount with the province paying the biggest part of the cost, $5 million.

– Council approved $75,000 in cash and gift-in-kind support for the Grande Prairie Traditional Pow Wow. Council did make some changes to the funding sources recommended by administration. First, $25,000 from the Large Scale Tourism grant program will instead be covered by legacy money left over from the 2018 Alberta Summer Games. Another $40,905 will come from Arctic Winter Games legacy money rather than a reserve fund. The Traditional Pow Wow is set for June 24-25 at the Bonnetts Energy Centre. The gift in kind will be $4,095 for facility rental.

– Changes to the funding for the Traditional Pow led to a couple of other changes. Council voted 5-3 to instead give the $25,000 from Large Scale Tourism funding to the Grande Prairie Stompede. There had been a recommendation from the committee responsible for deciding how these grants are given out that this go to the 2025 Special Olympics Alberta Games coming to Grande Prairie, funding for that will instead be discussed at fall budget talks.

City Council’s next meeting is set for June 12.