Photo Courtesy EverythingGP Staff

By Tanner Smith

Community

Alberta Ministers meet with Mayor Clayton and tour Grande Prairie

Jul 26, 2023 | 2:41 PM

Following a vote to postpone a decision about adding another $1.2 million to the Coordinated Care Campus, two Alberta Ministers and both local MLAs were in Grande Prairie to tour the region’s social services sector, including suicide prevention, homelessness, drug rehabilitation, and senior housing facilities, along with a meeting scheduled with Mayor Jackie Clayton.

Mayor Clayton spent Tuesday, July 25, touring the sites with Jason Nixon, Minister of Seniors, Community, and Social Services, and Dan Williams Minister of Mental Health and Addiction. They were joined by local MLAs Nolan Dyck and Ron Weibe to discuss potential solutions, funding opportunities, and partnerships with the Alberta government.

Clayton says opportunities to partner with the province are there, and deferring the funding decision allowed them to show the province all the work the city and their multiple partners have done for this community and can do moving forward.

“The work we’ve done is significant to date, and the work we are doing is something that we need to be proud of because it’s really on the right path for treatment recovery, housing, etc. I’m optimistic to hear Minister Nixon’s announcement that there will be additional funding opportunities. As he mentioned, we need to get that application in. I know our administration is prepared with that application and we look forward to being successful proponents this time”

Clayton added there are also opportunities to partner with the provincial government on projects for Indigenous and senior housing.

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The City has applied for these types of grants in the past but has failed to meet the criteria.

Other issues were also on the agenda for Minister Nixon, who said one of his larger focuses for their visit, revolved around housing, following his $68 million funding announcement that took place in Sundre on Monday.

“That is part of the $1 billion investment that we’re about to make in affordable housing across the province over the next three years. On top of the other work that we’re already doing in the community, and social services sector so were excited to talk about that and see how our programs connect with some of the great work the community is doing up here.”

Minister Nixon says the housing funding he announced won’t be put just towards housing projects in Edmonton and Calgary but will be spread to rural communities across the province.

“It’s important to me to make sure we don’t forget about the rest of the province, that’s why I made yesterday’s announcement in my hometown, the small town of Sundre, Alberta.”

Another topic that was discussed around drug addiction rehabilitation in the city was the Alberta government delivering their own model of care, similar to the facility that was set up in Red Deer.

Minister Williams said the provincial government is working with the city to support people in addiction and is looking into a number of options.

“The Alberta model has a whole spectrum of responses. Wherever someone is we want to be able to get them into that spectrum, and that continuum of care, and get them into recovery eventually. That’s the ultimate goal all the time. The campus is going to be serving a different purpose. The recovery community is going to be exactly that, a community. These are 75 beds, and they don’t all get filled at once. We’re going to get it going little by little.”

More in-depth details have yet to be released regarding this facility. Minister Williams said when a location is sorted out they will release more details and come back for a groundbreaking ceremony. As of right now, they are working with the city to get this right, so we can “avoid another Grande Prairie Hospital debacle”, said Williams.

Council will vote on whether to add an additional $1.2 million in funding to the Coordinated Care Campus at its next regularly scheduled council meeting on Monday, August 21.