Photo Courtesy Kendra Sledding

By Tanner Smith

Candidate profile

City of Grande Prairie Council Candidate Profile: Kendra Sledding

Sep 22, 2025 | 12:49 PM

Kendra Sledding is one of over 20 residents running for a City Council position.

She was asked to answer the following four questions with a 600-word limit.

1. What has inspired you to run for mayor/council/school trustee in the Oct. 20, 2025, municipal election?

I was inspired to run for City Council because I believe our community deserves leadership that listens and responds. Time and again, I’ve heard neighbors share that they don’t feel their voices are being heard when important decisions are made. That shouldn’t be the case. My background in leadership, community service, and business has shown me how powerful collaboration can be when we come together around shared goals. I’ll bring that same spirit to Council—to ensure decisions are made with transparency, courage, and a genuine dedication to our residents. At the heart of it, I’m running because, after 21 years here, I care deeply about this community. I want to see our families thrive, our businesses grow, and our neighborhoods remain places where people feel safe, valued, and connected. Serving on Council is my way of giving back and helping to build a stronger future for all of us.

2. What skills or experience do you have that you feel would make you a good fit for the role?

I believe real progress comes from collaboration and problem-solving; not shying away from challenges, but bringing people together and listening to every perspective so solutions truly reflect our needs. Through Business Management and Community Development work I’ve brought vision and strategy to help organizations grow and thrive—skills I want to use to strengthen our community. I’ve built strong relationships across diverse backgrounds, fostering trust and ensuring every voice has a place at the table. On Council, these same skills will help me engage residents, foster collaboration, and ensure that every decision is backed by both strong support and a clear plan to deliver real results for our community. My years of leading and working with thriving non-profits have taught me that real impact comes from putting people before process. These organizations often achieve more—with fewer dollars and greater outcomes—because they are mission-driven, efficient, and deeply connected to the communities they serve. As the Founding Executive Director of a pregnancy care center, I turned compassion into action, building an organization from the ground up to meet real needs and give people hope. That same spirit of innovation, accountability, and care is what I’ll bring to Council to ensure resources are used wisely and results truly benefit our neighbors.

3. What do you feel are the key or main election issues in your community, and what are the issues of priority for you?

Affordability is a key issue. Many families are experiencing high living costs and nearly one in five households are struggling to afford groceries. Parents should not have to choose between having heat and buying food for their kids. I’ll keep the pressure on the province to equalize the electricity distribution and transmission rate, which sees GP residents pay 200 – 300% more than in Edmonton or Calgary. We’ve made strides to fight homelessness, but we still lack beds and resources to help our most vulnerable. There’s more to be done to help folks off the streets and into supports to heal and recover. High taxes are also a priority. An established small business owner shared their taxes are $20,000+ a year – 5 times their residential property tax – but feels services are lacking. Our transit system schedule needs an overhaul. 40 – 60 minutes between pickups is too long and impacts iders’ ability to get to work or school on time. Buses should also run until 10pm at the minimum. And snow removal – our largest cost – is inefficient. I’ll work to create shorter timelines/service level targets, implement snow pack strategies, improve communication via updates and plow progress technology, adopt best practices around parking bans in order to clean to curb quicker, and more.

4. Where can people learn more about you?

 Kendra4gp.ca  connect@kendra4gp.ca FB Kendra 4 GP Council