Dog parks in Clairmont & Whispering Ridge among Council highlights

During their meeting County Council provided an update on the Hythe Arena cooling system line.

Up to $300,000 was approved from the General Operating Reserve to complete repairs and cleanup work.

An update was also shared on the Teepee Creek Water Well Drilling; “Council directed Administration to secure standardized pricing for the Teepee Creek Water Well Drilling Project through an invite-only process and offer the project to all nine eligible service locations based on the lowest-priced submission.”

County Council also accepted information on potential price differences between each project, and asked admin to provide an update on that after the first four wells have been built.

An option of having a cistern installed at Teepee Creek School and an additional $35,000 for water hauling needs was also approved.

County Council’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, June 8.

The remaining County Council highlights can be found below:

Maskwa Medical Facility Lending Bylaw Amended — Council tabled second and third reading of Bylaw #3280, the amendment to Bylaw #3232 – Maskwa Medical Facility Lending Bylaw, until the June 8, 2026, Regular Council Meeting to allow time for additional information to be provided, including final loan guarantee terms that address Council’s requests to ATB or the Maskwa Medical Centre.

Maskwa Medical Centre Loan Guarantee Public Engagement — Council directed Administration to move forward with a communications and engagement plan for the Maskwa Medical Centre loan guarantee project. The plan will help inform residents about the proposed project and ask for public input on whether Council should approve the loan guarantee.

Water and Wastewater Committee Update — Council directed Administration to take no further action on the proposed 20-year repayment of connection fees. Following Council’s direction, Administration is developing a Water and Wastewater Rate Setting Policy, which will be presented to Council prior to 2027.

Facility Development Permit Application Approved — Council approved the development permit application from Beairsto & Associates Engineering Ltd. on behalf of PMC Peaskie Transloads Ltd., subject to conditions, to develop an Industry/Manufacturing, Large Scale – Frac Sand Trans-Loading facility with three holding bins and one office trailer, located west of Highway 43, north of Highway 671, approximately 4.5 miles north of the Town of Beaverlodge.

Alberta Rural Industrial Caucus — Council approved the County of Grande Prairie’s continued participation in the Alberta Rural Industrial Caucus (ARIC). The County will host the ARIC meeting in August.

Clairmont Detachment Building Project Committee Dissolved — Council dissolved the Clairmont Detachment Building Project Committee since the building will no longer be a County-owned facility.

Divisional Equitable Fiscal Allocation Policy Updated — Council approved Policy C40 – Divisional Equitable Fiscal Allocation as presented. The policy was updated to specify which Divisions are selected when funds are applied from the reserve.

Asset Management Policy Updated — Council approved Policy C39 – Asset Management as presented to reflect updates from the organizational restructure.

Timeline for Schedule of Fee, Rates — Council directed Administration to present the Schedule of Fees, Rates and Charges Bylaw prior to the end of October to allow sufficient time for review, revisions as directed by Council, and implementation by December 31.

Council and Committee of the Whole Date Changes — Council directed Administration to reschedule the following meetings due to scheduling conflicts:

· July 9, 2026, Regular Council Meeting (Pre-Budget) to August 13, 2026.

· August 21, 2026, Committee of the Whole Meeting to August 27, 2026.

Professional Rural Recruitment Incentive — Council approved the Professional Rural Recruitment Incentive applications for the following:

· Nurse Practitioner Kim Cameron, $10,000 to support their full-time practice within the Wembley Medical Clinic, effective July 1, 2026.

· Dr. O. Cladius-Adeniyi, $5,000 to support their full-time psychiatric consulting practice within Alberta Health Services in the City of Grande Prairie, effective June 1, 2026.

Audio Recordings of Council and Committee Meetings — Council rescinded Policy B10 – Audio Recordings of Council and Council Committee Meetings. Audio recordings are now permanently retained under the County’s File Plan Retention Schedule.

Video Recording Storage of Council Meetings — Council directed Administration to use YouTube for storing video recordings of Regular Council, Committee of the Whole, Municipal Planning Commission, Agricultural Service Board, and Family and Community Support Services Board meetings.

Public Hearings:

· Council gave third and final reading to Bylaw #2680-26-020 to redesignate 4.99 acres (2.02 hectares) within Pt. SW-12-71-8-W6 from an Agricultural (AG) District to a Country Residential (CR-5) District.

· Council gave third and final reading to Bylaw #2680-26-021 to redesignate 6.58 hectares (16.25 acres) within Pt. SE-5-74-3-W6 from an Urban Reserve (UR) District to a General Commercial (GC) District.

· Council gave third and final reading to Bylaw #2680-26-009 to redesignate 17.21 hectares (42.52 acres) within Pt. NW-11-73-6-W6 from an Agricultural (AG) District to a Rural Medium Industrial (RM-2) District.

Sponsorship Requests — Council approved the following sponsorship requests:

· $14,879 to the Friends of Grande Prairie Aboriginal Circle of Services Society for the 7th Annual Grande Prairie Traditional Pow Wow.

· $1,500 to the Grande Prairie Youth Emergency Shelter Society for the 14th Annual Odyssey House Sunrise House Golf Tournament fundraiser.

· $1,000 to the Resource Center for Suicide Prevention (RCSP) Charity Classic Golf Tournament.

· $500 to the Northwestern Alberta Foundation – Sexsmith & District Community Foundation for the Play for Community Annual Golf Fundraiser.

by Tanner Smith