Highlights from Monday’s meeting of Grande Prairie City Council

They were worried about posts that included ones about water safety, public fears about AI data centres, and debunked media claims, among other things.

Thiessen said he appreciated the public “coming in and sharing their truth.”

Council agreed to have administration bring back a document outlining an Internal Code of Conduct Pledge for Council to a future Committee of the Whole meeting in a unanimous 9-0 vote.

A delegation from the O’Brien Lake Neighbourhood Association asked council to again consider building a boardwalk across the lake. The association has been asking for this for many years.

The delegation says a current walking path goes to a very narrow dirt path that runs along Highway 40 to go around the lake. They also say some Charles Spencer students have to walk along the highway to get to school, and that having a path that close to the highway is a safety concern. Also, the narrow dirt path is not accessible to wheelchairs, walkers, and strollers.

The association says the estimated cost is $1.3 million. Council discussed spending up to $50,000 for updated engineering drawings for alternative designs to a boardwalk to be paid for from a reserve fund, but did not make a decision.

Current information will be brought to a future committee meeting.

MLA’s Nolan Dyck and Ron Wiebe came to council as a delegation to talk about the legislation the provincial government passed during the most recent session of the legislature.

Councillor Dylan Bressey told them that he is worried that the October referendum is a distraction from other problems and scaring away investment and asked what they planned to do to get people out to vote. Both said they were in favour of Alberta staying in Canada.

They were also asked about a potential $50 rebate on electrical distribution costs. Dyck says the rebate would amount to $600 per year and is hoping legislation is passed this fall.

Council voted to receive the presentation for information.

Council approved bylaw changes around the Grande Prairie Fire Department answering false alarm calls. A blanket fee is being replaced with targeted charges to repeat offenders. It also gives more authority to on-site commanders to bill for hazmat response, and brings in a range of fines from $250 to $7500 for what are called “severe life-safety violations.”

A new Edible Landscaping Policy was approved. The updates are mostly housekeeping, such as updated definitions for Edible Landscaping, Community Gardens, and Tree Orchards. It also makes clearer what projects are led by the community and which are led by the city.

Mayor Jackie Clayton, Councillor Wade Pilat, City Manager Shane Bourke, and Chief Financial Officer Danielle Whiteway have been named non-voting members of the Maskwa Medical Centre Committee. Centre officials had sent a letter to the city, asking for one to two councillors or financial people to the committee. Council named four people so someone could be at meetings in case someone else had a scheduling conflict.

Council approved bylaw amendments to allow the redevelopment of two lots in the VLA/Montrose area. The changes would allow for semi-detached homes to be built on the two lots located on the north side of 108 Avenue between 98 and 99 Streets. Single detached homes currently sit on those lots.

Council’s next meeting is set for June 22.

by Curtis Galbraith