Photo: EverythingGP Staff

By Emily Keller

year-end look back

Year-End Interview: Mayor Bill Given reflects on the 2019 year

Dec 31, 2019 | 7:00 AM

The City of Grande Prairie saw some major events in 2019, and Mayor Bill Given says it was really a year of change.

“I would really see 2019 as a year of change in a lot of ways for our overall community, you know, we welcomed new leadership at Aquatera, Grande Prairie Regional College, and even here at City Hall as we welcomed in our new City Manager, Horacio Galanti. We also have two new MLA’s serving and representing our region, and so, that was a major feature of 2019 was all of that change and all of these important leadership roles.”

One big aspect of 2019 from a City Hall perspective was the property tax reset, says the Mayor.

“We actually approved and our city administration team delivered a 4.1 property tax reduction for homeowners, and that was a significant challenge for our organization, but we heard the calls of our residents and businesses to ensure that we did what we could to keep property taxes in line,”

The summer saw some big events, and one of the highlights was the opening of the Bear Creek Pool, says Mayor Given.

“It’s obviously a really important summer feature, and has a long history in our community, and to be able to reopen the revitalized centre was a big milestone. Obviously, we’ll be looking forward to getting a full use of it in 2020, and if the weather cooperates hopefully, they’ll be lots of fantastic memories made at the pool.”

He adds that the summer also saw the 2019 wildfires in the area, and that he was proud to see the surrounding community offer help and support during those times.

For the oil and gas sector, Alberta also saw many changes this past year.

The province saw energy company Encana moved operations to the US and major layoffs at Husky Energy.

Despite the challenges, Grande Prairie’s energy sector has not been hit as hard, something Mayor Given says he is glad to see.

“My hope for 2020 is that our overall community will still experience the same good fortune and great economy that we’ve had and been able to enjoy in this nice little bubble over the last while, and I would hope that people will reach out and support their friends and neighbours who may need a little bit of extra help in the coming year.”

Along with the changes the city and province has seen, Grande Prairie was witness to some impactful social issues as well.

Homelessness and the opioid crisis are some of the social issues Mayor Bill Given reflects on as 2019 comes to an end.

“Dealing with some of our social challenges has been a big feature of 2019. Obviously, our community has really been impacted by the opioid crisis and homelessness, something that was a big feature of 2019, and the city and all of our community partners are really looking to make an impact on serving those people with all those needs.”

The mobile Supervised Consumption Site opened this past spring, and the City announced this past year the development of a new daytime homeless shelter across from Rotary House that is slated to be operational in 2020.

The City also announced the demolition of the building that formerly housed the Park Hotel downtown, which is expected to be gone this coming spring.