Photo by Curtis Galbraith.

By Curtis Galbraith

City Hall

Highlights from Feb. 7 meeting of Grande Prairie City Council

Feb 7, 2022 | 9:39 PM

Highlights from the February 7 meeting of Grande Prairie City Council:

Council passed a motion saying that once the province lifts the Restriction Exemption Program (REP), the rapid testing and vaccination policies for city staff will be lifted within 24 hours. Interim City Manager Arlen Miller asked for the timeline to be included to give time to allow for staff to be notified. Premier Jason Kenney said last week an announcement on lifting restrictions is expected this week.

Council heard a presentation from a nearby resident on excessive noise and people on 68 Avenue “showing off their vehicles.” Protective & Social Services director Chris Manuel says patrols have been done on 68 Avenue and nearby areas like South Bear and that hundreds of tickets have been given out. He also says speed analysis shows the average speed drivers are actually travelling is below the posted limit of 60 km/h.

Council approved having a discussion around excessive noise, vehicle modifications, and violations to a future council workshop. The discussion will also include methods related to engineering and education to reduce noise

Council has approved going ahead with hiring an Indigenous Advisor. This is being called a strong step towards reconcilliation and is meant to build relations with the Indigenous community.

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Council has voted to support in principle the idea of expanding the Crosslink County Sportsplex. A city committee had received a report on this. Council says there is no financial commitment at this time

Council has approved Outline Plan and Land Use Bylaw changes to rezone some land in the new Kensington area west of 116 Street near 84 Avenue. The change would allow the construction of 14 single-detached houses, each of them with a secondary suite.

A spokesman for the developer says the plan was to build mobile homes but there is no market for these in that area. City administration says there should be no change to the number of dwelling units.

Council has also approved Outline Plan and Land Use Bylaw changes that would allow for single-detached homes on narrower lots. The minimum lot width would be 9.15 metres in areas with a lane, 10.4 metres in areas without a lane. Developers say it would be about a year from now before any homes are built as things like design and lot servicing still need to be done. They also say the homes they build would be a new product for Grande Prairie.

Council approved several grants under its Arts Development Festival Funding Program.

The Filipino Association of Grande Prairie, Grande Prairie and District Music Festival Association, ACFA, Centre for Creative Arts, and the Troyanda Society of Ukrainian Culture and Heritage $10,000 each. There is also a $12,000 grant to the Reel Shorts Film Society and $5,000 each to Native Counselling Services of Alberta, the Peace Region Independent Media Arts Association, and the Grande Prairie Music Society. The money is legacy funds from hosting past events. The recommendations came from the Community Advisory Committee.

Council has also approved officially naming a room on the third floor of the Coca-Cola Centre the Hockey Legends Lounge by Naming Dedication. The room is dedicated to showing Grande Prairie’s hockey history.