By Erika Rolling

County of Grande Prairie

County Council approves three areas in Advocacy Priorities

Aug 23, 2022 | 7:22 AM

County of Grande Prairie Council has approved its 2022-23 Government Advocacy Priorities, which will guide their advocacy activity over the next year.

Council approved three areas to become priorities; economic development, transportation, and health.

Reeve Leanne Beaupre says the theme is around having a safe, sustainable municipality.

“It’s so we continue to support a balanced approach to economic development and we also supply a good quality of life and a safe place to live.”

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Advocacy for Highway 40 is on top of the list of actions under transportation.

Beaupre says the Highway 40X Connector will have a big push of advocacy to the province to move forward.

“We know there’s an extremely large amount of traffic that uses roads that don’t have the infrastructure to support them and by creating this ring road or bypass, it will alleviate some of the issues.”

Photo couresty County of GP

Economic Development

A spotlight will be shined onto the businesses and industries that are presently in the County to boost economic development.

“There is a lack of individuals to fill jobs in the workforce… so part of that is helping attract new employees to the region as well as provide employers with skill sets they need, so if we can help in any of that capacity I believe it could be a boom for economic development,” Beaupre says.

She says the County also will be keeping in mind the natural resources that are present in the region and how they can be leveraged with other industries to attract more business.

“By creating more opportunity for economic development, it also creates more assessment in the County of Grande Prairie, which also brings more revenue to the County so we can invest in programs and continue our level of service and even enhance some of the services we provide.”

Healthy Community

The County says it wants to seek improvements to healthcare services to better meet the needs of our locality.

The proposed Mawaska Medical Centre is continuing to be supported in the advocacy priorities.

“It’s modeled on the Mayo Clinic model; a diagnostic clinic. There are individuals working with Alberta Health Services as well as with Mayo Clinic so it will come to fruition in the City of Grande Prairie,” says Beaupre.

Other priorities County Council is keeping in mind are:

• Rural Crime and Policing
• Completion of Highways 43 and 43X
• Twinning of Highway 43
• Clairmont Corridor at Highway 2
• Local Government Fiscal Framework
• Rural Housing Insecurity
• Provincial support of the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum