By Curtis Galbraith

City Hall

Mission Heights residents continue to push city hall on naturalization issue

Oct 5, 2023 | 6:00 AM

Some residents of Grande Prairie’s Mission Heights neighbourhood continue to go to city hall with a long list of concerns over a naturalization project.

A group numbering close to 20 people was at city council Tuesday, with three of them making presentations.

One of them was Debra Gustavson, the Treasurer for the Mission Heights Neighbourhood Association.

She says no mowing on the toboggan hill and ravine has led to worries that include; an increased risk of fire, more predators coming into the area, more noxious weeds, and lowering property values.

“That’s a big concern with the fires and when they naturalized, the value of the homes decreased. Taxes didn’t decrease. They stayed the same. Plus, there’s the issue of insurance costs going up if something happens.”

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Another issue is the safety of children.

Mission Heights resident Brooke Blaikie says she has had first-hand experience with safety.

“The previous summer, we literally had coyotes running in front of us in broad daylight with my toddler in tow and then, lo and behold this March, a coyote got into our fenced backyard and viciously attacked our dog. It’s a miracle that he’s alive. It was luck.”

Gustavson says she feels the city “may be dragging their feet, or they don’t understand the full impact.”

“It’s easy to turn a blind eye when you’re not living in that area and seeing what’s going on day-to-day.”

Blaikie says she can’t understand why other neighbourhoods that have similar concerns, had mowing done and their neighbourhood project has not been touched.

“A lot of those areas, to my understanding, aren’t even recreational areas and meanwhile, our recreational use area is being denied. Again.”

Deputy Mayor Chris Thiessen says the presentations show people are frustrated after talking about this for several years and that their concerns are valid.

“One thing I can say is that with the naturalization, (is that) the city is working on a strategy that not only reduces the cost in our operations but also helps to mitigate the impacts of floods and beautifies the city.”

A report on a naturalization project that was done this year in three other areas is due at a city committee meeting Tuesday.

Thiessen is hoping to see several things mentioned in the report.

“When we approach naturalization, is it from a pure cost-cutting measure, which is don’t mow here and mow more over there? Or is it meant to be done as intentioned, to beautify the landscape and use nature as that guide for us to allow naturalization to flourish in a way that works for every neighbourhood.”

He is also expecting something on whether the project should be continued or scaled back.

When asked if it was possible the naturalization idea could be scrapped, Thiessen answered that it was a possibility.

“If naturalization or our strategy around naturalization is just a cost-cutting measure, then I don’t know if that actually creates benefit to the community because, eventually, we’re going to have to send in crews to go and pluck out all the thistle and to hit that with our sprays and stuff so that they don’t grow back.”

Thiessen says he can’t speak for the other members of council.

He adds city hall is open to addressing concerns brought up by anyone in Grande Prairie about how the city is doing things.