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Photo courtesy City of Grande Prairie.
By Erika Rolling
City Hall

City wins 2025 Minister’s Award for Municipal Excellence

Sep 11, 2025 | 12:20 PM

Grande Prairie City Hall received an award from the province at their most recent meeting on September 8, 2025.

City Council accepted the 2025 Minister’s Award for Municipal Excellence in Red Tape Reduction or Service Delivery Enhancement category.

The municipal government won for “streamlining the permitting process by consolidating three separate applications – development permit, building permit, and civil site work – into a single, unified application and moving to a digital platform.”

The City says this streamlined process has transformed the user experience to become more simplified, reducing duplication, and accelerating processing times for applications.

By changing the process, the city notes there has been significant efficiency gains for both applicants and internal staff.

Key indicators of this are:

  • Turnaround time of 10 business days into 2-5 business days
  • Time and cost savings for applicants
  • Efficiency gains for internal staff taking just 45 minutes to review per application
  • Increase in digital submissions
  • Improved customer experience, based off feedback
  • Provincial leading turnaround time, based on Alberta Municipal Indicators dashboard

The Minister’s Award for Municipal Excellence is said to recognize initiatives that demonstrate a first-time of unique approach of an idea in the province.

The Red Tape Reduction or Service Delivery Enhancement is awarded to a municipality that exemplifies:

  • Improving upon or presenting a new approach to how a municipality can deliver a program or service
  • Streamlining processes and reducing administrative requirements, leading to more efficient service delivery
  • Saving time, money, and/or resources by implementing practices that enhance operational effectiveness
  • Reducing regulatory, policy, or procedural requirements to simplify access to municipal services for residents and businesses, and/or
  • Promoting transparency and accountability in municipal operations, fostering trust within the community
by Erika Rolling