Coming Up: April 17
Council meets on Monday. On the agenda this week:
Delegations & Proclamations
Ukrainian English Lessons
Public Security Unit
Covered Outdoor Rink
Indigenous Relations Framework
Land Acknowledgement
Soccer Dome
Bylaw Housekeeping
Following is more information and my take on agenda items.
As always, any mistakes or opinions belong to me and me alone, not to Council or City staff.
While I express my current views below, I work hard to go into meetings ready to listen and with an open mind. I learn new information and participate in debate. This always informs, and sometimes changes, how I vote on issues.
If you would like to watch the meeting or read any of its supporting material for yourself, you can do so by clicking here. The City will post the highlights of Council’s decisions here.
Delegations & Proclamations
At all Council meetings, organisations and residents are welcome to come talk to Council.
This week, a number of residents as well as Grande Spirit Foundation are coming to talk about the proposed soccer dome. They are hoping Council does not allocate land in Smith towards it, instead keeping this land allocated for housing.
Additionally, Mayor Clayton will start our meeting making two Proclamations to recognize Earth Day and Volunteer Week.
ukrainian english lessons
Last week, a Council Committee received a report from the Rotary Club of Grande Prairie. This club has invested significant volunteer time into helping Ukrainian Refugees settle in our community. Additionally, they have administered $100,000 of funding from the City and $140,000 of private donations to pay for rent, furniture, household goods, and other necessities as refugees arrive in Grande Prairie.
All funding has been spent, but the Rotary Club has reported that English lessons are still a big need. It is recommended that Council allocate an additional $10,000 to be used for these lessons.
I’m likely to support this. I am enthusiastic about helping people in challenging circumstances get the best possible chance of starting over again. But in this case, there is also a strong economic case to be made. Ukrainians are providing much needed skills, experience, and energy into our labour market. Helping them better integrate into work places will be good for our local economy.
public security unit
For the past eight months, there has been a Public Security Unit (PSU) Pilot Program. This is part of our tiered response to policing. Eight security officers provide 24/7 patrols to areas of the City experiencing significant problems with minor crime or social disorder. They also provide first-call service to very low level callouts such as checking on alarms, enforcing municipal facility rules, and trespassing.
In the past 8 months, the PSU has not just undertaken patrols but also undertaken enforcement activities 2282 times.
Pilot funding for this program is finished. It is recommended that Council approve $710,000 in funding to continue the program through 2023. In the fall, Council will debate whether or not it wants to include about $900,000 of spending in the regular budget to keep this program going.
I am likely to support the ask coming to Council this week. The PSU is doing much needed work.
However, the City has a lot of Supportive Living units coming online over 2023. These will get people off the streets. I expect that to lead to a lowering of social disorder. Once we have more paths available for people to get out of homelessness, I think we need to thoughtfully consider whether or not the current level of enforcement resources are necessary. So I do not know whether or not PSU needs to be permanently funded to its current degree.
covered outdoor rink
Council has set aside funding for a covered outdoor rink. This would have a roof but no walls. It would look something like this:
[Image taken from this staff report presented to the Operational Services Committee on April 11, 2023.]
This structure could be used for hockey and skating in the winter. Potential summer uses would include the mobile skate park, pickleball, basketball, and community gatherings.
It is proposed that this structure be built on the Swanavon rink. At the sametime, it would receive a [very much needed] resurfacing. The boards would also be replaced with the boards that just got removed from the old Leisure Centre.
Previously Council allocated $500,000 for this project. However, final pricing came in much higher at $993,655.
To cover this funding gap, it is recommended that Council approve the reallocation of $125,000 from a previous outdoor rink project which never materialized. It is also recommended that Council allocate $368,655 in new funding.
I don’t know where I will be going with this recommendation. But I am currently somewhat skeptical that is should be supported: the price tag seems too high for the community impact it will have. I’m likely to support necessary funding to re-do the rink surface and replace the boards, but not to add a roof.
indigenous relations framework
Council has been putting effort into making sure that our municipal government is doing its part to support local indigenous communities, recognize the traditional cultures of our land, and pursue Truth & Reconciliation.
As part of this work, it is recommended that Council adopt an Indigenous Relations Framework. You can read it here. This Framework has five focus areas: Building Connections, Community Culture, Commerce & Creativity, City Services, and Education & Acknowledgement. Within each focus area, there are a number of action items for Council or City departments to take.
I’m supportive of this Framework. I think all levels of government have a duty to follow the Calls to Action from the Truth & Reconciliation Commission: this framework will help us do that. Additionally, about 12% of our residents identify as indigenous (that is four times the national average!). Working with these residents to strengthen and highlight their culture will make our community more interesting and enriching for everyone. So I like the action items within this Framework.
However: I feel that this Framework is missing an important component. Despite only making up 12% of our general population, 61% of people experiencing homelessness identify as indigenous. Indigenous people are also massively over-represented in many other statistics that point to challenging life circumstances. This is because of the legacy of Residential Schools and other colonial practices. For that reason, I think that our efforts to address homelessness and other Community Social Development (CSD) initiatives are part of our work towards Truth & Reconciliation. And an Indigenious lense should be applied to these efforts. I believe that Council should direct additions to the Indigenous Relations Framework necessary to ensure that indigenous needs are considered within our homelessness and CSD work.
land acknowledgement policy
Land Acknowledgements are becoming more and more common at municipal and community events. These are a very old custom among indigenous nations and communities. Taking part in this tradition honors and recognizes the traditional stewards of our land. It also reminds us that we are building on the work of previous generations and have a responsibility to care for the land for the sake of future generations.
It is proposed that Council approve its first ever Land Acknowledgement Policy. You can read this here.
If passed, the acknowledgement that would be used verbally and also written when space permits:
The City respectfully acknowledges the Beaver, Cree, Dene, and Métis people as the original caretakers of these Lands and surrounding areas. We are grateful to live, learn, work and play on Treaty 8 territory within Turtle Island and acknowledge these Lands have been home to diverse and sovereign First Nations and Inuit Nations since Time Immemorial.
Additionally, the City would have a shortened acknowledgement for written communications where available space is limited. It would be:
The City acknowledges we are on Treaty 8 territory within Turtle Island, home to the Beaver, Cree, Dene, Métis, and other diverse Indigenous Sovereign Nations.
I’m glad to see this Policy coming to Council and will be supporting it. I also intend to make or support a motion to ammend our Procedure Bylaw to have this acknowledgment said at all regular Council meetings.
soccer dome
At its last meeting, Council approved in principal spending $10,000,000 on an indoor recreation facility. Now we need to decide what to build.
The current idea is to build a soccer dome. Which makes sense: our community does not have a full-size indoor soccer field. Additionally, we just closed one of three indoor fields (in the old Leisure Centre). If we build a new indoor field, I am confident it will be well used not just by soccer, but also by a variety of other sports. So I would love to see an indoor field constructed.
There have been talks with the County about the City partnering to expand the Crosslink Centre field. I am supportive of this idea if it can be done with a reasonably sized City contribution. But if we can’t do that: building a dome is a very cost effective alternative. So in principal, I am supportive of a dome.
However, Council needs to decide where to put it.
There has been some talk of putting it in Smith, just north of the Activity Reception Centre. Personally, I am very skeptical of this location. It might be a good place for a new recreation facility to go. But the big concerns I have:
There has been little to no formal engagement with Smith residents. And all those who have reached out to this are opposed. They deserve to have a strong say before we make major change to this land.
I don’t know what traffic impacts we would expect from this facility. I need more information before I am comfortable that the neighbourhood can handle traffic and parking appropriately.
The land is currently zoned for high density housing. We desperately need affordable, seniors, and high density family housing in our community. If we are going to lose potential housing stock in Smith, I need to know what the alternative plan is.
The other proposed location is the Old Composite High School and Leisure Centre site. In my mind, this is a great spot for a new recreation facility because:
Significant community consultation already occured through the development of the Avondale School Sites Area Redevelopment Plan. This Plan calls for an indoor recreation facility.
Traffic can likely be accommodated by the current road network. If not, there is the ability to expand Willy de Witt drive out to the old bypass.
The old Composite High School and Leisure Centre site is adjacent to two high schools, right off a major highway, near the hospital and polytechnic, and in the corner of the City where we anticipate the strongest future residential growth. Any indoor recreation here will be well used.
The site is near hotels and restaurants. And visitors to it will see Muskoseepi Park, the hospital, a new high school, and NWP. It is a great place to host tournaments and show off our community to out of town guests.
I can support the Avondale site for a soccer dome. However, I do have one concern:
If our community sees significant growth, then it is also going to need a new swimming pool and court-based facility. The Avondale site would be even better for those. For that reason, it might be best to put the soccer dome on another piece of land to preserve opportunity in Avondale.
Cobblestone is the other site being considered. And I could potentially support this use. I am VERY supportive of getting more recreational opportunities in the Northeast corner of our community.
However, another potential site: west of the grandstands for the turf field at the Community Knowledge Campus. I don’t love adding yet another big ammenity to a corner of the City that is very rich with them: I like seeing them spread out. But in terms of using otherwise difficult-to-use land, not having an impact on other neighbours, and showing our community off well to out of town guests: this is a pretty ideal site.
A lot of work still needs to be done on this file. I look forward to Council debate.
bylaw housekeeping
Council is debating a number of housekeeping and minor items to various Bylaws and Policies. These include:
Downtown Incentives Program: Most grants within this program have run their course and run out of funding. It is recommended that they be eliminated and remaining funding be placed into grants through the Economic Recovery Fund.
Land Use Bylaw: Various minor amendments are recommended including clarifying requirements around electronic submission of development permits, aligning development permit timelines with language found in the Municipal Government Act, cleaning up a few definitions, and fixing some grammatical errors.
Northeast Rural Service Area Rezoning: Currently this land falls under provisions that were in the County’s Bylaws at the time of annexation. This can be very confusing and administratively burdensome for owners and developers. A rezoning will maintain all current development rights while bringing these properties under the City’s Land Use Bylaw.
Assement Review Board Bylaw: Changes to make the Assessment Review Board function more efficiently and be sure that it conforms to current requirements of the provincial Municipal Government Act
I have a few questions, but am likely to support all these recommendations.
That’s what is on our agenda this week. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
You can comment below. Or, you can contact me at dbressey@cityofgp.com or 780-402-4166. I'm happy to talk online or over the phone. I'm also always willing to setup a time to meet for coffee.
We also always have great conversation in the GP Round Table group on Facebook.
After Council meeting, you will be able to find highlights posted by the City here.
Thanks for reading!
-Dylan