WORKING ON community

It is important for the City to make reasonable investments in the quality of life and social connection for our residents. People deserve to enjoy where they live. Opportunities to build friendships enhance safety, and having an attractive community to live in is vital to our economy by supporting labor attraction and retention.

 

If re-elected, I intend to advocate for:

  • Continued reform to Council’s Community Group Funding framework. Funding decisions should be more transparent, streamlined, and aligned with community priorities. Once funding is set at an appropriate level, it must keep up with population plus inflation growth. Ensuring volunteers and non-profits are adequately supported is a much more cost effective way to build Quality of Life than having the City deliver programs on its own.

  • Creating a long term roadmap for the development of major recreation and culture facilities, including a basic fitness and teaching pool on the Avondale site. We do not need major investments now, but we will need them eventually as the City grows. We should have a plan to build them out effectively and without having an undue impact on tax rates.

  • Continued tree planting. Few things make a community better to live in than trees. They are also a big part of cutting down on noise from busy roads and managing stormwater. I’m very proud of aggressive work that has been done to increase our number of publicly owned trees.

  • Increased staff resources be put into developing and supporting Neighbourhood Associations. If properly fostered, Neighbourhood Associations are an excellent tool to recruit volunteers, raise private funding, and provide advice to the City to enhance their communities.

  • Close gaps in the City’s Active Transportation Network. A plan should be put in place to make this happen within the next 5 years.

  • Exploration of an indoor park and garden space on the Montrose Cultural Centre site to help residents maintain mental health through our long winters. This could be used to attract private investment in downtown housing.

  • Working with community partners to continue enhancing opportunities for young adults without children and seniors to connect with others and have fun. These are two demographics that frequently move from Grande Prairie. Retaining them will help our community and economy.

  • Continued support of Maskwa Medical Clinic and other efforts to attract and retain medical professionals to our community and enhance residents’ access to healthcare.

 

What I'm proud of from my time on Council:

During my time on Council, we focused on enhancing the community by developing programs, facilities, and partnerships that foster connection and improve quality of life for all residents. I'm proud of the following work:

  • Regional Collaboration: We successfully negotiated a Recreation and Culture Cost Sharing Agreement with the County of Grande Prairie and took part in recreational enhancement work with municipalities across the region. This work ensures that both City and County residents are paying their fair share for regional amenities and has allowed all local municipalities to more efficiently deliver services.

  • Support for Seniors and Youth: We began implementing an "Aging Well Together" plan to enhance opportunities for seniors. This initiative, which included engaging with residents aged 55 and older, aims to improve accessibility, communication, and social programs for this growing demographic. Additionally, we've restructured our Boards and Committees to give more voice to groups like the Youth Advisory Council, ensuring that input from everyday residents is heard and acted on.

  • Upgrading Infrastructure: We've made key investments to improve recreation opportunities, particularly for residents on the north end of town. These projects include a bike skills park in Crystal Lake and the development of a recreation dome in Trader Ridge.

  • Enhancing Transportation: The Transit system was restructured to realign routes with community growth and introduce on-demand service for neighborhoods with low ridership. This redesign, along with making transit free for youth 17 and under in 2023, has increased youth ridership. This not only makes transit more accessible but also helps foster a more inclusive community.

  • Supporting Healthcare: The City has advanced its Health Care Strategy and Action Plan, which focuses on sharing information, offering incentives, and supporting infrastructure for the attraction and retention of health professionals. Our collaboration with the University of Alberta and Northwestern Polytechnic led to a new partnership for the Northern Alberta Medical Program, which will support local students and reduce financial barriers to medical school.

  • Tree Planting: From community groves to filling up parks to planting along busy roads: an aggressive tree planting program has been underway.

Do you have questions, ideas, or feedback? I’d love to hear from you! Find me on social media (@DylanBresseyGP) or click here to contact me.