Every Monday I am making a blog post to share something that has both prepared me for Council and which differentiates me from most other candidates. You can see these posts by clicking here.

My Contributions to Grande Prairie

I moved up to Grande Prairie to contribute to this community. Below are descriptions of a few of the organisations I have worked with. Through them, I have helped make Grande Prairie more sustainable, livable, and connected.

Spontaneous Summer Camp

In early July, a summer camp in southern BC cancelled a week due to wildfires. I couldn't let those kids sit at home disappointed. And I also saw an opportunity for us to showcase Grande Prairie to others. So I invited the campers up here. Only three days later, over 110 campers and adult volunteers showed up for five days of incredible fun. They all went home impressed with how much there is to do in Grande Prairie and with stories about how hospitable our community is. This kind of "advertisement" is incredibly important for us to attract people to live, work, and invest in our region.

I'm proud of this camp. It took a tremendous amount of energy and creativity. It required me to get the entire community involved. Feeding, housing, and entertaining 110 people means coordinating a lot of moving parts. If elected, I look forward to bringing this type of work ethic, leadership, and thinking to Council.

To find out more about Spontaneous Summer Camp, visit www.ylpeacecountry.ca/savecamp.

To see a Facebook Live Dylan recorded to talk about Spontaneous Camp, click here.

 Youth Mentoring Programs: Young Life

Young Life is a world-wide youth mentorship organisation. I began as a volunteer in 2002 and joined as staff in 2006. My current role is Area Director for the Peace Country. I spend my days building and delivering programs, recruiting and training volunteers, and fundraising. I also get to spend a lot of time listening to and developing teenagers. Young Life contributes to:

  • Sustainability: adds value to the community without using taxpayer dollars, develops our next generation of community leaders
  • Livability: provides youth with safe fun and leadership experience
  • Connection: provides youth with peer community and mentorship from adults, provides adults a place to build friendships as they volunteer

 Sport and Recreation: Disc Golf

Disc Golf is much like traditional golf but played with a frisbee. I founded the Grande Prairie Disc Golf Club in 2011. In 2012, I championed the building of the Thrill Hill Disc Golf Course in Muskoseepi Park. Today, I continue to organize disc golf competitions and deliver workshops in local schools. Disc golf contributes to:

  • Sustainability: courses are inexpensive for the city to build and maintain and are significantly supported by volunteers and donations
  • Livability: accessible recreation; free to play, open to people of all abilities
  • Connection: thousands of people have played disc golf in Grande Prairie, mostly playing with friends or neighbours. Many new friendships have begun at the Grande Prairie Disc Golf Club events I have organized.

Community Organisation: Neighbourhood Association

Neighbourhood Associations have been a recent City initiative. In 2015, I was part of the founding board for the Avondale Neighbourhood Association. Throughout the city, Neighbourhood Associations have contributed to:

  • Sustainability: provide volunteer labour and input to complement the work of City staff
  • Livability: important tool for Crime Prevention, facilitate community betterment projects
  • Connection: bring neighbours together to work and play

Strengthening Local Non-Profits

I have provided training and consultation to these and many other non-profit organisations.

The non-profit sector is vital to any community. Volunteers and donors complement the spending of taxpayer dollars in bettering our community. Many non-profits provide crucial social or economic services, others provide services that make our community nicer to live in. These organisations often provide government with valuable perspectives and information. Non-profits are also a great avenue for people to connect with one another and the causes they care about. These organisations are a vital part of our community.

I’ve spent my entire career learning how the non-profit sector works. If elected, I will bring my experience to bear when the City seeks to partner with these vital organisations.


I'd love to hear about your experiences helping Grande Prairie be Sustainable, Livable and Connected. Join a GP Round Table discussion online or in person. Details are here.

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