Update on Council

It's been a while since I mentioned anything about City Council. Being an Alderman, it seems I end up talking a lot of politics. The truth is, I'm trying to create some kind of balance in my life, so I didn't want to just fill this blog with political information. It turns out however, that there are a few people that are checking in to see what my political views are. So I decided to start a City Council topic and I'll try to keep it up to date.



Let's begin by saying that September has been extremely busy. Everything starts up again, including the associations where the city has assigned me to be a board member. We've discussed everything from the new Municipal Development Plan, to our Branding Exercise, to our Strategic Goals, etc., etc., etc. Here are a few highlights including my commentary:

Municipal Development Plan - This document affects the standards to which the city will be developed, including residential, commercial, industrial and park space. It looks good overall, but needs to be more attractive to industirial and commercial development.

Branding Exercise - This will help define what our city is trying to portray as it's main image. Some think it's a waste of time, but I believe that it's extremely valuable to our city. Like any business, you develop a brand whether you choose to or not. People will get to know you by certain attributes. If we don't steer this into something positive and sustainable, it will evolve on its own into who knows what. By taking control of "our brand", we can develop it into something marketable to industry and potential residents of this city.

Aquatera USA Agreement - The Aquatera Unanimous Shareholders Agreement is being revised to help strengthen it as a corporation, while making sure that the political leaders aren't put into a position of conflict of interest. Also, it is our hope that improving the leadership on the board of directors will make the corporation stronger financially without Aquatera needing to compete with private industry. The board will be selected based on experience, knowledge and leadership skills. They stay accountable to the municipalities because they'll be required to follow a mandate set out by the municipalities as well as adhere to a set of guiding principles.

Recycling - The recycling effort continues in Grande Prairie, but we are forming a Regional Recycling Committee. I have the honor of helping to represent the City of Grande Prairie along with Michelle Gairdner from the City.

Regional Recreation Committee - We'll be meeting soon with our County partners to discuss the recreational needs in the region. As our multiplex is still almost 2 years away, the County is looking at examining the next set of immediate needs and will try to fill that void.

Transit - The Transit Master Plan was adopted by council, but will need to get ratified at the budget in order for it to be meaningful. A couple of new routes have already been started, but without extra buses, a main station and transfer terminals, the Master Plan will be wasted.

Montrose Cultural Centre - This summer was an exciting time when the new library and partial art gallery opened. These facilities are a gem to our city and are already being utilized by a lot of people. Library members went up 200% after the first month and the Art Gallery has seen a 400% increase in traffic.

The Multiplex - Construction continues and is over the 25% mark. You can link to the cameras on the City of Grande Prairie website to see the construction in real time. www.cityofgp.com.

New Fire Hall - The location of the new fire hall was chosen and the architectural firm hired to begin designs.

Wapiti Corridor Planning - This is a regional initiative designed to come up with a planning document for the area on either side of the Wapiti River from Pipestone Creek to the old Bezanson town site. The idea is to have an open dialog with everyone possible including residents, recreational clubs, industry, property owners, government, etc. Once everyone has been consulted, we will try to create a zoning plan that accommodates the multiple uses in the area that balances the needs of industry, environment, recreation, and whatever else we find needs to be considered.

Grande Prairie Regional Tourism - I am working on a very exciting project with the tourism association that involves the Grande Prairie Regional College. We are trying to enhance their Tourism and Hospitality program by offering "real life" experience. The idea is to expand this project to eventually include our sister city, Mazatlan, Mexico. Mazatlan's economy is 90% tourism and can offer our students an insight they can't get from just studying in Grande Prairie. I am hoping to involve the Rotary Clubs from both ends in order to ensure a quality experience and to protect the safety of the students.

There are other issues that we deal with on a day to day basis. Too many to cover off in one sitting. I'll try to keep these posts updated as the issues come up. November is budget time and we have many issues that will naturally come up at that time.