• In Alberta, our electricity transmission and distribution system is facilitated through various service areas which are serviced by different companies. Distribution costs are isolated to each service area and residents and businesses pay the costs attributed to their area.
• This system has created a disparity in costs between the service areas. Large geographical areas who have less residents per kilometre of power line pay significantly more for transmission and distribution than urban areas with denser development. This has led to significant disparities in electricity delivery prices across the province.
• The ATCO service area sees the highest delivery rates in the province with annual residential charges averaging over $1,200. This compares to an average of $370 in the larger centres.
• Not only does this impact property owners on their monthly utility bills, it impacts them through their property taxes. In 2023, the City was charged $2.4 million in electricity distribution fees alone, which made up about 36% of the City’s total electricity bill.
• In 2023, ATCO had wildfire losses of over $100 million on their distribution infrastructure. The replacement of this infrastructure is paid by customers within the ATCO service area.
• The City believes that there is a better solution. Provinces like British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba have equalized electricity delivery rates across their provinces recognizing the interconnectedness of the system and the general benefit to all of having a connected system.
• In 2022, the City put forward a resolution to Alberta Municipalities asking members to support advocating for a similar approach in Alberta. The resolution passed with the support of 88% of members. Rural Municipalities of Alberta supported the resolution as well.
• Discussions with senior executives in ATCO have indicated that the company aligns with the City’s position on transmission and distribution rate convergence and has taken an active role in supporting our advocacy in this regard.
• The City is requesting that the Province review distribution regulations and ensure that electricity distribution costs are more equitably shared across the province.

Advocating for our local health care system is a key priority of Council. There are three areas we’re particularly focused on:

1. Attraction and Retention of Health Care Professionals

• Grande Prairie, like most other Alberta communities, faces a shortage of health care professionals across a variety of fields.
• The City is advocating for increased focus and funding on attracting health care professionals to the city.

2. Local Training of Physicians

• The Province has been studying the expansion of physician training in rural Alberta, with Northwestern Polytechnic identified as one of two sites where training would occur.
• The City is requesting that the Province continue to support this initiative and provide the resources required to make it reality.

3. Cardiac Care Unit for Grande Prairie Regional Hospital

• The Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation has been raising capital funds for a fully functioning cardiac care unit and a catheterization lab at the GPRH.
• The City is advocating that AHS commit to the operational resources required for this project.

• The Grande Prairie Fire Department (GPFD) responds to mid and high acuity medical emergencies in a “Medical First Response” capacity when EMS is known to be delayed greater than 15 minutes.
• GPFD has noted a significant increase in the time on task required to fulfill the medical response role.
• In the past two years, the average EMS ambulance wait time in a First Response situation has increased from 6 ½ to 11 minutes, a 70% increase.
• There were notable improvement in EMS delivery during Q2 2023 when numerous Calgary/Edmonton EMS resources were staged in GP and region during wildfire activity. However, MFR responses have begun increasing again since Q2 2023, mostly due to additional time-based MFR requests.
• Wait times for EMS and the related GPFD time on task is again increasing to historical highs.
• The City is currently not compensated for fulfilling these EMS functions.
• In late 2022, the Alberta EMS Provincial Advisory Committee released its final report on how to address the growing demand for EMS across the Province.
• Several of the recommendations included greater use and integration of MFR resources and a call to develop a funding model to support municipalities who participate in the program.
• The City submitted a resolution to Alberta Municipalities last fall requesting provincial compensation for MFR. The resolution passed with 96% support.
• The City is requesting that the Province provide sustainable funding for Fire Medical Response services provided by the Grande Prairie Fire Department and other municipal departments across the province.

Council is a strong supporter of Northwestern Polytechnic (NWP) and believes its success is crucial for the success of the community. Council is supporting NWP in its advocacy efforts by advocating for the following items:

• Grant funding from Foundational Learning and Skills Development Program Designation for the Academic Upgrading and Foundational Learning Certificate of Achievement. This grant would allow NWP to cover tuition, mandatory fees and student association fees for students enrolled in these programs
• Ongoing funding for several Targeted Enrolment Expansion (TEE) grants which expire in 2025/26
• Improved speed and efficiency for Ministry program approval processes. Approval times currently average 106 days, far above the 20-40 day department standards.
• Sustained institutional autonomy (keeping RABCCA repealed).
• Increased funding - NWP is recommending that funding be increased by calculating the inflation rate plus growth in the student population.
• Regional Medical Education funding.
• Continued funding for student mental health.
• Increased dual credit opportunities.

• Grande Prairie’s volatile rental housing market increases instability of households in financial need or with other barriers to market rental housing.
• The number of households earning less than 80% of Area Median Household Income has grown faster than households earning 81% or more. Ensuring a housing inventory of various financial types is key to addressing housing gaps.
• Grande Prairie has a deficit of housing to accommodate a fast-growing, large group of single person households in low or very low income.
• 744 households were on the Grande Spirit Foundation’s waitlist for affordable housing in the Grande Prairie region in 2023, up from 584 in 2022.
• Grande Prairie acts as a health and social service, economic, and housing hub for communities across northwestern Alberta and northeastern BC, which puts additional pressure on local resources.
• Chronic homelessness continues to persist in Grande Prairie despite existing housing programs, partially due to a lack of appropriate housing options.
• Since 2021, the City has invested over $25M in capital projects, such as the Coordinated Care Campus , representing the largest government investment in housing in Grande Prairie in several years. Provincial and Federal investments in the Coordinated Care Campus make up only 2.4% of the total investment.
• The City has consistently supported affordable housing development through land disposition, planning & development tools such as fee waivers, financial incentives, direct support for rental subsidies, and other forms of support.
• Rental vacancy rates have declined to 1.5%, the lowest we’ve seen in 10 years.
• The City is requesting that funding be provided to housing projects from the provincial and federal governments

• Rail remains vital to the economic security and prosperity of the nation, transporting 50 per cent of our exports, and supporting thousands of jobs and communities across the country. However, rail transportation is under threat, creating challenges for the economy, disproportionately impacting northern communities, and threatening Canada’s reputation as a supplier and trade partner at a global level.
• The unevenly deployed resources, insufficient seasonal service, and unreliable capacity of Northern Alberta’s rail network have led to a breakdown in equitable railcar service, leaving industry and communities struggling to export and import goods.
• The City of Grande Prairie helped spearhead the creation of the Community Rail Advocacy Alliance (CRAA) to address these issues.
• The CRAA is composed of over 30 municipalities and industry associations impacted by our region's inequitable, undeployed and undersupplied rail service.
• The CRAA is requesting that the federal government mandate rail companies release data on car fulfilment statistics to better understand demand, efficiencies, and opportunity to increase shipments.
• The CRAA is also requesting that the federal government ensure rail companies develop a strategy to manage service levels during the winter to ensure consistent and reliable transportation

• Since Dec. 1, 2019, municipalities in Alberta have not been able to install new automated traffic enforcement (ATE) equipment, upgrade existing ATE equipment, or add new ATE locations. This freeze was extended until Dec. 31, 2024 by Minister Dreeshan in late 2023 in order to have further consultation with municipalities.
• ATE has had a significant impact on the decrease in traffic collisions in the City of Grande Prairie. Since re-implementation of ATE in 2018, injury collisions have dropped in half.
• Due to the Province increasing its share of ATE revenues in 2019, municipalities only receive 27% of ATE fines levied.
• Of the $4.4 million collected in ATE revenue in the City in 2022, just over $1 million went to the City.
• ATE revenues only compose 0.4% of the total annual revenues that the City collects.
• The City is requesting that the Province end its freezes on the use of ATE equipment and provide municipalities with certainty on regulations.

• Immigrants who have arrived in Canada are required to provide fingerprints and photo (biometrics) if they are applying for an extension to work, study or visitor visas or are applying for permanent residency.
• In-Canada submission of biometrics began in December 2019, making it easier for applicants to apply within Canada as they no longer have to leave the country to provide biometrics. This saves applicants time, money, and stress as they apply for new status in Canada.
• Biometric scanning is available at most regional centres in Canada. In Alberta, these services can be accessed in Fort McMurray, Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat. In northern BC, there are biometric services in Prince George.
• Grande Prairie does not have biometric services available.
• This requires local immigrants to go to Edmonton to receive these services. This typically requires time away from work and travel and accommodation expenses which is a hardship for many immigrants.
• Between 2016-21, Grande Prairie welcomed 2,615 immigrants in comparison to 1,245 in Prince George, 1,495 in Medicine hat, and 2,935 in Lethbridge.
• The GP Local Immigration Partnership has advocated to Immigration Canada for these services to be set up locally, but have received letters denying the request.
• The City is requesting that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) establish a biometrics scanning centre in Grande Prairie.