County of Grande Prairie No. 1 Committee of the Whole highlights

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Municipal Development Plan Update – Administration provided the Committee with a scope of work to perform a comprehensive update to the County’s Municipal Development Plan (MDP). The MDP establishes the long-term vision for development within County boundaries and was originally adopted in 1998, receiving several major updates since. The Committee directed Administration to proceed with updating the MDP, based on the presented scope of work, aligning with Council’s strategic priority for Effective Land Use Management.

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Update on innovative Sewage Treatment Pilot Project underway in Bezanson – The Committee heard an update on the Biological Electrochemical Anaerobic Sewage Treatment (BEAST) pilot project that is currently underway in Bezanson. The initiative is in its third of four phases and works to treat a portion of wastewater produced by the Hamlet of Bezanson.

Recreational Access to Red Willow Falls – Administration presented the Committee with an update on recreational access to Red Willow Falls as a day-use area. The topic will return to a future meeting for further discussion.

Community Assistance Policy Review – Administration provided an update to the Committee regarding updates to the Community Assistance Policy. Following the adoption of the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan, Council requested that a Community Wellness and Safety funding stream be added to the policy to align with Council’s strategic priorities. The additional funding stream will also help to better capture different types of grant funding requests. The policy will be brought back to a future Regular Council Meeting for consideration under the 2022 Policy Review Project.

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Grande Prairie Regional Sport Connection Update – The Committee heard an update from the Grande Prairie Regional Sport Connection (GPRSC) Executive Director, Karna Germsheid, and Chairperson, Mike Lauzon. The update outlined the organization’s current activities, including the regional sports database and sports registration listing.

Alberta Environment and Protected Areas Update – Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (AEP) provided the Committee with an update on compliance cases within the County of Grande Prairie that relates to the implementation of the Alberta Wetlands Policy and discussed efforts to educate landowners on the Policy.

The Committee provided Administration with a list of topics to bring forward to the Committee of the Whole meetings in 2023.