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Year End Review: Reeve Beaupre looks back at 2018

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As we welcome the New Year, County of Grande Prairie Reeve Leanne Beaupre took time to reflect and answer some questions on the past twelve months – the surprises, challenges, successes – and what’s in store for 2019.

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In your opinion, what were the year’s main accomplishments?

Our council and county employees continued to support a strong quality of life in our communities in 2018. Transportation infrastructure is a continued priority, with crews completing 62.4 km of work on county roads in 2018. An additional $1.9 million was invested to enhance our ditch cleaning program to prevent future flooding. We also partnered with Beaverlodge, Wembley and Hythe to conduct a road needs assessment to review the condition of paved roads, identify improvements and estimate life expectancies — this will assist with long range planning and establishing budgets to improve and maintain roads. We continued our work to advocate [to] the province for the funding of crucial projects and were happy to attend the announcement of a full interchange at the intersection of highways 43 and 43X along with the twinning of 19 km of Highway 40. Thank you to our residents, businesses and municipal partners for your help in lobbying for these important enhancements to our region. Council approved the County’s Growth and Economic Development Strategy. This proactive road map for attracting investment and ensuring sustainable growth over the next 50 years also provides a sound framework for utilizing county land to create economic opportunities. Supporting sport, recreation and cultural organizations is always a highlight and this year was no exception, as we were able to provide $3.8 million in grants in 2018.

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What were the year’s greatest challenges?

Developing a budget that focuses on investing in priority road and infrastructure projects as well as maintaining services, programs and partnerships with affordable tax levels is always a balancing act. Given the uncertainty of provincial grants that provide a stable revenue stream, council and staff worked hard to prepare a 2019 budget that will responsibly meet the needs of all county residents and businesses.

What is a fun or entertaining moment from the last year that stands out?

The launch of the County Connector transit service in early December was a great way to end the year. Grade four students from Clairmont Community School stopped [by and] visited Brian Mason, the Provincial Minister of Transportation, when he was at the Wellington Resource Centre in Clairmont to present him with hand-drawn cards about the County Connector bus! The students loved meeting a provincial minister and brought smiles and laughter to the room.

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What surprised you in 2018?

We are committed to providing excellent programs and services for our residents so it is not a surprise that they are successful; however, it is wonderful when the programs and services that we invest in receive recognition and exceed expectations.  In December, our Community School Liaison Program received the Family and Community Support Services Association of Alberta Award of Excellence for municipalities of our size. The Whispering Ridge Playschool, which the county invested in and operates, opened in Clairmont this fall and is completely full. Council approved an increase in programming in the 2019 Interim Budget. Finally, the 2018 Alberta Summer Games were better than we could have imagined, with 3,000 young athletes along with supporters and spectators travelling to the region to take in the opening ceremonies at the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum, lacrosse at the Crosslink County Sportsplex, baseball at Evergreen Park and mountain biking at the Wapiti Nordic Ski Club. Our local zone eight athletes even won the Spirit of Sports Award.

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What are you looking forward to for 2019?

As part of the amendments to the Municipal Government Act (MGA), municipalities are required to develop Intermunicipal Collaboration Frameworks (ICFs) with bordering municipalities to develop collaboration in planning, service delivery and the funding of the services around the region. This year, we will continue working with our neighbours to develop these plans in a way that supports the unique needs of each community while maintaining autonomy in managing services. We also have a timeline for developing Intermunicipal Development Plans (IDPs) with Wembley, Hythe, Beaverlodge and Sexsmith. Public consultation will continue into early this year and should be complete by fall of 2019.

As reeve, what are some [of your] primary goals for the year ahead?

As Reeve, my goal is always to continue developing the County of Grande Prairie as a strong municipality built on community values, opportunity and innovation. Municipal collaboration, economic development – especially through the Tri-Municipal Partnership – and continued enhancement to quality of life for our residents will remain our focus.

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