City Council has endorsed a Recreation and Culture Strategy to lead planning and decision making about investments in recreation and culture facilities, services and programs in Grande Prairie over the next 10 years.

“Council is excited to adopt the new Recreation and Culture Strategy to help ensure continued opportunity to high-quality recreation and culture programs, services and infrastructure in our community.” said City of Grande Prairie Mayor, Jackie Clayton. “We’re thankful for all of the community groups, organizations and residents for their valued input to make this strategy a reality and helping shape the future of recreation in our community for years to come.”

Development of the Recreation and Culture Strategy included a research and consultation process in 2022 which gathered feedback from residents, recreation and culture community groups, youth, community partners and stakeholders on current recreation and culture opportunities.

The research and engagement process unveiled five overarching themes to support the vision of recreation and culture in Grande Prairie, including:

  • Community Capacity – building excellence in the community through physical, social, cultural and economic opportunities to enhance community connections.

·       Equitable Opportunities – ensuring recreation and culture facilities, spaces and services are welcoming and accessible to all.

·       Innovation – incorporating innovative technologies and data to support recreation and culture service delivery.

·       Investment – providing high quality, sustainable, recreation and culture infrastructure in an efficient and effective manner.

·       Community Celebration – focusing on event tourism to highlight the economic and social benefits to the city and region.

The City expresses its gratitude for everyone’s contributions during the engagement process and special thanks to RC Strategies for their expertise in creating the final strategy.

The City looks forward to implementing the Recreation and Culture Strategy to support the evolving needs of the community. Those interested in viewing the Recreation and Culture Strategy can find it on the City’s engagement website at: engage.cityofgp.com/rec_culture.