The County is recognizing 43 staff and a Council member for long-term service.  

One of these recipients has worked at the municipality 25 years, 9 for 15 years, 14 for 10 years, and 19 for 5 years. Employees were celebrated safely within their work groups while Ross Sutherland’s 10 years on Council was acknowledged by Deputy Reeve Peter Harris at a recent Council meeting.  

“Dedicated employees are vital to any organization, and we’re blessed to have many colleagues who’ve invested a significant amount of their careers with us,” said CAO Joulia Whittleton. “We appreciate their commitment over the years and help in building an exceptional workplace.”  

“Every member of staff plays a valuable role in providing programs and services, whether it’s helping to keep our parks welcoming and clean, roads ploughed, delivering community supports, or fighting fires. It takes a wide range of people with varied experiences to successfully run a municipality,” added Whittleton.  

Peace Officer Sargent Stuart Fry has been with the County for 25 years. He joined as a Constable and moved to Special Constable and Peace Officer before starting his current role of Peace Officer Sargent. His role with Regional Enforcement Services has included representing the County locally and provincially.  

“I have worked with many great people over the past 25 years,” he said. “Our team takes pride in our work and the services we provide, and I am no exception.”  

Fire Chief Dan Verdun is a 10-year veteran with the County.  

“I started with the County in 2010 as the Deputy Chief of Training and Rural Operations,” he said. “In my 10 years with the County, I’ve seen our service grow in size, levels of service and personnel, and mature in how we do business.”  

Verdun’s role with the County has changed over the years, ranging from training, logistics, to operations, fire prevention, oil and gas liaising, and emergency management as a partner of the Grande Prairie Regional Emergency Partnership.  

“In my last few years as Chief, I’m proud that we continue to deliver excellent service to our residents through the dedicated and professionalism of our exceptional personnel.”  

Career opportunities at the County are located at www.countygp.ab.ca/careers and updated regularly. For more information, contact the Human Resources department at 780-532-9722 or via hr@countygp.ab.ca. 

Long service recipients for 2020 are: 

Information provided by the County of Grande Prairie.