Grande Prairie News 2008 - ARCHIVED
DiscoverThePeaceCountry.com features some of the news that changed Grande Prairie during the year 2008. After 35 years Lauzons Home Appliances closes their doors but construction is taking place for a new Commonwealth Credit Union, Redwood Inn and Suites and a new Esso and Tim Hortons. The Holiday Inn Express has now opened its doors.
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GRANDE PRAIRIE NEWS - 2008

January 2008: Effective January 1, 2008, the GST will be reduced from 7% to 5%. Also the general federal corporate income tax rate will be reduced to 19.5 % and small businesses throughout the Peace Country will also benefit with their income tax rate going down to 11%.
January 2008: Effective January 1st the Alberta Smoke Free Places Act becomes law throughout the Peace Country. It is now against the law to smoke inside a public place or workplace or within 5 metres of an entrance of the same. Also one cannot smoke in a public or work vehicle.
January 2008: There are obvious indications that the housing market is slowing down by the number of homes being built. Statistics indicated that there was a drop of 61.1 per cent in housing starts in Grande Prairie for December of 2007. (CMHC statistics of combined single and multiple family homes)

January 2008: Standard Auto Glass is constructing a new building just west of the current location of 124 Avenue and 101 Street Grande Prairie. (enlarge photo)

January 2008: The Commonwealth Credit Union has started construction of a new north location, just west of the Super 8, along 102 Street. (enlarge photo)
January 2008: This year the Grande Prairie Chamber of Commerce awarded the Clem E. Colins award to Jackie Clayton. The Dan H. Minchin was presented to Curry's Jewelers and Business Citizens of the year went to Glen and Judy Keddie, owners of Keddies.
January 2008: Augustine Ebinu is now the new Liberal leader of the GP Wapiti area of the Peace Country.
January 2008: Changes at Q99, one of the newer radio stations in Grande Prairie, sees their morning show hosts Crash and Mars leaving for Saskatchewan. They have been replaced by Tyler Wold and the Q99 Morning Show.
February 2008: 1st Annual Murray Sutherland Memorial Hockey Tournament to take place March 7-9 at Clairmont Lake. Raise money for the Clairmont Community Centre and Arena.
February 2008: The Provincial Election will be held March 3rd, 2008. Candidates in the Grande Prairie area are: GRANDE PRAIRIE-SMOKY Alberta Liberal - John Croken, Green Party - Rebecca Villebrun, NDP - Neil Peacock, PC - Mel Knight, Wildrose Alliance - Todd Loewen. GRANDE PRAIRIE-WAPITI Alberta Liberal - Augustine Ebinu, Green Party - Art Proctor, NDP - Manuella Campbell, PC - Wayne Drysdale. (Alberta Leaders: Kevin Taft - Alberta Liberals, Brian Mason- NDP, Paul Hinman - Wildrose Alliance, George Read - Green Party, Len Skowronski - Social Credit, Ed Stelmach - PC.)

February 2008: The Holiday Inn Express in now open on the north end of Grande Prairie along the Highway By-Pass. You can find it directly west of the Pomeroy Inn and Suites (117 Avenue and 102 Street) (enlarge photo)


February 2008: Redwood Inn and Suites is getting closer to completion. Located north of the Ramada Inn near the 4-mile corner at 84 Avenue and 99 Street, Clairmont. (enlarge photo)
February 2008: Music Centre Canada has opened a franchise in Grande Prairie selling all kinds of musical instrument. It is located at 103 Avenue and 100 Street (the old CFGP building) -This year Grande Prairie is celebrating its 50 Anniversary as it became a city back in 1958. Many events are planned for Aug 2-4 to help celebrate this milestone.
March 2008: The Progressive Conservative Party wins the election in Alberta. Mel Knight (PC) is re-elected in the Grande Prairie-Smoky riding, while Wayne Drysdale (PC) wins Grande Prairie-Wapiti.
March 2008: Best Buy will be coming to Grande Prairie. A 25,000 sq ft building is to be constructed on the west side of Grande Prairie.
March 2008: The QEII Hospital Foundation Dream Home is scheduled to open May 2, 2008 and will be located in West Lake Village. Tickets are on sale.
March 2008: A new RV business, Paradise RV, has opened on the north side of Grande Prairie selling 5th wheels and trailers. Located at 13701-99 Street, near the UFA Cardlock, it also has locations in Red Deer and Leduc.
March 2008: Minimum wage will increase April 1, 2008 to $8.40 but won't be much a factor in Grande Prairie because most people are paid well above that.
March 2008: Gas prices have now reached an all time high in Grande Prairie with the cost at most pumps near $1.14 a litre for regular gas.
March 2008: Peppermint Twist Hair Design and Day Spa has a new location in the Cobblestone Plaza on the far east side of Grande Prairie. TD Canada Trust opens another location at Cobblestone Plaza as well.
March 2008: City manager Dave Gourlay retires after 19 years with the city. Also the City of Grande Prairie has approved a $1.9 million new animal pound. The new building will be located next to SPCA on the west side of the City.
April 2008: Another new hotel is getting closer to getting completed. Motel 6, located north of Peace Farm Power along 100 Street almost at the 4-mile corner.

April 2008: Construction continues west towards the Airport with a new Esso and another Tim Hortons to open later this year. Located at approximately 120 Street which is across the road from Stahl Peterbilt Truck location.
April 2008: Peace Wapiti School Division has made the decision to close the Valhalla School at the end of July 2008. -More changes at the radio stations in Grande Prairie. April Lyn has left the morning show at Free FM to move to Vernon BC.
April 2008: Tyler Wold who joined the morning show at Q99 just last January has decided to get out of radio completely.
April 2008: Canfor Mill is reducing its production in Grande Prairie by 20 per cent. No layoffs but they will move towards a 32-hour work week.

April 2008: Just when most of us had done our spring cleanup and were out golfing, mother nature gave us quite a few days of blizzard conditions with snowfall warnings (April 19-22) dumping 20-30cm of snow with temperatures of -10 degrees Celsius. This storm not only hit the Peace Country but included all of Alberta.
May 2008: Royal LePage in Grande Prairie is now one of the major supporters of DiscoverThePeaceCountry.com and is now the exclusive Real Estate Company featured on every page of this website. (close to 300 pages) ROYAL LEPAGE WEBSITE
May 2008: Effective September 8, 2008 ten digit dialing will be mandatory in the 780, 403, and 250 calling areas. That means all local phone calls will have to include the area code. All speed-dials will require reprogramming, which will also affect fax machines, alarm systems, and even Internet dial-up phone numbers.
May 2008: More street lights are to be installed on Grande Prairie's west side around 120 Street, west of Costco on the Highway 43. It will give access to the Brochu Industrial Park area and the new Central West development on the south of the highway.
May 2008: A new school is now under construction along Lakeland Drive in the Lakeland Subdivision in the northeast corner of Grande Prairie.
May 2008: ATB Financial opened another Branch in Grande Prairie Southview, 6801-Kateri Drive. -M & M Meats has opened a second location in the small Cobblestone Mall (east side

May 2008: The 2008 Grande Prairie Dream Home is now open located near the 4 mile corner north of Grande Prairie in the new West Lake Village subdivision. Draw date is June 24, 2008. (enlarge picture)
May 2008: Fountain Tire opened its doors of its Brand New Building, 10205-156 Avenue. Just west of this location, it won't be long before construction will begin on the New Alliance Church.
June 2008: DiscoverThePeaceCountry.com celebrates its 5th Anniversary. This website was launched in 2003 with only 50 pages and has now grown to include close to 300 pages of information and 1,500 pictures.

June 2008: Derek Taylor Public School located in the Mission Heights area 7321-104 A Street, was opened in September of 2007 but didn't have its official Grand Opening until June 2008. It has Kindergarten to Grade 8.
June 2008: Grande Prairie Subaru had its Grand Opening of its new location 11445-104 Avenue, west end of Grande Prairie.

June 2008: Construction continues at a rapid face just west of Costco and 116 Street on the far west of the city known as Centre West Business Park with a new Future Shop, Best Buy, and Work Warehouse. (read more).
June 2008: Grande Prairie and Peace Country Relay for Life had more than 1,500 participants and raised over $500,000.
June 2008: The Grande Prairie Dream Home was won by Russel Lightfoot of Grande Prairie.
June 2008: Statistics Canada survey indicates two-thirds of adults who live in the Peace Country Health Region are over weight. About 25 percent of adults in the region are regarded as obese.

June 2008: Red light cameras are now operating in Grande Prairie. The cameras will automatically take a photo of a license plate of the person who went through a Red Light. The person will then get a ticket in the mail. List of Locations: read more
GRANDE PRAIRIE NEWS - 2008


July 2008: The Canada Day Parade took place downtown Grande Prairie and drew thousands of people on a hot sunny day. MORE PHOTOS: Picture 1 RCMP: View PHOTO - Picture 2 Antique Car: View PHOTO - Picture 3 Horses: View PHOTO
July 1st. July 2008: Tirecraft Group Inc recently filed for bankruptcy which affected the Grande Prairie location. The Smith's changed the store's name to Tiresmith and will continue operating.

July 2008: Amanda Boivin of Grande Prairie was the Grand Prize winner of the 9th Annual Cash and Camping Super Lottery. She won the Larson motorboat and Tioga Motorhome. $147,000 was raised for 12 local charities.

July 2008: The 2008 Street Performers Festival has been the most successful in eight years with thousands more people attending the performances each day. 100th Avenue of Grande Prairie was closed from 99 Street to 101 Street during the three day event. (July 18-20).

July 2008: Rona has announced it will be constructing a 62,000 sq ft building on the west side of Grande Prairie. Other businesses that will also appear west of Costco is another Pomeroy Inn and Suites, a Pet Smart, and a Super Wal-Mart.

July 2008: After 35 years, Lauzons Home Appliances will be closing its doors at the end of September 2008. The Lauzon family tried selling their business but decided to not wait any longer to retire.
July 2008: Northwest Company located for what seemed forever on the corner of 100 Avenue and 101 Street downtown Grande Prairie, has closed its doors.

July 2008: Many businesses have moved to the 4 mile corner (near Clairmont) One of them, now located in a brand new building and has recently had its Grand Opening, is Brandt Tractor.
August 08: A newly constructed street now connects north/south to the Highway Bypass. 102 Street extends from 113 Avenue to 116 Avenue where there is also more street lights.
August 08: The Grande Prairie Rotaract Club has moved the Duck Race to a new date because of the lack of water in the reservoir and low ticket sales. The Duck Race is now scheduled for Sunday September 21.
August 08: The Sunrise Car Lottery draw was made and Chantal Soucy of Guy, Alberta, wins the 1967 Camaro RS/SS350 valued at over $50,000.
August 08: The Downtown Association office has moved from 214 place to O'brien Place, 201, 10135-101 Avenue, Grande Prairie.
August 08: Shoppers Drug Mart at Aberdeen Centre will be closing their store. There will still be a Shoppers Drug Mart location at the Prairie Mall.

September 2008: First week of September saw police issuing 388 speeding tickets in school zones. 11 drivers were arrested for outstanding warrants.
September 2008: Dr McCrum passed away at the age of 88 years in Edmonton Alberta. Dr McCrum was a very notable family Doctor who practiced medicine in Sexsmith from 1946 to 1969.
September 2008: The Grande Prairie Shopper has temporary suspended its publication. The Quarterly direct-mail glossy advertising magazine was based in Beaverlodge, Alberta.
September 2008: Rumors of another giant store could be coming to the west end of Grande Prairie. Pier One is a well know home decorating store.

September 2008: There is word that Costco will be opening a Liquor Store in Grande Prairie. It would be located next to the store.
September 2008: Free FM 104.7 Morning Man, The Moose, has left Grande Prairie to do the morning show at CJUI-FM 103.9 in Kelowna. The radio station, also known as The Juice, is a brand new radio station and is owned by Vista Radio which also owns Free FM.
September 2008: The 2008 Duck Race Winners are: Dave Doar winner of 2007 Mazda RX8, Stacy Doyle won the 2007 Suzuki ATV, Deegan Pope won the 52 inch Projection TV, Frank Fraser won the Edmonton Oilers Package, Jackie Rycroft won the Okanagan Wine Tour, Ada Ray and Kevin Rawchuk each won $500 Gift Certificates, Sara Warr won the Prairie Mall $500 Shopping Spree, Simonne Beaudin won the Family Portrait Package, Lucy Ramirez won the Framed Robert Bateman Print, Darlene Conley won the Framed Heather Soos Print, and Karen McClelland won the Framed Claudio D'Angelo Print.
October 2008: The Federal Election takes place October 14, 2008. Peace River candidates to choose from are: NDP Adel Boucher Rymhs, Green Party Jennifer Villebrun, Liberal Lilian Maisonneuve, Canadian Action Party Edwin Siggelkow, Libertarian Party Melanie Semard and Progressive Conservative Chris Warkentin.
October 2008: The Brad Mates (Emerson Drive) Golf Tourney raised $90,000 for Parkinsons Disease. CMT host Casey Clark was one of the celebrities to take part in the event.
October 2008: The building that Quality Vacuum was in on the corner of 100 Street and 97 Avenue has been torn down. A new building will be constructed that will include an East Indian Restaurant as well as Quality Vacuum. Quality Vac has a temporary location on 100 Street next to the Daily Herald-Tribune on 106 Avenue.
October 2008: Clem Collins has passed away. He was well known in the community being involved in the cultural scene as well as the Grande Prairie Regional College.
October 2008: Q99 FM was winner for Best New Business at the GP Chamber of Commerce Small Business Awards. nine10 Inc won for Business Under 10 Employees, while Radium Industrial Solutions won for More Than 10 Employees. The Human Resources category was won by New Horizon Co-operative. Bethe Goldie won Employee of the Year, Carla Rakestraw of Ultimate Promotions won for Young Entrepreneur Category.

October 2008: The 2008 Canadian Hot Air Balloon Championships took place over 5 days in Grande Prairie with 17 pilots from across Canada competing.

October 2008: Chris Warkentin of the Progressive Conservatives took 70 per cent of the vote to win the election in the Peace River riding. Jay Hill of the Conservatives was re-elected in the Prince George Peace River riding.
October 2008: The Grande Prairie Inn has done a major renovation to the hotel inside and out. Located at the corner of 116 Avenue and 100 Street Grande Prairie.
October 2008: At the entrance of Westpointe subdivision, corner of 116 Street and 84 Avenue, a Commercial Business Centre has been approved. It will include a carwash, liqueur store, fast food restaurant with drive through, as well as a gas station.


November 2008: A concerned group of demonstrators paraded the streets of Grande Prairie on November 12 carrying signs in protest to Nuclear Power. (Solar Not Nuclear, Co-Generation Not Nuclear, The Unborn are the Panel, Come Clean Stelmach, Make the Right Choice No Nuclear etc)
There has been concern about Nuclear Power since it was announced one of the locations being considered for a Nuclear Power Plant is near Grimshaw, Alberta. (enlarge photo)


November 2008: Thousands of people lined the streets of Grande Prairie on Sunday November 30, 2008 for the annual Santa Claus Parade. Santa and Mrs. Claus made their appearance.

SANTA PARADE PHOTOS
Photo 1 click here to view - Photo 2 click here to view
Photo 3 click here to view - Photo 4 click here to view
Photo 5 click here to view - Photo 6 click here to view
Photo 7 click here to view - Photo 8 click here to view
Photo 9 click here to view
November 2008:
Central West Business Park, on the west side of Grande Prairie, has its first major building completed. Work Warehouse is now open at their new location. The Sears Mall, next to Superstore on the north end of the City, is getting a major uplift. All the businesses in that Strip Mall are getting a new face lift. It wasn't that long ago that the Grande Prairie and District Credit Union, changed its name to Commonwealth Credit Union. Now it has changed again to Servus Credit Union.
November 2008: Grand Opening took place for Grande Prairie Nissan, with a brand new building located on the Highway ByPass, 10314-116 Avenue, Grande Prairie
November 2008: First snowfall of the year in Grande Prairie that fell and iced up the roads happened on November 5th.
November 2008: Grand Opening took place for Future Shop, brand new building west of Costco on the west side of Grande Prairie. Best Buy is now open in the same area. Also Subway opened another location there. The owners of the Subways in Grande Prairie recently purchased Fairytales Store located downtown.
December 2008: Francois Fournier was named new general manager of the 2010 Arctic Winter Games and fills the position of Bryan Elliott who resigned last November. Fournier has been at the Grande Prairie Regional College since 1996. Also the United Way of Grande Prairie Region raised over $800,000 to help the less fortunate.




GRANDE PRAIRIE NEWS - 2008
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