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.
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January 2008: The Commonwealth Credit Union has started construction of a new north location, just west of the Super 8, along 102 Street.
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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 They have been replaced by Tyler Wold and the Q99 Morning Show.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)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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:
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