GRANDE PRAIRIE NEWS - 2015
January 2015: Target has announced that they will be closing all their Canadian locations including the Grande Prairie. It wasn't that long ago that the store opened in May 2013.
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January 2015: Tickets for the Grande Prairie Dream Home are now on sale.
More Info. This years Dream Home is ahead of schedule with the opening planned for early February.
January 2015: Oil prices have fallen to about half of what it was a year ago, resulting in some of the lowest gas prices at the pumps in the Peace Country that we have since in the last 5 years. Some people are predicting a recession for later this year as businesses will be cutting back spending and laying off workers.
January 2015: Olivers Funeral Home celebrated its 100th Anniversary. Current owners Gene Krause says it was founded by Ontario native J.B. Oliver as the J.B. Oliver Funeral Home and J.B. Oliver Furniture Store in 1915. The current building was constructed in 1995 located at 10005-107 Avenue, right next to the Daily Herald Tribune in Grande Prairie, Alberta.
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January 2015: Canadian Tire will be building a new store on the West end of Grande Prairie along 116st and next to the Westgate Centre. Opening is scheduled for fall of 2016.
January 2015: The Grande Prairie and District Chamber of Commerce is celebrating 100 years in 2015.
February 2015: Special Olympics Alberta Winter Games were in Grande Prairie February 20-22, 2015. More than 500 athletes were expected to compete. Cross Country Skiing, Alpine Skiing, Curling, Figure Skating and more.
February 2015: Homebuilders in Grande Prairie are a bit cautious going forward. In January this year there were only 2 housing starts compared to 23 in January 2014.
February 2015: Grande Prairie Chamber of Commerce handed out its annual awards: Clem E. Collins Award (Chamber Volunteer) presented to Barb Metituk, Alberta Motor Association. Business Citizen of the Year Don Gnatiuk, Grande Prairie Regional College. Dan H. Minchin Award (Long-Term Business Achievement) Devco Developments Corporation. Above and Beyond Award awarded to Marilyn Cramer for her involvement with the World’s Largest Truck Convoy and the Special Olympics Alberta Winter Games.
March 2015: Robin Campbell, Alberta Treasury Board & Minister of Finance visited Grande Prairie and talked about future cutbacks due to the decreased revenue from the falling oil prices. A week later Premier of Alberta Jim Prentice also made a stop in Grande Prairie with a luncheon and question period.
March 2015: The February over-all sales numbers show a 37.6 per cent drop in sales in Grande Prairie which means 86 less homes were sold in February compared to the same month last year.
March 2015: Roy Bickell, long time resident of DeBolt and Grande Prairie passed away at age of 84. He was a farmer and also worked for Canfor and Ainsworth. He had donated his extensive collection of fossils to the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum.
March 2015: Ward Livingston resigns his position as Business Manager of the Hockey Team, Grande Prairie Storm. Ward Livingston had been an announcer for Q99 Radio in Grande Prairie previous to this for many years.
March 2015: Grande Prairie Dream Home OPEN. Tickets for the Grande Prairie Dream Home are now on sale. This years Dream Home was opened earlier than in past years. Sneak Peak -
Interior Pictures
March 2015: MLA for GP Smoky Everett McDonald has been named Associate Minister of Agriculture as the current Minister, Verly Olson is taking time off for health reasons. The 2015 Peace Country Classic Agri-Show celebrated its 30th year.
March 2015: Actor Dan Akroyd will be back in Grande Prairie for the Amber Ball in September. The Harley Davidson fundraising ride will now be an annual event for the Phillip J Currie Museum in Wembley.
March 2015: Future Shops Close Across Canada including Grande Prairie Location. 66 stores closed permanently while another 65 across Canada would be converted to a Best Buy Store.
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March 2015: Victory Church Celebrates 20 years, located near Royal Oaks. Charles Spencer High had its official Grand Opening. Grade 9-12, with 1,000 students.
April 2015: A location has been confirmed for a new Catholic Junior-Senior High School. It is hoped to be open in 2018 located in Whispering Ridge subdivision, northern part of Grande Prairie.
April 2015: Alberta Premier Jim Prentice announces Albertans will be going to the polls May
5th.
Jim Prentice is with the Progressative Conservatives, challenged by Rachel Notley of New Democratic, Brian Jean of the Wildrose, David Swann of the Liberals, Greg Clark of the Alberta Party, Janet Keeping of the Greern Party, Len Skowronski of Socila Credit, Naomi Rankin of the Communist and Bart Hampton of the Albert First Party.
April 2015: Peace Windows in located along 100 Street (near Doug Marshall Motor City) Grande Prairie has closed as it filed for bankruptcy on March 31.
April 2015: Cash & Camping Lottery is on again with many prizes to be won. They have opened with display of prizes at the Great Northern Casino parking lot in Grande Prairie.
April 2015: Montana's BBQ & Bar and Fionn Maccool's Upscale Irish Pub are advertising franchise opportunities for Grande Prairie so these businesses may appear in Grande Prairie in the future.
May 2015: The NDP win the Provincial Election on May 5th. Wayne Drysdale, PC is re-elected in the Grande Prairie-Wapiti riding but Everett McDonald PC loses to Wildrose Todd Loewen in the Grande Prairie-Smoky riding. Overall the NDP swept the province winning in 53 ridings. Wildrose came in 2nd with 21 seats forming the official opposition. The PC's were left with only 10 seats that also included a seat by PC Leader Jim Prentice. The NDP won 41 per cent of the popular vote, the Wildrose won 24 per cent and the PC's had 28 per cent. Voter turn out was 58.1 percent Province wide.
May 2015:Three new VIDEOS of Pipestone Creek Campground. Pipestone Creek Park is located 17 km south of Wembley, AB. Pipestone Creek - Loop A:
PLAY Video 2:34min...Pipestone Creek - Loop E:
Play Video 3:32min...
Road to the Wapiti River:
PLAY Video 2:17 min
June 2015: The Vacancy rate for Grande Prairie was 2.6% for April 2015 compared to 1.3% last year. The average rent for a 2 bedroom home is $1,216 per month compared to $1,173 last year.
June 2015: Long time resident of Grande Prairie Wes (Arthur) Murphy passed away on June 19, 2015. Wes along with Peter Maciborsky started Richmond Realty in 1963 and in the 1980's purchase the Re/Max Franchise then more recently the Sutton Group in Grande Prairie.