Latest news with #GrandePrairie
CBC
4 days ago
- General
- CBC
Some Grande Prairie residents still displaced after apartment fire
Several displaced residents from the Margaret Edgson apartment fire in Grande Prairie are still trying to find new places to live. The fire displaced dozens of people, many with disabilities or mobility issues.
CBC
5 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
2 northern Alberta municipalities declare agricultural disasters due to dry conditions
Two rural municipalities in northwestern Alberta are sounding the alarm over extremely dry conditions that local officials say are threatening the livelihood of many cattle ranchers in the region. On July 8, the Municipal District of Greenview, located about 400 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, declared a municipal agricultural disaster for its livestock industry. With widespread dry weather persisting throughout the region, the neighbouring County of Grande Prairie also declared an agricultural disaster on Friday due to similar concerns for their livestock herds. In a new release on Monday, the M.D. of Greenview stated that the decision was made because of unprecedented drought conditions and significant grasshopper infestations in the region, which are causing hay and pasture lands to fail. Bill Smith, the deputy reeve for the M.D. of Greenview and a fourth-generation rancher, said he can't remember a time when the region saw this many consecutive years of dry conditions. "I've asked some of the old-timers that I know, and none of them say they've ever seen it this bad, because on top of how dry it is, it's these grasshoppers that are just hammering us." The exceptional drought conditions are leaving ranchers concerned they won't have enough hay to feed their livestock, said Smith. "I should be getting 3,000 bales a year, and I'm probably going to hit 500 [bales this year]. Last year, there were about 1,000. This is about as severe as it's gonna get for us." Smith said the dry conditions are being compounded by throngs of grasshoppers that are devouring any new plant growth in the area. "Now, we have these grasshoppers, and they're just flying right now, and they are like a combine going across the field. They're just sucking up any quality [hay] that we have." Tyler Olsen, the reeve for the M.D. of Greenview, said he is very concerned that the local drought conditions will result in a serious lack of feed for the region's cattle herds through the fall and winter. As a result, he said these conditions could force ranchers to preemptively liquidate their herds. "There are producers that are looking at selling already. They just can't make it through the fall with what they have," said Olsen. Olsen hopes that declaring this agricultural disaster will help bring awareness to some of the needs of the municipality's livestock industry from both provincial and federal governments. Parts of the province have been dealing with extended periods of drought and that's taking a toll on some agricultural industries. The municipal district of Greenview in northwest Alberta has declared a state of agricultural disaster for the region's livestock producers. Tyler Olsen is the reeve of the district, and Bill Smith is the deputy reeve for the area, as well as a fourth generation rancher. In an open letter to Alberta's Agriculture Minister RJ Sigurdson, Olsen asked for the M.D. of Greenview to be included in the regions that are eligible for the federal livestock tax deferral program. He also requested additional mental health support for farmers struggling with the worsening conditions for their livestock. "It's their livelihoods that are failing now, and that's gonna be harsh for them. Their minds are part of the whole thing, and if we can't protect those too, then it's going to be even more detrimental." In a statement to CBC, the provincial Agricultural Ministry stated that it provides grants to multiple organizations that offer agriculture-specific mental health support for farmers. The ministry also said the province is committed to continuing advocacy efforts at a federal level on behalf of livestock producers affected by extreme weather conditions. It said that as a result of this advocacy, more eligible regions in Alberta have been able to access federal financial support. Smith said that many ranchers in the area may be forced to leave the livestock industry entirely due to the current difficult conditions.
CBC
5 days ago
- General
- CBC
Accessible housing hard to find for Grande Prairie residents displaced by apartment fire
Leslie Dunagan and her husband, Kevin Guerette, are struggling to find a new home in Grande Prairie, Alta. They are among dozens of people displaced from Margaret Edgson Manor, which caught fire over a month ago. The 70-unit apartment building, which provided affordable housing and 16 wheelchair-accessible units, is now uninhabitable. Many affected residents are staying in hotels or college dormitories while they look for new rentals. Some, including Dunagan and Guerette, have to consider their mobility issues and complex health needs as they search. Dunagan has multiple sclerosis and uses a walker; Guerette is her full-time caretaker. But finding any vacancy is the bigger issue, they said. "You can phone any rental agency in Grand Prairie right now, and they have zero vacancies. Most of them do not even have waitlists anymore because it's that bad," said Dunagan, who lived in the manor with her husband for five years. "It's not even trying to find something accessible, which I need. There are just no vacancies, period." Dunagan and Guerette have applied for more than 15 rentals, but have had no luck so far, they said. The couple is living in a hotel for now. Their insurance company will cover costs for nine months. The fire has highlighted the ongoing challenge of ensuring accessible housing is available when needed, especially in emergencies, a City of Grande Prairie spokesperson told CBC News in an emailed statement. The city doesn't have many vacant, fully accessible units on standby, the spokesperson said. So when an emergency displaces a lot of residents, it further strains an already stretched system. Grande Prairie, a city about 390 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, had a residential vacancy rate of 1.5 per cent in 2023, provincial data shows. The dataset only tracks units in non-subsidized buildings. WATCH | Fire engulfs Grande Prairie apartment building: Dozens displaced after fire engulfs Grande Prairie apartment building 1 month ago The city approved to help cover hotel accommodations for manor residents as they waited for insurance or provincial emergency benefits to begin, the spokesperson said. Several residents were successfully placed in a city-owned housing facility, the spokesperson said. But the municipality is not directly managing individual placements. Instead, it's supporting local organizations that are working with impacted residents. The provincial Assisted Living and Social Services Ministry is working with the Grande Spirit Foundation — which manages the manor — and Grande Prairie Residential Society to help residents, according to Amber Edgerton, press secretary for Assisted Living and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon. The ministry is sending rental and emergency financial assistance to those affected, and has contacted affordable housing and seniors' lodges in the Grande Prairie area to help people find suitable housing, Edgerton said in a statement. Sixty-seven of the manor's units were occupied when the fire ignited on June 9, said Tracy Bussiere, the Grande Spirit Foundation's director of human resources, in an email. She wouldn't specify how many people lived in the building, but said 82 per cent of residents have been rehoused to a lodge, apartment or rent-subsidized unit. The status of 13 per cent of residents is unknown, while five per cent have refused options, she said. Dunagan and Guerette haven't heard much from support organizations, they said. The foundation has offered them spaces in different communities, including at a seniors' lodge about 70 kilometres north in Spirit River, Alta., but moving away is a last resort. "Grande Prairie has become a home for me. My doctors are here … My friends are here," Dunagan said. She hasn't considered living elsewhere since the couple moved to Grande Prairie from Vancouver Island in 2006, Dunagan said. She is only doing so now "because there's nothing here." "How are we supposed to deal with this? How are we supposed to find a new home when there are none?" Dunagan said. Julia Wright, another displaced resident who lived in the manor for seven years, admits that she and her family are lucky to be settling into a new apartment. Wright, who has degenerative disc disease and arthritis, is recovering from surgery. But she also cares for her adult daughter, who is disabled and has multiple complex health conditions. When she went to a local property management company, it happened to have a new listing, she said. "It had all of the ticks for us to be able to live there," Wright said, noting that the location was good, despite being half the size of her first-floor manor unit. "I immediately took it," she said. "There were no ifs, ands or buts about it, because there's nothing in this town." They're living on a fixed income, though, Wright said, and their new rent costs $1,650 per month — more than double the $800 they paid monthly at the manor. "That's going to make a big difference," she said. Starting over In addition to losing their homes, many of the manor's residents escaped the fire with few belongings. Wright, for one, left medications, Kitchen-Aid mixers and the ashes of her daughter's father, she said. "There were two days, I called it my pity party; I broke down," Wright said. "They're just some things that you can't replace, but we'll survive. [We'll] have to do without," she said. Dunagan and Guerette, meanwhile, are starting over without Dunagan's custom wheelchair and thousands of dollars of medication, as well as keepsakes of their son, who died 13 years ago. "We've lost all the pictures of him," Dunagan said. "We had a memory quilt made out of his clothes; we've lost that." "It's just an overwhelming sense of loss," she said.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Police fatally shoot man after he pulled gun on officers: Alberta RCMP
Police in northwestern Alberta fatally shot a man Friday night after he had been driving erratically and pulled a gun on the officers, RCMP say. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), the province's main police oversight agency, is investigating the shooting, RCMP said in a news release Saturday. CBC News has contacted ASIRT for independent confirmation. Shortly before midnight Friday, officers on patrol spotted an erratic driver on a rural road outside Grande Prairie, Alta., police said. The driver fled in the vehicle after police tried to pull him over. An RCMP spokesperson told CBC News that the officers monitored the vehicle until it eventually got stuck in mud, at which point they engaged with the driver. Police said he took a gun out at some point during that interaction, but the spokesperson couldn't give specifics around how or when. At least one officer fired their gun at him, police said. A STARS ambulance spokesperson confirmed it was dispatched to the area, but was told to stand down before take-off. Police said EMS declared the man dead when they arrived on scene. No officers were injured. RCMP said it notified ASIRT, which investigates incidents were police may have caused serious injury or death, as well as "serious and sensitive" allegations of police misconduct. RCMP has also initiated its own internal review process, its release said. Training, policy, police response and the members' duty status will be reviewed to get a full account of what happened.
CBC
6 days ago
- CBC
Police fatally shoot man after he pulled gun on officers: Alberta RCMP
Police in northwestern Alberta fatally shot a man Friday night after he had been driving erratically and pulled a gun on the officers, RCMP say. The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), the province's main police oversight agency, is investigating the shooting, RCMP said in a news release Saturday. CBC News has contacted ASIRT for independent confirmation. Shortly before midnight Friday, officers on patrol spotted an erratic driver on a rural road outside Grande Prairie, Alta., police said. The driver fled in the vehicle after police tried to pull him over. An RCMP spokesperson told CBC News that the officers monitored the vehicle until it eventually got stuck in mud, at which point they engaged with the driver. Police said he took a gun out at some point during that interaction, but the spokesperson couldn't give specifics around how or when. At least one officer fired their gun at him, police said. A STARS ambulance spokesperson confirmed it was dispatched to the area, but was told to stand down before take-off. Police said EMS declared the man dead when they arrived on scene. No officers were injured. RCMP said it notified ASIRT, which investigates incidents were police may have caused serious injury or death, as well as "serious and sensitive" allegations of police misconduct. RCMP has also initiated its own internal review process, its release said. Training, policy, police response and the members' duty status will be reviewed to get a full account of what happened.
