FREE INSTRUCTIONAL VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS
The Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce and the City of Grande Prairie have partnered to deliver highly tailored instructional workshops to support current business needs in a virtual series called Serving Up Knowledge.
The goal of each session is to cover a specific topic in detail which will allow businesses to leave with a skillset or ability to action the content covered. The next session is
Find and Keep—Recruiting the Right Candidate and Keeping Them
Caseley Consulting
Thursday, March 25 – 3 p.m.
The program will take a brief break following this session and resume in mid-April with exciting topics to support your business. Visit the visit the Chamber’s event calendar at business.grandeprairiechamber.com/calendar for upcoming sessions.
Businesses are invited to send suggestions for consideration in the development of future sessions by emailing ecdevinfo@cityofgp.com.
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Alberta Chambers' Labour Market Skills Survey
Across the province, the Alberta Chambers of Commerce network is undertaking a large-scale Alberta business research program. With a goal of 750 responses, we need your help to shape future advocacy!
Take the Survey Here
A large number of responses shared from our region helps give us more accurate information on skills, training, and our current labour market.
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TECTERRA's BUILD program
Funding is now available for geospatial companies through TECTERRA's BUILD program. TECTERRA's programs have supported 223 Alberta-based geospatial companies and helped generate $95M in revenue for their companies.
Not sure if you are a geospatial company? The value chain of emerging technologies commonly uses location data to solve real industry problems. If your project includes a geospatial aspect, large or small, engage with TECTERRA today about the BUILD program. Click here to apply now.
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Trade Accelerator Program (TAP)- New Dates
Prepare your business to reach its global potential with the Edmonton Trade Accelerator Program (TAP). TAP provides small to medium-sized enterprises access to industry experts to develop and execute a personalized market-entry export plan.
To learn more about the program or to register your business for the upcoming Grande Prairie session beginning May 10, please click here.
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Financial Incentives for Local Businesses
Several grants are available from the City of Grande Prairie to support various businesses needs and goals. Please see the below grants and visit the links for more details:
Economic Recovery Program
Beautification & Patio Grant - A grant matching 50% of Project Costs for up to a maximum $15,000 for any Façade improvement, landscaping or patio project that improves aesthetic appeal, pedestrian access and safety according to the Program Guidelines.
Local Marketing Grant - A grant matching up to 50% of Project Costs, to a maximum of $2,500 for the creation of a marketing plan or marketing content OR a grant equal to 75% Project Costs, to a maximum of $7,500 for the creation of a collaborative marketing plan project promoting three or more businesses.
Barrier Free Grant - A matching grant to 50% of Project Costs, to a maximum of $10,000 to increase accessibility to properties and buildings throughout the City, such as transitions from parking areas to the building entrance and ensuring unobstructed access to services through projects such as service counters, seating areas, or accessible washrooms. Stayed tuned for application details coming soon!
Restaurant Change of Use Fee Waiver - Fee Waiver for businesses applying to change from one to another of the following uses: Restaurant, Drinking Establishment Major or Minor, and Restaurant & Drinking Establishment Major or Minor. The fee waiver is intended to reduce costs for businesses seeking to diversify their operations.
More details on the above grants can be found at cityofgp.com/economicrecoveryprogram
Downtown Incentives Program
The Façade Improvement Grant offers up to $50,000 in funding to downtown building owners and tenants making improvements to the fronts of their buildings. Eligibility has been expanded to include back alley improvements for businesses directly impacted by Phase Four Downtown Rehabilitation and Streetscape Project construction.
The Urban Residential Development Grant - Infill development and redevelopment within the program area is eligible for incentive grants of $10,000 per Dwelling Unit for apartment buildings and $15,000 per Dwelling Unit for Mixed-Use Apartment Buildings.
The Patio Grant - Eligible projects may receive a matching grant up to $5,000 to assist with the cost of patio construction.
The Demolition Grant offers a 50% matching grant up to a maximum of $50,000 for the removal of a building within the program boundary.
More details on Downtown Incentives can be found at cityofgp.com/downtownincentives
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The average residential sale price on homes sold in the City in February was $295,625, down 1% from the same period last year. Unit sales were up 33% over last year with 118 sales in February of 2021, compared to 89 in 2020.
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The City saw 3 single-family and 3 multi-family housing starts in February, compared to 3 single-family and 1 multi-family starts for the same period in 2020. Year-to-date, housing starts within the city are up 100% to-date compared to 2020.
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50 building permits worth over $3.5 million were issued in February 2021, compared to 40 permits worth over $2.3 million in February 2020 - a 25% increase in volume and 54% increase in value. The increase in value is largely attributed to an increase in new home builds and commercial alterations.
Year-to-date, 102 building permits worth over $10.7 million in 2021 have been issues, compared to 96 permits worth over $8.3 million for the same period in 2020.
Click on the links below for interactive maps showing where development is occurring throughout the city
Commercial l Residential l Industrial l Institutional
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The region's unemployment rate saw a decrease from 9.9% in January to 9.8% in February. Provincially, the unemployment rate increased from 10.6% to 10.7%.
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134 Drilling Licenses have been issued in the Grande Prairie region so far this year, compared to 112 in 2020, an increase of 20%. Of the licenses issued to date, 22 are for oil, 112 for gas and 0 for other industry-related wells, compared to 47, 60 and 5 respectively for the same period in 2020.
Completions were down 20% in February 2021, with 140 completions year-to-date compared to 175 for the same period in 2020.
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518 overdimensional vehicles passed through the city in February 2021, down from the 748 vehicles recorded for February 2020. To date, the city has seen a 28% decrease in overdimensional vehicle traffic compared to 2020.
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February 2021 settled at $151.98/MWh, representing a 318% increase from February 2020’s settle of $36.33/MWh and a 109% increase from last month’s settle of $72.89/MWh.
After temperature adjustments, February 2021 saw a 1.4% increase in AIL (Average Internal Load) compared to February 2020, indicating a full recovery from the load destruction of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
For more details, check out TC Energy's Power Market
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Travel
The Grande Prairie Airport saw 4,692 passengers pass through its doors in January 2021, compared to 31,842 in 2020, an 85% decrease.
The average hotel occupancy rate in Grande Prairie started off at 31.1% for January 2021, while the provincial average was 19.9%.
For additional information on the travel and tourism industry check out the Alberta Tourism Market Monitor.
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Events
Sustainability/ ESG: What is Your Business Ready For?
Hosted by: Marie Jurcevic, Manager of Sustainability at Seven Generations Energy
Thursday, March 25 10:00AM- 11:00AM
Register here
When is the right time to hire a salesperson?
Hosted by: Kim Orleskly, President of KO Advantage Group
Thursday, March 25 l 2:00PM-3:00PM
Register here
Anyone Can Be a Victim: How to Protect Your Business
Hosted by: Dennis Parker, VP, Business Banking, Aaron McAllister, AVP Financial Crimes and Fraud Management Group and Julie Lavoie, VP Business Banking
Tuesday, March 30 l 11:00AM-12:00PM
Register here
Serving up Knowledge Series: Recruiting the Right Candidate and Keeping Them
Hosted by: Jennifer Caseley, Caseley Consulting
Thursday, March 25 l 3:00PM-4:00PM
Register here
Using Technology to Produce Value Chain Enhancements
Facilitated by: Jefferson Gardner of InBridge Inc
Hosted by: Regional Innovation Network of Southern Alberta and Grande Prairie RIN
Thursday, March 30 l 6:00PM-8:00PM
Register here
Building Presence & Connection via Zoom
Hosted by: Mark Bowden- Leading Body Language and Communications Expert
Wednesday, March 31 l 10:00AM-11:00AM
Register here
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Franchise Opportunities
When available, new franchise opportunities will be shared here.
Mr. Lube
For more information CLICK HERE
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