Grande Prairie-AB

11 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4 that museum is named after him,” he conveys. The Crosslink County Sportsplex is another much-loved amenity owned by the county, offering a plethora of indoor and outdoor recreation opportunities.The County is also home to Evergreen Park, the largest exhibition facility north of Edmonton. Staying true to its agricultural roots, this venue hosts everything from agricultural shows to horse racing, amid a beautiful rural pine forest setting. “We have all kinds of activities out there throughout the year. It’s definitely one of our jewels within the county and our region,” says Marshall. He adds, “If you look at the provincial economy, typically in Alberta the Mountain National Parks are the primary focus for tourism, but they’re basically at capacity during peak season. So, the government is looking at other options, and this is one of the areas they’re focusing on.” The Grande Prairie Regional Tourism Association is another valuable resource, highlighting all the county has to offer. Moving forward, Marshall says the focus will continue to be promoting the County of Grande Prairie and attracting new residents. He offers, “I believe we need to come up with a marketing plan to promote the region and get people to move here, to actually put roots down whether it’s immigration from outside of the country, within the country, or even from within the province. We need to really market our area and get those people here. There’s more here than anywhere else in the province if you look at the job opportunities. With the quality of life and the low housing prices and high wages, there are just so many positives for this region.” PREFERRED VENDOR/PARTNER n NuVista Energy Ltd. www.nvaenergy.com