CHRIS THIESSEN - 20 YEARS OF COMMUNITY SERVICE
(Photo Credit: William Vavrek Photography)
Welcome to all who have arrived here! My name is Chris Thiessen and for the past 3 terms, I have been honored to serve as a member of YOUR City Council. And it is with great excitement, new ideas, optimism for the future, and a legacy of service with results, that I am seeking re-election to serve as YOUR City Councillor once again! For those who don't know me, I am a proud 47-year old father of two boys (one in university, the other a newborn) raising his family in the city I love and have spent over half my life in. For those who know me already, you know (or at least see) I have a great love for this community and a compassionate heart for all people in general. I am a character and a man of character; an out-of-the-box thinking change-maker, excellent public speaker, active supporter for good causes, and I strive to keep my word on the promises I make. I am hard-working, social, friendly, and usually have no trouble standing out in a crowd. I speak my truth and love engaging in meaningful conversation; Honesty is my policy and Caring is my procedure. Over the past 2 decades, besides my role(s) on Council, I have served the population of Grande Prairie to my fullest in a multitude of arts, culture, humanitarian, health, education, justice, environmental, and charitable causes, working hard towards building a beautiful, more sustainable and conscious community for all to thrive in. As a decision maker, I offer intelligence, creativity, leadership, accountability, a unique perspective, a sense of humor, and an open ear to all. I am a believer in many things, but mostly in the power of love, the human spirit, and the influential connection they share with our surrounding environment and community.
These past three terms, I have been privileged by you, to have a voice at the Council table and know that my contributions on those teams provided long-lasting value and positive growth for the community we all serve and live in. As a member on Council I have assisted in the future well-being of our city by presenting and enabling ideas of sustainable community living and positive growth, advocating for the environment, social policy reforms and infrastructure investments to all levels of government, speaking up for what was right when it needed to be said and someone needed to say it, and by staying connected to you - the similar and diverse people of our population. This has never been a position that I have ever taken lightly, as I have experienced first-hand what good can be done through it. So, I approach the role everyday with both the joy and passion that making a positive difference in the world brings. Of course, the role of being a City Councillor is rarely free of its challenges. Which is why since my first term I felt, through my learnings from those who came before me and my own experience, a need to define the job and what being a good Councillor means for those seeking this position:
"To be a City Councillor is to assume a role in community leadership. It requires courage, vision, thoughtfulness, good communication, critical thinking skills, dedication, adaptability, humility, a willingness to learn, the ability to have healthy discourse, and most importantly - a genuine care for the community"
For, it is Council's responsibility to guide the direction, growth, laws, and service investments of our city through good governance and meaningful policies that help to create and sustain a vibrant, livable community today and for generations to come. So then... what do I feel makes a good Council? A good Council is comprised of a small, thoughtful group of dedicated citizens who respectfully represent - and are willing to listen to and learn from - the diverse perspectives in our community. A good Council plans and responds to the needs of their community by providing services that improve the quality of living for its residents. A good Council makes responsible, informed decisions and directs innovative solutions through policy, guidance, advocacy, and budget. A good Council understands the present and future needs of our growing community, with mindful consideration of where we are in our provincial, national, and global communities.
I have been blessed to be on good Councils over my terms of service with the city thus far. They were teams that functioned exactly as stated above, albeit differently and amidst different local/global backdrops, and I am proud of our MANY accomplishments. From team to team, term to term, we are all in it together. When challenges arose in the community, we pursued and enacted solutions to the best of our informed ability. When we saw a need in the community, we responded with consideration, care, and purpose in our decision making. Always being mindful of our present and future, we successfully advocated, planned, prepared, and invested in the development of health facilities (Maskwa Medical Centre), social housing (Cedar Point, Fletcher House, Sunrise House, Rising Above, Smith Social Apartments), major road infrastructure (Bypass/Highway 40X), environmental innovations (Edible Landscaping, Clean Energy Improvement Funding), green spaces (Blossoming Garden of Hope in Muskowoteh, the reservoir and dam project in Muskoseepi), and new recreational facilities (Bike Skills Park in Crystal Lake, Multi-Sport Dome). With administration, we created more transparent, efficient, and holistic processes and programs (EngageGP, AccessGP, 311) encouraging better citizen engagement, participation, and investment in their neighbourhoods. We took financial and political risk to try to improve the overall safety of our city through transitioning to a modern police service (GPPS) and have worked diligently to fostering a caring, connected, and healthier community in the aftermath of COVID. Recognizing how important connection is within community, we created new, free community events (ExperienceGP, Grande North Winter Festival) and supported new and existing events (Bear Creek Folk Fest, Stompede, GrandeCon) to bring everyone together and raise community spirit. We gave youth 17 and under access to Free Transit and created an On-Demand Transit service for residents outside of our existing transit service routes. We successfully managed the emergency response of major fires in the Peace Region, Northern Alberta, Northwest Territories, and Jasper, while safeguarding our own Region from wildfire risk. We continued to plant many trees, are developing an urban forest strategy, expanded our community orchards, and have given out tens of thousands of gardening kits through our GPGrows Program. We created grants to assist businesses in improving their facades, increase accessibility, alleviate development costs, and add residential doors to our community. We built healthy relationships with the County and MD to help attract investment to the Region, while also creating fairer cost-sharing agreements for regional services provided. We advocated strongly all term for an equalization of electricity transmission and distribution costs, for medical professionals to make GP their home, improved rail service, and appropriate funding for housing needs, food security, and the municipal police transition. And because we were flexible and firm in our strategic and advocacy plans, as well as strong and united when speaking on our community's behalf to other levels of government... when we asked, we usually got answers or results.
I have cherished these past 12 years as some of the fondest and most rewarding journeys in my life because I know how much of a difference we have made amidst the inevitable growing pains of building and governing a growing community, while global, national, and provincial issues are landing on your local doorstep. I have given, learned, and done much as a member of YOUR City Council and know there is still so much more I can give and learn and do for our community over the next term. To continue our path towards Sustainability Through Community Design. To mentor and assist the new leaders of our community. To co-create the highest vision of our city as the best version of our collective selves. It inspires me everyday to wake up and work towards a better today, tomorrow, and future for us all. Which is why, choosing to continue to serve in this capacity was an easy choice - for my children, my grandchildren, and yours. Now...THE CHOICE IS YOURS! I hope on, by, or before Election Day, I have earned your vote and trust to continue to help build a better community for all to prosper in Grande Prairie - Now and for generations to come. Thank you all for being here, and may you all stay glorious!
Sincerely,
Chris Thiessen
Candidate for Re-Election
to the Position of Councillor
780-831-1328
[email protected]