When 3 people of African descent are running for a seat at the highest table in the city, that signifies that the multicultural community in that city is growing in strength, in confidence, and yearning for representation.
According to Grande Prairie’s 2015 municipal census, the city has a population of about 69,000, a stunning 36% increase from its 2007 population. Grande Prairie has witnessed a steady population growth with a young demography, a good place to grow a family as confined by all the community and business leaders I spoke to.
A captivating landscape at the entrance, a lovely city built on a gentle slope, a busy mall where most people in the region go to, a busy downtown core making distances closer to each other, and an increasingly diverse community with all 3 stores selling African grocery opened within the last 5 years.
Mpolo Beauty Store and Salon moved to GP as it’s called by the locals a couple of years ago from Edmonton, and seems to be doing fine so far. Flikky Market expanded to GP from Red Deer during this Coronavirus pandemic and is doing just fine. Crowned Beauty started by owner Clarisse Uwase in 2017 has accumulated a collection of business recognition of excellence including from the local Chamber of Commerce.
A charming Ethiopian restaurant, now taken over by a Nigerian couple, blends Nigerian and Ethiopian cuisine into a culinary culture fusion – Divine Nigerian and Ethiopian Cuisine sits in the centre of the busy downtown core, connected to many other neighborhoods forming an economically vibrant region.
“Grand Prairie is a welcoming, warm, diverse, and inclusive community where everyone dream of living. We’re available to welcome and help those who decide to come and settle here, live with their family and raise their children in French and English, ”Paul Rovin Ngemital, one of the 3 candidates of African descent for the October 2021 Grande prairie municipal election who also runs a welcome centre for Francophone newcomers to GP called Canada In Progress.
