South Peace News presents a series of question-and-answer features from elected local government leaders to explain goals and issues in the coming year.
Daniel Vandermeulen was elected the new mayor of the Town of High Prairie on Oct. 20, 2025.
Mayors and reeve were asked the following questions. Vander- meulen provided his responses as a column.
-Looking ahead to 2026, what do you want to see accomplished as a council, why and how.?
-What are the top priorities, projects, issues for 2026?
-What are the key things to move the municipality forward to be sustainable and grow in the future?
-What are some of the most challenging things about your role as mayor?
-What are the biggest challenges facing the municipality and how will council overcome them?
-What were some the biggest challenges the municipality faced in 2025?
-What was the most unexpected thing the municipality had to deal with in 2025?
Town council is brand new, so much of the past four months was spent getting thoroughly acquainted with the job.
The timing of the fall municipal elections threw the new council right into drafting interim capital and operating budgets for 2026 – that’s the deep end of the pool.
The capital budget was approved and included replacing worn-out equipment such as an old road snowblower and pumps for the High Prairie Aquatic Centre.
The heavy snowfall in December and the quick thaw in January reminded us of the age of the condition of the Sports Palace.
The rehabilitation of the Sports Palace is becoming urgent. Council is waiting for a preliminary engineering report to help determine the scope of work required.
It is clear that even if this council does not undertake the rehabilitation, it must lay down its financial foundation.
Public response during the election highlighted some issues.
The top issue is crime.
Security cameras have been installed in the business section.
A third peace enforcement officer will be hired, which will increase town coverage.
Another issue is housing.
To encourage construction of new homes, the town is releasing 10 vacant lots for sale.
The third issue is economic development.
In partnership with Big Lakes County, the previous town council engaged Deloitte Canada to prepare a regional economic development plan.
Deloitte came to High Prairie and conducted a workshop with town and county councils and community forums in High Prairie and Kinuso.
Both councils look forward to their report.
The biggest surprise and shock has been the announcement by the provincial government that the 10 beds at the High Prairie Youth Assessment Centre will be moved to Grande Prairie and that the facility there will also get $5 million for renovations to accommodate the 10 beds.
The Town of High Prairie was not consulted on any part of this at any time in the process.
A study was made of the fire that damaged the building in November 2023 and the merits of reopening the centre but it was done without any local input.
This is a serious blow to our community.
Not only have we lost valuable services for the children and youth who need them, but we also lost valuable well-paying jobs.
So, now those services follow police victim services, which has also been centralized in Grande Prairie.
Currently, the operating budget is being stringently reviewed and will be formally approved in March.
But, there will be a moderate municipal tax increase.
In part, this is due to establishing a special reserve to rehabilitate the Sports Palace, hire a third peace officer and adjust employee and council compensation to be more competitive in the labour market.
A significant increase in expenditures this year and in the future is due to government downloads.
The provincial government is increasing High Prairie’s share of the contract and of education from 22 per cent to 30 per cent.
After four months in office, council has made a strong start. Council members bring their own views to debate and bring trust and respect to their colleagues.
Did Vandermeulen or any other councillors’ run on an increased councillor compensation platform?