Current Initiatives

Advanced Microbial Diagnostics and Animal Health

Study of Foulbrood in Canadian Apiaries

This study will generate knowledge on the infectivity, pathogenicity and virulence of two devastating honey bee brood diseases, American Foulbrood (AFB) and European Foulbrood (EFB). NBDC hopes to use the results of this study to develop more effective diagnostic techniques for the identification of foulbrood and improve the ability to predict disease outbreaks.

National Honey Bee Health Survey (Phase II)

On behalf of the Beekeepers Commission of Alberta in collaboration with the Manitoba Beekeepers Association, NBDC is analyzing bees from apiaries nationwide to establish a baseline of honey bee health for Canada.

Queen Health Evaluation of Imported and Local Stock

Stock purchased from leading foreign producers (Chile, Australia, Hawaii, and California) and several Canadian provinces are assessed for sperm count and viability, and the presence of pathogens to investigate the decreased longevity of queens.

Identification of Honey Bee Viruses in the Peace Country

Dr. Shauna Henley (GPRC-Science Department faculty member) is working in the NBDC-TAC lab to examine the prevalence of 7 different honey bee viruses in the Peace Country.

Health of Bee Pollinators in Canadian Agriculture

GPRC NBDC-TAC is performing viral analyses for this project led by Dr. Stephen Pernal (AAFC-Beaverlodge) to determine pathogens affecting both wild and commercial bee populations.

BeeOMICS Project

GPRC NBDC-TAC will be assisting Dr. Leonard Foster (University of British Columbia) and Dr. Amro Zayed (York University) with the Genome Canada project ‘Sustaining and securing Canada’s honey bees using ‘omic tools’’. Diagnostics for Nosema, Chritidia, and a viral panel will be completed at the NBDC-TAC facility.

Rural and Northern Community Enhancement

Youth Engagement Survey

We’re studying the ideas of belonging and connection among young people in Jasper. We define ‘belonging’ as whether young people feel valued and accepted by the people in their lives, and ‘connection’ as whether young people feel included in a group or community.

The goal of the study is to learn more about what specific factors affect belonging and connection for young people between the ages of 15 and 24 years.

Civic Belonging in a Northern Resource Economy Context

This Community Enhancement Research project will address the issue of low community connection and engagement among youth in resource-dependent northern Alberta communities. Lack of community connection and engagement is associated with higher instances of poverty and crime, lower levels of education attainment and other poor social outcomes. Young people are especially likely to report low connection and engagement, and recent evidence suggests that many people living in northwestern Alberta communities experience a relatively poor sense of place belonging.

GP-PACT 2.0

The Grande Prairie Police and Crisis Team (PACT) research project is a dynamic collaboration between GPRC, the RCMP, AHS and the City of Grande Prairie. The RCMP, in collaboration with AHS piloted the PACT program in 2009 in response to a growing need to tackle mental health crises more efficiently in the City of Grande Prairie. Using a team-based and community policing approach, the PACT team consisting of an RCMP member and a psychiatric nurse, are a mobile response team dedicated to providing assistance to mental health crises across the City of Grande Prairie and in neighbouring regions.

Advanced Microbiological Diagnostics and Animal Health

National Honey Bee Health Survey (Phase I)

On behalf of the Beekeepers Commission of Alberta in collaboration with the Manitoba Beekeepers Association, NBDC is analyzing bees from apiaries nationwide to establish a baseline of honey bee health for Canada.

Leafcutter Bees in the Peace Country

GPRC NBDC-TAC performed viral analyses on adult leafcutter bees and cocoons. This project is headed by Dr. Shelley Hoover (Alberta Agriculture and Forestry - Lethbridge).

Rural and Northern Engagement Enhancement

Grande Prairie Local Immigration Partnership (GPLIP)

This project was led by the City of Grande Prairie-Community Social Development. The aim was to gather information about personal and organizational challenges related to immigrant settlement and integration as well as related issues around housing, health care, and education for immigrants in Grande Prairie. GPRC provided feedback regarding instrument development, wrote and submitted the ethics application, and wrote the literature review that was incorporated into the Community Engagement Report (written by the GPLIP coordinator).

Community Awareness Survey on Health and Safety Issues

Instruments developed, data collected, and report written for Grande Prairie and Safe Communities

Youth, Barriers and Employment Opportunities in Grande Prairie

The Youth Community study was undertaken to identify the training and support needs of Grande Prairie youth (15 to 30-year-olds) who were facing barriers to employment.  The goal was to identify priority needs in order to develop a three-year Youth Community Plan.  GPRC assisted with instrument development, data collection, and data analyses.  The information gathered was incorporated into a report that was written by the City of Grande Prairie-Family and Community Support Services.

Integrated Family Violence Intervention Unit (IFVI)

The IFVI Unit consists of front line staff from the RCMP, CFSA and Victim’s Assistance.  IFVI staff collected various forms of data; individuals from various agencies were asked to assess the value of IFVI, victims of family violence were asked about their experiences with the IFVI Unit, and RCMP files pertaining to incidences of family violence were flagged. GPRC analyzed the data and wrote a review report for the IFVI Unit.

Issues for Staff Working with People with Developmental Disabilities (PDD)

After the Government of Alberta determined that the annual turnover rate of staff who work with people living with developmental disabilities (in residential and vocational settings) is 73%, the PDD Community Board of Northwest Alberta, AACTI, Alberta Council of Disability Services and GPRC worked together to determine the reasons behind the high turnover rate.  Surveys were distributed to staff employed at 11 agencies in Northwest Alberta. GPRC developed the instruments, analyzed the data, presented the findings and wrote a report for the PDD-Northwest Alberta Community Board.

Factors affecting Volunteerism in Northwest Alberta

The Volunteer Services Bureau of Grande Prairie wished to determine the demographics of those who volunteer those who do not volunteer, reasons for volunteering, for whom people volunteer and in what capacity, the perceived benefits of volunteering, how people learned about volunteering opportunities, etc.  Agencies who utilize volunteers were also asked about how they recruited volunteers, the training/skills required for volunteers, etc.  GPRC developed the instruments, collected and analyzed the data, and wrote a report for the Volunteer Services Bureau of Grande Prairie.

Public Awareness of Symptoms of Stroke and Heart Attack/Placement of Public Access Defibrillators

Grande Prairie and Area Safe Communities were interested in determining what the public believed to be the greatest risks to the health and safety of children, adults, and seniors, whether the public has seen advertisements regarding health and safety, and whether they were aware of “Grande Prairie and Area Safe Communities” and “Safety City”.  GPRC developed the questionnaires, collected and analyzed the data, and wrote a report for Grande Prairie and Area Safe Communities

Clean Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Systems

Microalgae

GPRC researcher and inventor Dr. Weixing Tan and his team have spent over a decade researching the most efficient way to mass-produce microalgae. Their research led them to build what is currently the world’s most efficient photobioreactor (PBR), a microalgae mass cultivation device.

Effluent and Bio-solids Conversion into Wood Fibre (2009-2019)

GPRC researchers are currently investigating options for innovative, low-cost and environmentally friendly alternatives for waste treatment.

Reclamation of Oilsands Wetlands by Winter Planting (2011-2015)

GPRC researchers have determined that planting trees in the winter when the wetland sites are accessible may be the best option to reclaim boreal wetlands disturbed by oil sands operation in Alberta.