Muslims drawn to Grande Prairie
Population surge puts strain on local services
Tom McMillan, The Edmonton Journal
Published: Wednesday, January 02
Grande Prairie's Muslim population is in the midst of a rapid growth spurt, leaving the community scrambling to find facilities for education and prayer.
"A few years ago, there were eight or nine Muslim families here," said Edward Houssain, president of the Islamic Association of Grande Prairie and District. "Now, there are more than anyone knows."
Like Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie is currently experiencing tremendous population growth.
A strong oil and gas sector, along with job opportunities, has seen the city of 50,000 expand by roughly 2,500 residents a year, said city councillor Elroy Deinert. However, the most rapid growth has been felt by the city's Muslim community. The Islamic association, the only Muslim religious organization in the region, has seen membership jump from 25 in 2005 to more than 600 today.
No one can put their finger on this dramatic growth, although local leaders point to high wages and strong cultural ties. A strong job market is especially attractive to immigrants, many of whom are Muslim, said association vice-president Mazen Assaf. In the last census, Grande Prairie's immigrant population rose from 2,530 in 2001 to 4,050 in 2006, a jump of about 60 per cent.
Once here, Assaf said, Muslim residents act as a magnet for other newcomers. "Once one person gets a job, then they bring their family," he said. "They tell others, word spreads. I think people know they can feel comfortable here."
But the increase in population is creating a few problems. Currently, the Islamic association has a small office in downtown Grande Prairie. Purchased in 1993, the building is too small to hold more than 50 children who want to use the educational programs or the hundreds more who hope to use its mosque.
"People are stepping over themselves," Assaf said. "For big events, we have to rent out a hall so everyone fits." So far, the association has been unable to find the a new facility. In 2006, it purchased an 18,000-square-foot lot, but was forced to sell a few months later when nearby landowners wouldn't approve the rezoning. Next, the association attempted to purchase an old Jehovah's Witnesses hall, but that failed when the provincial government misplaced the paperwork, Houssain said.
Finally, the group bid on a vacant city lot earlier this year, but the city adjusted the zoning bylaw so a local sexual assault and abuse charity could also apply. "Right now, we're the backup offer," Houssain said. "We have $500,000 to spend on a new facility, any new facility."
The influx of Muslims and other new immigrants has also strained Grande Prairie's already overburdened infrastructure. Deinert, who campaigned against the city's lack of planning for the growth, said many new immigrants are arriving, getting jobs, but struggling to find affordable housing, language training and other skills.
"We could definitely use a lot more immigrant settlement workers," he said. "There's a lot of people who just get lost when they come over here and we need to help them."
Grande Prairie isn't the only boom town adapting to a rising Muslim population. Fort McMurray's mosque is only a few years old, but Assaf said it is already bursting at the seams. Similarly, Muslims in many smaller communities have complained about the lack of a prayer or community centre.
"The numbers have grown and they're only going to get bigger," Assaf said. "I think we're all still adjusting."
tmcmillan@thejournal.canwest.com
© The Edmonton Journal 2008
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=7094d43e-d4fe-4...
