Peter Sanden, right presents list of appreciations some of the drivers behind the hall project including (l-r) Carey Taubert, Pam Collett, Kathy Dundas, Jennifer Pratt, Wendy Kaiser and Pete Anderson.

    There was an air of celebration last Saturday night, January 24,  in Hussar. A community proud of a job well done, in a well-built hall.
    The community celebrated the completion of the community hall project. The community has been working hard to fundraise to renovate and improve the hall, which had been in need of care for some time.
Originally constructed in the 1970s, the hall has a new lease on life thanks to the hard work of the community.
    Peter Sanden emceed the evening and explained there were a number of phases to the project including completing storage room, and then the front entrance.
    “Phase 3 is what you are looking at tonight,’ said Sanden. This includes the new bar area, upgrades to the electrical and HVAC as well as the Cenovus Energy Kitchen.
    He explains the momentum really took off when Hussar’s entry to the UFA Get and Give Contest was successful. From there, major sponsors including Husky, Richardson Pioneer, CNRL and Chinook Credit Union came out to support the project.
    On this evening, the community honoured the namesake of the kitchen, Cenovus, which donated $150,000. Sanden described this donation as a breath of air, as they were working on the project.  Rachelle Demoskoff of Cenovus was on hand at the celebration.
    “At Cenovus it is really important for us to support and participate in programs and events that bring families and communities together, like what happens at this community centre,” she said. “We believe this contributes to the community where we operate and many of our employees live as well. That is why we are so proud to be sponsors of the Hussar Community Centre.”
    Ben Armstrong Councillor for Wheatland County explained the County’s Community Enhancement Program. The county contributed  $153,750 to the hall.
    “Most grants are for new capital, anyone can build a new building, but to maintain the one you already have seemed to be the big issue,” he said. “The driving factor behind what we put into place was that we would like to see it go towards maintenance and the upkeep of the building we have in place.”
    Sanden praised the spirit of the community for completing this type of projects. While they are very grateful for the support of the major sponsors, the community contributed 43 per cent  of the funding to the $1.2 million project.
    “We all sit down and focus on one project. That is why we get stuff done. That is why we have an arena, that is why we have a curling rink, that is why we have a new hall, and we’re not done, don’t kid yourself,” he said.

After 26 years, it appears that Reptile World will meet its end.

Under the proposed changes to Drumheller’s Business License Bylaw, campgrounds and RV resorts would pay an annual business license fee of $63.81 per site per year. Hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, lodges and inns would pay $496.78 per room per year.
mailphoto by Michele Scott

    Drumheller Town Council was presented with the draft tourism levy as part of the changes to the Business License Bylaw at the regular Council meeting Monday night, January 26. All three readings of the byaw are scheduled to come before Council at the regular Monday meeting, February 9.
    The mandatory levy would be collected by businesses from their customers in two areas of businesses that serve Drumheller’s tourism industry: lodging and RV parks/campgrounds.
    “We don’t want, in any way, to take money from the tourism operators in the town,” said Travel Drumheller’s Chris Curtis.
    Curtis said with this in mind, the levy is to have complete flow-through, meaning the total business license fee charged under the proposed bylaw can be recovered by the business through adding a few dollars onto each customer’s/guest’s bill.
    Curtis said the feedback received from the businesses was overwhelmingly in favour of a mandatory fee, rather than a voluntary fee, so that any one business would not be put at a competitive disadvantage.
    The first businesses in Drumheller to collect the levy would be in the lodging sector, which covers hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, lodges, and inns.
    Under the business license bylaw change, the lodging sector would pay a rate of $496.78 per room per year. For a motel with 20 rooms, their business license would cost $9,935.60 per year.
    For its calculations to arrive at the yearly room rate, Travel Drumheller used the following criteria:
- The current room inventory in Drumheller, is 560 rooms
- Historical average for occupancy based on the years 2011, 2012 and 2013, which averaged to 58%
- Hisorical average daily rate based on the years 2011, 2012 and 2013, which averaged at $117.33
    Those businesses in the lodging sector that are open less than six months a year can provide proof of this to the license inspector and would only be required to pay 75 per cent of the required fees.
    The second category to collect the new levy would be RV resorts and campgrounds, based on an estimate of $63.81 per site per year.
    An approval of the business bylaw would mean a campground with 20 sites would pay an annual business license fee of $1,276.20.
    There are 550 sites in Drumheller, but Travel Drumheller included campgrounds and RV resorts in the area that may want to join and contribute to the destination marketing fund.
    For its calculations to arrive at the yearly site rate, Travel Drumheller used the following criteria:
- 1635 sites at RV resorts and campgrounds in the area
- Historical average for occupancy based on the years 2011, 2012 and 2013, which averaged at 51%
- Historical average for daily rated based on the years 2011, 2012 and 2013, which came to $34
- Based on industry performance during six months of operations for the three years
    The payment schedule for businesses would be collected four times per year:
March 31               15 per cent
June 30                   25 per cent
September 30        50 per cent
December 31         10 per cent

    In the event of a slow tourist season, Curtis said the slow season’s earnings would be reflected in the calculation of the following year’s business license fees.
    He said any challenges local businesses would face in their collection and remittance of the fee, Travel Drumheller would work with them to find a solution.

Grant, left, and Bob Komarnisky volunteer to keep the ice in Nacmine prepped for local skaters to enjoy. Above, the team work on cleaning the ice before they flood.

There is nothing more Canadian than touching blade to ice and gliding across a fresh rink. Thanks to a father-son team in Nacmine, residents have been able to enjoy this quintessential winter activity.
     Bob Komarnisky of Nacmine has had a second winter job for the last 15 years. He and his son Grant, and often George Harder volunteer to make sure there is smooth skating on the Nacmine ice ink.
    Before Christmas, The Mail caught up to Bob and Grant. They were busy doing their second flood on the rink. They had lost one already because of a Chinook and while the ice was fresh, it was well used.
    Bob explains the whole process takes about three hours. They clean and sweep the ice and use a snow blower to make a clean edge along the boards. The team typically does about three floods to smooth out the daily wear and tear. Because the ice is new, they are working to smooth out air pockets. They do a hot flood.
    “I don’t know if we are experts or not, but we have our routine anyway,” chuckles Bob. The crew is out there often two or three times a week working on the ice
    The Nacmine community Association built the rink and shelter and provides the equipment including brooms, snow blower and a water wand to spread the water.

Drumheller & District Chamber of Commerce President John Shoff said employers wanting to remain competitive need to look at different options.

John Shoff, president of the Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce is still hoping for answers from the federal government on access to labour after it made significant reforms to the temporary foreign workers program.
    The service sector in Drumheller felt the crunch when the program was suspended earlier this year, and then was reintroduced with reforms. With the 2015 summer season looming, Shoff is hoping to hear something.
    “I do know of a lot of areas in Alberta where it doesn’t matter what the wage is, they can’t get employees,” said Shoff.
    He says chasing wages to get people does nothing but drive inflation. With temporary foreign workers, he says it costs employers more to bring them in, but it keeps wages normalized.
    “When you are looking at an unskilled entry level job, if they have to be paid $20 per hour, now you are paying the guy who is pouring a cup of coffee $20 per hour, and you multiply that by all the people he needs to run that business, that cost has gone up exponentially, What do you do? You charge more for that cup of coffee,” he said.
    He said wage is not the primary factor however, it is just making sure there is access to labour.
    “It (temporary foreign workers program) kept businesses alive. You have businesses out there where it doesn’t matter what you offer for a wage, there is no one coming in to apply for that position,” said Shoff.
    Alberta is heading into a new territory with the declining price of oil. This could mean a slow down in the sector, which could add to the labour pool. Shoff said he doesn’t expect it to change the labour situation in Drumheller.
    “It will slow a bit, but you still have to maintain infrastructure here,” he said. “I don’t think it will effect us much, a lot of our industry is on the service side. It will impact us a bit, but it certainly won’t impact us as much as in areas where they are doing heavy exploration.”
    Crowfoot MP Kevin Sorenson acknowledges that labour is one of the biggest issues facing the Alberta Economy.
    “We want to make sure that Canadians have the first opportunity for jobs." That being said, the Minister has stated "That we have some parts of the country where we have long-term labour issues and we cannot continue to address it with a temporary foreign worker program. It is going to take something more permanent,” he said. “So looking forward we are going to be looking at ways that we can keep this economy moving ahead and we recognize that access to labour is one of those things that can stall an economy.”
    He says employers have to look at a number of options to remain competitive.
    “Immigration numbers are one way to address it. There is a number of other ways we can look at it. The program is still there, although it says you can’t exceed the 30 per cent of the workforce. There were some businesses that were using it to as their business management plan for labour.”
    He says one of the problems with the Temporary Foreign Workers Program was there was no way to fast track immigration.
    “The Minister of Immigration or the Minister of Employment say we can’t continue to have a temporary program solve a permanent problem. This country was built on immigration and we still need this.”
    Both Shoff and Sorenson see better movement across provincial borders as a factor that could alleviate the situation.
    “We have to have programs to encourage individuals to go where the opportunities are. That is why my grandfather came up here in 1905. He came for the job, he came as a way to sustain himself. We have to make sure our policies reflect that,” Sorenson said.

Proud parents Jordan and Janet Quaroni with 7 pound 6 oz son Ryker, Drumheller's New Year's Baby.

Drumheller welcomed in Ryker Quaroni as the town’s New Year’s Baby.
    The little boy was born to proud parents Janet and Jordan Quaroni on January 3rd, 2015 at 12:35 in the morning, at the Drumheller Health Centre.
    The 7 pound six ounce boy is the first child for the Drumheller couple.
    Mom and Dad were surprised their son, with the original due date of December 29,  was Drumheller’s first baby of 2015.  Ryker now shares the January 3 birthday with his Grandma. Read the complete story in the January 7 edition of The Drumheller Mail.The family receives numerous prizes donated by local merchants in The Drumheller Mail's New Year's Baby Contest.

The 3rd Avenue building with the Health Food Store, Valley Doll Museum and Jerry's Lock and Key was evacuated Monday afternoon, January 5 2015, due to high carbon monoxide levels.

People have been allowed to return to their downtown businesses after a gas scare Monday afternoon. Extremely high levels of carbon monoxide led to the evacuation of the building on Third Avenue in downtown Drumheller this afternoon at about 12:30 p.m.
    AltaGas Utilities cleared the building on Third Avenue that houses the Health Food Store, Jerry’s Lock and Key, and The Valley Doll Museum.
    The utility company has turned off the gas, and is on-site working with the building's owner on examining the heating system, and monitoring the situation.

Drumheller, Three Hills, Rosebud, Rockyford are warned by Environment Canada to expect periods of heavy snow Tuesday, January 6.

Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning due to periods of expected heavy snow, for Drumheller and the surrounding areas.

Those areas include:

• Kneehill Co. near Acme and Linden
• Kneehill Co. near Carbon
• Kneehill Co. near Three Hills
• Kneehill Co. near Torrington and Wimborne
• Kneehill Co. near Trochu and Huxley
• Rocky View Co. near Irricana Beiseker and Kathyrn
• S.A. 2 near Finnegan and Little Fish Lake Prov. Park
• Starland Co. near Michichi and Delia
• Starland Co. near Morrin and Munson
• Starland Co. near Rumsey and Rowley
• Town of Drumheller
• Wheatland Co. near Hwys 569 and 848
• Wheatland Co. near Rockyford and Rosebud

Persons in or near this area should be on the lookout for adverse weather conditions and take necessary safety precautions.

Darren Bauer remains in custody pending a bail hearing. He returns to court January 9 to enter a plea on the charges he faces as the accused in a New Year's Eve shooting in Stettler.

The man accused in the New Year’s Eve shooting in Stettler appeared in Red Deer Provincial Court Monday, January 5.
    33 year-old Darren James Bauer faces a number of charges including possession of a restricted weapon, driving while unauthorized and drug possession for the purpose of trafficking.
    The accused was also wanted on a dozen Canada wide warrants.
    Also charged in relation to the matter is 25 year-old Kathleen Sherry Cooper,.
    Cooper is charged with possession of Stolen Property and breach of bail conditions. Cooper was also arrested on nine outstanding charges relating to other matters.
    Both accused are now scheduled to appear in court January 9, and remain in custody pending their bail hearings.
    Bauer was arrested by Calgary police January 1 after RCMP sought him as the suspect in a late afternoon shooting December 31 in Stettler, which sent an unidentified man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to hospital.
    Stettler RCMP and EMS responded to a 911 call shortly before 5:00 pm on December 31. The call reported a male was shot in the northwest area of the Town of Stettler.  
    RCMP Investigators arrived to find the 37-year-old a victim of several gunshot wounds. Eyewitnesses reported a two vehicle collision prior to the shooting, and after shots were fired, the shooter drove away.         The victim was transported by STARS air ambulance to hospital with non life threatening injuries.
    RCMP say the shooting was not a random act of violence and that both men involved are known to them.

    The St. Anthony’s Jr. A Girls basketball team won the Three Hills Royals Jr. A Girls Basketball Tournament on Saturday, January 17.  
    Six teams were invited to participate in the tourney, including Three Hills, St. Anthony’s, Olds High School, DVSS, Olds Koinonia, and Rosemary.
    The format for the tournament featured two pools of 3 teams playing a round robin schedule, and then each team having a crossover playoff game based on their final placing in round robin play.  
    The Saints had the early 8 a.m. game versus their host Three Hills Royals,  and after a slow start, the Saints pulled ahead utilizing great pressure defence resulting in a 42-18 win.
    High scorers for the Saints were Payton Zacharuk and Hannah Reed with 14 points each and Ocean Bossert with 10 points.
    The next round robin game for the Saints was against Olds High School at 10:30 am.  This was OHS’s first game and the Saints’ second with only a game’s rest after their first game.
     The Saints were sluggish to start as they were still tired from the 8:00 am game but once again utilized great defence to find their transition game.  This resulted in a number of fast-break points and lead to a double-digit lead at the half.  
    In the second half, the Saints controlled the tempo of the game by slowing down the play to eventually find scoring opportunities in the low post.  The Saints ended up defeating OHS 36-22.  Bossert and Reed lead the Saints in scoring netting 14 points each.  
    This  win now placed St. Anthony’s in 1st place in their pool and into the final vs. the winner of the other pool Olds Koinonia Christian School.  
    The Saints had a 7 hour wait for the final game but came out with tremendous energy and intensity igniting an early 10-0 first quarter lead in the final.  OKCS answered back and got within 10-9 near the middle of the first quarter but then the Saints pressure defence took over for the rest of the game forcing many turnovers leading to easy transition points.  
    The Saints never looked back resulting in a 47-26 championship win.  
    Reed had a game high 21 points and Zacharuk chipped in with 12 points.  
    Head coach Gavin Makse was pleased with the overall defensive performance of the Saints and believed this was the key ingredient in winning the tournament,
    “I was proud of how well the girls battled defensively all day.  It was a long day and the girls should be proud that they were able to keep their intensity on defence strong in every game,” he said,
     Next action for the Jr. A Saints is on Thursday, January 22 when they travel to Delia for league play.

Electricians are on-stie at the Drumhelle WalMar waiting for parts to repair the system after a power outage closed the store Sunday, january 18.

Drumheller’s WalMart is hoping to re-open Monday night after a power outage that has kept the store closed since Sunday morning.
    WalMart said electricians are onsite at the Drumheller store waiting on parts, and if everything goes according to plan, will have the power restored and the store reopened Monday evening January 19, or at the latest , Tuesday morning,.
    ATCO Electric’s Aaron Finkbiner said their system operated as normal.

Young hockey players in the valley are getting more ice time thanks to a new program at Greentree School.
    Teacher Rob Hegberg, has extensive coaching experience, and has introduced a hockey program for students in Grades 4 -6. So far, 20 boys and girls have signed up and they are spending Tuesday and Thursday afternoons on the ice learning hockey skills and much more.
    “I am a firm believer that with sport or activity in general, kids learn more about themselves in an athletic environment. They are running into adversity, learning new skills, there is discipline involved, attention to details and focus,” he said. “You put all that stuff into one area, there is a lot going on.”
    “In the end they are all great kids, they come here, they work hard and pay attention and want to get better.”
    The idea of a program like this was bandied about a couple years ago, but at the high school level, however it didn’t fly. This year they revisited the idea and worked out some of the logistics of such a program. Golden Hills School Division was supportive.
    Hegberg says the program is not academy or an elite program.  There are students who play Minor Hockey, but there are also some who have never played the game before. While most of the participants are in Grade 6, the younger players are keeping up in a supportive atmosphere.
    “It is fundamentals, skating, puck skills, trying to get some kids who have never played to be interested in it,” he said. “It is a completely developmental program.”
    He adds it is also helping players who are more experienced.
    “Being on the Minor Hockey board, I know the lack of ice we have, it really helps their hockey,” said Hegberg. “These kids are getting up to 50 more hours of ice this year compared to what they have had in the past. Minor Hockey coaches who have kids in the program are noticing the changes in the kids, which is part of the program.”
    The program is voluntary, but they have designed it so it will have minimal impact on regular school. The ice time cuts into the lunch hour, and they have juggled the students’ schedules so they are not missing core curriculum.
    This is a pilot this year.
    “We are just getting it off the ground, we’ll have to see the interest next year because it is a pay per user program, it is not funded by the division,” he said. “From what I understand there is a lot of interest. There are kids in Grade 7 and 8 who say they wish the program was in place when they were in Grade 3.”
    “We would love to keep it going, it is a great thing for the community.” 

Renovations and additions to the ATCO building on 12th Street at the end of the Hy-Grade Industrial park generated a $13.8 million dollar building permit for the Town of Drumheller in 2014. Total building permits issued by the Town in 2014 equal $28,847,741.

Building permits in the Town of Drumheller reached a record $28 million dollars in 2014.
    “We had a very good year in building permits,” said Mayor Terry Yemen. “Albeit there was two major ones, but still, they’re part of our community. It was a good year for Drumheller.”
     Just over twenty-one million of the total is for two large projects. The building permit for ATCO Electric’s renovation and addition to their  administration offices and shop on 12 Street at the end of the Hy-Grade Industrial Park  was a $13,800,000 permit.
    The 96-bed housing unit expansion at the Drumheller Penitentiary building permits taken out for work at the penitentiary in 2014 equalled $7.5 million dollars. Read the complete story in the January 28 edition of The Drumheller Mail.