There was plenty of news to report in Drumheller and surrounding areas in 2022-from the return to normal after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, to major milestones and celebrations.
This is part one of the top 10 stories the Mail covered this year, in no particular order; part two will be published in the Wednesday, January 11 edition.
End of a pandemic era
Life has returned somewhat to normal after two years of pandemic restrictions and regulations, with people resuming activities like movie going and attending sporting events. While the days of masking and following arrows through the grocery store may seem like a distant, fading memory, at the beginning of 2022 there were still some concerns about COVID-19.
Outbreaks of COVID-19 were reported at the Drumheller Health Centre in early January on multiple wards, and admissions were temporarily paused to manage the outbreak. While the hospital dealt with this outbreak, the Drumheller Institution was also dealing with an outbreak of cases amongst inmates and staff.
In mid-January, Drumheller joined over a dozen other municipalities across the province to begin testing for COVID RNA, which is similar to DNA, in its municipal wastewater. This test was conducted by the Universities of Alberta and Calgary, and levels have continued throughout the remainder of the year. Along with tracking the amount of RNA, the test is also able to track variants of concern and recently has also begun monitoring for Influenza A and B, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Data from this study can be found at https://covid-tracker.chi-csm.ca/.
A movement began across the country in late January as truckers and supporters protested against mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirements. The movement, which became known as the Freedom Convoy, saw scores of trucks roll through communities across the country as they made their way to Ottawa, and other protests were also held at border crossings including Sweetgrass-Coutts which resulted in travel across the border paused at this crossing. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act on February 14, the first time since it was passed in 1988, which gave the authority for vehicles to be seized, bank accounts and insurance of protestors frozen; more than 250 people were arrested, and over 2,600 people fined for their participation in the convoy. Some of these arrests stemmed from the protests at the Coutts Border Crossing. Trials for some involved in these protests are ongoing.
By the end of April, the COVID-19 testing and immunization site, which had been set up in the former St. Luke’s School space on Highway 10 East was closed due to decreasing demand.
Escalation of unrest in Ukraine
Although the tensions between Russia and Ukraine has been ongoing since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and seized part of the Donbas region in southeast Ukraine, the conflict escalated in late February when Russia launched an invasion guised as a special military operation. This was followed by attacks on numerous Ukrainian cities, prompting people to flee their homes and seek safety, and has resulted in the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.
While the conflict remains half the world away, Drumheller has a long connected history to Ukraine as the valley was settled and shaped by many immigrants during the early coal-mining days, and some residents still have familial roots tied to Ukraine.
Former Drumheller Mayor Terry Yemen, who has travelled to Ukraine on multiple occasions over the past decade to ensure democracy during presidential elections, and Lynn Hemming who has formed friendships with Ukrainian people from a humanitarian trip about a decade ago shared their stories and concerns with the Mail in early March. Along with speaking to those with connections to Ukraine, the Mail also took the opportunity to speak with current and former residents who have families in Ukraine and hoped to bring their families to safety, as well as some Ukrainian refugees who have settled in the Drumheller Valley.
Students at Drumheller Valley Secondary School (DVSS), after initially reacting with shock, fear, and disbelief at the events unfolding in Ukraine, rallied together and sent a message of hope to students their own age in the war-torn country in late April. Midland Community Hall Association also gave back to Ukrainian refugees in the community by raising funds during their annual Ukrainian dinner in early November.
About a dozen families from Ukraine have made the Drumheller Valley their home.
Celebrating milestones, awards, and achievements
This year was full of several celebrations, from community organizations, and even one municipality, celebrating special milestone anniversaries, to local recipients being awarded Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Award medals.
Rockyford Lions Club and Carbon Lions Club celebrated their 75th anniversaries this year in March and June respectively, and the Morrin Fire Department looked back on 100 years of service to its community from its humble beginnings as a bucket brigade, to its current operation with some 22 volunteer members and four apparatuses.
The Village of Standard also celebrated 100 years since its incorporation. While the actual anniversary fell in April, and was marked with seeding using technology and methods used 100 years ago, the community waited until August to hold its celebration. Activities were held throughout the day and evening for residents to enjoy, and the field which was seeded in April was harvested using period-accurate machinery.
Along with these milestone celebrations, there were also several achievements and awards celebrated throughout the year. Golden Hills School Division Superintendent Bevan Daverne received a provincial award for his efforts throughout his career to enhance the profession of school system administration in March. Drumheller Councillor Tom Zariski was also recognized at a provincial level with the Alice Modin Award in October for his volunteerism and advocacy for seniors in the community, which has helped secure funding to build a new supportive living wing to support seniors in Drumheller.
Several local individuals were also recognized with Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Award Medals. A total of 7,000 medals were struck for the province in recognition of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 year reign, and have been handed out over several ceremonies. Bob Moffatt was recognized for his over two decades of contribution to the Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site; Pam Collett of Hussar and Odo Melcher of Rockyford area were also nominated by their respective municipal councils for their volunteerism and contributions to the community. Recipients continue to be announced.
Passing of a Monarch
For many Canadians, Queen Elizabeth II was the only monarch they had ever known, and the world mourned in September when Buckingham Palace announced the passing of Her Royal Majesty at the age of 96. The Queen celebrated 70 years on the throne earlier in the year-the longest reigning British monarch, and longest reigning female monarch in history.
Following the death of the Queen, local resident Bob Hannah recounted the time he met her at an event in Edmonton in 2005-an encounter he nearly turned down-and the memorable experience of getting to speak with her. Debbie Grande also reflected on the invitation she received in 2020 to attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace; although the event was postponed due to COVID, she says she hopes to apply for an invitation in the future to attend a Royal Garden Party with the new Queen Consort, and perhaps the new Prince and Princess of Wales.
On the same day as the Queen’s state funeral at London’s Westminster Abbey, the Drumheller Legion held its own memorial service in honour of the Queen; the service was attended by some 40 people, including Battle River-Crowfoot MP Damien Kurek, and members of Drumheller town council.
The coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort is scheduled to take place at Westminster Abbey in May 2023.
New provincial, federal Conservative leadership
Both the provincial United Conservative Party (UCP) and the federal Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) are under new leadership following the ousting of former leaders, Premier Jason Kenney and Erin O’Toole respectively.
Erin O’Toole resigned as leader of the CPC at the beginning of February after 73 of 119 Conservative Members of Parliament voted to replace him as leader. Following O’Toole’s resignation, MP Candice Bergen was appointed as interim party leader. MP Pierre Poilievre was the first to make his candidacy for the leadership role known, followed by former Quebec Premier Jean Charest, MPs Leslyn Lewis, Scott Aitchison, and former Ontario Member of Provincial Parliament Roman Baber; former Brampton, Ontario Mayor Patrick Brown was also in the running, however, he was disqualified in July due to alleged violations of financial provisions of the Canada Elections Act. The leadership vote took place on September 10 and Pierre Poilievre was announced as the new CPC leader in a first-ballot victory with a total of 68.15 per cent of the vote.
Alberta UPC’s also held a leadership vote after former Premier Jason Kenney stepped down due to receiving a 51.4 per cent vote of confidence in his leadership in May. Despite his resignation, the UCP Caucus voted to allow him to continue as leader until the leadership vote in October. Former Wildrose leader Danielle Smith declared her candidacy the same day Premier Kenney announced his resignation, quickly followed by former Finance Minister Travis Toews; a total of seven candidates, including fellow former Wildrose leader Brian Jean, and MLAs Rebecca Schultz, Todd Loewen, Rajan Sawhney, and Leela Aheer also announced their candidacy. During the campaign, Toews, Schulz, and Smith made campaign stops in Drumheller to garner support for their platforms. The leadership vote went to a total of six ballots, and in the final round Smith was declared the new leader of the UCP with 53.77 per cent of the vote; Towes received 46.23 per cent of the vote in the final round.
As Smith did not have a seat in the Legislature at the time of the leadership race, Brooks-Medicine Hat MLA Michaela Fray resigned her seat to allow Smith the opportunity to run in a by-election; she ran against former Brooks Mayor Barry Morishita, representing the Alberta Party, NDP candidate Gwendoline Dirk, Alberta Independence candidate Bob Blayone, and Wildrose Independence candidate Jeevan Mangat. Smith won the seat with a total of 54.41 per cent of the vote.
