A Drumheller man is facing charges following the execution of a search warrant on an apartment in the 400 block of 11 Ave Sein Drumheller.
    The search warrant was executed by Drumheller RCMP with assistance from the Emergency Response Team.  Some suspicious items in the apartment resulted in the evacuation of the building and the deployment of the Explosive Disposal Unit.  Upon closer inspection, the suspicious items, packaged to look like homemade explosive devices, did not contain the required elements to be a danger to the public.
    A firearm seized from the apartment was consistent in appearance to a police carbine, but upon closer inspection and disassembly was deemed to be an airsoft with primarily metal components.
    Police would like to remind the public that replica or inert firearms used in the commission of an offense can bear the same penalties as if the item were a true firearm.
     Terry Heptonstall (39) of Drumheller is charged with:
· Pointing a firearm
· Possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose x 2
· Mischief
    If anyone has any information on this or other offenses in the community please report to the Drumheller RCMP at 403-823-2630. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.

The Town of Drumheller’s economic development department has been honoured by its peers, picking up two awards for its efforts.

Communications Officer for the Town of Drumheller, Julia Fielding, attended the Economic Developers Alberta (EDA) Conference from April 3-5 and the town won the Business Retention and Expansion Award for a small community and the Alex Metcalfe Award “best of the best” community project. The town won for Business Retention and Expansion.

“The award was for the TIBRE (Tourism Industry Retention and Expansion, project last year,” explains Fielding. “This is where Travel Drumheller,  the Chamber, and the town worked together. We identified tourism businesses and went out to interview them to learn about the state of their business and what issues they had.”

“What we have done is used that information to look at what programs and policies that need changing and updating.”

This was a pilot program.

“It is great for the town to be recognized across  Alberta. We are doing excellent economic development work and it is fantastic for us as a small town to get the recognition,” she said.

“The best part of the award is we are all working together for the same aim. We can look at what the tourism business is like in Drumheller and how we move forward.”

She was also heartened by the amount of volunteer support they received taking on the project.