There has been an upswing in donations on the “Brandon Hall’s Fight Against Cancer” GoFundMe online fundraising page since it was revealed that a charge of theft has been laid in relation to a fundraiser in his family’s name.

The Drumheller Mail reported that a Drumheller woman has been charged with theft following an April 30 fundraiser. It is alleged that funds from the silent auction were not received by the Hall family.

  For the family, Crystal Hall tells inSide Drumheller, the incident has caused substantial stress.

“The unfortunate thing with this is the amount that was raised was really exciting because it gave us the ability, without worry, to be able to go with Brandon for his next surgery. Now it is quite a bit tighter, and so we are looking at how we can make things work and balance what can put off right now.” Crystal said. “While before we didn’t have that worry.”

Brandon has already had to travel to the United States for surgery to his abdomen and Crystal says it went well.

“He has actually done really well, according to his doctor. The surgeon said he has bounced back better than he thought he would,” said Crystal. “The only thing he is not doing is gaining weight… no matter how much he tries to eat, he is sitting around 98 pounds.”

He is facing more surgery to his lungs, which may also have to be out of province. Right now, the family is confirming the details, but understands it is needed right away. 

“It may be two surgeries, but they may try to do it in one,” said Crystal.

Not long after Brandon was diagnosed with cancer, a GoFundMe page to support him and his family was created. Since news that charges have been laid, more than $800 has been pledged in the last two days. To date the page has raised $8,356.

 Jamie Worman, one of the organizers of the fundraisers for the family, is heartened by people giving.

“It looks like they will be getting more support,” he said.

Ashley Fredrickson of Drumheller is charged with theft under $5,000, and is slated to appear in provincial court in Drumheller on Friday, August 26.

Drumheller’s real estate market is slowing along with the rest of the province’s, with total sales numbers for the area down over 8 per cent, says a report from the region’s realtors association published this month.

The Realtors Association of South Central Alberta reports average sales prices in the region fell 8.2 per cent over last year’s figures, with Drumheller’s average house price dropping 23 per cent, down to $200,019 compared to $259,317 from the same time last year. So far, 2016 has seen 44 sales to date, compared to 48 sales in 2015, nearly a 10 per cent drop.

The report contributes the drop in Drumheller house prices to the sale of several older homes on the market, but local realtors acknowledge real estate in Drumheller is going through a market adjustment where lower priced homes are outselling higher end properties.

“Yes, people are more cautious and certainly it’s a buyer’s market, but those market trends change depending on supply and demand,” said Century 21 Realtor Karen Bertamini. 

“Right now there are fewer buyers typically, and some have moved down a range. You’ve got fewer buyers at the higher end.”

Re/max Realtor Ian Cassels sees the impact of jobs in the oil and gas sector contributing to the market downturn.

“People are a little worried about their jobs and it doesn’t look like a lot is being sold,” said Cassels. 

Drumheller’s numbers are in line with province-wide figures signifying a drop in home sales, running 10 per cent below the first half of 2015 according to the Alberta Real Estate Association, with only the bigger centres of Calgary and Lethbridge seeing average residential prices increasing slightly over last year. 

While numbers are down, Bertamini feels the diversity of Drumheller’s local economy, with tourism, agriculture, oil and gas, and major federal and provincial employers in the penitentiary and hospital, offers greater stability than other centres have.

“Those sectors are very strong sectors. When one fails, typically the rest of them will carry.”

“We have seen a shift, there’s no doubt about that,” she said. “Across the province is feeling hits from the recession, but in my opinion Drumheller hasn’t felt as much. Our middle end has picked up. People may have moved $50,000 down in a house purchase, but it seems to be very strong, and people are still purchasing. There’s people moving in and out of our community.”

Realtor Bob Sheddy of rentdrumheller.ca said Drumheller rents have dropped approximately $25 per month from the same time last year, which has helped attract renters coming from bigger centres.

“We have a relatively low supply of rentals and with the downturn some residents have sold their homes and moved into rental properties,” he said. “Drumheller is also more affordable to live, so we are seeing Albertans moving to Drumheller from more expensive cities.”

“We don’t have the big busts and booms like the major centres, yes we’ve lost some good jobs, but we’re not that bad off,” said Cassels.

But is it a buyer’s market?

“It’s hard to quantify that because you can see there has been a drop at the higher end because there are less buyers. I would call it a market adjustment,” said Bertamini.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a buyer’s market,” said Cassels. “It’s just an average market right now.”