Emergency responders in Drumheller are ready to assist with the efforts for Fort McMurray.

The northern Alberta oil capital has been devastated by wildfires since the weekend, with the entire city put on evacuation notice yesterday due to the fires covering a reported 10,000 hectares.

Drumheller RCMP and the Fire Department have both been asked to provide extra support to the effort, with RCMP officers Eric Doucette and Chris MacEachern preparing to go today.

“They need extra resources out there so it’s kind of a fan out throughout the province for extra members. Every detachment is sending what they can,” said Corporal Rod Guthrie. 

“It’s kind of been all-hands-on-deck type of thing.”

Officer Chris Maceachern will be going to Fort McMurray tomorrow night.

“I don’t know what I’ll be doing yet, but I’ll help out wherever I can,” MacEachern said. 

“The main thing for us is that everyone’s safe.”

While RCMP members are on standby, Fire Chief Bruce Wade told The Mail he has received an e-mail from the Fire Commissioner’s office looking to see who was in the position to provide resources.

Wade responded positively, asking what it could provide.

Wade says they there are members of the department who are willing to mobilize should they be required to help with the firefighting or aid effort.

“The difficulty of sending men or equipment is you have no idea how long the could be there, it could be a week or two months. It is tough until you know what the need is,” said Wade.

Guthrie, who may assist next week, said Drumheller RCMP’s initial goal is to send available members as soon as possible and then figure out logistics.

“I don’t know the strategics of what’s going on up there. It’s such short notice.”

“All Albertans are watching this,” said Premier Rachel Notley at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. “All Albertans are with the people of Fort McMurray. We will do everything we can to ensure everybody’s safety.”

The Fire Commissioner office is coordinating with the Emergency Operations Centre in Fort McMurray.

The Drumheller Fire Department has been on the ready before helping in times of crisis.

Drumheller RCMP had previously sent members to High River when it flooded in 2013. The Drumheller Fire Department assisted with the Penticton wildfires of 2009.

Reporting by Patrick Kolafa and Kyle Smylie

Photos courtesy of Terri Nichol

Drumheller town council approved the 2016 mill rate on Monday and residents will see a rise in their property taxes this year.

The new residential mill rate, set at 0.0070016 based on an assessment of $960,302,040, is a hike in revenue of 3 per cent.

“It’s the troubled economic times and you want to keep it as close to the line as possible,” said Mayor Terry Yemen after the council meeting Monday.

“The only other option was a reduction in services but we didn’t want to go there.”

The rate had been set at 2 per cent for a long time, and council had worked to tow that line, but “it just wasn’t going to work,” said Mayor Yemen. 

Councillor Jay Garbutt noted that a large portion of the town budget was weighted down with salaries and wages that were increasing on an annual basis.

Councillor Patrick Kolafa also pointed out that the province’s decision to not reinstate grants in lieu of taxes for social house units in their 2016 provincial budget accounts for a portion of the shortfall.

A one per cent increase in taxes is around $83,000 to $85,000 and the grant in lieu of taxes cut by the province was around $63,000.

The 2016 Operating Budget which was previously approved by council on February 22 detailed a 3 per cent increase in municipal property tax requisition. 

On average, the municipal portion of the tax bill will reflect a 3 per cent increase.

For example, a residential property assessed at $200,000 will see a tax bill increase of $66, from $2,060 in 2015 to $2,126 in 2016.

The 2016 Alberta School Foundation Fund (ASFF) requisition decreased by 0.69 per cent, so most residential taxpayers will see a decrease in the ASFF levy amount on their tax notice. 

While you can’t appeal your taxes, you may appeal your property assessment. This must be done within 60 days of the mailing date of the tax notice. More information can be found on the town’s website, www.dinosaurvalley.com