On Monday, February 29, Drumheller Staff Sgt. Grant MacDonald presented the RCMP’s Annual Performance Plan to Town Council.
    Staff Sgt. MacDonald explained, “The RCMP’s  first priority is to increase police visibility. This will be  measured  by surveys.  The information will be gathered and used at the next annual performance plan.”
    MacDonald continued, “The second priority is to increase traffic safety, which is important in Drumheller, as we are a tourist destination. Drumheller RCMP are achieving targets and increasing traffic safety,  however increase in traffic offenses rose 48% in tickets written. The creation of a dedicated traffic person in Drumheller has paid off in spades.”
    MacDonald further explained, “Our third priority is reducing property crime.  We had decreases  in  break-ins to residences  by 20% and  reductions to thefts from  motor vehicles by  8%, however there was a modest increase of 2% in mischief.  We have members actively doing foot patrols downtown at night,  so we won’t see so many occurrences happen.”
    McDonald continued further, “Our last priority has to do with crime reductions strategically, by reducing the number of criminal code cases.  Our goal was 10% and we achieved 8.7% for last year. The RCMP has positioned dedicated members at the penitentiary and they are being  successful by holding inmates accountable for their actions.  The inmates at the penitentiary are also responsible for the significant spikes in offensive weapons. The RCMP will  be scheduling a meeting to review the stats with management at the penitentiary and see what precautions can be taken to help modify their system.”
    “One stat that really stands out is fraud.  There were only 33 reported cases in 2014 and 42 in 2015. Since January 2016, the RCMP have already seen a slight increase, in particular the revenue tax agency scam.  Because tax season is on the horizon,  there will be a continuation of that fraud.  Public education and fraud sessions have already been held at the Drumheller library and senior’s centres. The RCMP have distributed posters, at the Pioneer Trail Society for emergency  contact numbers if someone should fall victim to fraud.” stated MacDonald.
    Possession of drugs, mainly small amounts of marijuana, were 103 in 2014 and 123 in 2015.
    Given the economic climate, the RCMP anticipates potential crimes against people to increase.  Money is tight and homeowners are having a hard time making their mortgage payment, therefore there is more stress in the home, which translates to increased calls to the police. This year there has been a rise in the number of domestic violence calls the RCMP receive.          Another trend the RCMP are concerned with is sexual assault. Drumheller numbers are low, but even one is too many. The RCMP are going to be looking for partnership opportunities, increasing local awareness and hope to see the trend be reversed.
    Council’s wish list for this year include, increased foot patrols at night, education on distracted driving and  increased visibility.

    On Friday, February 26, Drumheller Valley Secondary School (DVSS) Culinary Program students explained to inSide Drumheller their partnership with Canalta Hotels and O’Sheas Eatery & Ale House for a culinary competition.
    In mid January 2016, sixteen DVSS students participated in the competition, held in the school’s kitchen lab.  Five judges looked  for presentation, taste and functionality within  a commercial kitchen.  The judges were O’Sheas Chris Jones,  Heather Jones, Richard Parsons, Ken Bitz and  Canalta’s Kerr Boydell.
    All dishes were prepared from scratch.  One of their instructors was  DVSS Principal Curtis Lapierre, who has his Red Seal in the culinary arts.  Out of the sixteen entree’s, the final five were selected.  These five dishes will be on O’Shea’s  Feature menu for the  month of April.  
    Chicken Sausage & Shrimp Jambalaya, one of the winning dishes, was prepared by Savanna Richardson and she said, “I am actually self taught, I have been cooking my whole life.  I love being in the kitchen and I love cooking and baking. I want to attend Olds College for a four year welding program and  then work for a couple of years.   I will then go to either SAIT or the Culinary Institute of the Arts in Vancouver to obtain  my cooking degree.”
    The next winning dish, prepared by Joshua Thomson, was a Citrus Chicken entree. Josh spoke about his love for  cooking, “I love a lot of foods and  my parents helped with that and always made sure I could feed myself. I have been accepted into the University of Lethbridge for the next semester and will be taking a minor in History and majoring in Economics.”
    Another winning dish, Grilled Steak Sandwich, was prepared by Jessica Fernando and she explained her menu item, “It’s prepared with beef steak, marinated in adobo and it comes with Chimichurri sauce.  Fernando told inSide Drumheller of her future plans, “I want to attend the University of Toronto, taking Political Science and then eventually bridge into law school.”
    Leo Li prepared the Pepper Steak and spoke about the entree, “My grandmother used to prepare this meal for me and it is my favorite dish.  It’s prepared with pork tenderloin and sautéed with red and green peppers.” Li’s plans are to attend the University of Alberta, because many of his Chinese friends will also be there. He wants to take the  Business program.
    The fifth winning entree was submitted by Rachel Graf who prepared a Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Baked Potato. Unfortunately,   Graf was not available for interview at this time.
    At O’Sheas, for the month of April, the public will be  invited to complete a Guest Survey after enjoying one  of the winning dishes. Based on numbers of orders and reviews, a winner will be selected and announced this coming May.  The winner will  receive a $1000 scholarship from Canalta/O’Sheas.
    Bitz summarized by saying, “All the students are fine examples of this community.”