There may be hope that Fields in Drumheller will not close after all.
    inSide Drumheller reported in its February 17 edition that the discount department store in Drumheller would be closed by its parent company HBC by this fall.
    There have been reports the Fields in Drumheller has been saved by a buying group who is looking at purchasing some of the stores in Western Canada. 
    Spokesperson for Fields Holding Company (FHC) Rebecca Johnston says there is a group looking at purchasing some of the Fields stores, however the deal has yet to be signed, and as far as the Drumheller store being included, it has yet to be determined.
    She explains there is a tentative agreement between HBC and FHC for the company to purchase the rights to the assets of about 59 stores in Western Canada.
    “About 37 of those stores are confirmed, and another 22 are under consideration as part of the agreement,” said Johnston.
    “There is a goal for a deal in a month or two.”
    She adds that it appears the Drumheller store is on the list of the 22 stores that has yet to be confirmed.
    “It is the intent to keep the Drumheller store going, but that is still what is being negotiated, and that is with landlords and alike,” said Johnston.
    Fields has had a presence in the valley for 28 years at the same location. Earlier this year HBC announced they would be closing the stores across Canada. This was shortly after it purchased the American Department store chain Lord and Taylor. 
    Tiffany Bourre, external communications manager for HBC confirmed they are working on deal and that Drumheller is one of the 22 stores under consideration.
    Johnston said the FHC is a group of Canadian investors eager to see the Fields chain returned to B.C. from Ontario.  Businessman Jason McDougall is part of the group. He heads up Mcfrugals stores in B.C. and is founder of Bargain Warehouse.

While the province is knee deep into an election campaign, before business wrapped up in the legislature, leader of the Liberal Party Raj Sherman was able to unite the house in banning smoking in cars where a child is present.
    The bill passed third reading unanimously, but has yet to be granted Royal Ascent. If passed, a $1,000 fine could be levied for a first offense. While it is a step forward the province has been lagging behind. Save for Quebec, Alberta was the last province to pass such legislation.
    While it passed unanimously, addictions councillor for Alberta Health Services in Drumheller Martin McSween said he has seen a little bit of push back.
    “A lot of people have been calling in with objections,” said McSween. “The focus is to protect children and health but people start looking at it as a right issue and a choice issue.”
    He said the push back is typical with many different legislative changes from seatbelts, to distracted driving legislation. He remembers the opposition when legislation banning smoking in public places and bars and restaurants came in. It soon faded.
    “There is really nothing contesting that anymore,” said McSween.
    He feels the legislation will work more as an educational tool, rather than a punitive law.
“People are way more aware of the effects today. I remember smoking on planes and smoking on buses, so we really have come a long way and we have to remember that,” said McSween, adding there is still a lot of pro tobacco messaging in society.
    “Still in movies today it portrays more smoking than there really is, even T.V.”
 To help promote healthy lifestyles McSween said this month the Learn to Run For Smokers Program is kicking off. This is an eight-week program offered by Alberta Health Services and the Alberta Lung Association and the Lung Association of Nova Scotia. It is designed to promote a healthy lifestyle through running for people who smoke.
    “At the end of this you are pretty well doing a 5K,” said McSween. “This is a learn to run program, focusing not on smoking, it is related to lifestyle choices. We do a session with cessation, but the rest of it is focusing on running or walking.”
    The program begins on Thursdays, April 19 from 5:30 p.m.  to 7:30 p.m.  About a half hour of the session is in class, and the rest is running.
    “It is a program designed to help you increase each week. There is homework with the running or walking part. The day we meet is one of three runs each week,” said McSween.
    The program is facilitated by McSween, Cora Bolt and Trina Mcfarlane from the Drumheller office, with health promotion specialist Michelle Volkart as well as Erica Laycock of the Primary Care Network.
    Those interested can get more information and register at www.ns.lung.ca/learntorun for smokers. The deadline to register is April 12.