Two Morrin School students are making a difference in their community by helping to change attitudes about drinking and driving.
    The Mail reported in its  April 17 edition that Kyle Montgomery and Brittany Cawiezel had been selected to serve as youth ambassadors  representing Alberta  for a workshop presented by Parachute Canada on a new teen driver safety project. They also attended the Youth Against Impaired Driving Conference. These were in Oakville Ontario.
    From these experiences, they came home with the tools needed to make their community safer.
    The two are members of the Morrin School SADD group, and now are founders of Project Gearshift in Alberta. Project Gearshift grew out of the teen driver safety workshop.
    “We sort of created it. There are two Alberta ambassadors, Brittany and myself,” said Kyle. “There are two from Ontario and two from New Brunswick.”
    “We met in Ontario and created the group,” said Brittany.
    Last week the group had its inaugural Community Leader Meeting to begin planning how it would address problems of drinking and driving.
    “Kyle and I were able to pick which issues we wanted to bring back to our community, so we picked drinking and driving,” said Brittany. “We wanted to make a difference.”
    On Tuesday, September 24 their meeting was well attended and include representatives from the RCMP, Morrin School, Starland County Alberta Transportation, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, Alberta Health  services and EMS.
    “We wanted to make it community based, and we are getting signs for the community called “RID” Report Impaired Drivers,” said Brittany. “We have a big one we are putting out at the school.”
    The small signs will be mounted to existing traffic signs for high visibility.
     Brittany said that there is power when the message comes from younger people. Both adults and youth take notice.

Morrin School students Kyle Montgomery, left, and Brittany Cawiezel are heading up Project Gearshift to spread awareness of impaired driving in the community.

    Wheatland County is moving forward with implementing a new Municipal Development Plan (MDP).
    The third reading of the new MDP has been scheduled for the Wheatland County Council meeting on Tuesday, October 15. The second reading was passed in late September and included a number of revisions from the first draft.
    “There were changes that were requested. It’s not uncommon.  There were a few council agreed with, so they’ll reappear for the third reading at the next meeting,” said Alan Parkin, CAO of Wheatland County. “Council endorsed a few changes, but not all.”

Wheatland County is planning for the future through a new Municipal Development Plan (MDP). The County Council will consider third reading of the MDP at their meeting on October 15.

    Some of the changes include what communities are recognized under the MDP, such as villages and hamlets. Some also felt Hutterite colonies should be listed, noting their absence in the MDP.
    “We were talking about hamlets and whether Hutterite colonies should be considered communities,” said Parkin.
    However, some Wheatland County residents are objecting to the new MDP. Cheryl Marshman, a resident of Rockyford, felt the process was being rushed.
    “Not only was there no publication of the revised draft before the meeting, what was even more disturbing was many of the councillors had not read a copy of the new draft,” said Marshman in a letter to The Drumheller Mail.
    She also charges public feedback was screened prior to reaching council.
    “It is impossible to ignore a very important document, one that will guide Wheatland County in water conservation, road infrastructure, land use, and environmental pressure has been edited, and presented to the council for approval, by staff without prior consultation,” said Marshman.
    Marshman also argued Hutterite colonies, given their size and economic impact, should be recognized under the new MDP and should be required to submit an Area Structure Plan for new developments.
    Beginning in May, Wheatland County began the public consultation portion of the MDP process. The MDP was last updated in 2006 and since that time, the county has seen a number of changes. Public consultation closed last month.
    “The public engagement portion has been completed. We did a number of meetings and input from the public was open until mid-September,” said Parkin.
    The third reading is scheduled for October 15 at the Wheatland County council chambers.