Alison Redford’s government’s first budget with her as Premier came down last week, and Mayor Terry Yemen said there is not much there for Drumheller.
    Finance Minister Ron Liepert delivered the budget last Thursday, and it is Alberta’s fourth deficit budget in a row. Yemen said he would have liked to have seen more from it. There are not too many commitments to new funding.
    “Most of the increases only take care of inflation," said Yemen. “There is no room for growth money."
    One aspect of provincial budgeting important to Yemen is reliable, stable funding for municipalities. He said while part of the budget talked about moving this way, he did not see any proof of it.
    “One thing we have been asking about is the Municipal Sustainability Initiative. We want consistency in the calculations, and they acknowledged it in the budget, but it doesn’t seem they did anything about it,” said Yemen.
    He said last year changes in the Municipal Sustainability Initiative saw the Town of Drumheller lose about $248,000.
    “There has to be some consistency, not this moving target,” said Yemen. “With the Municipal Sustainability Initiative, they recognize it, but I don’t see a fix.”
    The Alberta Urban Municipalities Association assessment of this funding  appears to be in line with Yemen’s view.
    “Despite the government’s assurance that Budget 2012 establishes three-year predictable funding for municipalities, the budget process remains unchanged. Municipal funding is approved on an Patrick Kolafa
The Drumheller Mail

    Alison Redford’s government’s first budget with her as Premier came down last week, and Mayor Terry Yemen said there is not much there for Drumheller.
    Finance Minister Ron Liepert delivered the budget last Thursday, and it is Alberta’s fourth deficit budget in a row. Yemen said he would have liked to have seen more from it. There are not too many commitments to new funding.
    “Most of the increases only take care of inflation," said Yemen. “There is no room for growth money."
    One aspect of provincial budgeting important to Yemen is reliable, stable funding for municipalities. He said while part of the budget talked about moving this way, he did not see any proof of it.
    “One thing we have been asking about is the Municipal Sustainability Initiative. We want consistency in the calculations, and they acknowledged it in the budget, but it doesn’t seem they did anything about it,” said Yemen.
    He said last year changes in the Municipal Sustainability Initiative saw the Town of Drumheller lose about $248,000.
    “There has to be some consistency, not this moving target,” said Yemen. “With the Municipal Sustainability Initiative, they recognize it, but I don’t see a fix.”
    The Alberta Urban Municipalities Association assessment of this funding  appears to be in line with Yemen’s view.
    “Despite the government’s assurance that Budget 2012 establishes three-year predictable funding for municipalities, the budget process remains unchanged. Municipal funding is approved on an annual basis, with no guarantee the targets for years two and three will be realized,”  the AWNA states in its reaction to the budget.
    Another change that could affect municipalities is in the Water For Life Program. Last year it had a budget of $260 million, this year that falls by more than one-third to $170 million. This is a fund used to fund water and wastewater projects.
    One change in the process Yemen would have liked to see was more consultation.
    “There was no municipal input,” said Yemen.
    He is concerned the financial projections the budget is based on may be overoptimistic. He said the assumptions, that the budget is based on, the prices of oil and natural gas, could be out of reach.
    Most watchers are expecting a provincial election this coming spring, and many characterize this as an election budget.
    “It’s kind of like getting socks for Christmas. For a campaign budget, I was expecting more,” said Yemen.

The Canadian Badlands Passion Play has put out the call to professional actors and casual thespians both to join the epic production this summer.
    There are a variety of roles waiting to be filled, from high profile roles to non-speaking and other small roles. The latter do not even require an audition.
    This year will mark 19 years of production. During that time, the play has grown to be one of Canada’s largest annual outdoor theatrical events.
    The Passion Play depicts the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To tell that story the production needs roughly 200 professional and volunteer actors/actresses.
    Each year, actors, singers, musicians, and even entire families join the play.
    The Passion Play will run from July 13 to 22, with both evening and afternoon performances.
    There will be a few changes this year, including changes to the script.
    All skill levels are welcome to apply to become involved. For more information visit www.canadianpassionplay.com or call 1-403-823-2001. To book an audition, email Ailsa Birnie at pplayproduction@me.com.
    Auditions in Drumheller will take place on Sunday, February 26, at the Passion Play site, 605 17th St. SW.