The Town of Drumheller has changed their initial response to the new COVID-19 public health measures and will begin implementing the Restrictions Exemption Program (REP) at recreation facilities including the Aquaplex, Badlands Community Facility, and the Drumheller Memorial Arena.

Initially the town announced they would not yet be imposing the REP andwould operate at one-third capacity; however, following discussions with council, direction was given to implement the program for all user groups starting Monday, September 27.

“The primary focus during our response to the COVID-19 pandemic has always been the health and safety of our patrons and our staff,” says Darren Goldthorpe, manager of Recreation, Arts and Culture. “We are committed to ensuring that all of our recreation facilities respect patron and staff privacy, dignity, and confidentiality. At this time, we will be asking users to show our staff their proof of vaccination each time they come in, and at the point of registration for upcoming fitness classes.”

Vaccine information or rapid test results will not be recorded in any fashion and users should come prepared with their documentation and identification upon entry to any town recreation facility.

All patrons 12 years and older must provide valid proof of vaccination, or proof of a privately-paid rapid test result taken within 72 hours of service, or documentation of a medical exemption.

Please visit drumheller.ca for more information and a list of all restrictions.

Effective September 27, 2021, Mayor and Council have directed administration to appoint Deighen Blakely, P.Eng, of Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd, as the new Flood Project Director.
Blakely is a Senior Water Resources Engineer and Project Manager with Kerr Wood Leidal Associates Ltd. (KWL) and holds a master’s degree specializing in Open Channel Hydraulics. With more than 20 years of engineering experience in various roles for the Province, the City of Calgary and various engineering consulting firms, she has a strong understanding of projects from both the owner and consultant side.
Deighen has a strong interest in flood mitigation. During her time with the City of Calgary, she led the River Engineering Team to deliver on the City of Calgary’s key flood mitigation goals including improvements to the flood emergency response systems, updates to land use policies and structural mitigation projects. She has also worked collaboratively on flood mapping and upstream reservoir projects with the Province, during her time with the City.
Blakely has been involved in the current Drumheller Flood Resiliency program since the fall of 2019 and has recently led the design of six dike projects in Drumheller. Deighen will transition from the dike design projects in the coming weeks into the Project Director role, working closely with the Interim Project Director, Mark Steffler and the Town of Drumheller’s CAO, Darryl Drohomerski.
To meet Ms. Blakely and the other members of the Flood Office team, please attend the upcoming virtual town hall events by registering at https://floodreadiness.drumheller.ca/.