Two cornerstone documents for the Town of Drumheller, the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and Land Use Bylaw (LUB), passed third reading during the regular Drumheller council meeting on Monday, December 7.
Amendments were made to the documents following a first reading in August this year, followed by a series of neighbourhood engagement sessions in mid-to-late October to let the public provide input.
“They (the MDP and LUB) needed modernization, but more than that, they needed to acknowledge the single biggest threat to development in the community--the river--and address how that threat can be reduced,” Councillor Jay Garbutt said during the meeting. “Using flood program funds to bring these new documents forward is the best reflection, so far, on leveraging that investment.”
Some feedback from the neighbourhood engagement sessions requested the MDP protect the unique landscape of the Badlands and palaeontological areas.
Using this information, additional changes were made to the MDP, adding new regulations to protect the escarpment edge, a new analysis map, and stronger language to protect palaeontological resources.

Changes to the LUB will work with the MDP to further protect palaeontological resources and will streamline development by reducing the previous 21 land use designations down to eight.
New maps were developed to provide clearer and more detailed information, and additional information on the role of the Development Officer was defined based on feedback from the October engagement sessions.
“All the suggestions everyone made, all the comments, they’re not going to be stored on a shelf,” said Councillor Tom Zariski during the council meeting. “They are going to be reviewed and we will possibly use them in the future.”
Third reading was passed unanimously.
Changes to these two documents will come into effect in March 2021 and will receive ongoing evaluations, with the first estimated for June 2021.

A Drumheller man is facing charges after the community of Newcastle was put on alert for a police operation on Friday afternoon, December 11.
Around 3 p.m., an Emergency Response Team and police dog service mustered at the Drumheller RCMP Detachment, and then travelled to Newcastle where an operation was undertaken by the team on 2nd Avenue. Police were responding to a complaint of threats.
Residents of the neighbourhood were asked to stay indoors and the public to stay away from the area. They also asked that residents not broadcast their activity on social media.
By 5:30 p.m., the police presence in the area had dwindled, and at 7:46 p.m. RCMP issued a press release noting they had taken a male into custody. Police seized a number of items including a sawed-off shotgun and an SKS rifle.
William Pickering, 34, of Drumheller was arrested and has been charged with three counts of unauthorized possession of a firearm, uttering threats to cause death/bodily harm, unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of stolen property, careless use/storage of a firearm and two counts of failing to comply with conditions of a release order. He will appear in provincial court in Drumheller on December 18