Between October 14 and 27, the Drumheller Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Office will host several neighbourhood information sessions regarding the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and the Land Use Bylaw (LUB) documents.
While residents may have questions regarding berm alignments, land requisition, or how these can affect individual properties, these topics will not be covered at this time.
“Council has given first reading (of the MDP and LUB), and now it’s the public’s turn to provide input as council contemplates second and third reading,” Darwin Durnie, Chief Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Officer told the Mail.
At the September 14 council meeting, first reading was given for the proposed amendments to the MDP and LUB following a presentation by the Flood Mitigation Office. The presentation shared how the Red Deer River should be placed at the heart of the town’s two most integral documents: the LUB and MDP.
Durnie noted the MDP is normally updated every decade, and Drumheller’s is slightly overdue as the last update was completed in 2008.
Proposed changes to the documents will reduce the total land use districts from 21 down to eight, moving the focus of the LUB away from use and toward form to allow a “greater mix” of land uses. Changes to the MDP will help to ensure growth in the valley follows a central vision while keeping the unique landscape and river conveyance in mind.
Durnie added the information sessions will not provide a detailed review of everything the Flood Mitigation Office is doing, nor will it be solely focused on flood mitigation; these information sessions will focus on “land use planning” and the proposed changes to the MDP and LUB.
The first information session will be held on Wednesday, October 14 starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Last Chance Saloon in Wayne.
Both the Last Chance Saloon and the Rosedeer Hotel suffered damage in 2018 due to overland flooding of the Rosebud River, which also forced residents along Highway 10X and within the community of Wayne to evacuate. Other recent flood events include the 2005 and 2013 floods which prompted declarations of a local state of emergency.
Following the community information sessions, a public hearing concerning amendments to the MDP and LUB is scheduled for Monday, October 26 at 5:30 p.m.

The question on the minds of many parents, and children, has been whether Halloween celebrations will be able to go ahead this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
With social distancing measures and fears of exposure to the virus, many were unsure how spooky celebrations would proceed.
“I know Halloween is a favourite day for many, and I know many parents are already planning their children’s costumes and activities. I have no plans to suggest Alberta cancel Halloween this year,” said Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical officer of Health during her Thursday, October 1 COVID-19 update.
Dr. Hinshaw added information on ways to keep Halloween celebrations safe are available on the Alberta COVID-19 website. She also suggested Halloween is safer to celebrate due to being outdoors and traditionally within small family groups or cohorts.
She noted the tips and information will help families celebrate Halloween safely and make it “scary, but for the right reasons.”
Whether the annual Halloween Trick-or-Treating event downtown will take place is up for discussion during the Drumheller Community Business Association’s next regular meeting on Wednesday, October 7.
If the annual event goes ahead, ghosts and goblins may face some differences compared to previous years such as one-way foot traffic and mandatory masks.
The Village of Carbon Library will also be holding two Halloween dances on October 30. Guests are limited to 50 for each dance to adhere to social distancing, and volunteers will sanitize between each timed dance.