A fundraiser in support of a local, restaurant-owning family who have had to close due to a car accident has reached over $9,000.
Andy Triadopoulos, cook and part owner of Athen’s Greek Restaurant in Drumheller, was seriously injured in a traffic accident on November 15 which saw him airlifted to hospital and another man deceased. Tradopolous is still recovering in hospital.
Calla Peacey, a family friend, set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the family because they have had to close their restaurant for the foreseeable future, the family’s main source of income.
“The money is going to be used for living expenses and overhead for the restaurant, as the family derives their income from the restaurant,” Peacey said. “I assume it will also be used for the family traveling back and forth between Drumheller and Calgary.”
In two days the fundraiser has brought in $9,000 for the family.
“We really want people to know how truly grateful we all are for everyone’s support and love during this difficult time. We are also so touched by the generosity of others,” said Natasha Triadopoulos.
One of their family members in town, Tina Hodgson, is collecting freezer meals for the family when they are back in Drumheller from the back and forth. If anybody is interested in helping, they can email Tina at thehodgsons7@gmail.com.

Town administration will be looking at what a 5 per cent cut to the 2019 operating budget would look like after receiving direction from council earlier this month.

Councillor Fred Makowecki requested corporate services to see if such a cut is possible ahead of budget planning scheduled before the end of this year. The town had an operating budget of just over $11.3 million in 2018, and a 5 per cent cut would mean administration would need to find about $500,000 in the existing budget.

“My thought process is that I’ve seen everyone have to pare back and the economy, in general, in the province being a tough one, I wanted to see whether there was room in there,” Makowecki says. “We have some initiatives we’d like to do going forward that is part of our strategy to attract and retain businesses.”

Part of the reason for the request is the possibility of a new conservative government in the spring elections, and municipal governments and public sector organizations across the province are wondering whether there will be funding and budget cuts if Alberta is under a new conservative leadership.

“If there is a change of government are there going to be austerity measures? Looking at that, if we run the exercise then we’ll know better what we can and can’t do.”

Part of the town’s operating budget is salaries, and administration has a number of vacant positions including directors for infrastructure and community services. The additional salary costs, once the positions are filled, shouldn’t be an issue in finding budget cuts, Makowecki says.

“This is definitely a part of the direction we want to go in and an integral part of that.”