News | DrumhellerMail - Page #221
10022024Wed
Last updateMon, 30 Sep 2024 4pm

Drumheller issues Fire Restriction

IMG 9854

As of May 5, 2023, the Town of Drumheller has issued a Fire Restriction.
The Town of Drumheller advises that only necessary burning should take place, and with
extreme caution. Fire hazard levels within the Town and the surrounding areas are currently
at a level where fire can start and grow quickly. The public is asked to ensure that all fires
are attended to and completely extinguished before being left unattended.
Prohibited
• Consumer fireworks
• All burning that is not contained to a fire pit conforming to Fire Bylaw 04.07
• All burn permits are revoked
• Fires previously allowed by permit must be extinguished
Permitted
• Recreational fire pits that are compliant with Fire Bylaw 04.07
• Natural gas, propane, electric stoves, barbecues and smokers that are CSA
approved or ULC certified
• Solid fuelled barbecue appliances, where the primary source of fuel consists of
charcoal, briquettes, or wood
There is a very high risk of fire spreading during windy conditions in any cured (dead and
dry) grass fuel type, such as those that exist across the Town and the surrounding areas at
the current time. Due to the rapidly changing weather conditions and the fine fuel moisture
content, the Town of Drumheller may move to a Fire Ban with little to no notice.
To review and subscribe to fire advisories and bans, please visit www.albertafirebans.ca


MP Kurek weighs in on federal budget

LIVE 1

The federal budget was presented a few weeks ago, and slowly more details are coming to light, such as the dental plan and a grocery rebate. While it has yet to be passed, Damin Kurek, MP for Battle-River Crowfoot is still not seeing anything he could support.
On April 20, the Budget Implementation Act was introduced, and Kurek expected there would be a number of budget votes coming.
“We’re still waiting for details. The budget is the template, but we are looking for specific details on a lot of what the government announced,” said Kurek.
He expects it will be the focus of the Canadian Parliament over the next few weeks. He noted the Conservatives requested the Liberal Government include three key items in this budget: allow Canadians to bring home powerful paycheques with lower taxes, so hard work pays off again; bring home lower prices by ending inflationary carbon tax hikes and deficit spending which drive up inflation and interest rates; and bring homes people can afford by removing government gatekeepers to free up land, and speed up building permits.
“It is interesting that some of the things the Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister said repeatedly over the last couple of years, fiscal anchors, for example, the red line that she would never cross is increasing Canada’s debt-to-GDP ratio,” he said. “That red line has been erased, or crossed or missed altogether. We have seen the cost of maintenance on our debt balloon dramatically to $41 billion. To put that into context, $41 billion in debt maintenance, that not even making payments, that simply paying the debt servicing costs. Yet our deficit is $43 billion…so we are borrowing unbelievably huge amounts of money to simply service the debt.”
He also notes there are many programs that are looking more expensive than they initially were projected to be.
“Take dental, for example. A lot of Canadians were following closely when the announcements related to dental care were made, but there is very little collaboration with provinces on what is and what is not covered. That is certainly an ongoing frustration, and the Liberals seem to be acting without consulting their provincial counterparts,” he said.
“Canadians are struggling, they need certainty, they need predictability, and that is certainly not what we are getting from this most recent budget.”
He said the party is willing to work with anyone who is willing to put Canadians’ best interests first.
“The Liberals were not interested in working with us when they put it together. I am not optimistic they will be any more collaborative than they were on that part when it comes to the Budget Implementation Act,” he said.
Leader of the Official Opposition, Pierre Poilievre, also expressed his disappointment and informed the House Conservatives will be voting against the budget.

Wheatland Girls hockey program coming

Screen Shot 2023 05 02 at 4.37.33 PM

There might be more local opportunities for female hockey players to continue to the next level with the formation of an all-female minor hockey organization.
The Minor Hockey Associations of Strathmore, Chestermere, Indus and Siksika have announced the inaugural season in 2023/2024 of all-female minor hockey east of Calgary.
“The Wheatland Wranglers represents the opportunity for girls in all minor hockey age groups to play in a home association, close to home,” says Lisa Hempel-Wurz, director of the Wheatland Wranglers Hockey Association. “Previously, girls have travelled to Okotoks, Calgary, or Airdrie for the opportunity to play on all-female teams, or they would play on local teams alongside the boys.”
The new association is a subset of the Strathmore Minor Hockey Association (SMHA), with representation from Chestermere, Indus, and Siksika Associations integrated to the Board of Directors. The Wheatland Wranglers will offer district-amalgamated all-female teams from U9 through U18.
“The Wranglers are excited to welcome all regional females to ensure sufficient registration and appropriate skill divisions,” explains Hempel-Wurz. “The draw zone will include all female players east of Calgary, including our Strathmore, Chestermere, Indus and Siksika associations as well as players from other surrounding communities like Drumheller, Standard, Bieseker and Bassano for example.”
U7 females will have an opportunity to play as a Jr. Wrangler for a local-only female team as registration permits.
“We are currently planning to open registration on Monday, May 15 on our new website,” continues Hempel-Wurz. “There is a strong interest in all-female hockey in our communities and we hope to see strong registration numbers for our first season this fall.”
Hockey Alberta projects there currently close to 8,000 females participating in the sport and female hockey is currently one of the fastest-growing sports in the province.
There are a multitude of noted benefits for girls to play female minor hockey that the Wheatland Wranglers hope to satisfy for the upcoming season, including female peers, female-focused coaching, female leadership and developments.
For more information on the Wheatland Wranglers, please register on the website wheatlandwranglers.ca or like/follow them on social media for all the latest updates!


Subcategories

The Drumheller Mail encourages commenting on our stories but due to our harassment policy we must remove any comments that are offensive, or don’t meet the guidelines of our commenting policy.