Many Albertans were struggling this past week while temperatures dipped to almost -50 degrees with the wind chill factored in. A number of residents in Drumheller kept heating and plumbing technicians busy with service calls due to their furnaces quitting or pipes freezing.
To say Randy Hardy with TKNT Mechanical has been busy this past week is an understatement. He can’t even guess how many calls he has received since the temps dropped but estimates around 20 calls on the weekend alone. He enjoys helping people as much as possible and has done his best to keep up with the demand, but the calls are non-stop.
“It’s just on and on. I do my best to help people in need but people should be better prepared,” says Hardy. “Make sure you have extra filters for your furnace, and it is operating properly. Any holes in your house, plug them off and have extra electric heaters on hand. Also, in the case of a power outage make sure you have plenty of provisions stocked.”
Many residents are asking for car battery boosts or towings. According to AMA’s website, as of Monday, January 15, 2024, wait times for Drumheller are two hours long.
Brad LeDrew, General Sales Manager for Western GM Drumheller, spoke to the Mail about the free rides they offer to residents when temperatures dip below -30 degrees. This is the fifth year they have done this and you don’t have to be a customer to receive a ride.
“Dozens and dozens of rides have been given out since Thursday, and we have continued offering them daily for as long as the weather remains this cold,” says LeDrew, “Our service department has also changed dozens and dozens of car batteries in the last week.”
Just like with their homes, people need to be prepared with their vehicles in these frigid temps, especially with their batteries. “Because modern vehicles have so many electronics, including advanced safety systems and sos systems (like OnStar), they are constantly drawing energy from your battery, twenty-four-seven. So, when you get into the minus thirties, and your battery is four or five years old, it’s basically no good anymore,” states LeDrew, “The way you can help when it’s cold like this, is to connect a ‘Trickle-Charger’ onto your battery overnight. It’s only going to put a volt or two into your battery to keep it topped up. The other critical thing is to make sure your block or pan heater is plugged in.”
Drumheller’s RCMP Staff Sergeant Robert Harms tells the Mail only one call directly related to the cold weather was received on Thursday, January 14, 2024. At approximately 1:30 p.m., RCMP received an iPhone S.O.S and OnStar S.O.S that a motorist travelling from Saskatchewan to Drumheller was stranded without fuel near Dorothy, AB. The motorist was dressed properly for the weather, so there were minimal safety concerns, and a tow truck was dispatched to assist the driver. Harms states that all motorists should plan ahead during the cold and extreme weather season.

It has been another busy year in the Drumheller Valley’s readership area as the community celebrated milestones and came together in hard times. In a New Year’s tradition, the Mail presents its top 10 stories of the year. Again, these are in no particular order but are the stories that dominated the pages and conversation in the community over the last year.
This is part two of the top 10 stories the Mail covered this year, part one was published in the Wednesday, January 3 edition.

7. Solar developments
Solar developments in the area have been popping up over the last few years, and they tend to attract lots of interest. In July, Federal Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson was in the area to cut the ribbon as the Michichi and Kneehill Solar projects went online. These projects will provide property tax revenue of an estimated $8 million to both Starland and Kneehill County over the operational life of the projects. Each project will offset approximately 30,000 metric tonnes of CO2 each year. This year the Fox Coulee solar farm near the airport also broke ground. It is one of the largest in Alberta. Meanwhile, work continues on a solar array within the valley being developed by Concorde Green Energy. These projects are not without criticism. So much so the Alberta government paused the approvals of new renewable electricity generation projects over one megawatt until the end of February. This is in response to concerns raised by Albertans and municipalities related to responsible land use.

8. Rumsey Ride for STARS

The folks at the Rumsey Ride for STARS certainly know how to put on an event. Even through the scourge of COVID restrictions, the annual ride to raise money for STARS air ambulance never lost any momentum. In fact, this year was monumental because it broke the $1 million mark. The longest-running fundraising event for the crucial service has spanned 34 years and continues to attract great crowds, even through venue changes. The crew had the opportunity in October to present “The Big Cheque” to STARS at its base in Calgary. The event is going into its 35th year sitting at $1, 016,191.09… to be exact.

9. Village of Delia’s future
The future of the Village of Delia could soon be in the hands of its residents. The village council asked Municipal Affairs to complete a viability study of the village. It began with a Ministry screening and progressed to information collection. This will review the information supplied by the municipality being reviewed as well as the receiving municipality. They will also review the municipality’s finances and infrastructure. Stakeholder involvement can include written submissions, surveys, open houses and public meetings. The report when completed, provided two options for the municipality; recommendations for the municipality to reach viability, and a description of the changes and impacts to residents if the municipality was dissolved. The report is sent to the residents and presented at a public meeting. The final decision is put to a vote of residents.

10. Athletic
accomplishments
Sport has always been an important aspect of the valley and its culture, and 2023 saw many great accomplishments.
The Drumheller Titans football team was on a path to repeat as provincial champions and made it all the way to the Alberta Bowl. Unfortunately, they were thwarted by St. Paul. Volleyball has been on the rise in the valley as well and for the first time in 15 years, the Dynos senior girls volleyball team made it to the provincials. They had a strong showing and finished in the top half of the 16-team tournament. Their result isn’t that surprising as Drumheller Club Volleyball has been on the rise and excelling. This year four teams went to Regina to compete in Nationals. On the ice, the U18 React/ DT Fire Raptors won their league championship as did the U11 Ramada Raptors.