Alberta’s provincial government announced on Friday, July 14 it was supporting the Canadian Badlands Passion Play Society, also known as the Badlands Amphitheatre, with nearly $2 million in funding to begin revitalization of the facility.
The funding, totalling $1.95 million, will help support Phase One of the revitalization project, which will see 1,400 seats within the lower bowl of the amphitheatre replaced; an additional 1,100 seats in the upper amphitheatre will be replaced during Phase Two of the project, along with the addition of a new grandstand with shade cover, and washroom facilities.
“Alberta is one of the most spectacular landscapes in the world, and it has such a tremendous story to tell,” Minister of Tourism and Sport Joseph Schow tells the Mail. “We need to make sure the facilities and the opportunities here in the province are available for tourists when they come here; this is just one step forward to revitalizing this amazing facility, making sure it’s a staple in the community and this part of the province for years and decades to come.”
In the nearly three decades since it opened, Badlands Amphitheatre has served over 300,000 visitors. While it is renowned for its annual Passion Play, the Badlands Amphitheatre also provides other arts and culture events such as the Great Big Weekend and Vanfest.
“This funding will improve the guest experience and allow us to expand our programming, bringing more arts, culture, and tourism to the area,” shares Badlands Amphitheatre Executive director Vance Neudorf.
A contractor has already been selected for the project, and designers and architects have recently visited the site in preparation for work to begin.
Work is anticipated to begin in September due to the short window available; Mr. Neudorf explains the project will need to wrap up prior to rehearsals for the 2024 Passion Play, which begin in May 2024.

Short term rentals, such as Airbnb properties, can provide some additional income to homeowners during the busy tourist months, but can also put additional strain on an already struggling housing market, and the Town of Drumheller is looking for ways to regulate these properties through amendments to its Business License Bylaw.
The proposed changes were brought forward for council to give first reading consideration during the regular Monday, July 10 council meeting by Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Darryl Drohomerski.
“A few months ago we thought we’d come up with a pretty good resolution as far as dealing with it through development permits, but when we then went through some of the legal tests of it, though, it became very cumbersome and very awkward for us to deal with and was open to all sorts of challenges,” CAO Drohomerski explained.
By regulating short term rentals, the Town would be able to have a database of locations and property owners to help facilitate safe and effective management of these properties, and also ensure “good neighbourly” management.
This will also provide emergency services, including bylaw, RCMP, and fire, to have a better idea of where these properties are located for the safety of both renters, property owners, and neighbours.
There are currently about 100 of these short term rental properties within the community.
Administration looked at how other municipalities manage short term rentals, including Canmore and Calgary. It was found Canmore regulates the number of short term rentals permitted per area, while Calgary has “a very complicated system.”
However, CAO Drohomerski acknowledged Drumheller is different from the communities investigated as part of this process, and a system which would work for the Drumheller community would need to be found.
By amending the Business License Bylaw, the Town would be able to regulate short term rentals and also include provisions for mobile vendors; currently, licenses for mobile vendors must be approved through the Town’s Municipal Planning Commission (MPC), and this would simplify the process for these businesses.
“We want to be able to transition this bylaw. We don’t want to come down with enforcement right away; we want people to start getting into compliance mode… we will not do any enforcement of licensing until January 2024,” CAO Drohomerski shared.
Council gave first reading of the Business License Bylaw and set a public hearing date for Tuesday, September 5. Residents were encouraged to bring forward any concerns or comments they may have at this meeting, or to reach out to members of council prior to; there will also be public engagements held during the summer, though dates are pending.