Motorists are advised the Finnegan Ferry southeast of Drumheller is closed for the season.
    The ferry carries Highway 862 traffic across the Red Deer River. The ferry is expected to resume operating in mid to late April, weather permitting.
    The Alberta government operates seven ferries on the provincial highway network.    
    Visit www.transportation.alberta.ca/1965.htm for more information on Alberta’s highway ferries.

    Golden Hill School Division has received some information on the reinvestment into education by the Alberta Government, but it may not be as much as they anticipated.
    In October the Alberta Government announced it would be injecting $107 million back into the Alberta Education System in its budget.
    Golden Hills is to receive $1,078,841.
    At the October 25 meeting of the Golden Hills School Division secretary treasurer Tahra Sabir presented information on the funding. It reveals they will be receiving just over $300,000 less than the decrease in February of this year from their budget.
    “We are getting the majority, but it is not all back,” said Golden Hills School Division board chair David Price. “We still have to be a little careful with how we deal with it, but we are pleased there is a good chunk of it coming back to be able to be utilized in supporting our education efforts.”
    $80 million of the funding provided is to address specific grant areas. These include the relative cost of purchasing goods and services, stabilization funding, so funding is not lost in the implementation of the Funding Framework, Alberta Initiative for School Improvement, supporting the hiring of new teachers to reduce class sizes, specifically in Grade 4-6, enrolment growth and decline, intrajurisdictional distance to recognize the increased cost associated with operating schools in more than one community and over significant distances and enhancing English as a second language delivery.
    The remaining $27 million is allocated at the rate of $60,000 per school jurisdiction, plus $43.12 in funding per student.
    For Golden Hills this amounts to $294,000.
    Price said when the division tightened its budget earlier this year, its main focus was to not take funds out of the classroom.
    “The majority will go toward the support programs we had. Because we prioritized to not cut the delivery in the classrooms itself, most of the shrinkage happened elsewhere, so we’ll be able to put some money back into the support side,” said Price.
    The next step in the process is for school boards to submit their 2011-2012 fall budget update at the end of November. This will include a summary of how the funding will be allocated.
    Christ the Redeemer School Division, which operates St. Anthony’s School, will be getting $1,330,285, and Prairie Land Regional Division will be receiving $547,764.