Member municipalities of Kneehill FCSS have stepped up to increase funding so the organization can continue to deliver the support it provides to the communities it serves.
Kneehill FCSS has the mission to strengthen the quality of life for all residents of participating municipalities by supporting volunteerism and providing preventive social initiatives and programs. Its members include Kneehill County, Carbon, Acme, Linden, Three Hills, and Trochu.
The organization has been feeling the constraints of the changing provincial funding model and the pressure of COVID-19.
“Kneehill FCSS… had a number of contracts from Children’s Services as well as our FCSS funding. All of it was very focused on children, youth, and families. The province has refunded,” said director Shelley Jackson. “I would guess in the Hanna, Drumheller, Starland, Kneehill area, we probably aren’t getting as much money as we did in the past because they kind of leveled it across the province.”
She said because of the changes they have lost some funding toward their family resource workers who did social and emotional support and connections within the schools in the area.
To help continue to support programs the board asked member municipalities to increase their contribution to the program.
“I think where the board was coming from with our request was, they were really worried about the caseloads for the staff which are quite high right now,” she said.
“Because the caseloads are really heavy with only two staff, we were finding there wasn’t as much prevention,” she explains.
Their request did not go unheeded, and Jackson has learned each of its members has committed to increasing their funding. FCSS has also added some funding from their deferred funds to support, bolstering their program.
“The board asked for an increase for just three years because we are really hoping things will level out once the other services the province is funding can get more strongly rooted in our community,” she said. “We are hoping this is just a short blip and this increase in funding will be able to deal with what we think is a little bump.”
With the funding, she says they are looking at hiring another position. While the role won’t be the same as their existing family wellness workers, they are hoping the person will take over some groups or develop some programs for teens.
She is grateful for the support.
“Sometimes when you have regional programs, it can be a challenge, but our regional program for FCSS in our area has been amazing over the years, they really do work together to do their very best to address issues throughout all six municipalities,” said Jackson.

It took less than a week for the landscape to shift for the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC). Last week they were strategizing over being an effective opposition. Today, they’re watching leadership candidates lining up to take the reins.
On Wednesday, February 2, Erin O’Toole resigned as leader of the CPC. This came after 72 of 119 Conservative MPs voted to replace him.
The Mail caught up with MP for Battle River-Crowfoot Damien Kurek the day of the vote.
“Over the course of discussion this morning, and ultimately the vote, the message has been loud and clear, our caucus decided to change leadership and that process is now underway,” said Kurek.
He says the decision reflects the grassroots.
“I have heard from thousands of my constituents that share a wide variety of opinions on virtually every opinion under the sun, but it has been critical as I was tasked about making a decision about this… every time I have had an opportunity to stand in the House of Commons and to have conversations with caucus to make sure the view and perspective of Battle River-Crowfoot are heard loud and clear in our capital,” he said. “That applies to leadership, but it also applies to every decision and issue I am forced to vote on or debate.”
He says part of the feedback centres on the results of last fall’s election. While the CPC once again captured the national popular vote, they did not make any seat gains in the house.
“We obviously didn’t win, and one is not being realistic if we don’t take a hard look at what went wrong and what went right. There were some areas like Atlantic Canada for example where we picked up a number of seats, but there were other areas in the country where we did not,” he said. “Over the last few months since the last election, we have been having a number of very honest and frank conversations.”
“Further to the party looking forward and what it looks like in the future, to make sure we have those conversations so we are equipped to be that government in waiting. Show Canadians we have a mature trustworthy plan that will repair some of the damage that has been done. Whether that means damage to our institutions, the divisions that exist in our country like east versus west, urban versus rural, rich versus poor, whatever the case is, and to ensure we have a plan that resonates with Canadians.”
While some characterized the change as a shift to the right, Kurek says the party is accepting of different voices.
“Our party is a broad coalition of different ideas of what it is to be conservative, and certainly representing what I suggest is one of the most conservative ridings in the country there is space within the Conservative Party for folks like myself who represent very conservative regions and there is space in our party for those who may have a little bit different take on either ideologies or policies that make up the coalition that is the Conservative Party of Canada,” he said. “I feel very much at home in the Conservative Party today, as I did under O’Toole, as I did under Andrew Scheer.”
In the meantime MP for Portage- Lisgar Candice Bergen has been appointed interim party leader.
So far, CPC Finance Critic Pierre Poilievre has announced his intention to run as the leader.