The Drumheller & District Chamber of Commerce (DDCC) along with Community Futures Big Country and the Town of Drumheller are pleased to announce over $37,000 has been committed to 12 local businesses through the Building Enhancement Grant Program.
The Building Enhancement Grant is funded through a partnership between the DDCC, Community Futures Big Country and the Town of Drumheller.
This grant will support local businesses to enhance their buildings by modernizing and improving appearances. As our business community continues to recover from the ongoing pandemic and difficult economic conditions, the grant will help business owners reduce the financial burden associated with making exterior or interior improvements to their buildings.
The 12 local businesses receiving funding through the Building Enhancement Grant are Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site, Drumheller Registries, Body Works Massage & Esthetics, Drumheller Society for Recovery (Grace House), Bold Efexx Hair Shop, McDougall Lane Bed & Breakfast, Canadian Tire Drumheller, Prahan Physiotherapy, Drumheller Community Learning, Rock Central, Drumheller Legion Branch #22, and The Drumheller Mail.
The total value of the approved projects is estimated at $116,000, which will be a significant boost to the local economy. A stipulation of the grant program is that labour and materials be sourced locally from companies holding a valid Town of Drumheller business license.
Teri Faulter of Body Works Massage & Esthetics stated, “Receiving the Building Enhancement Grant is such a fantastic opportunity to make some big changes at the spa! Taking it another step closer to making it a space I have envisioned. Even better, I get to support another local business while doing upgrades. It’s a win-win for both of us! A big shout out to Drumheller & District Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Drumheller and Community Futures Big Country.”
“On behalf of the three funding partners, I am pleased that we can financially support 12 of 21 applicants to the grant program. It is great to have this investment in our business community, in light of the challenges we continue to face as we recover from the pandemic,” said DDCC Executive Director Heather Bitz.

Small independent oil operators who own land with wells are cashing in on a little-known loophole whereby they can haul crude to a refinery and forgo the commercial gasoline market.
     This allows independents to sell gasoline and diesel without having to hand over tax revenue to different levels of government.
     The Petroleum Development Act passed during the government of Ernest Manning, had a provision to locally develop resources. While most of the law has been rescinded, there is a provision that spells out that people who outright own the surface rights of the parcel and develop a well, can refine a certain quantity of oil for “…industrial uses pertaining to the development of the resources, or finance further development of the resource through small commercial sales."  
 For Billy Mcwiggins who lives north of Drumheller, because the family farm is still in his name, he can take advantage of the provision. Royalties are still paid to the province.
This means he can haul up to 500 Bbl a year, just over three fills of his tanker to Bowden, where he is able to receive about half the volume in gas or diesel.
Typically he would do this once a year to use for his business as well as his small cow-calf operation, but since the rise in oil prices, he has done it twice. Before he would share the discount with his neighbours, and pass along the savings of about 37 per cent without the tax.
     With retail fuel hovering around $1.67, he is able to sell for about $1 per litre. He decided that he would use up his allotment, by selling to consumers.
“I feel a little like Robin Hood, but I’m not," he sheepishly grins. “While I can provide a discount for the driver, I’m also making a little bit of money on the side”.
He spent March 23 parked in Hanna and sold out within the afternoon. He specifies that he will only fill a maximum of a standard truck tank and two five-gallon jerry cans per customer.
 Mcwiggins will be at the Drumheller Mail Parking lot on Friday until 12:00 noon.

If you read this far and still haven't caught on, The Mail wishes you a Happy April Fool's Day.