The Town of Drumheller has secured financial support for the incremental operating costs incurred through the Municipal Operating Support Transfer (MOST) program.
This program provides funding to be used to offset operating costs, response, and restart, as well as other losses or deficits which are the result of COVID-19.
"We are happy the Province has recognized the significant effort that municipalities like ours have taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19," said Mayor Heather Colberg. "These funds can be used to recover expenses the Town has already incurred to prevent the spread of COVID-19 which significantly lessens the local burden of Drumheller's emergency response this spring."
The MOST program outlines eligible expenses, including operating costs surrounding:
•Personal Protective Equipment,
•Communications,
•Additional cleaning,
•Supplemental staffing and,
•Additional supports for vulnerable populations.
The Provincial Government of Alberta recognized the need that the Town of Drumheller and other municipalities had to protect its residents and as such has received $813,249.00.
To read more about MOST, please visit their website to review the program details.

Between October 14 and 27, the Drumheller Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Office will host several neighbourhood information sessions regarding the Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and the Land Use Bylaw (LUB) documents.
While residents may have questions regarding berm alignments, land requisition, or how these can affect individual properties, these topics will not be covered at this time.
“Council has given first reading (of the MDP and LUB), and now it’s the public’s turn to provide input as council contemplates second and third reading,” Darwin Durnie, Chief Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Officer told the Mail.
At the September 14 council meeting, first reading was given for the proposed amendments to the MDP and LUB following a presentation by the Flood Mitigation Office. The presentation shared how the Red Deer River should be placed at the heart of the town’s two most integral documents: the LUB and MDP.
Durnie noted the MDP is normally updated every decade, and Drumheller’s is slightly overdue as the last update was completed in 2008.
Proposed changes to the documents will reduce the total land use districts from 21 down to eight, moving the focus of the LUB away from use and toward form to allow a “greater mix” of land uses. Changes to the MDP will help to ensure growth in the valley follows a central vision while keeping the unique landscape and river conveyance in mind.
Durnie added the information sessions will not provide a detailed review of everything the Flood Mitigation Office is doing, nor will it be solely focused on flood mitigation; these information sessions will focus on “land use planning” and the proposed changes to the MDP and LUB.
The first information session will be held on Wednesday, October 14 starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Last Chance Saloon in Wayne.
Both the Last Chance Saloon and the Rosedeer Hotel suffered damage in 2018 due to overland flooding of the Rosebud River, which also forced residents along Highway 10X and within the community of Wayne to evacuate. Other recent flood events include the 2005 and 2013 floods which prompted declarations of a local state of emergency.
Following the community information sessions, a public hearing concerning amendments to the MDP and LUB is scheduled for Monday, October 26 at 5:30 p.m.