Amanda Jeffery, Free Press
Anyone who is 55 years or older will soon be able to access a vehicle to get them to all of their appointments in town, and to some appointments outside of the community.
Drake’s Handi-Bus Services is now being contracted by the Town of Drayton Valley to help those who are older than 55 and those with mobility issues (at any age). Annette Driessen, the General Manager of Community Services for the Town, says they put an RSP out into the community, checking to see if there was anyone who wanted to operate the service, and Drake’s was the one who won.
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“Providing accessible transportation in Drayton Valley has been a priority of Council and I am excited to see this important project come to fruition. Town Council remains committed to offering yearly grants to keep this service operating for the betterment of the community,” says Mayor Michael Doerkson in an email statement.
Amy Newberry, of Drake’s Handi-Bus Services, says the name has historical meaning for the community. “The Drakes were the people of our town that named Drayton Valley because of the Postal Code system, and they were also my great grandparents. It’s a form of leaving a legacy for me,” she said via email.
How many is too many?
Drayton Valley has more liquor and cannabis stores than most similar communities according to a report brought to town council last week. However, council were advised against taking steps to cap the number of such businesses allowed in town.
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Drayton Valley currently has nine liquor stores. That works out to one for every 774 town residents. There are also six cannabis dispensaries, which is one for every 1,162 people.
Those numbers are higher than the equivalent for almost all of the Alberta municipalities surveyed by Town administration. Administration contacted 20 municipalities across the province, ranging in population from 3,461 to 39,348, with particular focus around the 5383 – 9191 population range to serve as a comparison against Drayton Valley, where the population is 6970 according to StatsCan. Of those contacted, 17 municipalities responded to the survey.
After 60 years of operation in the community, the Drayton Valley ski hill has closed its doors.
Weather, Insurance and Volunteers an issue
Randy Beckett, the president of the Drayton Valley Brazeau Snow Club, says there were three main factors that went into the decision to shut down: weather, insurance, and lack of volunteers.
The ski hill was built by volunteers and has been running with volunteers since then. Funding was partially provided by grants, fundraising, and rental and usage fees for the hill. These funds went toward bills like insurance and electricity. They were also used for the maintenance of the ski hill and the equipment. None of the volunteers were paid for their time.
When Beckett stepped into the role of president about eight years ago, the club was in debt and the equipment was in need of repair. A government grant of $17,000 and a massive fundraiser in the community gave them enough money to fix things up.
To round out their services, Beckett says they began to offer tubing. The club recognized that not everyone wanted to ski or were able to ski. Tubing was available to everyone and was less hard on the body. Each of the tubes was sponsored by a company, with the funds going toward the maintenance of the hill.
However, the lack of snow over the past few seasons has meant less use of the ski hill, and therefore less funds coming in.
“Unfortunately, Mother Nature has not been kind to us,” says Beckett.
In 2023, much of the local area didn’t have snow for Christmas. Beckett says the ski hill didn’t even open in the 2023/24 season.
“In my seven or eight years, we only opened three years because of snow,” says Beckett.
Insurance companies stepping away from offering coverage to ski hills
Then there was the issue with insurance. After a court case in B.C. where a customer sued a ski resort, many insurance companies stepped away from offering insurance to ski hills. Beckett says there are now only three underwriters in the world who will consider insuring a ski hill.
“Eleven of us little hills got our insurance canceled [a couple of] years ago,” says Beckett.
Previously, the Rural Municipalities of Alberta covered the insurance of the ski hill. When the insurance was cancelled through RMA, they had to find a new underwriter. The bill for the season was $24,000.
“Our insurance was $24,000 last year and we didn’t open,” says Beckett.
Finding volunteers to work the ski hill has also been a challenge.
“Everybody has so many different directions to go now in their lives,” he says. “They have just about everything except for time.”
On average, it took ten volunteers to run the ski hill each day. Beckett and his wife had a list of about 80 volunteers they could call on. However, there were times when they called all of those people and none of them were available to fill a shift for someone who had to cancel.
All three of those factors were at play when Beckett received a call from the insurance company in preparation for this season. They needed Beckett to go through everything on the property again, as they felt much of the equipment and the chalet were undervalued.
Beckett explained to them that it didn’t matter what the replacement value was for the chalet or the lift. If they failed or burned down, Beckett says the club would have to close.
With that in mind, he had put in a lower value for the chalet and other items as they would never be using the insurance to replace them. That was the only way they would be able to afford to run the ski hill. The insurance company explained that if he didn’t cover it for at least 90 percent of the replacement value they would get nothing.
“I said take the insurance off of it, I’ll take the risk,” he says.
Then the insurance company started going into details about the rental equipment, and how all of the people renting the bindings and skis had to be trained by the manufacturers in how to use them.
“What the real issue is, when it comes to insurance companies, is they do not like volunteer organizations in any way,” says Beckett. “Every one of these 11 hills that got their insurance cancelled, I believe, were volunteer organizations.”
Beckett says they feel that the volunteer organizations are unstable, as the volunteers can change regularly and with little notice.
The rental items for the ski hill will be auctioned off by Team Auctions on their December 7 sale. The property will be sold in the new year.
The Free Press asks – “What are your fondest memories of the Drayton Valley Ski Hill?”
“This fills me with nostalgia and gratitude! I started skiing at this hill at just two years old, and it ignited my love for skiing. My parents nurtured my passion by enrolling me in a ski program, and I spent countless weekends racing and growing. Our hill may not have been the biggest, but it was a place we were able to be kids at while not playing hockey or ringette. My dad and papa selflessly served as ski patrols for years, and we reveled in every moment we spent there. My papa’s dedication to the hill was remarkable as he had welded so many pieces there making it the hill it was today, and I’m deeply thankful for the volunteers who helped shape it into the haven it became. All three of my boys learned to ski on this hill, and I’m forever grateful for the escape and liberation it brought us.” – Leslie Anne Fraizer
“I learned to ski on the hill, my kids learned to ski on the hill. We’ve had many get-togethers on the hill with family and friends. As a volunteer I got to see so many littles learn to ski/snowboard and then advance to be on their own then onto the T-bar. They all get excited when they get to go on the big hill. I’ve spent many hours volunteering there as I was on the board for 20+ years and even when my kids weren’t skiing I was there.It was a great hill for many to learn on, it was in our backyard. When we decided to make the tube part it brought more families out which was great to see. It truly will be missed as I wanted my grandkids to learn how to ski/board this year on it.” – Georgia Frost
“Ooh, so many memories of the ski hill. But I would say the best was learning to snowboard there and getting courage to do the jumps off the hills … It was always fun since it was me and my sister. We had a blast, racing down getting to the bottom and the wind burnt faces ‘cause of it.” – Tricia Cottreau
“I was on the tow rope when a porcupine decided to cross… apparently the rope had enough give to allow the people to push a big loop in it. We were able to continue up the hill and the porcupine was able to continue on its walk about” – Helen Maine
“I have so many memories there as a teen in the mid 1980s… from trying to perfect the “daffy”, “backscratchers” and the “kusak” amongst learning how to telemark. This little hill with amazing volunteers taught a ton of youth some amazing skills while maintaining a very safe and supportive environment. I am a ski patrol today because of this little hill and the “gnarly” atmosphere back in the 80s that let youth hone their skills for the mountains.” – Jon Setterlund
“Watching my son Max snowboard for the first time! And he struggled with the T-bar but never gave up!” – Kathy Schwengler
“The time I knocked myself out cold. Couldn’t stop and hit a pole. That was my last time on skis. I now snowboard. I don’t think there’s any photos of that adventure…got a free sled ride behind the skidoo!!” – Jane Marie Ellis
“When Devon broke his arm, all the other kids that broke something and the fact that we all thought we had fresh pow days” – Gord Graham
“Donna and Val Palmer encouraged me to get my Level 1 ski instructor certification and teach ski lessons at the hill. I have so many memories of teaching kids and adults basic skills for skiing. My favourite memories include the Grade 5 visits and instructing a whole class on the tow rope hill. What a great introduction for those kids- who may have never been exposed to skiing.” – Astrid Mitchell
With an increase in demand for the Drayton Valley Food Bank, volunteers are concerned the facility may not keep up for much longer.
Heather and Phil Bell, the vice president and treasurer respectively, have been with the Food Bank for several years. During that time they’ve noticed a concerning trend in the uptick of users.
So far this year, they have given out hampers to 2,275 people, a stark contrast to the 2023 number of 1,653. Last year was a record year for hampers and this year has blown it out of the water.
Alberta food bank sees increased demand
The Bells says a lot of the hampers are going to families who have parents that work.
“The Food Bank, I feel, is an essential service right now, considering the need,” says Phil. “It’s something that’s heavily relied on.”
If things continue the way they have been, they’re expecting to hand out 2,556 hampers by the end of the year.
“It’s not just a blip, either,” says Phil. “This is going to continue on.”
Phil says that though they’ve seen increased usage, the generosity of the community has continued to keep up with the demand. Between food donations from local stores and food drives, the food bank has already received around $270,000 of in-kind donations.
“We have such a generous community,” says Heather. “It’s amazing.”
Heather says they are grateful for the building they’re in and the Town’s generosity in letting them use it for free. She says the location is perfect because it allows people more privacy than a location in a busier part of the community.
“But we’re outgrowing the building,” says Heather. “We’re at the point with our freezer and fridge capacity that the building can’t take anymore fridges and freezers without upgrading the electrical system.”
Space is a challenge for Drayton Valley food bank
Fridge and freezer space are vital in the Christmas season. Heather says in the past, they’ve had to turn away donations of a side of beef because they don’t have the space. Some companies have set up freezers in their buildings and offered the extra storage. Some volunteers also store some items as well.
The Bells say a sea can or some other place where they could store dried goods would be extremely helpful, as well. As it is, they have to store enough food in their building for roughly 30 hampers each pick up day.
At the beginning of November, the volunteers changed their system, and now only offer hampers on Thursdays. Phil says one recent hamper day saw volunteers hand out 86 hampers in three hours.
Creating that many food hampers also has its challenges. There isn’t a lot of room to put the hampers together and organize them, though Heather says they’ve developed a good system. Volunteers are now prebuilding hampers with dried goods for different sizes of families. On pick up days, all they have to do is go to the fridge and freezer to top the hamper off, and it can go out the door.
Thanks to a grant from the Family and Community Support Services, the Food Bank now has a part-time employee that can help with a lot of the administrative tasks. However, some recent Standards of Excellence put forth by the Federal Government is putting pressure on them as well.
The Standards of Excellence requires all Food Banks to have certain policies and procedures in place if they want to continue to be registered with Food Banks Alberta and Food Banks Canada.
Heather says it’s a great idea in theory, but the 78 page document is a massive undertaking for a busy food bank run by volunteers. Their employee is working on some of the documents, but it’s still a challenge.
“A lot of them are great ideas, but for small food banks, it’s quite overwhelming to comply with that,” says Heather.
Originally, the food banks had until March 2025 to have everything in place, but after feedback, they’ve given the smaller food banks more time to work on it.
The Bells say there are many ways for the community to help out the food bank and they won’t turn down donations if they can help it. They have more volunteers who are going through the orientation and are grateful for the continuing generosity of the community.
Community members often perform their civic duties in a variety of ways; some vote, most pay their taxes, and some volunteer their time.
The initiative, This Is Drayton Valley (TIDV), is hoping to make it easier for residents to find ways they can volunteer in their community. They’ve launched an online platform, www.lets-volunteer.com, that helps connect organizations to residents who are looking for a place to volunteer their time.
Jessica Doucette, the chair of the Healthy Community Coalition, says the idea for the platform first began when the HCC were brainstorming ways to offer programs for the clients in the Youth Hub. The biggest obstacle was finding volunteers to help out with the programs.
“We came up with this idea about creating an online platform that would make it easier for people to access volunteer opportunities,” says Doucette.
She says at that time, they were mostly considering the Youth Hub and looking for younger volunteers. They felt that an online platform would be the best way to reach out to that demographic.
When Kickstand Alberta became the parent organization of the Youth Hub, they found more challenges. As they were a newer provincial body, they weren’t ready to take on the project for all of their Youth Hubs. Doucette says rather than scrap the idea, they decided to offer it to the larger community.
“We realized it was actually an issue for everybody,” she says.
Originally, they had approached the Chamber of Commerce, who had already tried to make a similar platform. But as the HCC works under the Red Cross, they were told it wasn’t appropriate for them to work with an organization that only represented businesses. They continued to look and finally connected with Ryan Fynn, one of the founders of TIDV, to bring the idea to life.
The platform has been active for a couple of weeks, now, and as of November 22, there were 14 volunteers and 12 organizations on the site.
Fynn says the platform is similar to dating websites, in that the volunteers input information into a profile and then they can be matched with an organization that would best suit them. He says volunteers are encouraged to list things they are passionate about, their relevant skills, experience as a volunteer, how much time they want to commit, and which days they are open to help. Organizations can search for volunteers based on those parameters.
“For an example, River Valley Players is looking for a part-time musical director,” says Fynn. “If a volunteer says they are passionate about music, they will be connected to them.”
Doucette says the platform can also help people connect with someone with specific skills. “We just recently did a survey through the community parenting coalition, and we found that there’s a large majority of people that are willing to share their gifts with others,” says Doucette. “We just don’t ask the right questions.”
Fynn says it would also work well for finding volunteers for events. By listing their events and indicating what’s all involved in the positions, residents with profiles can find them and help out.
An Edmonton man has been charged with attempted murder after an incident that took place near the Brazeau Dam last week.
Just before midnight on Saturday November 9, the Drayton Valley RCMP received a 911 call reporting possible shots fired near the dam. As members arrived, they received an update that a female had been shot by a man with a .22 calibre rifle. The suspect, who is believed to have been part of a group who had been hunting in the area, was arrested and taken into custody without incident. Officers administered first aid to the female victim, who was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, until emergency medical services arrived on the scene. The female victim was transported to the University of Alberta hospital where she was listed in critical but stable condition.
Leomer Serios Valencia, 43, has been charged with attempted murder, using a firearm in the commission of an offence, pointing a firearm, assault and uttering threats. After a telephone bail hearing Valencia was remanded in custody pending an appearance in Drayton Valley court.
Corb Lund played the Eleanor Pickup Art Centre stage for a raucous sold-out audience Thursday evening.
The Hurtin’ Albertans acoustic duo backing Lund were Grant Siemans on guitar and Sean Burns playing upright bass About a quarter of the 224 capacity seats were purchased as VIP tickets. At 5PM, the three front rows were filled as a solo Corb Lund was greeted with cheers, sat on the edge of the stage, and began singing VIP favourites, telling backstories and conversing. After the warm and friendly performance, knowing their seats were reserved, VIPs ticket holders shopped for merch in the EPAC lobby or went for a meal and refreshment to a downtown restaurant.
Several VIP super-fans commented that it was well worth the premium to be up-close and personal with Lund.
EPAC’s doors remained open as rush seating meant coming early for a preferred perch. The merch table was double-staffed as demand was high for CDs and vinyl LPs, “It’s Better with Cows Around” hoodies and Lund album cover poster three-packs. Lots of stock meant no one was disappointed. Long before the 7:30 curtain it was rare to find two seats together, however. A group of five young men just arriving before the curtain were quickly ushered to the remaining seats.
With the theatre full, an excited ambiance and the clock ticking down to showtime, it was no surprise that when the house lights dimmed, introduction completed, and Corb Lund with the Hurtin’ Albertans appeared from stage right, pandemonium reigned.
Joyful hoots and hollers, cheers, yahoos and multiple long, wavering, high-pitched vocal trilling filled the auditorium. The band, looking fresh and ready despite being midway through a long tour of Europe/US started what was only their second performance of this acoustic set.
The show opened with two songs from Lund’s 2007 Horse Soldier Horse Soldier album. The opening bars of the title track were greeted with cheers of recognition and rewarded with loud applause as was “Especially A Paint”. The set list dipped into Lund’s deep catalogue from a long career: “May you Always have Cows Around” (Cabin Fever 2012), “Devil’s Best Dress” (Losin’ Lately Gambler 2009), “Truth Comes Out” (Hair in My Eyes Like a Highland Steer 2006) and “The Cardplayers” ( El Viejo 2024).
A tribute to the late Ian Tyson included past collaborations and Tyson songs: “Someday Soon” (1964), “The Rodeo’s Over” (Hair in My Eyes…2005), and “La Primera” (Ian Tyson Lost Herd 1999). Many fan favourites peppered the performance. Prior to the intermission we were treated to “Hard on Equipment”, “This is My Prairie” , and “Big Butch Bass Bull Fiddle”. After the break, Lund introduced his next two songs as “hillbilly music” which drew cheers of anticipation. “Family Reunion” brought out the banjo and it stayed out for “Truck Got Stuck”, “Rye Whisky, Rye Whisky” and “Time to Switch to Whisky” . The audience sang backup for both. They even performed a verse and chorus “a capella” after which Lund said “buy a t-shirt, cuz we bought too many, thanks and goodnight!” But the EPAC audience was not yet ready for their good times to end. After lengthy applause, hoots and hollers, and a prolonged chant of “Corb, Corb, Corb” finally earned them their encore: a Lund solo of “S Lazy H”. It’s a plaintive ballad chronicling a family’s loss of their sixth generation ranch. The lyrics, “I have lived with the sorrow/And I will die with the shame/For now the bank owns what’s left/Of the S Lazy H” clearly tugged at the audience’s hearts. When the Hurtin’ Albertans rejoined Lund onstage, cheers banished melancholy as “Five Dollar Bill” was warmly welcomed and earned another standing ovation fitting for a memorable evening of great melody, lyrics and artistry.
I talked with Corb Lund backstage shortly after the final song and asked him how his evening was.
“It was super fun! It’s a cool little theatre. I like it!…
We were just in Europe. I think they find cowboy stuff exotic. Europeans like that about us. I know about Alberta and our regional culture, so people here pick up on the subtleties more. It’s a little different here cause people know what I’m talking about. I grew up just outside of Taber/Cardston, so I’m pretty used to small town Alberta life.”
I asked him about the set. “It’s only the second night we’ve been doing this acoustic trio, but it’s been really fun. It’s kind of different from the big loud band. I like that too, but it’s been kind of neat because there’s a lot of space to play with. Like the guys, especially Grant (lead guitar), when he’s playing his acoustic instruments there’s so much space in the theatre for it to speak. This was a blast. Thanks for having us.”
Grant Siemans has been playing with Corb Lund for 21 years. Lund gave him props explaining that any instrument he (Epiphone guitar) and Sean Burns don’t play, Grant does! I asked Siemans to expand. He listed off what he used for this acoustic trio set. “The mandolin is a Gibson F5 that’s actually Corb’s. It’s about 10 years old. It sounds awesome! The resonator is a 1931 National. I got a steal of a deal with that one because somebody painted it brown in the 1940’s. Nobody wanted it, which was awesome! It looks baaad! The banjo; Epiphone gave us. It was a new model. I asked him about the unique guitar and playing style Siemans used for most of the evening’s performance. “That’s a Manouche guitar (gypsy jazz guitar), a Djanko Rhinehart style guitar. It was made by a Winnipeg luthier named Al Beardsell, Beardsell Guitars.” The acoustic trio has no drum kit, so Siemans played manouche guitar Le Pompe style and imitates the drum kit’s cymbals, keeping rhythm and also the chording of the melody. “I like the playing, practicing, learning. It’s not work for me.”
Pleasant duty, indeed. Especially for the night’s audience!
Businesses will see some changes to the local Rural Renewal Stream program come into effect on November 13.
The program, offered through the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program, allows business owners to bring in skilled workers from outside of the province or country. It also allows business owners who employ staff on a Temporary Work Visa to endorse them for permanent residency through the program.
At the October 30 town council meeting, Kundiso Nyambirai, the growth services manager, explained that they had 300 applications that they were reviewing. Between March 2023 and August 2024, the Town had endorsed 200 of those applications for consideration to the Province.
Nyambirai explained that the Province has now put a system into place to make it easier to sort through the applications on their end.
The points based system gives a better idea of which applications are most likely to be considered or approved for those municipalities endorsing them. Nyambirai says his department is reviewing the applications to see which ones would have enough points to be considered by the Province.
However, the Province is limited in the number of applications that it can put through. There are more than 70 municipalities and districts participating in the program, and the Province only has 1,900 spots they can approve in 2024.
“We are over-subscribing,” says Nyambirai. “We are endorsing 200 plus people.”
In August, the Town decided to make some changes to the way that the program would work in the community. This included limiting the number of applications to 100 each year, while also limiting the number of applications a business can submit to five. Nyambirai also suggested that limiting applications to workers who already resided in the community could help to ensure that the Town does have housing available for these applicants.
Nyambirai says the Province is currently sorting through 1,000 applications to decide on the remaining spots for the year. Councillor Monika Sherriffs agreed that the Town is sending in a higher than average amount of endorsements, stating that if there are 1,000 being considered and Drayton Valley has sent in 200, then we would be sending in many more applications than other municipalities.
Councillor Amila Gammana disagreed, saying that he believed other communities are likely doing the same. He says the real question is how many of those endorsements are receiving approval from the Province.
Nyambirai says that the municipalities are not made aware of which endorsements are approved. He says that looking into that number by contacting applicants would be very time consuming, so they cannot be sure how many of Drayton Valley’s businesses’ applications have been accepted for the program.
The only surveyed municipality with a great concentration of liquor and cannabis stores is Peace River, where the per capita numbers come in at 711 for liquor and 853 for cannabis. The Town of Edson, which is arguably the most similar to Drayton Valley both economically and demographically, has one liquor store for every 1,361 people and one cannabis store for every 2,042.
While Drayton Valley’s numbers appear to be high, the report notes that things could change quickly.
“As the Town currently has single digits worth of licensed stores in both the liquor and cannabis store categories … closure of approximately 2 – 3 stores in each category would be enough to bring the Town more into the middle of all observed municipalities,” it reads. “These amounts of closures are in line with the impacts a typical market correction would have on an over served sector. As a result, administration feels that leaving the success/failures up to the free market, rather than inducing any form of legislative driven impact, would be preferred.”
Jerreck Connors, the Town’s Development Planner said he’d been in touch with the municipality’s lawyers and the advice was that a limit on the number of development permits for a particular use was generally viewed as not legally supportable.
“A true cap is problematic from a legal perspective, and the advice is almost always not to do it,” he said.
The report also noted that Drayton Valley already has planning restrictions in place which effectively limit the number of liquor and cannabis stores due to required setbacks from other institutions in the community. Neither type of store is allowed to open within 150 metres of schools, care facilities, churches or parks. Those regulations are more restrictive than found in most other municipalities.
Drayton Valley Ski Hill Closes After 60 Years | Challenges with Weather, Insurance, and Volunteers
After 60 years of operation in the community, the Drayton Valley ski hill has closed its doors.
Randy Beckett, the president of the Drayton Valley Brazeau Snow Club, says there were three main factors that went into the decision to shut down: weather, insurance, and lack of volunteers.
Drayton Valley Food Bank relies on generosity
Explore the growing demand for the Drayton Valley Food Bank as it tackles record-breaking hamper distribution, facility challenges, and rising standards. Learn how community generosity keeps the vital service thriving in Alberta despite obstacles.”
Drayton Valley Launches Platform to Match Volunteers with Opportunities
Discover how Drayton Valley’s new online platform, This Is Drayton Valley (TIDV), connects volunteers with local organizations. Simplify finding meaningful opportunities to share your skills and make a difference in the community.
Man charged after shooting near Brazeau Dam
An Edmonton man has been charged with attempted murder after an incident that took place near the Brazeau Dam last week.
Bow down Drayton Valley, we are in the presence of rodeo royalty.
Last weekend Tawnie Thompson was crowned Alberta High School Rodeo Queen. Thompson is a Grade 10 high school student who started rodeo at the age of four. She competes in barrel racing, pole bending and goat tying.
Thompson has had the goal to become high school rodeo queen for a while now.
“I did a different queen competition prior to this about two years ago and I absolutely fell in love with queening. And it just became a really big goal to be the high school rodeo queen because I’d really like to be an ambassador and promote the sport of rodeo,” she says.
To become queen Thompson had to do a prepared speech, model, do a horsemanship pattern, take a written test, impromptus and a personal interview.
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Thompson will now go on to Lincoln, Nebraska to compete as a queen for the national title. The national title would mean Thompson would represent both Canada and the United States as their High School Rodeo Queen.
Thompson especially looks forward to meeting new people this year.
“I love meeting new people, I’m a very social person so I’m really looking forward to all the opportunities that come with meeting new and more exciting people all over the place,” she says.
After 60 years of operation in the community, the Drayton Valley ski hill has closed its doors.
Weather, Insurance and Volunteers an issue
Randy Beckett, the president of the Drayton Valley Brazeau Snow Club, says there were three main factors that went into the decision to shut down: weather, insurance, and lack of volunteers.
The ski hill was built by volunteers and has been running with volunteers since then. Funding was partially provided by grants, fundraising, and rental and usage fees for the hill. These funds went toward bills like insurance and electricity. They were also used for the maintenance of the ski hill and the equipment. None of the volunteers were paid for their time.
When Beckett stepped into the role of president about eight years ago, the club was in debt and the equipment was in need of repair. A government grant of $17,000 and a massive fundraiser in the community gave them enough money to fix things up.
To round out their services, Beckett says they began to offer tubing. The club recognized that not everyone wanted to ski or were able to ski. Tubing was available to everyone and was less hard on the body. Each of the tubes was sponsored by a company, with the funds going toward the maintenance of the hill.
However, the lack of snow over the past few seasons has meant less use of the ski hill, and therefore less funds coming in.
“Unfortunately, Mother Nature has not been kind to us,” says Beckett.
In 2023, much of the local area didn’t have snow for Christmas. Beckett says the ski hill didn’t even open in the 2023/24 season.
“In my seven or eight years, we only opened three years because of snow,” says Beckett.
Insurance companies stepping away from offering coverage to ski hills
Then there was the issue with insurance. After a court case in B.C. where a customer sued a ski resort, many insurance companies stepped away from offering insurance to ski hills. Beckett says there are now only three underwriters in the world who will consider insuring a ski hill.
“Eleven of us little hills got our insurance canceled [a couple of] years ago,” says Beckett.
Previously, the Rural Municipalities of Alberta covered the insurance of the ski hill. When the insurance was cancelled through RMA, they had to find a new underwriter. The bill for the season was $24,000.
“Our insurance was $24,000 last year and we didn’t open,” says Beckett.
Finding volunteers to work the ski hill has also been a challenge.
“Everybody has so many different directions to go now in their lives,” he says. “They have just about everything except for time.”
On average, it took ten volunteers to run the ski hill each day. Beckett and his wife had a list of about 80 volunteers they could call on. However, there were times when they called all of those people and none of them were available to fill a shift for someone who had to cancel.
All three of those factors were at play when Beckett received a call from the insurance company in preparation for this season. They needed Beckett to go through everything on the property again, as they felt much of the equipment and the chalet were undervalued.
Beckett explained to them that it didn’t matter what the replacement value was for the chalet or the lift. If they failed or burned down, Beckett says the club would have to close.
With that in mind, he had put in a lower value for the chalet and other items as they would never be using the insurance to replace them. That was the only way they would be able to afford to run the ski hill. The insurance company explained that if he didn’t cover it for at least 90 percent of the replacement value they would get nothing.
“I said take the insurance off of it, I’ll take the risk,” he says.
Then the insurance company started going into details about the rental equipment, and how all of the people renting the bindings and skis had to be trained by the manufacturers in how to use them.
“What the real issue is, when it comes to insurance companies, is they do not like volunteer organizations in any way,” says Beckett. “Every one of these 11 hills that got their insurance cancelled, I believe, were volunteer organizations.”
Beckett says they feel that the volunteer organizations are unstable, as the volunteers can change regularly and with little notice.
The rental items for the ski hill will be auctioned off by Team Auctions on their December 7 sale. The property will be sold in the new year.
The Free Press asks – “What are your fondest memories of the Drayton Valley Ski Hill?”
“This fills me with nostalgia and gratitude! I started skiing at this hill at just two years old, and it ignited my love for skiing. My parents nurtured my passion by enrolling me in a ski program, and I spent countless weekends racing and growing. Our hill may not have been the biggest, but it was a place we were able to be kids at while not playing hockey or ringette. My dad and papa selflessly served as ski patrols for years, and we reveled in every moment we spent there. My papa’s dedication to the hill was remarkable as he had welded so many pieces there making it the hill it was today, and I’m deeply thankful for the volunteers who helped shape it into the haven it became. All three of my boys learned to ski on this hill, and I’m forever grateful for the escape and liberation it brought us.” – Leslie Anne Fraizer
“I learned to ski on the hill, my kids learned to ski on the hill. We’ve had many get-togethers on the hill with family and friends. As a volunteer I got to see so many littles learn to ski/snowboard and then advance to be on their own then onto the T-bar. They all get excited when they get to go on the big hill. I’ve spent many hours volunteering there as I was on the board for 20+ years and even when my kids weren’t skiing I was there.It was a great hill for many to learn on, it was in our backyard. When we decided to make the tube part it brought more families out which was great to see. It truly will be missed as I wanted my grandkids to learn how to ski/board this year on it.” – Georgia Frost
“Ooh, so many memories of the ski hill. But I would say the best was learning to snowboard there and getting courage to do the jumps off the hills … It was always fun since it was me and my sister. We had a blast, racing down getting to the bottom and the wind burnt faces ‘cause of it.” – Tricia Cottreau
“I was on the tow rope when a porcupine decided to cross… apparently the rope had enough give to allow the people to push a big loop in it. We were able to continue up the hill and the porcupine was able to continue on its walk about” – Helen Maine
“I have so many memories there as a teen in the mid 1980s… from trying to perfect the “daffy”, “backscratchers” and the “kusak” amongst learning how to telemark. This little hill with amazing volunteers taught a ton of youth some amazing skills while maintaining a very safe and supportive environment. I am a ski patrol today because of this little hill and the “gnarly” atmosphere back in the 80s that let youth hone their skills for the mountains.” – Jon Setterlund
“Watching my son Max snowboard for the first time! And he struggled with the T-bar but never gave up!” – Kathy Schwengler
“The time I knocked myself out cold. Couldn’t stop and hit a pole. That was my last time on skis. I now snowboard. I don’t think there’s any photos of that adventure…got a free sled ride behind the skidoo!!” – Jane Marie Ellis
“When Devon broke his arm, all the other kids that broke something and the fact that we all thought we had fresh pow days” – Gord Graham
“Donna and Val Palmer encouraged me to get my Level 1 ski instructor certification and teach ski lessons at the hill. I have so many memories of teaching kids and adults basic skills for skiing. My favourite memories include the Grade 5 visits and instructing a whole class on the tow rope hill. What a great introduction for those kids- who may have never been exposed to skiing.” – Astrid Mitchell
With an increase in demand for the Drayton Valley Food Bank, volunteers are concerned the facility may not keep up for much longer.
Heather and Phil Bell, the vice president and treasurer respectively, have been with the Food Bank for several years. During that time they’ve noticed a concerning trend in the uptick of users.
So far this year, they have given out hampers to 2,275 people, a stark contrast to the 2023 number of 1,653. Last year was a record year for hampers and this year has blown it out of the water.
Alberta food bank sees increased demand
The Bells says a lot of the hampers are going to families who have parents that work.
“The Food Bank, I feel, is an essential service right now, considering the need,” says Phil. “It’s something that’s heavily relied on.”
If things continue the way they have been, they’re expecting to hand out 2,556 hampers by the end of the year.
“It’s not just a blip, either,” says Phil. “This is going to continue on.”
Phil says that though they’ve seen increased usage, the generosity of the community has continued to keep up with the demand. Between food donations from local stores and food drives, the food bank has already received around $270,000 of in-kind donations.
“We have such a generous community,” says Heather. “It’s amazing.”
Heather says they are grateful for the building they’re in and the Town’s generosity in letting them use it for free. She says the location is perfect because it allows people more privacy than a location in a busier part of the community.
“But we’re outgrowing the building,” says Heather. “We’re at the point with our freezer and fridge capacity that the building can’t take anymore fridges and freezers without upgrading the electrical system.”
Space is a challenge for Drayton Valley food bank
Fridge and freezer space are vital in the Christmas season. Heather says in the past, they’ve had to turn away donations of a side of beef because they don’t have the space. Some companies have set up freezers in their buildings and offered the extra storage. Some volunteers also store some items as well.
The Bells say a sea can or some other place where they could store dried goods would be extremely helpful, as well. As it is, they have to store enough food in their building for roughly 30 hampers each pick up day.
At the beginning of November, the volunteers changed their system, and now only offer hampers on Thursdays. Phil says one recent hamper day saw volunteers hand out 86 hampers in three hours.
Creating that many food hampers also has its challenges. There isn’t a lot of room to put the hampers together and organize them, though Heather says they’ve developed a good system. Volunteers are now prebuilding hampers with dried goods for different sizes of families. On pick up days, all they have to do is go to the fridge and freezer to top the hamper off, and it can go out the door.
Thanks to a grant from the Family and Community Support Services, the Food Bank now has a part-time employee that can help with a lot of the administrative tasks. However, some recent Standards of Excellence put forth by the Federal Government is putting pressure on them as well.
The Standards of Excellence requires all Food Banks to have certain policies and procedures in place if they want to continue to be registered with Food Banks Alberta and Food Banks Canada.
Heather says it’s a great idea in theory, but the 78 page document is a massive undertaking for a busy food bank run by volunteers. Their employee is working on some of the documents, but it’s still a challenge.
“A lot of them are great ideas, but for small food banks, it’s quite overwhelming to comply with that,” says Heather.
Originally, the food banks had until March 2025 to have everything in place, but after feedback, they’ve given the smaller food banks more time to work on it.
The Bells say there are many ways for the community to help out the food bank and they won’t turn down donations if they can help it. They have more volunteers who are going through the orientation and are grateful for the continuing generosity of the community.
Community members often perform their civic duties in a variety of ways; some vote, most pay their taxes, and some volunteer their time.
The initiative, This Is Drayton Valley (TIDV), is hoping to make it easier for residents to find ways they can volunteer in their community. They’ve launched an online platform, www.lets-volunteer.com, that helps connect organizations to residents who are looking for a place to volunteer their time.
Jessica Doucette, the chair of the Healthy Community Coalition, says the idea for the platform first began when the HCC were brainstorming ways to offer programs for the clients in the Youth Hub. The biggest obstacle was finding volunteers to help out with the programs.
“We came up with this idea about creating an online platform that would make it easier for people to access volunteer opportunities,” says Doucette.
She says at that time, they were mostly considering the Youth Hub and looking for younger volunteers. They felt that an online platform would be the best way to reach out to that demographic.
When Kickstand Alberta became the parent organization of the Youth Hub, they found more challenges. As they were a newer provincial body, they weren’t ready to take on the project for all of their Youth Hubs. Doucette says rather than scrap the idea, they decided to offer it to the larger community.
“We realized it was actually an issue for everybody,” she says.
Originally, they had approached the Chamber of Commerce, who had already tried to make a similar platform. But as the HCC works under the Red Cross, they were told it wasn’t appropriate for them to work with an organization that only represented businesses. They continued to look and finally connected with Ryan Fynn, one of the founders of TIDV, to bring the idea to life.
The platform has been active for a couple of weeks, now, and as of November 22, there were 14 volunteers and 12 organizations on the site.
Fynn says the platform is similar to dating websites, in that the volunteers input information into a profile and then they can be matched with an organization that would best suit them. He says volunteers are encouraged to list things they are passionate about, their relevant skills, experience as a volunteer, how much time they want to commit, and which days they are open to help. Organizations can search for volunteers based on those parameters.
“For an example, River Valley Players is looking for a part-time musical director,” says Fynn. “If a volunteer says they are passionate about music, they will be connected to them.”
Doucette says the platform can also help people connect with someone with specific skills. “We just recently did a survey through the community parenting coalition, and we found that there’s a large majority of people that are willing to share their gifts with others,” says Doucette. “We just don’t ask the right questions.”
Fynn says it would also work well for finding volunteers for events. By listing their events and indicating what’s all involved in the positions, residents with profiles can find them and help out.
An Edmonton man has been charged with attempted murder after an incident that took place near the Brazeau Dam last week.
Just before midnight on Saturday November 9, the Drayton Valley RCMP received a 911 call reporting possible shots fired near the dam. As members arrived, they received an update that a female had been shot by a man with a .22 calibre rifle. The suspect, who is believed to have been part of a group who had been hunting in the area, was arrested and taken into custody without incident. Officers administered first aid to the female victim, who was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, until emergency medical services arrived on the scene. The female victim was transported to the University of Alberta hospital where she was listed in critical but stable condition.
Leomer Serios Valencia, 43, has been charged with attempted murder, using a firearm in the commission of an offence, pointing a firearm, assault and uttering threats. After a telephone bail hearing Valencia was remanded in custody pending an appearance in Drayton Valley court.
Corb Lund played the Eleanor Pickup Art Centre stage for a raucous sold-out audience Thursday evening.
The Hurtin’ Albertans acoustic duo backing Lund were Grant Siemans on guitar and Sean Burns playing upright bass About a quarter of the 224 capacity seats were purchased as VIP tickets. At 5PM, the three front rows were filled as a solo Corb Lund was greeted with cheers, sat on the edge of the stage, and began singing VIP favourites, telling backstories and conversing. After the warm and friendly performance, knowing their seats were reserved, VIPs ticket holders shopped for merch in the EPAC lobby or went for a meal and refreshment to a downtown restaurant.
Several VIP super-fans commented that it was well worth the premium to be up-close and personal with Lund.
EPAC’s doors remained open as rush seating meant coming early for a preferred perch. The merch table was double-staffed as demand was high for CDs and vinyl LPs, “It’s Better with Cows Around” hoodies and Lund album cover poster three-packs. Lots of stock meant no one was disappointed. Long before the 7:30 curtain it was rare to find two seats together, however. A group of five young men just arriving before the curtain were quickly ushered to the remaining seats.
With the theatre full, an excited ambiance and the clock ticking down to showtime, it was no surprise that when the house lights dimmed, introduction completed, and Corb Lund with the Hurtin’ Albertans appeared from stage right, pandemonium reigned.
Joyful hoots and hollers, cheers, yahoos and multiple long, wavering, high-pitched vocal trilling filled the auditorium. The band, looking fresh and ready despite being midway through a long tour of Europe/US started what was only their second performance of this acoustic set.
The show opened with two songs from Lund’s 2007 Horse Soldier Horse Soldier album. The opening bars of the title track were greeted with cheers of recognition and rewarded with loud applause as was “Especially A Paint”. The set list dipped into Lund’s deep catalogue from a long career: “May you Always have Cows Around” (Cabin Fever 2012), “Devil’s Best Dress” (Losin’ Lately Gambler 2009), “Truth Comes Out” (Hair in My Eyes Like a Highland Steer 2006) and “The Cardplayers” ( El Viejo 2024).
A tribute to the late Ian Tyson included past collaborations and Tyson songs: “Someday Soon” (1964), “The Rodeo’s Over” (Hair in My Eyes…2005), and “La Primera” (Ian Tyson Lost Herd 1999). Many fan favourites peppered the performance. Prior to the intermission we were treated to “Hard on Equipment”, “This is My Prairie” , and “Big Butch Bass Bull Fiddle”. After the break, Lund introduced his next two songs as “hillbilly music” which drew cheers of anticipation. “Family Reunion” brought out the banjo and it stayed out for “Truck Got Stuck”, “Rye Whisky, Rye Whisky” and “Time to Switch to Whisky” . The audience sang backup for both. They even performed a verse and chorus “a capella” after which Lund said “buy a t-shirt, cuz we bought too many, thanks and goodnight!” But the EPAC audience was not yet ready for their good times to end. After lengthy applause, hoots and hollers, and a prolonged chant of “Corb, Corb, Corb” finally earned them their encore: a Lund solo of “S Lazy H”. It’s a plaintive ballad chronicling a family’s loss of their sixth generation ranch. The lyrics, “I have lived with the sorrow/And I will die with the shame/For now the bank owns what’s left/Of the S Lazy H” clearly tugged at the audience’s hearts. When the Hurtin’ Albertans rejoined Lund onstage, cheers banished melancholy as “Five Dollar Bill” was warmly welcomed and earned another standing ovation fitting for a memorable evening of great melody, lyrics and artistry.
I talked with Corb Lund backstage shortly after the final song and asked him how his evening was.
“It was super fun! It’s a cool little theatre. I like it!…
We were just in Europe. I think they find cowboy stuff exotic. Europeans like that about us. I know about Alberta and our regional culture, so people here pick up on the subtleties more. It’s a little different here cause people know what I’m talking about. I grew up just outside of Taber/Cardston, so I’m pretty used to small town Alberta life.”
I asked him about the set. “It’s only the second night we’ve been doing this acoustic trio, but it’s been really fun. It’s kind of different from the big loud band. I like that too, but it’s been kind of neat because there’s a lot of space to play with. Like the guys, especially Grant (lead guitar), when he’s playing his acoustic instruments there’s so much space in the theatre for it to speak. This was a blast. Thanks for having us.”
Grant Siemans has been playing with Corb Lund for 21 years. Lund gave him props explaining that any instrument he (Epiphone guitar) and Sean Burns don’t play, Grant does! I asked Siemans to expand. He listed off what he used for this acoustic trio set. “The mandolin is a Gibson F5 that’s actually Corb’s. It’s about 10 years old. It sounds awesome! The resonator is a 1931 National. I got a steal of a deal with that one because somebody painted it brown in the 1940’s. Nobody wanted it, which was awesome! It looks baaad! The banjo; Epiphone gave us. It was a new model. I asked him about the unique guitar and playing style Siemans used for most of the evening’s performance. “That’s a Manouche guitar (gypsy jazz guitar), a Djanko Rhinehart style guitar. It was made by a Winnipeg luthier named Al Beardsell, Beardsell Guitars.” The acoustic trio has no drum kit, so Siemans played manouche guitar Le Pompe style and imitates the drum kit’s cymbals, keeping rhythm and also the chording of the melody. “I like the playing, practicing, learning. It’s not work for me.”
Pleasant duty, indeed. Especially for the night’s audience!
Businesses will see some changes to the local Rural Renewal Stream program come into effect on November 13.
The program, offered through the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program, allows business owners to bring in skilled workers from outside of the province or country. It also allows business owners who employ staff on a Temporary Work Visa to endorse them for permanent residency through the program.
At the October 30 town council meeting, Kundiso Nyambirai, the growth services manager, explained that they had 300 applications that they were reviewing. Between March 2023 and August 2024, the Town had endorsed 200 of those applications for consideration to the Province.
Nyambirai explained that the Province has now put a system into place to make it easier to sort through the applications on their end.
The points based system gives a better idea of which applications are most likely to be considered or approved for those municipalities endorsing them. Nyambirai says his department is reviewing the applications to see which ones would have enough points to be considered by the Province.
However, the Province is limited in the number of applications that it can put through. There are more than 70 municipalities and districts participating in the program, and the Province only has 1,900 spots they can approve in 2024.
“We are over-subscribing,” says Nyambirai. “We are endorsing 200 plus people.”
In August, the Town decided to make some changes to the way that the program would work in the community. This included limiting the number of applications to 100 each year, while also limiting the number of applications a business can submit to five. Nyambirai also suggested that limiting applications to workers who already resided in the community could help to ensure that the Town does have housing available for these applicants.
Nyambirai says the Province is currently sorting through 1,000 applications to decide on the remaining spots for the year. Councillor Monika Sherriffs agreed that the Town is sending in a higher than average amount of endorsements, stating that if there are 1,000 being considered and Drayton Valley has sent in 200, then we would be sending in many more applications than other municipalities.
Councillor Amila Gammana disagreed, saying that he believed other communities are likely doing the same. He says the real question is how many of those endorsements are receiving approval from the Province.
Nyambirai says that the municipalities are not made aware of which endorsements are approved. He says that looking into that number by contacting applicants would be very time consuming, so they cannot be sure how many of Drayton Valley’s businesses’ applications have been accepted for the program.
This year Thompson will also be able to make an appearance at the Calgary Stampede (Covid depending) and meet Miss Rodeo Canada.
Thompson has big dreams for the future as well, hoping to maybe go professional with rodeo one day.
“I would really like to go and be professional and get to travel internationally and go all over our beautiful province and see new things and see new arenas and compete against more people,” she says.
Thompson’s mom Aimee is especially proud and excited for her daughter saying “The life skills that she’s going to learn once she queens are going to be skills that she’ll get to take forward. I’m just eager to support her and take her where she needs to go. It’s exciting.”
Drayton Valley Ski Hill Closes After 60 Years | Challenges with Weather, Insurance, and Volunteers
After 60 years of operation in the community, the Drayton Valley ski hill has closed its doors.
Randy Beckett, the president of the Drayton Valley Brazeau Snow Club, says there were three main factors that went into the decision to shut down: weather, insurance, and lack of volunteers.
Drayton Valley Food Bank relies on generosity
Explore the growing demand for the Drayton Valley Food Bank as it tackles record-breaking hamper distribution, facility challenges, and rising standards. Learn how community generosity keeps the vital service thriving in Alberta despite obstacles.”
Drayton Valley Launches Platform to Match Volunteers with Opportunities
Discover how Drayton Valley’s new online platform, This Is Drayton Valley (TIDV), connects volunteers with local organizations. Simplify finding meaningful opportunities to share your skills and make a difference in the community.
Man charged after shooting near Brazeau Dam
An Edmonton man has been charged with attempted murder after an incident that took place near the Brazeau Dam last week.
Many of you are probably on a mid-winter work schedule of starting your day in the dark and ending your day in the dark. My mom, a bonafide sun worshiper, hated the dark of winter and until recently I would consider myself cut from the same cloth, minus the sun worshiping. But, this year I’ve come to appreciate the winter night sky a whole lot more, especially around the times of a full moon.
I don’t know what it is but the full moon in the winter is magical. Maybe it is because the moon is up so early I can actually stay awake to see it, or maybe it is because the reflection off the snow seems to amplify the brightness. Since November I have taken advantage of the moonlit nights by dusting off the nordic skis and hitting the Pembina Nordic Ski Trails. What started out as a practical solution to a family/recreation balance has turned out to be an activity that makes the dark of winter bearable and something to look forward to.
Some practical tips before you head out
Moonlight skiing can be intimidating so my recommendation is to first go with someone who has gone before. The first time I went, I went with two avid skiers. It was a dark night. But, with mild temperatures, and three headlamps we had no trouble navigating the trail. Another navigation tip is to first do the trail in daylight so mapping by moonlight or no light is a non-issue.
Thirdly, not all headlamps are built the same. This fall I went out with a buddy and we miscalculated when the moon was going to crest the trees, so for the first part of the trail we needed to use our headlamps. My headlamp was pretty dim and had I not already had a mental map of the trail I would have had trouble seeing what was coming at me. My buddy wore her very bright headlamp. Her lamp had visibility for at least 10ft-15ft, if not more. I ended up skiing in front of her and using her lamp light for most of our ski. So before you set out make sure your batteries are charged, and you have a good quality lamp because skiing blind isn’t all that fun.
Check the weather conditions including: moon rise time, cloud cover, wind chill and temperatures. The weather can make or break an evening adventure. I can tell ya experiencing a full moon ski on a clear night versus a cloud cover night are two vastly different experiences.
Weather really has a bearing on all things outside, especially what you wear. Dressing in layers is always a smart decision whenever you are heading outside for the winter. There are many books, and blog posts on exactly how to do this, but one other little trick I’ve used to keep my feet warm in the winter is wearing a vapour barrier. Vapour barrier is just a fancy word for a grocery bag. Feet and toes tend to get cold because the moisture that wicks from your foot cools in your boot and makes a little ice cube surrounding your toes.
A vapour barrier, keeps the wet close to your feet and out of your boot so your foot does not become cold. I did this on a winter camping ski last year and it worked! I put the grocery bag on my foot, my socks over the bag and then my boots. This way my socks were also nice and dry when we got into camp.
Finally have some fun and enjoy the wonder of the night. Because once the days get longer the moon won’t be so easy to observe.
Winter time at Buck Lake
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Try these DV100 training routes
Just beyond the western borders of Drayton Valley is a series of township roads and secondary highways that creates an amazing training ground for anyone looking to tackle the DV100, DV60 or the DV40, this September.
To market, to market: Shopping downtown Drayton Valley
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Tips for beginner mountain bikers
Rocks, berms, extreme pitches, however you slice it, mountain biking is not for the faint of heart. But with a little can-do attitude and grit it can become a fun pastime during any age or stage of life. This summer Rae and Bell decided that they wanted to try something new. Although they were no strangers to road cycling, the purchase of a e-mountain bike got them off the asphalt onto the trail.
Three trips for your winter wonder list
Snowshoeing is a fun way to get outside, stretch your legs and add a little interest to your snowy winter walks. With the Eagle Point Provincial Park and Provincial Recreation area right on our doorstep there are endless places to explore by snowshoe. But for those of you who are just getting started here are three of my favourite places to get you going.
The rugged and refined in Alder Flats
So I have been telling you to explore your backyard and check out places like Evansburg, Breton and Eagle Point Provincial Park. But what about Alder Flats? What the heck is there to do in Alder Flats? To answer this question I have visited Alder Flats five times since July to have a new experience, discover a new place and give you guys some actionable ideas.
Drayton Valley will have a stop on this year’s Edmonton Eco Solar Home Tour Saturday June 4.
The Eco-Solar Tour Society of Alberta organizes free open house style tours of homes and businesses that display practical and timely examples of sustainability including: renewable energy, energy security, energy efficiency, water efficiency, low emission technologies and natural landscaping.
St. Anthony Catholic Church
Welcome to St. Anthony’s Parish Drayton Valley . You are most welcome to join the
All Saints Anglican Church
We participate in the Anglican Liturgy, which comforts and sustains us. Many have said that
Drayton Valley Insurance
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Drayton Valley Alliance Church
Join us Sunday Mornings 10:30 am Everyone Welcome! Phone: 780-542-6501 Email: office@dvalliance.ca Mailing address: Box
The Drayton Valley home, located at 4556 44 Avenue, is the work of Keith Warren. Warren developed a method to use straw bales wrapped around a home for increased insulation. The bales provide an R40 insulating value, sound proofing and significant fire protection.
“It turns out that combustion air cannot flow through the straw bales, so they are actually quite fire resistant,” says Warren.
Warren completed a retrofit on the home, an early 1960s bungalow, in 2010. He developed a patented process that ensures the straw stays dry and in perfect condition. It’s a system that could be used on any home that meets a few basic requirements.
“The straw wrap can be done to any building that has a sound foundation and its roof has been maintained so there is no water damage in the structural walls,” says Warren.
Once complete, there is little outside sign that the home has been straw wrapped, although the building will appear to be a little larger since the wrapping is placed outside the existing walls.
After 60 years of operation in the community, the Drayton Valley ski hill has closed its doors.
Weather, Insurance and Volunteers an issue
Randy Beckett, the president of the Drayton Valley Brazeau Snow Club, says there were three main factors that went into the decision to shut down: weather, insurance, and lack of volunteers.
The ski hill was built by volunteers and has been running with volunteers since then. Funding was partially provided by grants, fundraising, and rental and usage fees for the hill. These funds went toward bills like insurance and electricity. They were also used for the maintenance of the ski hill and the equipment. None of the volunteers were paid for their time.
When Beckett stepped into the role of president about eight years ago, the club was in debt and the equipment was in need of repair. A government grant of $17,000 and a massive fundraiser in the community gave them enough money to fix things up.
To round out their services, Beckett says they began to offer tubing. The club recognized that not everyone wanted to ski or were able to ski. Tubing was available to everyone and was less hard on the body. Each of the tubes was sponsored by a company, with the funds going toward the maintenance of the hill.
However, the lack of snow over the past few seasons has meant less use of the ski hill, and therefore less funds coming in.
“Unfortunately, Mother Nature has not been kind to us,” says Beckett.
In 2023, much of the local area didn’t have snow for Christmas. Beckett says the ski hill didn’t even open in the 2023/24 season.
“In my seven or eight years, we only opened three years because of snow,” says Beckett.
Insurance companies stepping away from offering coverage to ski hills
Then there was the issue with insurance. After a court case in B.C. where a customer sued a ski resort, many insurance companies stepped away from offering insurance to ski hills. Beckett says there are now only three underwriters in the world who will consider insuring a ski hill.
“Eleven of us little hills got our insurance canceled [a couple of] years ago,” says Beckett.
Previously, the Rural Municipalities of Alberta covered the insurance of the ski hill. When the insurance was cancelled through RMA, they had to find a new underwriter. The bill for the season was $24,000.
“Our insurance was $24,000 last year and we didn’t open,” says Beckett.
Finding volunteers to work the ski hill has also been a challenge.
“Everybody has so many different directions to go now in their lives,” he says. “They have just about everything except for time.”
On average, it took ten volunteers to run the ski hill each day. Beckett and his wife had a list of about 80 volunteers they could call on. However, there were times when they called all of those people and none of them were available to fill a shift for someone who had to cancel.
All three of those factors were at play when Beckett received a call from the insurance company in preparation for this season. They needed Beckett to go through everything on the property again, as they felt much of the equipment and the chalet were undervalued.
Beckett explained to them that it didn’t matter what the replacement value was for the chalet or the lift. If they failed or burned down, Beckett says the club would have to close.
With that in mind, he had put in a lower value for the chalet and other items as they would never be using the insurance to replace them. That was the only way they would be able to afford to run the ski hill. The insurance company explained that if he didn’t cover it for at least 90 percent of the replacement value they would get nothing.
“I said take the insurance off of it, I’ll take the risk,” he says.
Then the insurance company started going into details about the rental equipment, and how all of the people renting the bindings and skis had to be trained by the manufacturers in how to use them.
“What the real issue is, when it comes to insurance companies, is they do not like volunteer organizations in any way,” says Beckett. “Every one of these 11 hills that got their insurance cancelled, I believe, were volunteer organizations.”
Beckett says they feel that the volunteer organizations are unstable, as the volunteers can change regularly and with little notice.
The rental items for the ski hill will be auctioned off by Team Auctions on their December 7 sale. The property will be sold in the new year.
The Free Press asks – “What are your fondest memories of the Drayton Valley Ski Hill?”
“This fills me with nostalgia and gratitude! I started skiing at this hill at just two years old, and it ignited my love for skiing. My parents nurtured my passion by enrolling me in a ski program, and I spent countless weekends racing and growing. Our hill may not have been the biggest, but it was a place we were able to be kids at while not playing hockey or ringette. My dad and papa selflessly served as ski patrols for years, and we reveled in every moment we spent there. My papa’s dedication to the hill was remarkable as he had welded so many pieces there making it the hill it was today, and I’m deeply thankful for the volunteers who helped shape it into the haven it became. All three of my boys learned to ski on this hill, and I’m forever grateful for the escape and liberation it brought us.” – Leslie Anne Fraizer
“I learned to ski on the hill, my kids learned to ski on the hill. We’ve had many get-togethers on the hill with family and friends. As a volunteer I got to see so many littles learn to ski/snowboard and then advance to be on their own then onto the T-bar. They all get excited when they get to go on the big hill. I’ve spent many hours volunteering there as I was on the board for 20+ years and even when my kids weren’t skiing I was there.It was a great hill for many to learn on, it was in our backyard. When we decided to make the tube part it brought more families out which was great to see. It truly will be missed as I wanted my grandkids to learn how to ski/board this year on it.” – Georgia Frost
“Ooh, so many memories of the ski hill. But I would say the best was learning to snowboard there and getting courage to do the jumps off the hills … It was always fun since it was me and my sister. We had a blast, racing down getting to the bottom and the wind burnt faces ‘cause of it.” – Tricia Cottreau
“I was on the tow rope when a porcupine decided to cross… apparently the rope had enough give to allow the people to push a big loop in it. We were able to continue up the hill and the porcupine was able to continue on its walk about” – Helen Maine
“I have so many memories there as a teen in the mid 1980s… from trying to perfect the “daffy”, “backscratchers” and the “kusak” amongst learning how to telemark. This little hill with amazing volunteers taught a ton of youth some amazing skills while maintaining a very safe and supportive environment. I am a ski patrol today because of this little hill and the “gnarly” atmosphere back in the 80s that let youth hone their skills for the mountains.” – Jon Setterlund
“Watching my son Max snowboard for the first time! And he struggled with the T-bar but never gave up!” – Kathy Schwengler
“The time I knocked myself out cold. Couldn’t stop and hit a pole. That was my last time on skis. I now snowboard. I don’t think there’s any photos of that adventure…got a free sled ride behind the skidoo!!” – Jane Marie Ellis
“When Devon broke his arm, all the other kids that broke something and the fact that we all thought we had fresh pow days” – Gord Graham
“Donna and Val Palmer encouraged me to get my Level 1 ski instructor certification and teach ski lessons at the hill. I have so many memories of teaching kids and adults basic skills for skiing. My favourite memories include the Grade 5 visits and instructing a whole class on the tow rope hill. What a great introduction for those kids- who may have never been exposed to skiing.” – Astrid Mitchell
With an increase in demand for the Drayton Valley Food Bank, volunteers are concerned the facility may not keep up for much longer.
Heather and Phil Bell, the vice president and treasurer respectively, have been with the Food Bank for several years. During that time they’ve noticed a concerning trend in the uptick of users.
So far this year, they have given out hampers to 2,275 people, a stark contrast to the 2023 number of 1,653. Last year was a record year for hampers and this year has blown it out of the water.
Alberta food bank sees increased demand
The Bells says a lot of the hampers are going to families who have parents that work.
“The Food Bank, I feel, is an essential service right now, considering the need,” says Phil. “It’s something that’s heavily relied on.”
If things continue the way they have been, they’re expecting to hand out 2,556 hampers by the end of the year.
“It’s not just a blip, either,” says Phil. “This is going to continue on.”
Phil says that though they’ve seen increased usage, the generosity of the community has continued to keep up with the demand. Between food donations from local stores and food drives, the food bank has already received around $270,000 of in-kind donations.
“We have such a generous community,” says Heather. “It’s amazing.”
Heather says they are grateful for the building they’re in and the Town’s generosity in letting them use it for free. She says the location is perfect because it allows people more privacy than a location in a busier part of the community.
“But we’re outgrowing the building,” says Heather. “We’re at the point with our freezer and fridge capacity that the building can’t take anymore fridges and freezers without upgrading the electrical system.”
Space is a challenge for Drayton Valley food bank
Fridge and freezer space are vital in the Christmas season. Heather says in the past, they’ve had to turn away donations of a side of beef because they don’t have the space. Some companies have set up freezers in their buildings and offered the extra storage. Some volunteers also store some items as well.
The Bells say a sea can or some other place where they could store dried goods would be extremely helpful, as well. As it is, they have to store enough food in their building for roughly 30 hampers each pick up day.
At the beginning of November, the volunteers changed their system, and now only offer hampers on Thursdays. Phil says one recent hamper day saw volunteers hand out 86 hampers in three hours.
Creating that many food hampers also has its challenges. There isn’t a lot of room to put the hampers together and organize them, though Heather says they’ve developed a good system. Volunteers are now prebuilding hampers with dried goods for different sizes of families. On pick up days, all they have to do is go to the fridge and freezer to top the hamper off, and it can go out the door.
Thanks to a grant from the Family and Community Support Services, the Food Bank now has a part-time employee that can help with a lot of the administrative tasks. However, some recent Standards of Excellence put forth by the Federal Government is putting pressure on them as well.
The Standards of Excellence requires all Food Banks to have certain policies and procedures in place if they want to continue to be registered with Food Banks Alberta and Food Banks Canada.
Heather says it’s a great idea in theory, but the 78 page document is a massive undertaking for a busy food bank run by volunteers. Their employee is working on some of the documents, but it’s still a challenge.
“A lot of them are great ideas, but for small food banks, it’s quite overwhelming to comply with that,” says Heather.
Originally, the food banks had until March 2025 to have everything in place, but after feedback, they’ve given the smaller food banks more time to work on it.
The Bells say there are many ways for the community to help out the food bank and they won’t turn down donations if they can help it. They have more volunteers who are going through the orientation and are grateful for the continuing generosity of the community.
Community members often perform their civic duties in a variety of ways; some vote, most pay their taxes, and some volunteer their time.
The initiative, This Is Drayton Valley (TIDV), is hoping to make it easier for residents to find ways they can volunteer in their community. They’ve launched an online platform, www.lets-volunteer.com, that helps connect organizations to residents who are looking for a place to volunteer their time.
Jessica Doucette, the chair of the Healthy Community Coalition, says the idea for the platform first began when the HCC were brainstorming ways to offer programs for the clients in the Youth Hub. The biggest obstacle was finding volunteers to help out with the programs.
“We came up with this idea about creating an online platform that would make it easier for people to access volunteer opportunities,” says Doucette.
She says at that time, they were mostly considering the Youth Hub and looking for younger volunteers. They felt that an online platform would be the best way to reach out to that demographic.
When Kickstand Alberta became the parent organization of the Youth Hub, they found more challenges. As they were a newer provincial body, they weren’t ready to take on the project for all of their Youth Hubs. Doucette says rather than scrap the idea, they decided to offer it to the larger community.
“We realized it was actually an issue for everybody,” she says.
Originally, they had approached the Chamber of Commerce, who had already tried to make a similar platform. But as the HCC works under the Red Cross, they were told it wasn’t appropriate for them to work with an organization that only represented businesses. They continued to look and finally connected with Ryan Fynn, one of the founders of TIDV, to bring the idea to life.
The platform has been active for a couple of weeks, now, and as of November 22, there were 14 volunteers and 12 organizations on the site.
Fynn says the platform is similar to dating websites, in that the volunteers input information into a profile and then they can be matched with an organization that would best suit them. He says volunteers are encouraged to list things they are passionate about, their relevant skills, experience as a volunteer, how much time they want to commit, and which days they are open to help. Organizations can search for volunteers based on those parameters.
“For an example, River Valley Players is looking for a part-time musical director,” says Fynn. “If a volunteer says they are passionate about music, they will be connected to them.”
Doucette says the platform can also help people connect with someone with specific skills. “We just recently did a survey through the community parenting coalition, and we found that there’s a large majority of people that are willing to share their gifts with others,” says Doucette. “We just don’t ask the right questions.”
Fynn says it would also work well for finding volunteers for events. By listing their events and indicating what’s all involved in the positions, residents with profiles can find them and help out.
An Edmonton man has been charged with attempted murder after an incident that took place near the Brazeau Dam last week.
Just before midnight on Saturday November 9, the Drayton Valley RCMP received a 911 call reporting possible shots fired near the dam. As members arrived, they received an update that a female had been shot by a man with a .22 calibre rifle. The suspect, who is believed to have been part of a group who had been hunting in the area, was arrested and taken into custody without incident. Officers administered first aid to the female victim, who was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, until emergency medical services arrived on the scene. The female victim was transported to the University of Alberta hospital where she was listed in critical but stable condition.
Leomer Serios Valencia, 43, has been charged with attempted murder, using a firearm in the commission of an offence, pointing a firearm, assault and uttering threats. After a telephone bail hearing Valencia was remanded in custody pending an appearance in Drayton Valley court.
Corb Lund played the Eleanor Pickup Art Centre stage for a raucous sold-out audience Thursday evening.
The Hurtin’ Albertans acoustic duo backing Lund were Grant Siemans on guitar and Sean Burns playing upright bass About a quarter of the 224 capacity seats were purchased as VIP tickets. At 5PM, the three front rows were filled as a solo Corb Lund was greeted with cheers, sat on the edge of the stage, and began singing VIP favourites, telling backstories and conversing. After the warm and friendly performance, knowing their seats were reserved, VIPs ticket holders shopped for merch in the EPAC lobby or went for a meal and refreshment to a downtown restaurant.
Several VIP super-fans commented that it was well worth the premium to be up-close and personal with Lund.
EPAC’s doors remained open as rush seating meant coming early for a preferred perch. The merch table was double-staffed as demand was high for CDs and vinyl LPs, “It’s Better with Cows Around” hoodies and Lund album cover poster three-packs. Lots of stock meant no one was disappointed. Long before the 7:30 curtain it was rare to find two seats together, however. A group of five young men just arriving before the curtain were quickly ushered to the remaining seats.
With the theatre full, an excited ambiance and the clock ticking down to showtime, it was no surprise that when the house lights dimmed, introduction completed, and Corb Lund with the Hurtin’ Albertans appeared from stage right, pandemonium reigned.
Joyful hoots and hollers, cheers, yahoos and multiple long, wavering, high-pitched vocal trilling filled the auditorium. The band, looking fresh and ready despite being midway through a long tour of Europe/US started what was only their second performance of this acoustic set.
The show opened with two songs from Lund’s 2007 Horse Soldier Horse Soldier album. The opening bars of the title track were greeted with cheers of recognition and rewarded with loud applause as was “Especially A Paint”. The set list dipped into Lund’s deep catalogue from a long career: “May you Always have Cows Around” (Cabin Fever 2012), “Devil’s Best Dress” (Losin’ Lately Gambler 2009), “Truth Comes Out” (Hair in My Eyes Like a Highland Steer 2006) and “The Cardplayers” ( El Viejo 2024).
A tribute to the late Ian Tyson included past collaborations and Tyson songs: “Someday Soon” (1964), “The Rodeo’s Over” (Hair in My Eyes…2005), and “La Primera” (Ian Tyson Lost Herd 1999). Many fan favourites peppered the performance. Prior to the intermission we were treated to “Hard on Equipment”, “This is My Prairie” , and “Big Butch Bass Bull Fiddle”. After the break, Lund introduced his next two songs as “hillbilly music” which drew cheers of anticipation. “Family Reunion” brought out the banjo and it stayed out for “Truck Got Stuck”, “Rye Whisky, Rye Whisky” and “Time to Switch to Whisky” . The audience sang backup for both. They even performed a verse and chorus “a capella” after which Lund said “buy a t-shirt, cuz we bought too many, thanks and goodnight!” But the EPAC audience was not yet ready for their good times to end. After lengthy applause, hoots and hollers, and a prolonged chant of “Corb, Corb, Corb” finally earned them their encore: a Lund solo of “S Lazy H”. It’s a plaintive ballad chronicling a family’s loss of their sixth generation ranch. The lyrics, “I have lived with the sorrow/And I will die with the shame/For now the bank owns what’s left/Of the S Lazy H” clearly tugged at the audience’s hearts. When the Hurtin’ Albertans rejoined Lund onstage, cheers banished melancholy as “Five Dollar Bill” was warmly welcomed and earned another standing ovation fitting for a memorable evening of great melody, lyrics and artistry.
I talked with Corb Lund backstage shortly after the final song and asked him how his evening was.
“It was super fun! It’s a cool little theatre. I like it!…
We were just in Europe. I think they find cowboy stuff exotic. Europeans like that about us. I know about Alberta and our regional culture, so people here pick up on the subtleties more. It’s a little different here cause people know what I’m talking about. I grew up just outside of Taber/Cardston, so I’m pretty used to small town Alberta life.”
I asked him about the set. “It’s only the second night we’ve been doing this acoustic trio, but it’s been really fun. It’s kind of different from the big loud band. I like that too, but it’s been kind of neat because there’s a lot of space to play with. Like the guys, especially Grant (lead guitar), when he’s playing his acoustic instruments there’s so much space in the theatre for it to speak. This was a blast. Thanks for having us.”
Grant Siemans has been playing with Corb Lund for 21 years. Lund gave him props explaining that any instrument he (Epiphone guitar) and Sean Burns don’t play, Grant does! I asked Siemans to expand. He listed off what he used for this acoustic trio set. “The mandolin is a Gibson F5 that’s actually Corb’s. It’s about 10 years old. It sounds awesome! The resonator is a 1931 National. I got a steal of a deal with that one because somebody painted it brown in the 1940’s. Nobody wanted it, which was awesome! It looks baaad! The banjo; Epiphone gave us. It was a new model. I asked him about the unique guitar and playing style Siemans used for most of the evening’s performance. “That’s a Manouche guitar (gypsy jazz guitar), a Djanko Rhinehart style guitar. It was made by a Winnipeg luthier named Al Beardsell, Beardsell Guitars.” The acoustic trio has no drum kit, so Siemans played manouche guitar Le Pompe style and imitates the drum kit’s cymbals, keeping rhythm and also the chording of the melody. “I like the playing, practicing, learning. It’s not work for me.”
Pleasant duty, indeed. Especially for the night’s audience!
Businesses will see some changes to the local Rural Renewal Stream program come into effect on November 13.
The program, offered through the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program, allows business owners to bring in skilled workers from outside of the province or country. It also allows business owners who employ staff on a Temporary Work Visa to endorse them for permanent residency through the program.
At the October 30 town council meeting, Kundiso Nyambirai, the growth services manager, explained that they had 300 applications that they were reviewing. Between March 2023 and August 2024, the Town had endorsed 200 of those applications for consideration to the Province.
Nyambirai explained that the Province has now put a system into place to make it easier to sort through the applications on their end.
The points based system gives a better idea of which applications are most likely to be considered or approved for those municipalities endorsing them. Nyambirai says his department is reviewing the applications to see which ones would have enough points to be considered by the Province.
However, the Province is limited in the number of applications that it can put through. There are more than 70 municipalities and districts participating in the program, and the Province only has 1,900 spots they can approve in 2024.
“We are over-subscribing,” says Nyambirai. “We are endorsing 200 plus people.”
In August, the Town decided to make some changes to the way that the program would work in the community. This included limiting the number of applications to 100 each year, while also limiting the number of applications a business can submit to five. Nyambirai also suggested that limiting applications to workers who already resided in the community could help to ensure that the Town does have housing available for these applicants.
Nyambirai says the Province is currently sorting through 1,000 applications to decide on the remaining spots for the year. Councillor Monika Sherriffs agreed that the Town is sending in a higher than average amount of endorsements, stating that if there are 1,000 being considered and Drayton Valley has sent in 200, then we would be sending in many more applications than other municipalities.
Councillor Amila Gammana disagreed, saying that he believed other communities are likely doing the same. He says the real question is how many of those endorsements are receiving approval from the Province.
Nyambirai says that the municipalities are not made aware of which endorsements are approved. He says that looking into that number by contacting applicants would be very time consuming, so they cannot be sure how many of Drayton Valley’s businesses’ applications have been accepted for the program.
The Drayton Valley bungalow also features a number of energy-saving components, including a solar system, that allow it to function at close to net zero energy. Warren says the home was designed to demonstrate the potential for rejuvenation of communities without demolition, bringing older homes up to modern energy efficient standards.
Warren has had an interest in energy-efficient buildings since he apprenticed for his carpentry ticket from 1979-1981. He later became concerned about the greenhouse gas emissions involved in the manufacture and transportation of traditional insulating materials. That led him to look at straw, which naturally sequesters greenhouse gasses rather than contributing to the problem. He says he felt it was important to take part in the Eco-Solar Home Tour since it allows the public to see what is available in sustainable and energy efficient design for themselves.
“Energy conservation is the key to permanently reduce greenhouse gas emissions and our living costs,” he says.
The Drayton Valley home is one of 14 on the Edmonton tour. It’s open for public viewing between 10 am and 4 p.m. Saturday June 4.
Drayton Valley Ski Hill Closes After 60 Years | Challenges with Weather, Insurance, and Volunteers
After 60 years of operation in the community, the Drayton Valley ski hill has closed its doors.
Randy Beckett, the president of the Drayton Valley Brazeau Snow Club, says there were three main factors that went into the decision to shut down: weather, insurance, and lack of volunteers.
Drayton Valley Food Bank relies on generosity
Explore the growing demand for the Drayton Valley Food Bank as it tackles record-breaking hamper distribution, facility challenges, and rising standards. Learn how community generosity keeps the vital service thriving in Alberta despite obstacles.”
Drayton Valley Launches Platform to Match Volunteers with Opportunities
Discover how Drayton Valley’s new online platform, This Is Drayton Valley (TIDV), connects volunteers with local organizations. Simplify finding meaningful opportunities to share your skills and make a difference in the community.
Man charged after shooting near Brazeau Dam
An Edmonton man has been charged with attempted murder after an incident that took place near the Brazeau Dam last week.
Businesses will see some changes to the local Rural Renewal Stream program come into effect on November 13.
The program, offered through the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program, allows business owners to bring in skilled workers from outside of the province or country. It also allows business owners who employ staff on a Temporary Work Visa to endorse them for permanent residency through the program.
At the October 30 town council meeting, Kundiso Nyambirai, the growth services manager, explained that they had 300 applications that they were reviewing. Between March 2023 and August 2024, the Town had endorsed 200 of those applications for consideration to the Province.
Nyambirai explained that the Province has now put a system into place to make it easier to sort through the applications on their end.
The points based system gives a better idea of which applications are most likely to be considered or approved for those municipalities endorsing them. Nyambirai says his department is reviewing the applications to see which ones would have enough points to be considered by the Province.
However, the Province is limited in the number of applications that it can put through. There are more than 70 municipalities and districts participating in the program, and the Province only has 1,900 spots they can approve in 2024.
“We are over-subscribing,” says Nyambirai. “We are endorsing 200 plus people.”
In August, the Town decided to make some changes to the way that the program would work in the community. This included limiting the number of applications to 100 each year, while also limiting the number of applications a business can submit to five. Nyambirai also suggested that limiting applications to workers who already resided in the community could help to ensure that the Town does have housing available for these applicants.
Nyambirai says the Province is currently sorting through 1,000 applications to decide on the remaining spots for the year. Councillor Monika Sherriffs agreed that the Town is sending in a higher than average amount of endorsements, stating that if there are 1,000 being considered and Drayton Valley has sent in 200, then we would be sending in many more applications than other municipalities.
Councillor Amila Gammana disagreed, saying that he believed other communities are likely doing the same. He says the real question is how many of those endorsements are receiving approval from the Province.
Nyambirai says that the municipalities are not made aware of which endorsements are approved. He says that looking into that number by contacting applicants would be very time consuming, so they cannot be sure how many of Drayton Valley’s businesses’ applications have been accepted for the program.
She also feels strongly about the seniors in the community, who have contributed so much of their efforts to make Drayton Valley the town that it currently is.
“I felt that it was past due for our town to give back to our seniors and help them out as much as possible. Without them we wouldn’t have had a town to call home.”
Driessen says the project has taken a while to put together. “It’s been in the works for quite a few years and we have to thank [many] for their contributions. It’s been a community collaboration without a doubt.”
Newberry says she is also grateful for the generosity and hard work of community members, including one local hockey team, that were able to ensure the project was a success.
Driessen says this service isn’t just for medical appointments. She says in some cases that means getting groceries, going to the pharmacy, or sometimes, the polls for an election.
“We will be providing a special in town service every Wednesday, so that our seniors can go shopping and get their groceries or medications along with their senior discounts,” says Newberry.
There will be a fee for the service, says Driessen. The Town researched and found a reasonable cost comparison with cab services in the community. Driessen says it will be comparable to cab services. “It does, of course, give a bit of a break,” she says.
In the future, Driessen says they would like to see some public funding allotted to the service to help lower the cost for those who need it.
Newberry says that paying for the service is set up with a digital payment service, allowing family members to easily help out their loved ones.
“It will work on digital payment service program where a family member or the person (senior or disabled) can purchase a prepaid visa gift card. Every time a person needs a ride the card will be debited the amount of the ride. Until the card is used up. Then it’s a matter of reloading it with money at that time. Could be a great Christmas gift from family to a loved one,” she says.
Those who are interested in registering their family for the service can contact Drake’s Handi Bus at 780-542-8706.
