The Community Matt Program is in place again after it was nearly cut due to lack of funding from the provincial government.
Lola Strand, the coordinator for Family and Community Support Services, says now that Premier Jason Kenney has made the announcement for additional funding, the program will be going ahead.
Dr. Chris Birchall Dentistry
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Strand says normally the mat program is started earlier in the year. However, because they just received notification of the funding, they are hoping to have it start up by Christmas.
Originally, the mat program was started in 2015 and run by volunteers. In 2019 the program was run by staff, and it has continued that way since then. Currently, Strand says they are looking for Mat Program Supervisors so they can get the program operational.
Strand says because of the late start to the program, town council wanted to make it clear that if there were an emergency where temperatures dropped below a certain level, the program would open up temporarily.
Emily Hickman, the mat program manager, says she hopes this will be the last year they have to run the program as they are looking into other options for the future.
“We’re hoping to replace it with something more sustainable, just because relying on the whims of the provincial government to know whether or not we’re going to be able to provide this service is very stressful,” says Hickman.
Right now, she says she can’t give many details about the alternative project. Hickman says the project they are looking at isn’t a guarantee, but if it goes through it would rely less on government funding.
While the program has needed volunteers in the past, Hickman says that isn’t the case right now. They have staff to overlook the service.
What they do need are donations.
Five active members and two retired members of Drayton Valley/Brazeau County Fire Services were awarded the Fire Services Exemplary Service Medal on behalf of the Governor General on November 26.
Retired firefighters Lieutenant Clifford Swan and Brad Charlton of the Breton station were awarded the 20 year service medal, along with Acting Battalion Chief Colin Bredin. Deputy Fire Chief Murray Galavan, Deputy Fire Chief Kamil Lasek, and Battalion Chief Mike Gramlich of the Drayton Valley station were all given their 20 year service medals, as well.
Battalion Chief Mark Raines of the Breton station was awarded his 1st bar for 30 years of service as he has already received an Exemplary Service Medal for 20 years of service.
The members were also congratulated at the November 29 town council meeting.
“That’s a big shout out,” says Mayor Nancy Dodds. “Thank you, and thank you to your families.”
Fire Chief Tom Thomson, who had the honour of nominating the award winners, says the medal isn’t just for the years of service that a firefighter has worked.
“You have to show exemplary service. You can’t just show up. You have to do more than that to receive the reward,” he says.
Even though Thomson nominated the members, they weren’t automatically awarded the medal. Each nomination form was reviewed by a selection committee to decide if they would receive the award.
“All of the members I nominated won,” says Thomson.
He says he chose those individuals because he has seen the effort they put into their positions. “All of them were selected because of their commitment and dedication to the department.”
Thomson says these members have demonstrated leadership, education of staff and the public, working toward fire prevention, and many other qualities that show their work ethic for Fire Services.
Thomson says these medals are normally awarded annually, but with Covid and the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, it has been a few years since they were given out.
Mom shares tragic story
“Complacency is dangerous” is the message Drayton resident Maureen Hollingsworth wants to spread.
Hollingsworth, who is a truck driver in the oil and gas industry, had her first opportunity to share her son’s story at a safety meeting held by Plains Midstream on November 15.
“Twelve years, five months, and ten days ago, my life changed,” she says.
On June 5, 2011, her son Colin Stewart, better known as Mouse, went to work in the morning, but didn’t come home in the evening. At the age of 23, Mouse had made a fatal choice at work and forever changed the lives around him.
“It was the day my heart was broken. It was also the day I had to start living without one of my greatest gifts,” says Hollingsworth.
For those in attendance, Hollingsworth shared anecdotes of Mouse. Though he had started out as a premie, Mouse had lived every day to the fullest.
Hollingsworth says that he was always active. He could be found quadding, dirtbiking, horseback riding, and snowmobiling most days. During his downtime, Mouse read.
“He would read anywhere,” says Hollingsworth.
Mouse also had a nephew Xzander, and he spent as much time with him as he could. Whenever possible, Mouse was buying Xzander gifts, many of which were playstation games.
Hollingsworth says the spring of 2011 was very wet. With all of the rain, Mouse couldn’t be out working.
Finally, at the end of May, the weather improved and Mouse and three others went to work.
For ten days the four guys, all aged between 19 and 23, were working long hours. It wasn’t unusual for a day to be 18-20 hours long.
“Not only are they over-houred and fatigued, let’s throw a whole lot of inexperience into the picture,” says Hollingsworth.
One of the 19-year-olds working that day had only been in Canada for five days.
“It’s now a Sunday afternoon and the job is completed. They were done early and were excited to go home. But that’s when complacency came into the picture,” she says.
Mouse’s machine was across the job site. He was tired. So, he hopped onto the back of another machine to catch a ride over to the other side of the job site.
The 19-year-old who was new to Canada, hopped into that machine. He didn’t know where everyone was on the site, and he didn’t walk around his equipment. Instead, he got in, flipped the switch, and that was the end for Mouse.
“Four went to work,” says Hollingsworth. “Three came home. Had [the driver] taken less than one minute and walked around the equipment, I wouldn’t be here talking about safety.”
Hollingsworth says after she was done speaking, Dan Lyons, the man who’d invited her to speak stood to say something. But after a moment of struggling to speak, he suggested a ten minute break for everyone.
“He told me he will never ever forget this,” says Hollingsworth.
She says one of the biggest frustrations she has with the situation is that people always want to know what kind of machine it was or where Mouse was working. For her, it doesn’t matter where it happened or what he was doing. The same lesson can be applied to all industries.
But she says that when she shares it was an industrial farming incident, many act as though that makes the situation non-applicable. Though Mouse died because he wanted to hitch a ride on a manure spreader, the situation is still the same in other industries. There was no walk around, no knowledge of where everyone was, and there was complacency on the worksite.
In 2011, farmers and ranch workers were still exempted from the Labour Code. There were no requirements for safety and they were not covered under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. In fact, when OH&S found out that his death was from a farming accident, they said there was nothing they could do.
“At that time there was no farm safety. None. Zero,” says Hollingsworth.
According to a blog written by Jennifer Koshan of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary, a study done by the Alberta Federation of Labour in 2017 showed “agricultural workers are more than twice as likely to be killed on the job as other workers in Alberta, and 4,000 work related injuries occur on Alberta farms each year.”
It wasn’t until Bill 6 was brought in by the Alberta Government in 2016 that things began to change for the farming industry. Now employers are required to have safety practices and are expected to meet the Alberta Occupation Health and Safety Act requirements for their industry.
“Bill 6 also brought farm and ranch workers who are paid, non-family members into the basic health and safety protections under the Occupational Health and Safety Act as of January 1, 2016. Farm and ranch employers are now obliged to ensure the health and safety of their workers, and the workers are able to refuse unsafe work that presents an imminent danger. OHS officers are authorized to inspect farm and ranch workplaces to ensure that that work is not being carried out in a manner that is unhealthy or unsafe, and serious injuries and accidents on farm and ranch work sites must be reported and investigated,” says Koshan’s article.
After the accident, Hollingsworth and Mouse’s dad Marvin Stewart spoke with the young man who’d been working the manure spreader that day. She says she felt awful for him because he was thousands of miles away from home. “He couldn’t even get a hug from his mom,” she says.
They made it clear to him that Mouse should never have been on the back of the spreader. They told him that Mouse knew better, and that he shouldn’t blame himself for what happened.
“I don’t want another mom to hear these words, ‘Your child has died due to safety reasons,’” she says. “I never want another mother to get a call from her kid saying he just killed someone at work.”
While it’s too late to help Mouse, Hollingsworth says she hopes she can spread the message far and wide. She is already slated to speak at two safety meetings at All Choice Rentals and hopes she has the opportunity to do more.
Name recognizes local history
A historic landmark only officially recognized in 2017 will now have a street named after it.
At the November 1 meeting, town council heard from Hans Van Klaveren, the General Manager of Community Services and Recreation, regarding a petition from a community member who asked to have 49th Street renamed as Drake Street. Council unanimously agreed to the change.
Suzanne Hommy, one of the people behind the push for the name change, says she’s happy with the decision.
Hommy’s son Brett is the current owner of the Drake house located at 5048 49 St., though he was unable to speak with the Free Press due to his work shift. Between Brett and his older brother Colton, the home has been in the hands of the Hommys for fourteen years.
Hommy and Brett were also two of the key players in getting the house recognized as one of the original homes that was built in Drayton Valley. In fact, the owners, William and Ellen (Dora) Drake, were the ones who gave the community its name.
“It took the Town a long time to recognize it and actually give us the plaque,” says Hommy.
The history of the original settlement of Drayton Valley is one that is often overshadowed by the discovery of the Pembina Oilfield, say the descendants of the Drakes who still live in the community.
“A lot of people don’t think of Drayton before the Discovery Well,” says Nicole Coleman, William and Ellen’s great-great-granddaughter, and lifetime resident of Drayton Valley.
Coleman can recall a time in elementary school when assignment was to do a family tree. “I was outright told that I was lying,” she says.
Her mother Kathy Linde and aunt Amy Newberry, say they both had similar experiences in school.
Getting the attention from the Town and County of Brazeau has been challenging for the family. For a while, it seemed the Drakes and their history had faded from the collective memory of the community.
That changed when Mandy and Tyler Layden purchased the home in the late 90s.
Layden says they very nearly passed on the home because it looked run down and strange. “I drove past it three or four months before [we purchased the house] and was like ‘Nope!’” says Layden.
That changed when she had a dream about the house. In her dream, she was walking around inside the house, and when she woke she told her husband they had to take a look inside.
“I fell in love with the bones of the place,” says Layden.
At first, Layden and her husband didn’t know anything about the history of the home. The home inspector had told them the house was built in the ‘50s, based on a permit to have a basement dug for the home in 1955. But Layden said the architecture of the place had her thinking differently.
Layden, who worked for the Town at the time, says one day she was in one of the back rooms and came across a booklet that showed older pictures of the community. Layden took a moment to look through the booklet. She came across a familiar roofline in one of the photos. She was almost certain she was seeing the same house she had, but in a different location. That lunch hour, she went home and took several polaroid pictures of her house from different angles.
“I copied the picture from the booklet for an overhead projector,” says Layden.
Once she had the copy and laid it over the picture of her home, it was an exact match. That was when Layden started digging.
She started with the development file for the lot the house sits on. She found the permit to have the house moved from 50th and 50th, where the Shale Clinic now stands, to its current location in 1955. Janet and Jean (Red) Fuhr had the home moved onto a new basement that had been dug out by horses. In 1966, the Fuhrs would sell the home to the Schubergs.
But Layden didn’t drop the trail there. She began to research everything she could find about the beginnings of Drayton Valley. By looking through history books like To Trail’s End by W.S.B. Loosmore, and Trappers, Loggers, Homesteaders and Oilmen published by the Historical Society, Layden was able to piece things together.
Layden also conducted interviews with Les Tucker, the son of Jack Tucker who took over the post office after the Drakes, Fred Kynoch, the Drake’s grandson, Eleanor Pickup, and Keith Fuhr, the son of Fuhrs that bought the house.
The story that unfurled was one Layden felt the community should know about. As she and her husband worked on renos in the house, keeping as much of the original parts as they could, she began work on talking with the Town about getting the place recognized.
But she couldn’t find anyone who wanted to recognize it. “Nobody was interested,” she says.
Layden discovered that William and Ellen Drake were amongst the first settlers in the area. At first, Ellen was alone in the area with her eight-year-old daughter, Dora (Dolly), for eighteen months. They lived in a tent while William was away working. At the time, Ellen was the only woman in the area.
When William came back, he became the Postmaster starting in 1913. He called the post office Powerhouse due to a proposed dam to be built on the North Saskatchewan River.
When William left to serve in World War I, Ellen took charge of the post in the area. But, after a call from Ottawa, Ellen learned there was already a Powerhouse in Western Canada. They asked her to come up with a new name.
Ellen chose Drayton Valley, as William had grown up in Drayton, England.
When William came back, the family eventually moved to a homestead on 50th and 50th, taking the post office with them. Some historians have said the Drake’s built the home, but the research says otherwise.
Newberry was told by her father that the ghost that is purported to haunt the house was from the man “who owned the house before the Drakes.
The home they purchased was originally built in 1928. Les Tucker, who had spoken with Layden, said he recalled the house being built “by a young man named Albert Black.” Layden also found reference in one of the books from a woman who remembers seeing the house being built in 1928 when she was going to the Eldorado School, which at the time was situated across from the house.
The Drakes purchased the home in 1930 and built a shop onto it. They operated the shop and post office until 1936. While they no longer operated the post office or the store, the Drakes lived in that house until the close of World War II. The Drakes moved to Edmonton, leaving behind their eldest daughter, Dora, who had married Gordon Kynoch.
Newberry and Linde’s father is Fred Kynoch, the son of Dora and Gordon Kynoch. They can both recall efforts that were made to try and get the home recognized.
Newberry says the original homestead was across from where Intercon Messaging now sits. She says there was a sign there at one point. But it eventually fell to the ground and though her mother tried to get the County to put it back up, it never happened.
Later, Ivy Clark, Newberry and Linde’s cousin, tried to get the Town to rename the street, but had no success.
When Layden and her husband sold the home, they were careful to choose someone who respected its history. Colton, Brett’s older brother, originally bought the home, making no changes to the house. When Brett purchased it from Colton, he decided he wanted to do some upgrades to the house, but was careful to keep as much of the original work as possible.
Hommy and her husband helped Brett with the renovations.
“We tried to keep as much as we could. We didn’t throw anything out but the old windows, but they were from the ‘80s,” says Hommy.
They restained the cupboards in the kitchen, though they were not the original cupboards, and Brett installed a dishwasher. The original threshold was kept in place, the original stairs were restained, and the old brick stove chimney that runs through the house was kept. While the Hommys changed the exterior doors, the interior doors are the same.
While Hommy’s sons lived in the house, she began speaking to the Town about having the place recognized. “I told them, ‘I’m not stopping until you give them something,’” she says.
When the plaque was put up on July 1, 2017, Hommy says she spoke to Fred Kynoch, who told her that they had tried to have the street named Drake at one point, but had no success. “So that was my next mission,” she says.
The Drakes’ family says they are very grateful for the efforts that were made on their ancestors’ behalf.
“We don’t learn about history so that it doesn’t repeat itself,” says Jodi Sandercock, Newberry’s daughter. “We learn about history because every single step that our ancestors took led us exactly to where we are standing today. Just as every step we take today impacts the steps future generations take.
“Renaming the street honours those very steps our ancestors, the Drakes, took. The Drakes created a foundation for our family to grow in this community for six generations and counting.”
Coleman agrees with Sandercock. “I would love to see some of the old settlers recognized by renaming buildings and streets,” says Coleman.
Crystal O’Malley, Newberry’s daughter, says she is excited about the change. “I think this will start a conversation and get some dialogue going.”
Linde’s daughter Melissa Linde says she’s happy there is going to be some recognition. “I think my grandpa would be really proud of all of the work that’s put into it,” she says.
“[Layden, Hommy, and Brett] did all of the legwork to make this happen, and that’s important to remember,” says Linde.
Hommy says that while she and Brett appreciate the thanks, they weren’t the only ones who made it happen. “I know they were thanking me, but there’s a whole lot of people before me. I’m just the end,” she says.
Hommy and her husband will be moving out of the country in January, and she is hoping to see the sign go up before then. Brett is also looking to sell the home in the near future, but both of them feel the Drake House’s tale is far from over.
“This story isn’t about the street, or even the family,” says Hommy. “It’s about this house and all of the people who have lived in it.”
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Group works for Brighter Futures
After giving so much to the community, Brighter Futures is hoping the community can help them out.
Jen Sinclair, the executive director of Brighter Futures Family Resource Society, says they are looking to fill some spaces on their policy board. “We currently have five board members. Ideally we are looking for five more,” she says.
Sinclair says it’s a low time commitment. The board meets once every two months for about two hours, meaning a total of 12 hours per year. Sinclair chooses a couple of policies to review each month and the board helps to decide when and where edits are needed.
“We also go over what’s happened in the organization in the last two months,” says Sinclair. “I give them a fill-in, let them know what’s up and coming, and if I have any issues they give me guidance.”
When it comes to finances, the responsibility of the board is only to review and approve expenditures. There is no treasurer on the board, but the Chair and Vice Chair are needed to sign cheques.
Brighter Futures has been in the area since 1994, when they first started in Breton and served rural locations. Eventually, they moved their office to Drayton Valley, but they still have programs running in the Faith Covenant Church in Breton, the Alder Flats Community Hall, Easyford Hall and Miss Joanne’s School of Dance in Drayton Valley.
The programs they offer are for children aged 0-6 and their caregivers. Sinclair says these programs offer fun learning and socialization for both the children and their parents. She says there is some circle time, free play, crafts and snacks.
“It’s a good way for moms to connect with each other, and for kids to socialize if they aren’t really getting out of the house much,” says Sinclair.
Brighter Futures also offers a Nutritious Beginnings Program, that helps pregnant, at-risk moms. There is some financial support, check-ins to ensure they are getting to the doctor, and giving them guidance if it’s needed.
“We even supply them with car seats if they need them,” says Sinclair.
She says that while there is some financial support, that isn’t the goal of the program. Instead, they are focussed on educating moms that need a bit of support.
Another support they offer the community is Baby’s Essentials, which is run entirely on community donations. Sinclair says when the Food Bank gets donations of diapers, baby wipes, formula, or other necessities for babies, they forward them to Brighter Futures. She says they distribute those items to families in need.
The Essentials program will also help with a $75 gift card at a grocery store so that caregivers don’t have to choose between diapers or formula and food for the rest of the family. She says if the mom is breastfeeding, they encourage her to use the extra money to purchase healthy foods.
This year the donations have been way lower than usual, says Sinclair. She says they are hoping that monetary donations and item donations will increase, as they require community support in order to keep the programs running.
Sinclair says anyone who is interested in becoming a board member can go to their office in the Rotary House for an application. Those who wish to give to the program can drop their donations off at the office in the Rotary House, or they can attend one of the fundraiser’s the program hosts throughout the season.
“They can just give us a call and either drop it off or we can arrange a pick up,” says Sinclair.
Beating the heat at the North Saskatchewan River
With hot summer temperatures a day at the river is just the ticket.
Just a 10 minute drive west of Drayton Valley is the Willey West campground and boat launch. From what I can tell no one knows how the Willey West Campground got its name, there is no mention of it in the local history books and there is also some debate among locals on how to pronounce the name. Is it “Willey” like the caretaker from Simpsons or “Wiley” like that old coyote that keeps getting bested by the Road Runner? It was a hot debate in my grade six classroom.
The road heading down to the campsite rolls, winds and finishes with a steep downhill. For you cyclists looking to make the trip from Drayton Valley the ups and downs will not disappoint. The road meandering the campground’s treed campsites open up to a large activity field and playground at the heart of the camp. This is a fantastic place to play but in the heat of summer it can be quite hot.
Following the boat launch signs you will find a large parking lot with a gravel beach and a rocky river bank. The current slows close at the water’s edge but get out too far you may find yourself going on a ride down the river.
Play in the river
There is a row of Adirondack chairs on the upper bank but many locals opt to bring their own lawn chairs and sit in the shallows, cooling their heels and sipping a pop. Kids splash and play among the rocks at the boat launch. With such hard underfoot conditions, bringing along a pair of water shoes or sandals is a great idea. Sand toys such as buckets and shovels are also great. There is one picnic table at the boat launch.
With such beautiful scenery it is important to remember that the water can be dangerous. Often the water’s surface masks the turbulent activity below. If you look to the bend just south of the boat launch below the surface there are some powerful undertows and have taken more than one life in recent years. Although the North Saskatchewan River is a class 5 river, being cautious, using life jackets, and keeping a watchful eye is always a great idea.
As part of Canada’s broader trapper and fur trade history the North Saskatchewan River was once a vast trade route. By 1776, the North West Company had begun to travel up the North Saskatchewan to give competition to the Hudson’s Bay Company. South along the North Saskatchewan River Boggy (or Bogey) Hall is one refuge stop the famed David Thompson stopped at during his time with the North West Company. This clearing can be accessed from the Powerhouse Road near Lodgepole through a network of lease roads. Fast forward a century and industry and modernization came to the area.
In 1913, upstream from Rocky Rapids, Edmonton Hydro-Electric Power planned to build a dam; but it was funded by a British syndicate and all funding stopped with the outbreak of WWI. The great flood of 1915 wiped out all evidence of dam building. In the 1930’s coal in the seams in the riverbanks sold for $2.50/ton.
Pan for Gold
If coal isn’t a mineral that interests you, maybe you’d like to spend your time panning for gold.
Although gold rush fever never took hold of west central Alberta like it did the Yukon panning for gold is still a fun activity you can do at the river’s edge. I have yet to know anyone who struck it rich doing this but even just finding a few flakes here and there can feel like you won the lottery.
Hiking the trails
Hiking from the Willey West boat launch is also an activity for the to do list. If you head south along the river edge on a sandy hiking trail the curves along give you a view of the new Drayton Valley River Bridge. The original two-lane bridge structure was built in 1956. It replaced a ferry crossing further upstream. The ferry crossing brought its own set of challenges. Eleanor Pickup, the namesake for the local arts centre, re-lived her experience with the old ferry crossing in the Drayton Valley Historical Society book “Trappers, Loggers, Homesteaders and Oilmen.”
“…I am first on. “What’s happening? The car made the ferry bob around like a rubber ball. The front of the ferry was higher than the back, “Oh NO!” I thought. Then the back was higher than the front.”
Mrs. Pickup managed to navigate her car on and off the ferry but in a time before backup cams, and big car fronts the task wasn’t for the faint of heart.
In 2010 construction broke ground on a new two-lane bridge that you see today with completion being reached in 2016.
Along the hike there are viewpoint benches to rest on. You can go all the way under the bridge but eventually the trail dead ends and so begins the journey back.
Biking the trails
If you head from the north end of the boat launch parking lot there is another hiking/biking trail that connects with the Hill Top and Hillside trail systems. These trails were developed along with the construction of the new river bridge.
Hiking and biking the trails is best to do in the morning or evening on a hot day. Although both trails are covered by a thick forest canopy, they do not have any water source. So bringing water is encouraged if you are heading out during the heat of the day. Also before you go have a look at the trail maps on www.epbrparkscouncil.org because although these are two loops they only intersect at one point and if not planned properly you can find yourself on the trail longer than you expected.
Spending a day or a weekend in the Eagle Point Provincial Park at Willey West Campground is a fantastic way to enjoy the summer heat.
Night skiing the Pembina Nordic Trails
Since November I have taken advantage of the moonlit nights by dusting off the nordic skis and hitting the Pembina Nordic Ski Trails.
Lakes and rivers offer recreation and relaxation
“Paddling Drayton Valley and Brazeau County lakes and rivers truly is a blessing! It’s such a beautiful area you can paddle the Brazeau Dam and see so many birds and nesting grounds,” said Titanich.
Keystone Heritage Trail
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Homesteaders Way: Hwy 13 Winfield to Alder Flats
Subscribe for the full Free Press The homesteaders way: Hwy 13 Winfield to Alder Flats
Golfing Drayton Valley
But there was lots to like. The course itself is in very good shape, in spite of our efforts to dig parts of it up with an over enthusiastic pitching wedge. And it was great to get out in some early morning sunshine.
Homeless number falls
There are currently an estimated 69 people living completely unsheltered in Drayton Valley. According to a report to council from the Town’s community services department, that number is lower than it was earlier this year. At least 15 people have not returned to the community since the evacuation in early May due to the Buck Creek Fire.
Related statistics show that 153 people have used the shelter pods at some point, although 23 of those have stayed there only once. There are seven people who use the pods almost every night. The Warming Hearts Centre has served 137 individuals at least once, with 21 people using the centre regularly.
Two men have entered addictions treatment in the last month.
B.D. Lock and Key Ltd.
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Race returning
The Black Gold Brute Obstacle Race will be back next year. The first ever event was held last month and drew entrants from across Alberta and as far away is Penticton BC. Next year’s date has been set as Sautiday June 8.
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Before there were clubs, and ultra lounges there was the rural bar. The rural bar was a place people would go to have a drink, eat some food, get a bit of news and maybe even get a haircut. The rural bar was usually built alongside or attached to the lone hotel in the community. These were the first restaurants and live music venues and a place where the community could gather.
For our rural watering hole tour we dug up six watering holes in the Brazeau and Beyond region that hold historical significance for the communities they operate in.
Our tour begins at the Drayton Valley Hotel. The Drayton Valley Hotel was built in 1954. It was the anchor for what would become downtown Drayton Valley. Before the Derrick Lounge became a centerpiece of the Drayton Valley Hotel, there were many different shops that occupied the bottom floor of the building including Rexall Drugs, a menswear store, the Royal Bank of Canada and a cafe. The cafe was located on the storefront with the lounge located off the street in the back.
“I remember in 1999 you had to walk through the cafe to get to the lounge and it was draft for $1,” recalls resident Graham Long.
The Derrick Lounge, named in honour of the industry that gave rise to the development of Drayton Valley. This is a watering hole best known for its Friday night karaoke.
Iron Wheel Inn and Tavern, Entwistle
42 KM, 25 Minutes
Just 25 minutes drive, 42 kilometers north of Drayton Valley is the Iron Wheel Inn and Tavern. The Iron Wheel is located in the heart of Entwistle. The Iron Wheel dates back to 1910 when the building was originally the Immigration Hall built near the Grand Trunk Railroad Station. Parts of the Grand Trunk bridge footings can still be seen at the Pembina River Provincial Park. When the “Moose” Munroe’s hotel was destroyed in a fire in 1919, his eye turned to the immigration hall which was no longer in use. Through a series of exchanges Munroe acquired the hall and began operating it as a hotel. In 1922 the hall was moved, in two parts, to the current location of the Iron Wheel Inn and Tavern where it remains to this day.
Gainford Hotel, Iron Lady Saloon, Gainford
15 KM, 9 minutes
Gainford is a tiny hamlet of 118 people in Parkland County. It is 86 km west of Edmonton on Highway 16 (Yellowhead Highway) and 18 km from Entwistle. The Gainford Hotel first opened its doors to welcome guests in 1958. In those days hotel guests were seismic and construction crews working in the area. As things changed the hotel became a stomping ground for university students heading out to Seba Beach for a hot summer weekend. The hotel closed in 2013 only to be revived a decade later. In 2023 the Iron Lady Saloon and Java and Gem Get Stuffed Restaurant opened their doors. The inside has a distinct western feel. There’s a traditional dark wood bar and billiards. Stuffed coyotes, lynx, rabbits, owls, and hawks still decorate the tavern walls from days gone by.
The Iron Lady Saloon is known for various Saturday night live music events.
Doggone Saloon, Tomahawk
25 KM, 17 minutes
Just a 17 minute drive from Gainford is the hamlet of Tomahawk. If you are looking for a rural watering hole experience this is as rural as it comes. The history of Tomahawk dates back to 1902. With the first mention of a hotel and cafe dating back 1909. The “Last Chance Cafe” was owned by John Kelly; it was described as a “shack right in the road,” by Mrs. Kelly in Tomahawk Trails. The cafe became known as the Last Chance Hotel. “Meals at all hours, people stayed there when they could stay at no place else. The door was open day or night whether he [Kelly] was home or not and people stayed as long as they wanted to,” Mrs. Kelly wrote. The hospitality in the area now belongs to the Doggone Saloon, in the middle of Tomahawk. The saloon is still a favorite stop for travelers passing by. Throughout the summer months motorcyclists riding Alberta’s scenic rural roads will stop off at the saloon for the patio and a refreshment.
The Village Golf Course, Lindale
21km 15 min
Honorable Mention: The lounge at the Village Golf Course is another stop you can add to your rural bar tour. The lounge is connected to the hotel and club house for the Village Golf Course. The lounge offers beverages and a food full menu.
The Breton Hotel and Bar, Breton
32 KM, 22 minutes
The Breton Hotel and Bar was built five years after the Lacome and Northwestern Railway came to the community. The hotel was built by William Spindler in 1931. In those days, like many other rural hotels and bars the Breton Hotel and Bar also had a barber shop. The decades that followed the 1930s, the bar had two entrances: one each for men and women. Over the years the hotel and bar was bought and sold many times with each new owner adding to or changing the design of the building. Joe and Katie Eluik purchased the hotel in 1964, at this time draft beer sold for 10 cents a glass, bottled beer was 30 cents and a case of beer could be bought for $2.50. The prices are not the only changes that happened, the separate entrances are no longer used, and the peaked roof in the original design has been redesigned as a flat top.
The Breton Hotel and Bar is still a fixture in downtown Breton.
Drayton’s Restaurant and Sports Lounge, Drayton Valley
48 KM, 34 minutes
Honorable Mention: As you meander back to Drayton Valley the Sports Lounge, attached to Drayton’s Restaurant is a worthy stop of this rural watering hole tour. The sports lounge has a distinct small town feel with billiards, friendly staff and a diverse menu. This is a place where you can unwind in the heart of Drayton Valley.
From the Sports Lounge you are just a block away from where you started at the Drayton Valley Hotel.
The old hotels, and bars that pepper our rural communities are linked to how the communities developed, and socialized in the down time between farming seasons, or at the end of a hard work day. They have a unique history that has evolved with the community and share in the community’s past and future.
Drayton Valley’s River Valley Players provided two well produced showcases for our local talent last weekend. Drayton Valley Has Talent 2024 junior and adult showcases were held the afternoon and evening of September 21 on the Pembina Stage of Eleanor Pickup Arts Centre in downtown Drayton Valley. The performances all benefited from full light and sound and the volunteer stage hands’ efficient handling of set changes.
Master of Ceremonies Leah Sanderson kept the evening on track and filled the space between acts with pleasant patter and some observational humour. Several rounds of “Happy Birthday to You” honoured those celebrating their special day.
With the last performer off stage, judge’s score sheets tabulated and result envelopes in the MC’s hand, audience drumrolls raised tension in the theatre as the winners were announced. The Junior results put Ella Rae’s performance of the Haley Joelle song, “Memory Lane” in third, Dandaline and Delilah Dusterhoft’s dance to “Daylight” in second, and the ventriloquism of Taylor Holman and her humourous puppets Rose, Grandma, a dog and a wise cracking, bacon loving goose first place. An audience favourite, Ms Holman’s performance sparkled with wit and laughs as her polished style and technique belied her years.
The adult category results placed Elvis performer Dustin Giesbrecht’s tribute to “Burning Love”, in third, and a performance of Keith Urban’s “Till Summer Comes Around” by Levi Eshleman in second. First place was awarded to an accomplished performance of the Liz Callaway song “Once Upon a December” from the Disney movie Anastasia. Claire Williams sung it with a sureness, intonation and presence that earned her the top spot.
Ayla Gartner, Ricky Bazar, John Dempster, and Melissa Wolf judged the performances. They were supportive and encouraging of the performers’ efforts and offered positive comments and suggested areas for growth.
Ashley Luckwell of RVP was grateful to the many local sponsors that made Drayton Valley Has Talent 2024 possible. “Being able to have two shows and have close to a full house in each meant we didn’t have to turn anyone away, audience or performers. It was wonderful!”
She was pleased with the generous spirit of the two audiences the showcase attracted and the great support they too gave to the junior and adult performers. “The audience’s support for the performers was amazing, very moving”, Luckwell commented. The audience came to the aid in a few performer’s faltering moments with cheers, applause and encouraging words.
Students may have a different learning experience this year after the Alberta Education Minister, Demetrios Nicolaides, made the call to ban cell phones in schools.
Brad Volkman, the superintendent of the Wild Rose School Division, says schools have until 2025 to create a policy regarding cell phone use, but they have to start implementing the ban in September.
Volkman says that for many schools, a ban on cell phones is business as usual.
“Quite frankly, many of our schools have already been doing that for years,” says Volkman.
However, cell phone policies have been left to individual schools to plan and implement. Now, the division itself needs to have something in place.
Volkman says division staff met with school staff to review the policy before the school year. He says the major points were that cell phones could not be used during learning time with the exception of those who have learning or medical needs that require the phones.
Right now, WRSD is using the time given to create their policy to test out different ways of implementing it and enforcing the rules. Each school is putting their own policies in place for the first month. After getting feedback from school staff, parents, and students, the division will be able to put together something that is effective and practical.
He says each school has a different approach to dealing with the phones. One approach requires students to leave their phones at the front of the classroom during instruction time. In some schools, students are required to leave their phones in their backpacks, or in others, teachers will confiscate phones if they catch their students using them.
“What we realized, and there is some research on this, is that we’ve got students that are probably addicted to their phone,” says Volkman. “The minute [the phones] buzz they have to look.”
Another important part of the ban on cell phones is also a ban on social media in the schools. The Minister’s directive doesn’t establish whether all social media needs to be blocked, or if it only applies to certain sites.
“Believe it or not, it’s up to the school division to decide which sites need to be blocked. They didn’t give us a list,” says Volkman.
Another area of the Minister’s order that isn’t very clear has to do with blocking the social media school-wide. The division is able to block the sites through their wifi, but they can’t block the sites for students who have data plans on their phones.
“The Minister’s Order doesn’t address that,” says Volkman. “The Minister’s Order says they can’t use their mobile devices during instructional time and it says that the networks that they connect to must block social media. But it doesn’t address anything around kids using their own data plans during breaks to access social media.”
Volkman says the division has been doing its best to implement the order while figuring out how to handle the effects that some of those implementations have had.
Right now, students are blocked from accessing social media via the school’s network. However, the staff are also blocked. This means that staff cannot use social media to update parents or advertise for upcoming events. As it stands, the division is unable to specify who may have access to social media and which social media needs to be blocked.
He says the division is working to find a way that will allow staff to communicate with parents and students while adhering to the Minister’s ban.
Volkman says the division’s policy will outline a progressive disciplinary plan for any infractions with cell phone use. He says it’s the same way they ask all of their schools to deal with transgressions.
“This will be no different than any other school policy or school rule,” he says. “You start easy, with understanding, grace, and education… but you do have to have a progressive style approach.”
Volkman says the goal is to have a draft put together by mid-October for stakeholders to review in November. In December, they will be putting the final touches on the policy so it is ready to be rolled out in the new year.
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A Court of King’s Bench Justice has outlined her reasons for convicting a woman of manslaughter in an incident that happened in the Breton area.
Bronwyn Hannah Jane Luckham was convicted in April of this year on charges relating to the death of Jonathan James Paul in 2021. Last week Justice Tamara Friesen released written reasons for her decision, which she said might be useful to the Crown and defence when preparing arguments prior to sentencing.
Shortly after 8 p.m. Monday August 30 2021 a man was dropped off at the Drayton Valley hospital suffering from serious injuries, from which he later died. The victim was able to provide some information prior to his death, saying that he had been hit by a vehicle. He was identified as Jonathan James Paul, 40, of Calgary.
At trial Friesen heard evidence that Paul had been in a relationship with Luckham. The pair were both working at a rural acreage near Breton. The Crown alleged that Luckham was angry with Paul for a variety of reasons, both business and personal. The prosecution argued that Luckham deliberately struck Paul with a Dodge Durango intending to kill him, “or in the alternative, intending to cause him bodily harm that she knew was so serious and dangerous he would likely die of his injuries, thus committing either murder or manslaughter.”
Meanwhile Luckham said that she was under duress at the time and had been trying to escape from Paul who had subjected her to an escalating cycle of abuse.
After hearing the evidence, Friesen found Luckham not guilty of second degree murder, but guilty of manslaughter. Under Canadian law manslaughter occurs where a person causes the death of another human being “by means of an unlawful act” or “by criminal negligence.”
At trial the court heard from several witnesses, including Luckham, who testified on her own behalf. There was also video evidence from motion activated cameras at the scene. Part of that video, as described by Justice Friesen, showed Paul rolling on the ground as the Durango drove over him.
Luckham and Paul had been involved in an altercation and the hood of the Durango was up at the time.
Defence counsel argued that it was necessary for Luckham to step on the accelerator and drive the way she did because she was trying to escape from Paul and thought her life was in danger.
Friesen noted that “a reasonable driver in the same circumstances as Luckham would not have started the SUV and then pressed down on the accelerator while the hood was up, visibility was poor, and they knew, at a minimum, that another person was in front of, or close to, the path of the SUV.”
“When she struck Paul, Luckham’s manner of driving was therefore a marked departure from the standard of care a reasonable driver would have observed in the same or similar circumstances,” wrote Friesen.
“I find Luckham’s behaviour in failing to provide adequate support and assistance to Paul while he lay in the grass screaming in agony to be morally reprehensible. The surveillance videos are extremely disturbing. However … I accept that neither Luckham nor Paul thought Paul was going to die from his injuries.”
Friesen also noted that Luckham had ultimately assisted Paul in getting into a vehicle, had driven him to the Drayton Valley Hospital and followed up with the hospital to ensure they knew he was there and would assist him.
“The facts established that Luckham’s dangerous driving …, combined with the objective foreseeability that the risk of bodily harm to Paul was neither trivial nor transitory, resulted in his death,” she concluded. “The Crown has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that … Luckham committed the offence of unlawful act of manslaughter.”
Though he’s new to the official title, the new Staff Sergeant for the Drayton Valley detachment is a familiar face.
Ryan Hoetmer was first stationed in Drayton Valley in 2017 as a corporal overseeing the three man general investigation section (GIS) for the detachment. Prior to his transfer to Drayton Valley, Hoetmer was working in Grande Prairie as part of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) task force, dealing with organized crime and drug trafficking.
In February of 2022, Hoetmer was promoted to Sergeant. When Staff Sergeant Erin Matthews retired, Hoetmer stepped up to be the acting Staff Sergeant. Then, when Staff Sergeant Troy Raddatz retired, Hoetmer once again filled the role.
He was officially given the title on a permanent basis at the beginning of August.
“I’ve been active in this role since April,” he says. “I’ve sat in this seat a fair amount since I became Sergeant.”
Hoetmer says he and his family like Drayton Valley, and the initial draw was that he grew up in the area.
“I grew up just outside of Rocky Mountain House,” he says.
Both his parents and his wife’s parents are still close by, and they wanted to be closer to them.
Hoetmer has five kids, and throughout the seven years they’ve been in the community, the whole family has made connections and friendships that are important to them. Their youngest child, who is seven-years-old, was born shortly before they moved to Drayton and his oldest recently graduated.
“This really has become home for them,” he says. “And it’s become home for [me and my wife], too.”
He says he and his wife are happy with the community and feel it’s a great place to raise their family. The natural landscape of the area makes it easy for them to pursue some of their favourite pastimes like fishing, hunting, camping, and other outdoor activities.
Hoetmer says another important aspect of Drayton Valley is that it’s not a violent community. He says he’s lived in other places where that was not the case and he appreciates that about the area.
Hoetmer says he has some goals that he would like to achieve in his new position. He says community engagement is a big priority for him and he wants to continue in the direction that the detachment has been for the past few years with that.
“I’m connected to the community through several facets with my kids,” says Hoetmer. “You know, hockey, school sports, dance, music, and I think that’s really important to connect to the community.”
He says he’s been encouraging the members at the detachment to go out and form those connections as well. The detachment has some soccer and basketball coaches and he wants to continue to push that mentality.
“Not just in organized events, but I want our membership to get out and get involved in the community in other ways as well,” he says.
Hoetmer says being out in the community works in two ways. Not only do residents become familiar with the officers, but it also allows them to see a side of the community that they don’t normally work with.
“Often, when you’re policing, you deal with the dark side of the community,” he says. “If you don’t connect with the community on a different level you get a very jaded look at it.”
Another priority will be to focus on prolific offenders. Hoetmer says his background with GIS and dealing with prolific offenders and drug trafficking will help in that area.
“We’re going to continue to drive that,” he says. “…We don’t really have violent crime, but we do have a property crime issue. It’s gotten a lot better since I first came here in 2017.”
He says the ultimate goal for property crime is zero incidents. While he knows they’re unlikely to hit that target, they are always aiming for it.
“The goal would be that you could get out anywhere and leave your vehicle running and it doesn’t go missing,” he says. “We’re not there and we shouldn’t be doing that, but that is the ultimate goal.”
Hoetmer says he also wants to prioritize taking care of the membership. He says with his position, he’s not out in the field, so he wants to provide them as much support as he can.
“I have to provide the support that the guys and the gals on the floor need to do their job,” he says.
With that in mind, he’s going to continue to push for a new building as Raddatz was.
“My father-in-law worked out of this building from 1989 to 1996,” he says.
Along with his goals with the detachment, Hoetmer says the RCMP will also be working more closely with the Community Peace Officers in Drayton Valley and in Brazeau County.
The new training officer for the Drayton Valley/Brazeau County Fire Services comes to the position with a background in the military.
Matthew Noad started with the department at the beginning of June after relocating from Cold Lake’s military base.
Noad says he started working in fire services when he was 18 in Magrath, south of Lethbridge.
“I started fire fighting about as soon as I could,” says Noad.
He says during his time in Magrath, he worked with another man who had worked as a firefighter for the Canadian Military.
“I didn’t even know that there was firefighters in the military,” says Noad.
Noad started with the military in 2018 and completed basic training as well as some firefighter training in Borden, Ontario. Once that was done, he was stationed in Cold Lake.
Military firefighters are mostly stationed at the air force bases in Canada, says Noad, although the Edmonton Army Base also has military firefighters. The rest of the bases have firefighters under National Defence rather than the military.
The firefighters are responsible for the structures and personnel on the base, as well as the aircrafts. He says other than dealing with aircraft, most of the training that they receive is the same that an on-call volunteer would receive at a municipal fire department.
“We kind of become their insurance policy in a sense,” says Noad. “We’re the ones protecting it from fire and damage.”
He says they were basically trained in airport firefighting, which isn’t as much of an issue in Drayton. However, Noad didn’t spend a lot of time dealing with wildfires at the base, so he will also be learning some things during his time here.
After six years working mostly in Cold Lake as a training officer, Noad says he decided to go with a change of direction in his firefighting career. He says he saw the opportunity in Drayton Valley and was excited by the prospects.
Noad says working in Alberta was what he had preferred, having spent most of his life in the province. However, one of the perks of the community was that it was closer to the mountains than Cold Lake was, and his wife has some family in the area.
“I’m actually super excited to be here,” says Noad. “I’m excited to be working with such a committed group of volunteers and full-time staff.”
He says he was impressed watching the dedication the department had to looking out for the County and the Town during the wildfire season in 2023.
“That was one of the driving forces that brought me here,” he says. “There’s such a dedicated group of individuals that sacrificed their own time to be there for people on their worst days. With the extreme conditions that they were in, they did an excellent job with what they had.”
Noad says he highly encourages anyone who is interested in giving back to their community to apply to be a volunteer firefighter. Their next training recruitment is in the fall, but they accept applications throughout.
Anyone who is interested in applying can visit the Town office for an application or call the department at 780-514-2216.
Road works
Reconstruction on a stretch of 50 Avenue began earlier this week and is expected to continue until the end of October. The project will see the replacement and installation of new storm, sanitary, and water infrastructure, as well as roadway, sidewalk, and curb reconstruction. There may be road closures and detours in place between 43 Street and Becket Road and parking restrictions elsewhere.
Meanwhile crack sealing on Drayton Valley’s roads is almost completed for this season. 30,000 linear meters of cracks were repaired on 50 Street from the derricks to the intersection by Boston Pizza. Next up is line painting, which is expected to get under way by the end of this week. Pothole filling is ongoing.
County spends on fire suppression
Brazeau County is set to spend $560,000 to improve fire suppression in two underserved parts of the municipality. Last week council approved $250,000 for a 210 cubic metre concrete water tank in Lindale and $310,000 for a similar tank and water well in Buck Creek.
Tax help is here
Matalski says the Income Tax Program has volunteers in the community, who have received training provided by the Canada Revenue Agency, do the tax returns. She says people drop their information off at her office, and then a volunteer comes to get the information and files it.
School division looks a professional education
Frank Maddock High School is also partnering with Drayton Valley Ford as a focus for students in mechanics. Both Frank Maddock and Breton offer a full cosmetology course which helps students achieve apprenticeship level when they graduate. Breton also has received a grant to offer a welding program at the school.
Review examines wildfire response
The primary objective of this wildfire after-action review is to conduct a thorough and impartial assessment of the incident response within the municipalities of Brazeau County and the Town of Drayton Valley, emphasizing a holistic approach aimed at learning, improving future responses, and fostering a culture of continuous enhancement within its firefighting and emergency management practices.
“If somebody wants to help the program out, we do take financial donations which can be made payable through the Town of Drayton Valley,” she says.
Hickman says they can also take some items, though their space for storage is limited. Some of that includes winter gear, such as gently used coats, waterproof gloves, toques, or scarves. She says some items, like crocheted afghans, are too bulky for their clients to carry around, so while the thought is appreciated, they would prefer blankets that can provide adequate warmth while being compact.
Five active members and two retired members of Drayton Valley/Brazeau County Fire Services were awarded the Fire Services Exemplary Service Medal on behalf of the Governor General on November 26.
Retired firefighters Lieutenant Clifford Swan and Brad Charlton of the Breton station were awarded the 20 year service medal, along with Acting Battalion Chief Colin Bredin. Deputy Fire Chief Murray Galavan, Deputy Fire Chief Kamil Lasek, and Battalion Chief Mike Gramlich of the Drayton Valley station were all given their 20 year service medals, as well.
Battalion Chief Mark Raines of the Breton station was awarded his 1st bar for 30 years of service as he has already received an Exemplary Service Medal for 20 years of service.
The members were also congratulated at the November 29 town council meeting.
“That’s a big shout out,” says Mayor Nancy Dodds. “Thank you, and thank you to your families.”
Fire Chief Tom Thomson, who had the honour of nominating the award winners, says the medal isn’t just for the years of service that a firefighter has worked.
“You have to show exemplary service. You can’t just show up. You have to do more than that to receive the reward,” he says.
Even though Thomson nominated the members, they weren’t automatically awarded the medal. Each nomination form was reviewed by a selection committee to decide if they would receive the award.
“All of the members I nominated won,” says Thomson.
He says he chose those individuals because he has seen the effort they put into their positions. “All of them were selected because of their commitment and dedication to the department.”
Thomson says these members have demonstrated leadership, education of staff and the public, working toward fire prevention, and many other qualities that show their work ethic for Fire Services.
Thomson says these medals are normally awarded annually, but with Covid and the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, it has been a few years since they were given out.
“Complacency is dangerous” is the message Drayton resident Maureen Hollingsworth wants to spread.
Hollingsworth, who is a truck driver in the oil and gas industry, had her first opportunity to share her son’s story at a safety meeting held by Plains Midstream on November 15.
“Twelve years, five months, and ten days ago, my life changed,” she says.
On June 5, 2011, her son Colin Stewart, better known as Mouse, went to work in the morning, but didn’t come home in the evening. At the age of 23, Mouse had made a fatal choice at work and forever changed the lives around him.
“It was the day my heart was broken. It was also the day I had to start living without one of my greatest gifts,” says Hollingsworth.
For those in attendance, Hollingsworth shared anecdotes of Mouse. Though he had started out as a premie, Mouse had lived every day to the fullest.
Hollingsworth says that he was always active. He could be found quadding, dirtbiking, horseback riding, and snowmobiling most days. During his downtime, Mouse read.
“He would read anywhere,” says Hollingsworth.
Mouse also had a nephew Xzander, and he spent as much time with him as he could. Whenever possible, Mouse was buying Xzander gifts, many of which were playstation games.
Hollingsworth says the spring of 2011 was very wet. With all of the rain, Mouse couldn’t be out working.
Finally, at the end of May, the weather improved and Mouse and three others went to work.
For ten days the four guys, all aged between 19 and 23, were working long hours. It wasn’t unusual for a day to be 18-20 hours long.
“Not only are they over-houred and fatigued, let’s throw a whole lot of inexperience into the picture,” says Hollingsworth.
One of the 19-year-olds working that day had only been in Canada for five days.
“It’s now a Sunday afternoon and the job is completed. They were done early and were excited to go home. But that’s when complacency came into the picture,” she says.
Mouse’s machine was across the job site. He was tired. So, he hopped onto the back of another machine to catch a ride over to the other side of the job site.
The 19-year-old who was new to Canada, hopped into that machine. He didn’t know where everyone was on the site, and he didn’t walk around his equipment. Instead, he got in, flipped the switch, and that was the end for Mouse.
“Four went to work,” says Hollingsworth. “Three came home. Had [the driver] taken less than one minute and walked around the equipment, I wouldn’t be here talking about safety.”
Hollingsworth says after she was done speaking, Dan Lyons, the man who’d invited her to speak stood to say something. But after a moment of struggling to speak, he suggested a ten minute break for everyone.
“He told me he will never ever forget this,” says Hollingsworth.
She says one of the biggest frustrations she has with the situation is that people always want to know what kind of machine it was or where Mouse was working. For her, it doesn’t matter where it happened or what he was doing. The same lesson can be applied to all industries.
But she says that when she shares it was an industrial farming incident, many act as though that makes the situation non-applicable. Though Mouse died because he wanted to hitch a ride on a manure spreader, the situation is still the same in other industries. There was no walk around, no knowledge of where everyone was, and there was complacency on the worksite.
In 2011, farmers and ranch workers were still exempted from the Labour Code. There were no requirements for safety and they were not covered under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. In fact, when OH&S found out that his death was from a farming accident, they said there was nothing they could do.
“At that time there was no farm safety. None. Zero,” says Hollingsworth.
According to a blog written by Jennifer Koshan of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary, a study done by the Alberta Federation of Labour in 2017 showed “agricultural workers are more than twice as likely to be killed on the job as other workers in Alberta, and 4,000 work related injuries occur on Alberta farms each year.”
It wasn’t until Bill 6 was brought in by the Alberta Government in 2016 that things began to change for the farming industry. Now employers are required to have safety practices and are expected to meet the Alberta Occupation Health and Safety Act requirements for their industry.
“Bill 6 also brought farm and ranch workers who are paid, non-family members into the basic health and safety protections under the Occupational Health and Safety Act as of January 1, 2016. Farm and ranch employers are now obliged to ensure the health and safety of their workers, and the workers are able to refuse unsafe work that presents an imminent danger. OHS officers are authorized to inspect farm and ranch workplaces to ensure that that work is not being carried out in a manner that is unhealthy or unsafe, and serious injuries and accidents on farm and ranch work sites must be reported and investigated,” says Koshan’s article.
After the accident, Hollingsworth and Mouse’s dad Marvin Stewart spoke with the young man who’d been working the manure spreader that day. She says she felt awful for him because he was thousands of miles away from home. “He couldn’t even get a hug from his mom,” she says.
They made it clear to him that Mouse should never have been on the back of the spreader. They told him that Mouse knew better, and that he shouldn’t blame himself for what happened.
“I don’t want another mom to hear these words, ‘Your child has died due to safety reasons,’” she says. “I never want another mother to get a call from her kid saying he just killed someone at work.”
While it’s too late to help Mouse, Hollingsworth says she hopes she can spread the message far and wide. She is already slated to speak at two safety meetings at All Choice Rentals and hopes she has the opportunity to do more.
A historic landmark only officially recognized in 2017 will now have a street named after it.
At the November 1 meeting, town council heard from Hans Van Klaveren, the General Manager of Community Services and Recreation, regarding a petition from a community member who asked to have 49th Street renamed as Drake Street. Council unanimously agreed to the change.
Suzanne Hommy, one of the people behind the push for the name change, says she’s happy with the decision.
Hommy’s son Brett is the current owner of the Drake house located at 5048 49 St., though he was unable to speak with the Free Press due to his work shift. Between Brett and his older brother Colton, the home has been in the hands of the Hommys for fourteen years.
Hommy and Brett were also two of the key players in getting the house recognized as one of the original homes that was built in Drayton Valley. In fact, the owners, William and Ellen (Dora) Drake, were the ones who gave the community its name.
“It took the Town a long time to recognize it and actually give us the plaque,” says Hommy.
The history of the original settlement of Drayton Valley is one that is often overshadowed by the discovery of the Pembina Oilfield, say the descendants of the Drakes who still live in the community.
“A lot of people don’t think of Drayton before the Discovery Well,” says Nicole Coleman, William and Ellen’s great-great-granddaughter, and lifetime resident of Drayton Valley.
Coleman can recall a time in elementary school when assignment was to do a family tree. “I was outright told that I was lying,” she says.
Her mother Kathy Linde and aunt Amy Newberry, say they both had similar experiences in school.
Getting the attention from the Town and County of Brazeau has been challenging for the family. For a while, it seemed the Drakes and their history had faded from the collective memory of the community.
That changed when Mandy and Tyler Layden purchased the home in the late 90s.
Layden says they very nearly passed on the home because it looked run down and strange. “I drove past it three or four months before [we purchased the house] and was like ‘Nope!’” says Layden.
That changed when she had a dream about the house. In her dream, she was walking around inside the house, and when she woke she told her husband they had to take a look inside.
“I fell in love with the bones of the place,” says Layden.
At first, Layden and her husband didn’t know anything about the history of the home. The home inspector had told them the house was built in the ‘50s, based on a permit to have a basement dug for the home in 1955. But Layden said the architecture of the place had her thinking differently.
Layden, who worked for the Town at the time, says one day she was in one of the back rooms and came across a booklet that showed older pictures of the community. Layden took a moment to look through the booklet. She came across a familiar roofline in one of the photos. She was almost certain she was seeing the same house she had, but in a different location. That lunch hour, she went home and took several polaroid pictures of her house from different angles.
“I copied the picture from the booklet for an overhead projector,” says Layden.
Once she had the copy and laid it over the picture of her home, it was an exact match. That was when Layden started digging.
She started with the development file for the lot the house sits on. She found the permit to have the house moved from 50th and 50th, where the Shale Clinic now stands, to its current location in 1955. Janet and Jean (Red) Fuhr had the home moved onto a new basement that had been dug out by horses. In 1966, the Fuhrs would sell the home to the Schubergs.
But Layden didn’t drop the trail there. She began to research everything she could find about the beginnings of Drayton Valley. By looking through history books like To Trail’s End by W.S.B. Loosmore, and Trappers, Loggers, Homesteaders and Oilmen published by the Historical Society, Layden was able to piece things together.
Layden also conducted interviews with Les Tucker, the son of Jack Tucker who took over the post office after the Drakes, Fred Kynoch, the Drake’s grandson, Eleanor Pickup, and Keith Fuhr, the son of Fuhrs that bought the house.
The story that unfurled was one Layden felt the community should know about. As she and her husband worked on renos in the house, keeping as much of the original parts as they could, she began work on talking with the Town about getting the place recognized.
But she couldn’t find anyone who wanted to recognize it. “Nobody was interested,” she says.
Layden discovered that William and Ellen Drake were amongst the first settlers in the area. At first, Ellen was alone in the area with her eight-year-old daughter, Dora (Dolly), for eighteen months. They lived in a tent while William was away working. At the time, Ellen was the only woman in the area.
When William came back, he became the Postmaster starting in 1913. He called the post office Powerhouse due to a proposed dam to be built on the North Saskatchewan River.
When William left to serve in World War I, Ellen took charge of the post in the area. But, after a call from Ottawa, Ellen learned there was already a Powerhouse in Western Canada. They asked her to come up with a new name.
Ellen chose Drayton Valley, as William had grown up in Drayton, England.
When William came back, the family eventually moved to a homestead on 50th and 50th, taking the post office with them. Some historians have said the Drake’s built the home, but the research says otherwise.
Newberry was told by her father that the ghost that is purported to haunt the house was from the man “who owned the house before the Drakes.
The home they purchased was originally built in 1928. Les Tucker, who had spoken with Layden, said he recalled the house being built “by a young man named Albert Black.” Layden also found reference in one of the books from a woman who remembers seeing the house being built in 1928 when she was going to the Eldorado School, which at the time was situated across from the house.
The Drakes purchased the home in 1930 and built a shop onto it. They operated the shop and post office until 1936. While they no longer operated the post office or the store, the Drakes lived in that house until the close of World War II. The Drakes moved to Edmonton, leaving behind their eldest daughter, Dora, who had married Gordon Kynoch.
Newberry and Linde’s father is Fred Kynoch, the son of Dora and Gordon Kynoch. They can both recall efforts that were made to try and get the home recognized.
Newberry says the original homestead was across from where Intercon Messaging now sits. She says there was a sign there at one point. But it eventually fell to the ground and though her mother tried to get the County to put it back up, it never happened.
Later, Ivy Clark, Newberry and Linde’s cousin, tried to get the Town to rename the street, but had no success.
When Layden and her husband sold the home, they were careful to choose someone who respected its history. Colton, Brett’s older brother, originally bought the home, making no changes to the house. When Brett purchased it from Colton, he decided he wanted to do some upgrades to the house, but was careful to keep as much of the original work as possible.
Hommy and her husband helped Brett with the renovations.
“We tried to keep as much as we could. We didn’t throw anything out but the old windows, but they were from the ‘80s,” says Hommy.
They restained the cupboards in the kitchen, though they were not the original cupboards, and Brett installed a dishwasher. The original threshold was kept in place, the original stairs were restained, and the old brick stove chimney that runs through the house was kept. While the Hommys changed the exterior doors, the interior doors are the same.
While Hommy’s sons lived in the house, she began speaking to the Town about having the place recognized. “I told them, ‘I’m not stopping until you give them something,’” she says.
When the plaque was put up on July 1, 2017, Hommy says she spoke to Fred Kynoch, who told her that they had tried to have the street named Drake at one point, but had no success. “So that was my next mission,” she says.
The Drakes’ family says they are very grateful for the efforts that were made on their ancestors’ behalf.
“We don’t learn about history so that it doesn’t repeat itself,” says Jodi Sandercock, Newberry’s daughter. “We learn about history because every single step that our ancestors took led us exactly to where we are standing today. Just as every step we take today impacts the steps future generations take.
“Renaming the street honours those very steps our ancestors, the Drakes, took. The Drakes created a foundation for our family to grow in this community for six generations and counting.”
Coleman agrees with Sandercock. “I would love to see some of the old settlers recognized by renaming buildings and streets,” says Coleman.
Crystal O’Malley, Newberry’s daughter, says she is excited about the change. “I think this will start a conversation and get some dialogue going.”
Linde’s daughter Melissa Linde says she’s happy there is going to be some recognition. “I think my grandpa would be really proud of all of the work that’s put into it,” she says.
“[Layden, Hommy, and Brett] did all of the legwork to make this happen, and that’s important to remember,” says Linde.
Hommy says that while she and Brett appreciate the thanks, they weren’t the only ones who made it happen. “I know they were thanking me, but there’s a whole lot of people before me. I’m just the end,” she says.
Hommy and her husband will be moving out of the country in January, and she is hoping to see the sign go up before then. Brett is also looking to sell the home in the near future, but both of them feel the Drake House’s tale is far from over.
“This story isn’t about the street, or even the family,” says Hommy. “It’s about this house and all of the people who have lived in it.”
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After giving so much to the community, Brighter Futures is hoping the community can help them out.
Jen Sinclair, the executive director of Brighter Futures Family Resource Society, says they are looking to fill some spaces on their policy board. “We currently have five board members. Ideally we are looking for five more,” she says.
Sinclair says it’s a low time commitment. The board meets once every two months for about two hours, meaning a total of 12 hours per year. Sinclair chooses a couple of policies to review each month and the board helps to decide when and where edits are needed.
“We also go over what’s happened in the organization in the last two months,” says Sinclair. “I give them a fill-in, let them know what’s up and coming, and if I have any issues they give me guidance.”
When it comes to finances, the responsibility of the board is only to review and approve expenditures. There is no treasurer on the board, but the Chair and Vice Chair are needed to sign cheques.
Brighter Futures has been in the area since 1994, when they first started in Breton and served rural locations. Eventually, they moved their office to Drayton Valley, but they still have programs running in the Faith Covenant Church in Breton, the Alder Flats Community Hall, Easyford Hall and Miss Joanne’s School of Dance in Drayton Valley.
The programs they offer are for children aged 0-6 and their caregivers. Sinclair says these programs offer fun learning and socialization for both the children and their parents. She says there is some circle time, free play, crafts and snacks.
“It’s a good way for moms to connect with each other, and for kids to socialize if they aren’t really getting out of the house much,” says Sinclair.
Brighter Futures also offers a Nutritious Beginnings Program, that helps pregnant, at-risk moms. There is some financial support, check-ins to ensure they are getting to the doctor, and giving them guidance if it’s needed.
“We even supply them with car seats if they need them,” says Sinclair.
She says that while there is some financial support, that isn’t the goal of the program. Instead, they are focussed on educating moms that need a bit of support.
Another support they offer the community is Baby’s Essentials, which is run entirely on community donations. Sinclair says when the Food Bank gets donations of diapers, baby wipes, formula, or other necessities for babies, they forward them to Brighter Futures. She says they distribute those items to families in need.
The Essentials program will also help with a $75 gift card at a grocery store so that caregivers don’t have to choose between diapers or formula and food for the rest of the family. She says if the mom is breastfeeding, they encourage her to use the extra money to purchase healthy foods.
This year the donations have been way lower than usual, says Sinclair. She says they are hoping that monetary donations and item donations will increase, as they require community support in order to keep the programs running.
Sinclair says anyone who is interested in becoming a board member can go to their office in the Rotary House for an application. Those who wish to give to the program can drop their donations off at the office in the Rotary House, or they can attend one of the fundraiser’s the program hosts throughout the season.
“They can just give us a call and either drop it off or we can arrange a pick up,” says Sinclair.
With hot summer temperatures a day at the river is just the ticket.
Just a 10 minute drive west of Drayton Valley is the Willey West campground and boat launch. From what I can tell no one knows how the Willey West Campground got its name, there is no mention of it in the local history books and there is also some debate among locals on how to pronounce the name. Is it “Willey” like the caretaker from Simpsons or “Wiley” like that old coyote that keeps getting bested by the Road Runner? It was a hot debate in my grade six classroom.
The road heading down to the campsite rolls, winds and finishes with a steep downhill. For you cyclists looking to make the trip from Drayton Valley the ups and downs will not disappoint. The road meandering the campground’s treed campsites open up to a large activity field and playground at the heart of the camp. This is a fantastic place to play but in the heat of summer it can be quite hot.
Following the boat launch signs you will find a large parking lot with a gravel beach and a rocky river bank. The current slows close at the water’s edge but get out too far you may find yourself going on a ride down the river.
Play in the river
There is a row of Adirondack chairs on the upper bank but many locals opt to bring their own lawn chairs and sit in the shallows, cooling their heels and sipping a pop. Kids splash and play among the rocks at the boat launch. With such hard underfoot conditions, bringing along a pair of water shoes or sandals is a great idea. Sand toys such as buckets and shovels are also great. There is one picnic table at the boat launch.
With such beautiful scenery it is important to remember that the water can be dangerous. Often the water’s surface masks the turbulent activity below. If you look to the bend just south of the boat launch below the surface there are some powerful undertows and have taken more than one life in recent years. Although the North Saskatchewan River is a class 5 river, being cautious, using life jackets, and keeping a watchful eye is always a great idea.
As part of Canada’s broader trapper and fur trade history the North Saskatchewan River was once a vast trade route. By 1776, the North West Company had begun to travel up the North Saskatchewan to give competition to the Hudson’s Bay Company. South along the North Saskatchewan River Boggy (or Bogey) Hall is one refuge stop the famed David Thompson stopped at during his time with the North West Company. This clearing can be accessed from the Powerhouse Road near Lodgepole through a network of lease roads. Fast forward a century and industry and modernization came to the area.
In 1913, upstream from Rocky Rapids, Edmonton Hydro-Electric Power planned to build a dam; but it was funded by a British syndicate and all funding stopped with the outbreak of WWI. The great flood of 1915 wiped out all evidence of dam building. In the 1930’s coal in the seams in the riverbanks sold for $2.50/ton.
Pan for Gold
If coal isn’t a mineral that interests you, maybe you’d like to spend your time panning for gold.
Although gold rush fever never took hold of west central Alberta like it did the Yukon panning for gold is still a fun activity you can do at the river’s edge. I have yet to know anyone who struck it rich doing this but even just finding a few flakes here and there can feel like you won the lottery.
Hiking the trails
Hiking from the Willey West boat launch is also an activity for the to do list. If you head south along the river edge on a sandy hiking trail the curves along give you a view of the new Drayton Valley River Bridge. The original two-lane bridge structure was built in 1956. It replaced a ferry crossing further upstream. The ferry crossing brought its own set of challenges. Eleanor Pickup, the namesake for the local arts centre, re-lived her experience with the old ferry crossing in the Drayton Valley Historical Society book “Trappers, Loggers, Homesteaders and Oilmen.”
“…I am first on. “What’s happening? The car made the ferry bob around like a rubber ball. The front of the ferry was higher than the back, “Oh NO!” I thought. Then the back was higher than the front.”
Mrs. Pickup managed to navigate her car on and off the ferry but in a time before backup cams, and big car fronts the task wasn’t for the faint of heart.
In 2010 construction broke ground on a new two-lane bridge that you see today with completion being reached in 2016.
Along the hike there are viewpoint benches to rest on. You can go all the way under the bridge but eventually the trail dead ends and so begins the journey back.
Biking the trails
If you head from the north end of the boat launch parking lot there is another hiking/biking trail that connects with the Hill Top and Hillside trail systems. These trails were developed along with the construction of the new river bridge.
Hiking and biking the trails is best to do in the morning or evening on a hot day. Although both trails are covered by a thick forest canopy, they do not have any water source. So bringing water is encouraged if you are heading out during the heat of the day. Also before you go have a look at the trail maps on www.epbrparkscouncil.org because although these are two loops they only intersect at one point and if not planned properly you can find yourself on the trail longer than you expected.
Spending a day or a weekend in the Eagle Point Provincial Park at Willey West Campground is a fantastic way to enjoy the summer heat.
Night skiing the Pembina Nordic Trails
Since November I have taken advantage of the moonlit nights by dusting off the nordic skis and hitting the Pembina Nordic Ski Trails.
Lakes and rivers offer recreation and relaxation
“Paddling Drayton Valley and Brazeau County lakes and rivers truly is a blessing! It’s such a beautiful area you can paddle the Brazeau Dam and see so many birds and nesting grounds,” said Titanich.
Keystone Heritage Trail
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Homesteaders Way: Hwy 13 Winfield to Alder Flats
Subscribe for the full Free Press The homesteaders way: Hwy 13 Winfield to Alder Flats
Golfing Drayton Valley
But there was lots to like. The course itself is in very good shape, in spite of our efforts to dig parts of it up with an over enthusiastic pitching wedge. And it was great to get out in some early morning sunshine.
There are currently an estimated 69 people living completely unsheltered in Drayton Valley. According to a report to council from the Town’s community services department, that number is lower than it was earlier this year. At least 15 people have not returned to the community since the evacuation in early May due to the Buck Creek Fire.
Related statistics show that 153 people have used the shelter pods at some point, although 23 of those have stayed there only once. There are seven people who use the pods almost every night. The Warming Hearts Centre has served 137 individuals at least once, with 21 people using the centre regularly.
Two men have entered addictions treatment in the last month.
Valley Worship Assembly
Please take your time and discover what is happening at Valley Worship in Drayton Valley.
Race returning
The Black Gold Brute Obstacle Race will be back next year. The first ever event was held last month and drew entrants from across Alberta and as far away is Penticton BC. Next year’s date has been set as Sautiday June 8.
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Before there were clubs, and ultra lounges there was the rural bar. The rural bar was a place people would go to have a drink, eat some food, get a bit of news and maybe even get a haircut. The rural bar was usually built alongside or attached to the lone hotel in the community. These were the first restaurants and live music venues and a place where the community could gather.
For our rural watering hole tour we dug up six watering holes in the Brazeau and Beyond region that hold historical significance for the communities they operate in.
Our tour begins at the Drayton Valley Hotel. The Drayton Valley Hotel was built in 1954. It was the anchor for what would become downtown Drayton Valley. Before the Derrick Lounge became a centerpiece of the Drayton Valley Hotel, there were many different shops that occupied the bottom floor of the building including Rexall Drugs, a menswear store, the Royal Bank of Canada and a cafe. The cafe was located on the storefront with the lounge located off the street in the back.
“I remember in 1999 you had to walk through the cafe to get to the lounge and it was draft for $1,” recalls resident Graham Long.
The Derrick Lounge, named in honour of the industry that gave rise to the development of Drayton Valley. This is a watering hole best known for its Friday night karaoke.
Iron Wheel Inn and Tavern, Entwistle
42 KM, 25 Minutes
Just 25 minutes drive, 42 kilometers north of Drayton Valley is the Iron Wheel Inn and Tavern. The Iron Wheel is located in the heart of Entwistle. The Iron Wheel dates back to 1910 when the building was originally the Immigration Hall built near the Grand Trunk Railroad Station. Parts of the Grand Trunk bridge footings can still be seen at the Pembina River Provincial Park. When the “Moose” Munroe’s hotel was destroyed in a fire in 1919, his eye turned to the immigration hall which was no longer in use. Through a series of exchanges Munroe acquired the hall and began operating it as a hotel. In 1922 the hall was moved, in two parts, to the current location of the Iron Wheel Inn and Tavern where it remains to this day.
Gainford Hotel, Iron Lady Saloon, Gainford
15 KM, 9 minutes
Gainford is a tiny hamlet of 118 people in Parkland County. It is 86 km west of Edmonton on Highway 16 (Yellowhead Highway) and 18 km from Entwistle. The Gainford Hotel first opened its doors to welcome guests in 1958. In those days hotel guests were seismic and construction crews working in the area. As things changed the hotel became a stomping ground for university students heading out to Seba Beach for a hot summer weekend. The hotel closed in 2013 only to be revived a decade later. In 2023 the Iron Lady Saloon and Java and Gem Get Stuffed Restaurant opened their doors. The inside has a distinct western feel. There’s a traditional dark wood bar and billiards. Stuffed coyotes, lynx, rabbits, owls, and hawks still decorate the tavern walls from days gone by.
The Iron Lady Saloon is known for various Saturday night live music events.
Doggone Saloon, Tomahawk
25 KM, 17 minutes
Just a 17 minute drive from Gainford is the hamlet of Tomahawk. If you are looking for a rural watering hole experience this is as rural as it comes. The history of Tomahawk dates back to 1902. With the first mention of a hotel and cafe dating back 1909. The “Last Chance Cafe” was owned by John Kelly; it was described as a “shack right in the road,” by Mrs. Kelly in Tomahawk Trails. The cafe became known as the Last Chance Hotel. “Meals at all hours, people stayed there when they could stay at no place else. The door was open day or night whether he [Kelly] was home or not and people stayed as long as they wanted to,” Mrs. Kelly wrote. The hospitality in the area now belongs to the Doggone Saloon, in the middle of Tomahawk. The saloon is still a favorite stop for travelers passing by. Throughout the summer months motorcyclists riding Alberta’s scenic rural roads will stop off at the saloon for the patio and a refreshment.
The Village Golf Course, Lindale
21km 15 min
Honorable Mention: The lounge at the Village Golf Course is another stop you can add to your rural bar tour. The lounge is connected to the hotel and club house for the Village Golf Course. The lounge offers beverages and a food full menu.
The Breton Hotel and Bar, Breton
32 KM, 22 minutes
The Breton Hotel and Bar was built five years after the Lacome and Northwestern Railway came to the community. The hotel was built by William Spindler in 1931. In those days, like many other rural hotels and bars the Breton Hotel and Bar also had a barber shop. The decades that followed the 1930s, the bar had two entrances: one each for men and women. Over the years the hotel and bar was bought and sold many times with each new owner adding to or changing the design of the building. Joe and Katie Eluik purchased the hotel in 1964, at this time draft beer sold for 10 cents a glass, bottled beer was 30 cents and a case of beer could be bought for $2.50. The prices are not the only changes that happened, the separate entrances are no longer used, and the peaked roof in the original design has been redesigned as a flat top.
The Breton Hotel and Bar is still a fixture in downtown Breton.
Drayton’s Restaurant and Sports Lounge, Drayton Valley
48 KM, 34 minutes
Honorable Mention: As you meander back to Drayton Valley the Sports Lounge, attached to Drayton’s Restaurant is a worthy stop of this rural watering hole tour. The sports lounge has a distinct small town feel with billiards, friendly staff and a diverse menu. This is a place where you can unwind in the heart of Drayton Valley.
From the Sports Lounge you are just a block away from where you started at the Drayton Valley Hotel.
The old hotels, and bars that pepper our rural communities are linked to how the communities developed, and socialized in the down time between farming seasons, or at the end of a hard work day. They have a unique history that has evolved with the community and share in the community’s past and future.
Drayton Valley’s River Valley Players provided two well produced showcases for our local talent last weekend. Drayton Valley Has Talent 2024 junior and adult showcases were held the afternoon and evening of September 21 on the Pembina Stage of Eleanor Pickup Arts Centre in downtown Drayton Valley. The performances all benefited from full light and sound and the volunteer stage hands’ efficient handling of set changes.
Master of Ceremonies Leah Sanderson kept the evening on track and filled the space between acts with pleasant patter and some observational humour. Several rounds of “Happy Birthday to You” honoured those celebrating their special day.
With the last performer off stage, judge’s score sheets tabulated and result envelopes in the MC’s hand, audience drumrolls raised tension in the theatre as the winners were announced. The Junior results put Ella Rae’s performance of the Haley Joelle song, “Memory Lane” in third, Dandaline and Delilah Dusterhoft’s dance to “Daylight” in second, and the ventriloquism of Taylor Holman and her humourous puppets Rose, Grandma, a dog and a wise cracking, bacon loving goose first place. An audience favourite, Ms Holman’s performance sparkled with wit and laughs as her polished style and technique belied her years.
The adult category results placed Elvis performer Dustin Giesbrecht’s tribute to “Burning Love”, in third, and a performance of Keith Urban’s “Till Summer Comes Around” by Levi Eshleman in second. First place was awarded to an accomplished performance of the Liz Callaway song “Once Upon a December” from the Disney movie Anastasia. Claire Williams sung it with a sureness, intonation and presence that earned her the top spot.
Ayla Gartner, Ricky Bazar, John Dempster, and Melissa Wolf judged the performances. They were supportive and encouraging of the performers’ efforts and offered positive comments and suggested areas for growth.
Ashley Luckwell of RVP was grateful to the many local sponsors that made Drayton Valley Has Talent 2024 possible. “Being able to have two shows and have close to a full house in each meant we didn’t have to turn anyone away, audience or performers. It was wonderful!”
She was pleased with the generous spirit of the two audiences the showcase attracted and the great support they too gave to the junior and adult performers. “The audience’s support for the performers was amazing, very moving”, Luckwell commented. The audience came to the aid in a few performer’s faltering moments with cheers, applause and encouraging words.
Students may have a different learning experience this year after the Alberta Education Minister, Demetrios Nicolaides, made the call to ban cell phones in schools.
Brad Volkman, the superintendent of the Wild Rose School Division, says schools have until 2025 to create a policy regarding cell phone use, but they have to start implementing the ban in September.
Volkman says that for many schools, a ban on cell phones is business as usual.
“Quite frankly, many of our schools have already been doing that for years,” says Volkman.
However, cell phone policies have been left to individual schools to plan and implement. Now, the division itself needs to have something in place.
Volkman says division staff met with school staff to review the policy before the school year. He says the major points were that cell phones could not be used during learning time with the exception of those who have learning or medical needs that require the phones.
Right now, WRSD is using the time given to create their policy to test out different ways of implementing it and enforcing the rules. Each school is putting their own policies in place for the first month. After getting feedback from school staff, parents, and students, the division will be able to put together something that is effective and practical.
He says each school has a different approach to dealing with the phones. One approach requires students to leave their phones at the front of the classroom during instruction time. In some schools, students are required to leave their phones in their backpacks, or in others, teachers will confiscate phones if they catch their students using them.
“What we realized, and there is some research on this, is that we’ve got students that are probably addicted to their phone,” says Volkman. “The minute [the phones] buzz they have to look.”
Another important part of the ban on cell phones is also a ban on social media in the schools. The Minister’s directive doesn’t establish whether all social media needs to be blocked, or if it only applies to certain sites.
“Believe it or not, it’s up to the school division to decide which sites need to be blocked. They didn’t give us a list,” says Volkman.
Another area of the Minister’s order that isn’t very clear has to do with blocking the social media school-wide. The division is able to block the sites through their wifi, but they can’t block the sites for students who have data plans on their phones.
“The Minister’s Order doesn’t address that,” says Volkman. “The Minister’s Order says they can’t use their mobile devices during instructional time and it says that the networks that they connect to must block social media. But it doesn’t address anything around kids using their own data plans during breaks to access social media.”
Volkman says the division has been doing its best to implement the order while figuring out how to handle the effects that some of those implementations have had.
Right now, students are blocked from accessing social media via the school’s network. However, the staff are also blocked. This means that staff cannot use social media to update parents or advertise for upcoming events. As it stands, the division is unable to specify who may have access to social media and which social media needs to be blocked.
He says the division is working to find a way that will allow staff to communicate with parents and students while adhering to the Minister’s ban.
Volkman says the division’s policy will outline a progressive disciplinary plan for any infractions with cell phone use. He says it’s the same way they ask all of their schools to deal with transgressions.
“This will be no different than any other school policy or school rule,” he says. “You start easy, with understanding, grace, and education… but you do have to have a progressive style approach.”
Volkman says the goal is to have a draft put together by mid-October for stakeholders to review in November. In December, they will be putting the final touches on the policy so it is ready to be rolled out in the new year.
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A Court of King’s Bench Justice has outlined her reasons for convicting a woman of manslaughter in an incident that happened in the Breton area.
Bronwyn Hannah Jane Luckham was convicted in April of this year on charges relating to the death of Jonathan James Paul in 2021. Last week Justice Tamara Friesen released written reasons for her decision, which she said might be useful to the Crown and defence when preparing arguments prior to sentencing.
Shortly after 8 p.m. Monday August 30 2021 a man was dropped off at the Drayton Valley hospital suffering from serious injuries, from which he later died. The victim was able to provide some information prior to his death, saying that he had been hit by a vehicle. He was identified as Jonathan James Paul, 40, of Calgary.
At trial Friesen heard evidence that Paul had been in a relationship with Luckham. The pair were both working at a rural acreage near Breton. The Crown alleged that Luckham was angry with Paul for a variety of reasons, both business and personal. The prosecution argued that Luckham deliberately struck Paul with a Dodge Durango intending to kill him, “or in the alternative, intending to cause him bodily harm that she knew was so serious and dangerous he would likely die of his injuries, thus committing either murder or manslaughter.”
Meanwhile Luckham said that she was under duress at the time and had been trying to escape from Paul who had subjected her to an escalating cycle of abuse.
After hearing the evidence, Friesen found Luckham not guilty of second degree murder, but guilty of manslaughter. Under Canadian law manslaughter occurs where a person causes the death of another human being “by means of an unlawful act” or “by criminal negligence.”
At trial the court heard from several witnesses, including Luckham, who testified on her own behalf. There was also video evidence from motion activated cameras at the scene. Part of that video, as described by Justice Friesen, showed Paul rolling on the ground as the Durango drove over him.
Luckham and Paul had been involved in an altercation and the hood of the Durango was up at the time.
Defence counsel argued that it was necessary for Luckham to step on the accelerator and drive the way she did because she was trying to escape from Paul and thought her life was in danger.
Friesen noted that “a reasonable driver in the same circumstances as Luckham would not have started the SUV and then pressed down on the accelerator while the hood was up, visibility was poor, and they knew, at a minimum, that another person was in front of, or close to, the path of the SUV.”
“When she struck Paul, Luckham’s manner of driving was therefore a marked departure from the standard of care a reasonable driver would have observed in the same or similar circumstances,” wrote Friesen.
“I find Luckham’s behaviour in failing to provide adequate support and assistance to Paul while he lay in the grass screaming in agony to be morally reprehensible. The surveillance videos are extremely disturbing. However … I accept that neither Luckham nor Paul thought Paul was going to die from his injuries.”
Friesen also noted that Luckham had ultimately assisted Paul in getting into a vehicle, had driven him to the Drayton Valley Hospital and followed up with the hospital to ensure they knew he was there and would assist him.
“The facts established that Luckham’s dangerous driving …, combined with the objective foreseeability that the risk of bodily harm to Paul was neither trivial nor transitory, resulted in his death,” she concluded. “The Crown has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that … Luckham committed the offence of unlawful act of manslaughter.”
Though he’s new to the official title, the new Staff Sergeant for the Drayton Valley detachment is a familiar face.
Ryan Hoetmer was first stationed in Drayton Valley in 2017 as a corporal overseeing the three man general investigation section (GIS) for the detachment. Prior to his transfer to Drayton Valley, Hoetmer was working in Grande Prairie as part of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) task force, dealing with organized crime and drug trafficking.
In February of 2022, Hoetmer was promoted to Sergeant. When Staff Sergeant Erin Matthews retired, Hoetmer stepped up to be the acting Staff Sergeant. Then, when Staff Sergeant Troy Raddatz retired, Hoetmer once again filled the role.
He was officially given the title on a permanent basis at the beginning of August.
“I’ve been active in this role since April,” he says. “I’ve sat in this seat a fair amount since I became Sergeant.”
Hoetmer says he and his family like Drayton Valley, and the initial draw was that he grew up in the area.
“I grew up just outside of Rocky Mountain House,” he says.
Both his parents and his wife’s parents are still close by, and they wanted to be closer to them.
Hoetmer has five kids, and throughout the seven years they’ve been in the community, the whole family has made connections and friendships that are important to them. Their youngest child, who is seven-years-old, was born shortly before they moved to Drayton and his oldest recently graduated.
“This really has become home for them,” he says. “And it’s become home for [me and my wife], too.”
He says he and his wife are happy with the community and feel it’s a great place to raise their family. The natural landscape of the area makes it easy for them to pursue some of their favourite pastimes like fishing, hunting, camping, and other outdoor activities.
Hoetmer says another important aspect of Drayton Valley is that it’s not a violent community. He says he’s lived in other places where that was not the case and he appreciates that about the area.
Hoetmer says he has some goals that he would like to achieve in his new position. He says community engagement is a big priority for him and he wants to continue in the direction that the detachment has been for the past few years with that.
“I’m connected to the community through several facets with my kids,” says Hoetmer. “You know, hockey, school sports, dance, music, and I think that’s really important to connect to the community.”
He says he’s been encouraging the members at the detachment to go out and form those connections as well. The detachment has some soccer and basketball coaches and he wants to continue to push that mentality.
“Not just in organized events, but I want our membership to get out and get involved in the community in other ways as well,” he says.
Hoetmer says being out in the community works in two ways. Not only do residents become familiar with the officers, but it also allows them to see a side of the community that they don’t normally work with.
“Often, when you’re policing, you deal with the dark side of the community,” he says. “If you don’t connect with the community on a different level you get a very jaded look at it.”
Another priority will be to focus on prolific offenders. Hoetmer says his background with GIS and dealing with prolific offenders and drug trafficking will help in that area.
“We’re going to continue to drive that,” he says. “…We don’t really have violent crime, but we do have a property crime issue. It’s gotten a lot better since I first came here in 2017.”
He says the ultimate goal for property crime is zero incidents. While he knows they’re unlikely to hit that target, they are always aiming for it.
“The goal would be that you could get out anywhere and leave your vehicle running and it doesn’t go missing,” he says. “We’re not there and we shouldn’t be doing that, but that is the ultimate goal.”
Hoetmer says he also wants to prioritize taking care of the membership. He says with his position, he’s not out in the field, so he wants to provide them as much support as he can.
“I have to provide the support that the guys and the gals on the floor need to do their job,” he says.
With that in mind, he’s going to continue to push for a new building as Raddatz was.
“My father-in-law worked out of this building from 1989 to 1996,” he says.
Along with his goals with the detachment, Hoetmer says the RCMP will also be working more closely with the Community Peace Officers in Drayton Valley and in Brazeau County.
The new training officer for the Drayton Valley/Brazeau County Fire Services comes to the position with a background in the military.
Matthew Noad started with the department at the beginning of June after relocating from Cold Lake’s military base.
Noad says he started working in fire services when he was 18 in Magrath, south of Lethbridge.
“I started fire fighting about as soon as I could,” says Noad.
He says during his time in Magrath, he worked with another man who had worked as a firefighter for the Canadian Military.
“I didn’t even know that there was firefighters in the military,” says Noad.
Noad started with the military in 2018 and completed basic training as well as some firefighter training in Borden, Ontario. Once that was done, he was stationed in Cold Lake.
Military firefighters are mostly stationed at the air force bases in Canada, says Noad, although the Edmonton Army Base also has military firefighters. The rest of the bases have firefighters under National Defence rather than the military.
The firefighters are responsible for the structures and personnel on the base, as well as the aircrafts. He says other than dealing with aircraft, most of the training that they receive is the same that an on-call volunteer would receive at a municipal fire department.
“We kind of become their insurance policy in a sense,” says Noad. “We’re the ones protecting it from fire and damage.”
He says they were basically trained in airport firefighting, which isn’t as much of an issue in Drayton. However, Noad didn’t spend a lot of time dealing with wildfires at the base, so he will also be learning some things during his time here.
After six years working mostly in Cold Lake as a training officer, Noad says he decided to go with a change of direction in his firefighting career. He says he saw the opportunity in Drayton Valley and was excited by the prospects.
Noad says working in Alberta was what he had preferred, having spent most of his life in the province. However, one of the perks of the community was that it was closer to the mountains than Cold Lake was, and his wife has some family in the area.
“I’m actually super excited to be here,” says Noad. “I’m excited to be working with such a committed group of volunteers and full-time staff.”
He says he was impressed watching the dedication the department had to looking out for the County and the Town during the wildfire season in 2023.
“That was one of the driving forces that brought me here,” he says. “There’s such a dedicated group of individuals that sacrificed their own time to be there for people on their worst days. With the extreme conditions that they were in, they did an excellent job with what they had.”
Noad says he highly encourages anyone who is interested in giving back to their community to apply to be a volunteer firefighter. Their next training recruitment is in the fall, but they accept applications throughout.
Anyone who is interested in applying can visit the Town office for an application or call the department at 780-514-2216.
Road works
Reconstruction on a stretch of 50 Avenue began earlier this week and is expected to continue until the end of October. The project will see the replacement and installation of new storm, sanitary, and water infrastructure, as well as roadway, sidewalk, and curb reconstruction. There may be road closures and detours in place between 43 Street and Becket Road and parking restrictions elsewhere.
Meanwhile crack sealing on Drayton Valley’s roads is almost completed for this season. 30,000 linear meters of cracks were repaired on 50 Street from the derricks to the intersection by Boston Pizza. Next up is line painting, which is expected to get under way by the end of this week. Pothole filling is ongoing.
County spends on fire suppression
Brazeau County is set to spend $560,000 to improve fire suppression in two underserved parts of the municipality. Last week council approved $250,000 for a 210 cubic metre concrete water tank in Lindale and $310,000 for a similar tank and water well in Buck Creek.
Tax help is here
Matalski says the Income Tax Program has volunteers in the community, who have received training provided by the Canada Revenue Agency, do the tax returns. She says people drop their information off at her office, and then a volunteer comes to get the information and files it.
School division looks a professional education
Frank Maddock High School is also partnering with Drayton Valley Ford as a focus for students in mechanics. Both Frank Maddock and Breton offer a full cosmetology course which helps students achieve apprenticeship level when they graduate. Breton also has received a grant to offer a welding program at the school.
Review examines wildfire response
The primary objective of this wildfire after-action review is to conduct a thorough and impartial assessment of the incident response within the municipalities of Brazeau County and the Town of Drayton Valley, emphasizing a holistic approach aimed at learning, improving future responses, and fostering a culture of continuous enhancement within its firefighting and emergency management practices.
She says they have noticed that some people have donated clothing items by leaving them in a park for someone to find. But she says this isn’t a very practical way to get the items to those who need them. “All it takes is a snowfall or rainfall and those items get wet and frozen and are no good to anyone,” she says. The preference is to have the items donated to them so they can see them properly distributed.
In the past, clients were able to cook some food for themselves when they used the mat service. However, Covid has made that difficult, and right now the clients are not allowed to use the kitchen. Hickman says donations of home cooked meals or baked goods also can’t be accepted because of government policies.
What they do instead of the meals, says Hickman, is put together a bag of snacks for their clients. This might include fruit cups, granola bars, puddings, hardy fruit like apples or oranges, and other similar items. She says if someone would like to donate those types of food, they would be able to use them.
Hickman says other items to consider are things like laundry soap, feminine hygiene products, and thermos’ with a good seal on them.
County spends on fire suppression
Brazeau County is set to spend $560,000 to improve fire suppression in two underserved parts of the municipality. Last week council approved $250,000 for a 210 cubic metre concrete water tank in Lindale and $310,000 for a similar tank and water well in Buck Creek.
Tax help is here
Matalski says the Income Tax Program has volunteers in the community, who have received training provided by the Canada Revenue Agency, do the tax returns. She says people drop their information off at her office, and then a volunteer comes to get the information and files it.
School division looks a professional education
Frank Maddock High School is also partnering with Drayton Valley Ford as a focus for students in mechanics. Both Frank Maddock and Breton offer a full cosmetology course which helps students achieve apprenticeship level when they graduate. Breton also has received a grant to offer a welding program at the school.
Review examines wildfire response
The primary objective of this wildfire after-action review is to conduct a thorough and impartial assessment of the incident response within the municipalities of Brazeau County and the Town of Drayton Valley, emphasizing a holistic approach aimed at learning, improving future responses, and fostering a culture of continuous enhancement within its firefighting and emergency management practices.
