St. Anthony's School participated in the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship on Wednesday evening. It was the first event of its kind at the school. 

Since 1972, councils have sponsored the Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship for boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 14 to provide an athletic outlet and encourage the values of sportsmanship and healthy competition.

Kids compete within their own gender and age and progress from local level to district, regional and state/province competitions. 

The federal government outlined a multi-million dollar program this week, to essentially rebrand Agriculture Canada.

The aim is to make consumers more aware of the many products made in Canada in the hope of having them purchase more of those products.

But there are some who would say one of the best ways to promote products made in Canada is to break down inter-provincial trade barriers.

In some cases, it is still easier for companies to ship products made in Alberta, for instance, to US markets than it is to ship it next door to BC or Saskatchewan.

Andrew Coyne with the Globe and Mail was one of the keynote speakers at the recent Cropsphere conference in Saskatoon and he made this comment later to Real agriculture.

"Even though we are setting a good example for the worlds in terms of free trade with other countries, we don't seem to be able to get it together at home in terms of internal free trade. That not only costly to us as an economy, in terms of the barriers trade between provinces. But also it is just embarrassing, it doesn't look like a functioning country."

"The only answer is to give the federal government the power to actually strike down the interprovincial trade barriers. There will have to be some kind of quick pro- quo where the fed get out of telling the provinces how to run their free health care systems and focus on the trade barriers. There is potential for growth there."

It's time to grab your lasses and get your kilts out because the Highland Gala for the East Coulee School Museum has once again rolled into town.

The annual gala brings a plethora of Scottish cuisine to the table. Of course, there will be traditional Scottish music and Scotch tasting as well.

Last year, the fundraiser raised about $8,000 for the museum and Executive Director Barb Steeves is hoping to surpass that this year.

All of the money raised goes into a restoration fund for the school, which was originally built in 1929.

This year a new band will be entertaining all the attendees who joined in on the festivities.

On Jan. 23, 2020, at approximately 3:00 p.m., Beiseker RCMP received a complaint of a firearm-related injury in the area of Highway 567 and Range Road 280 in Rocky View County, Alta.

Beiseker, Three Hills and Airdrie RCMP responded to the location and initiated first aid until Emergency Medical Services attended and took over treatment of the injured male. The 30-year-old male from Saanich, BC succumbed to his injuries and was declared deceased at the scene.

An autopsy is being conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Calgary today. The name of the deceased will not be released.

Beiseker RCMP continues to investigate this incident that is believed to be isolated. The public is not believed to be at risk.

No further details are available at this time. An update will be provided when more information is available.

It was First Responders Night at the Drumheller Dragons game on Saturday night against the Bonnyville Pontiacs.

Members of Drumheller's Firefighters, EMS and RCMP were invited to attend the game for free. 

A special opening ceremony was held to pay tribute to the local heroes. The Dragons were also put to the test, as Ember Resources pledged $100 to the Drumheller Fire Department for every goal the Dragons made. 

It was a prosperous night for all as the Dragons ripped past the Pontiacs goalie with an end score of 5-2. 

In the end, Ember Resources decided to "round up" the donation to $3,000 to the Drumheller Fire Department. 

Starbucks wants to go dairy-free to help the planet and many in the dairy industry are not impressed.

The Seattle based coffee shop giant says it's one measure it's taking to reduce its carbon footprint.

Starbucks has more than 31 thousand locations in more than 80 countries. It's responsible for emitting almost 17 million metric tons of greenhouse gases every year, using a billion cubic metres of water and dumping 860 metric kilotons of coffee cups and other waste.

Over the next decade, it is aiming to become resource positive by storing more carbon than it releases. A spokesman for Starbucks says milk production requires more land and water than plant-based dairy alternatives which it plans to start using in its drinks.

-With files from Dean Thorpe. 

Another busy weekend of hockey for the Drumheller Dragons

In this week's edition of Coffee With The Coach, Jason Blanke talks with Dragons Head Coach and GM, Kevin Hasselberg about the two games against Sherwood Park and Bonnyville over this past weekend.  They also look ahead to the game tomorrow against Camrose and the weekend against Ft. McMurray and Bonnyville.

Watch the video below.

With the assistance of the public, the suspects in the surveillance video from Jan. 21, 2020, were identified. Hanna RCMP would like to thank the public and media for their assistance. 

As a result of further investigation, Johnathan Davis McMartin (19) of Olds, Alta. and David Alfred Matschke (37) of Didsbury, Alta., were jointly charged with the following:David Alfred Matschke

• Unlawfully use credit card obtained by the commission of an offence (x 3)
• Possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000 (x 5)
• Mischief  
• Theft under $5000 (x 3)
•  Possession of property exceeding $5000 (x 2)

On Jan. 24, 2020, Hanna RCMP obtained arrest warrants for both subjects as their whereabouts were unknown.

On Jan. 24, 2020, Johnathan Davis was arrested by Olds RCMP on unrelated matters. Following a judicial hearing for the above noted charges, Davis was released on no cash bail to attend Hanna Provincial Court on Feb. 26, 2020.

David Alfred Matschke continues to have a warrant for his arrest. Matschke is described as:

• 5’5” tall
• 134 lbs
• Brown hair
• Blue eyes
• Caucasian

If you have any information about Matschke’s whereabouts, please contact Hanna RCMP at 403-854-3393 or your local police.

Sometime between January 21, 2020, and January 25, 2020, unknown suspect(s) entered a CNRL site situated on Hwy 862 south of Hwy 570 and stole copper cable and batteries.

There is an estimated $10,000 worth of damage to the site as a result of ripping the copper cable out.  The estimated value of the cable is $5000.00.

These thefts are on the rise in the Hanna Detachment area over the past 2 months.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact the Hanna RCMP administrative line at (403) 854-3393.  Tips can also be provided anonymously through Crime Stoppers.  Crime Stoppers pays cash rewards to anonymous tipsters where the information results in an arrest.

Always report suspicious activity as it is occurring.  Never approach the activity or pursue anyone.  Provide as much detail as you can to the police.

Drumheller FunTeam Hockey club hosted their 16th Annual Heritage Classic Hockey games at the Midland Outdoor Rink over the weekend

A total of 10 teams with more than 125 players took part in this year's annual event. Teams from Bassano, Delia & Drumheller all hit the ice.

According to organizer Nicky Sereda, the +2 weather complete with excellent ice conditions made it for a perfect day.

In total 200 hot dogs & cups of hot chocolate were consumed by the hungry hockey players & fans!!

Canada's top Ag Minister launched the application process for the first Canadian Agricultural youth council.

Women and men aged 18 to 30 working within the sector, who are interested in shaping the future of the industry, are encouraged to apply online.

The council will meet twice a year and will identify new and emerging issues, share information and best practices, and provide advice on the strengths and weaknesses of policies and programs affecting agriculture and the agri-food sector.

The deadline for applying is February 14th.

-With files from Dean Thorpe.

The Town of Drumheller council achieved another milestone for the Drumheller Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Program, by adopting the year 2020 budget of the $55 million six-year program budget at a council meeting held Monday, January 27th.

This will guide subsequent budgets in future years.

The Drumheller Resiliency and Flood Mitigation Office will be providing an update to the council in May as per its regular reporting strategy with funding partners.

“I am pleased to see the budget approved as this allows the program to move ahead and finalize the funding agreements with our partners," expressed Mayor Heather Colberg. 

Town Council also approved the 2020 fee schedule at the January 27 Special Council meeting. This year’s schedule will see the majority of fees held at 2019 rates. 

“Council and administration have worked hard to keep any increases as low as possible with the majority of increases being kept below inflation,” outlined Mayor Heather Colberg.

While Council had hoped to leave rec fees unchanged, the level of subsidy by taxpayers for all recreation is significant and the Council believes in facility efficiency and user pay.

There will be a 2% increase to Recreation Access and Facility Rental Fees. These include the Aquaplex and BCF admission & membership fees: ice and ball diamond rentals as well as conference/room rentals.

For example, an Adult Multi-Facility drop-in will increase by 25 cents and an annual adult multi-facility pass goes up $1.10 per month. Senior multi-facility drop-in goes from $9.25 to $9.50 and an annual senior's multi-facility pass will increase from $437.50 to $446.25 an increase of $8.75 which equates to 73 cents a month.

“Recreational fees charged help to offset the cost of running programs and facilities,” explained Darren Goldthorpe Manager of Recreation, Arts and Culture. “We offer ‘Toonie’ programs, free public skating and we are currently re-examining the Fee Assistance Policy in order to offer opportunities and ensure affordability is available where needed, to help access recreational activities.

The new fees will come into effect on Saturday, February 1st 2020.

By noon on Friday, January 31, the fate of the Dinosaur Trail Golf & Country Clubs will be known.

A special meeting was held at the golf course on Tuesday night to discuss the next steps of the course, which has run into financial trouble in the last few years.

They have accepted an offer from a group that plans on continuing to run the property as a golf course, but it is not set in stone yet.

"If the group can not come up with enough investors by Friday at noon then it is out of our hands and it could potentially become anything," explained Club President, Mike Yavis.

If the group can not come up with the funds, the course will be seized by the bank. Yavis explained that the one thing that is standing between saving the course is investors and the bank.

There are some difficult decisions in the months and weeks ahead for canola producers on the prairies.

Many are still dealing with the impact of the "harvest from hell". But ongoing trade issues, like the nearly 11-month-old ban of Canadian canola seed by China, is factoring into their seeding decisions in just a few short months.

That was one of the main topics on the first day of Farmtech in Edmonton, Tuesday. The Chairman of Alberta Canola, John Guelly says as the impact of this long dispute with one of our best-trading partners for canola drags on.

"The short story is there really isn't a lot of new news over the last few weeks. There were some people that went over to China, it doesn't sound like much has happened, but it is a good sign that someone did go. We really don't know any more than we have known before. It is a terrible situation.

"We had a speaker here this morning give some different insights into things and what can be done with the extradition hearing, but it is a very sensitive issue and we have to be careful of what we do. I do think that it is at the forefront of farmers minds of how much canola they seed this year. I hear of some pull back, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. We have a lot of tight rotations in the area, so backing off a few acres and lengthening those rotations is probably good for us in the long run," explained John Guelly.

On Tuesday night, the Drumheller Dragons faced off against the team that is chasing them in the AJHL South standings, the Camrose Kodiaks.

The last time these two teams met in Camrose, the Dragons came away with the win but did not have their best effort.  That was different at home on Tuesday.

In the first, it was a showcase of the goaltenders.  Chris Curr for the Dragons, got his first start since being traded to Drumheller at the trade deadline.  Both Curr and Camrose goalie, Griffin Bowerman made some big saves to keep the game tied at 0-0 through one period.  The Dragons would get on the board in the second with goals by Kaden Hanas (17) and Kobe Mohr (16) to take a 2-0 lead into the third period.  Camrose would score a powerplay goal early in the third to make it 2-1 Drumheller but the Dragons would take over from there.  Drumheller would score three in the period by Brady Risk - 2 (28 & 29) and Peyton McKenzie (2).  Chris Curr may have made the save of the year in the period when he dove across the crease and stopped a one-timer by a Camrose forward in the slot.

With the win, the Dragons stretch their winning streak to two games and hopefully build some momentum for their northern road trip this weekend.  On Friday, the Dragons will be in Ft. McMurray facing the Oil Barons and on Saturday, they make their only trip to Bonnyville to battle the Pontiacs.  Friday's game starts at 7:30 pm and Saturday's at 7:00 pm.  Both games will be broadcast on Real Country 910 with Jason Blanke and the ProPlan Financial Pregame Show starting 15 minutes before puck drop.  

It was a jam-packed day for Drumheller-Stettler MLA Nate Horner yesterday.  

He started his day off as the keynote speaker for the Drumheller & Districts Chamber of Commerce's Lunch and Learn event. The MLA gave an update on recent work of Alberta's provincial government and then answered questions from attendees. He answered questions on farming, pipelines, and telecommunications.

Next up, Horner and fellow MLA and Speaker of the House, Nathan Cooper, headed off to the grand opening of their new office. Olds-Disbury-Three Hill MLA Cooper and Horner teamed up to share offices as they have constituencies that border each other. 

It was a full house event at the constituency office. According to Horner, he hopes to have the office open 4 days a week. 

The Drumheller Valley will be looking even more glamorous to film scouts after the provincial government released a new tax credit program for the film industry.

The program offers productions a refundable tax credit to help cover Alberta production and labour costs up to a maximum of $10 million per project. Applicants may be eligible for either a 22 per cent or 30 per cent tax credit for productions that are Alberta owned.

Manager of Economic Development for the Town of Drumheller, Sean Wallace, thinks that this will be beneficial for our surrounding areas.

"One of the issues that we have is that it is a lot more expensive to film in Drumheller because we are outside of the filming bubble in Calgary. Anytime, they travel outside of that region cost go up," he explained.

Wallace thinks that this new program will attract even more to the valley and is a step in the right direction.

"I think anything is good. Is it competitive with other jurisdictions in Canada? It is with Ontario, they are around 21 per cent for their film tax credit, I think. Whereas Manitoba and BC have much more robust tax credits and programs. One thing that I'm concerned with is that if we aren't competitive with Manitoba and British Columbia, they could be taking people that have been well established in Alberta. Once those folks are gone, they are very hard to get back."

He would like to see a higher tax break for films conducted in rural Alberta. He hopes that this program will continue to grow with the needs of the film industry in Alberta.

"In my experience, they do listen. I think that building those relationships to get these things done to improve rural Alberta in the Film sector would go a long way."

Two professors at the University of Lethbridge created an interactive website that could provide farmers and ranchers with practical information on climate extremes and their impact.

The site, albertaclimaterecords.com, includes future climate projections, going from 2041 to 2070 and 55 climate variables, including frost days, length of growing season and rainfall extremes.

One of the professors, Stefan Kienzle says Alberta's climate is increasingly variable with more extreme weather events and warm and cold spells.

Two professors at the University of Lethbridge created an interactive website that could provide farmers and ranchers with practical information on climate extremes and their impact.

The site, albertaclimaterecords.com, includes future climate projections, going from 2041 to 2070 and 55 climate variables, including frost days, length of growing season and rainfall extremes.

One of the professors, Stefan Kienzle says Alberta's climate is increasingly variable with more extreme weather events and warm and cold spells.

On Jan. 30, 2020, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Three Hills RCMP received a report of an armed robbery at the Alberta Treasury Branch (ATB) in Trochu, Alta.

A male in disguise entered the ATB ATM vestibule where he removed what is believed to be a firearm from a Red Husky duffle bag. He then entered the ATB branch and demanded money from an employee of ATB. The male suspect fled with an undisclosed amount of money. No one was injured.

Three Hills RCMP are asking the public’s assistance with identifying the male suspect in the attached photos. Please do not approach this person as he is considered armed and dangerous. 

If you have information regarding this incident or the identity of the suspect, please contact Three Hills RCMP at 403-443-5539 or your local police.