Mayor of Brooks, Martin Shields, is planning to take the leap from municipal to federal politics.
    Shields, who has  served the community of Brooks for one term as a councillor and is now in his third term as mayor, has declared his intention to seek the nomination of the Conservative Party of Canada for the newly formed Bow River Riding. He feels he could represent the area well.
    The Bow River Riding now encompasses areas east of Calgary and includes the Highway 1 corridor east of Brooks. To the south it borders the Lethbridge and Medicine Hat constituencies, taking in Taber.  It’s northern-most border runs along Highway 27 taking in the communities of Acme, Linden and Carbon.
    "There was no one coming from this area of the constituency, no one from the County of Newell, no one from the MD of Taber, no one from Wheatland,” said Shields.
    The Bow River Constituency came out of the most recent  Electoral Boundary Commission report released in May 2013.   Drumheller remains in the Crowfoot-Battle River Constituency.
    It appears that it is early in the nomination process, and Shields says there is no nomination date set.

 There have been a couple of others  in the area who have shown some interest in the nomination, but he says they will never be sure until the process is underway.
    To be considered as a nominate he has to collect a prescribed number of signatures  from membership.
    “One of the challenges is that people are used to the provincial scenario of leadership where you buy your membership at the door and vote," explains Shields. “Voting for a nomination federally is very different. You have to have your membership three weeks in advance  of the nomination.  That is something that catches a lot of people, not realizing you have to have a membership that far in advance.”
    He is working to get that message out.
    Shields has roots firmly planted in the area. Born near Lethbridge, he grew up on a farm and spent 30 years living in the County of Newell. He feels he has a good understanding of the needs of the area.
    “At the municipal level I have a lot of understanding of the issues, both rural and urban,” he said. “This is a strength I do have.” 
     Paul Author, a talk show host on the Miracle Channel who lives near Monarch, has also declared his intention to seek the nomination.

Photo of CN rail tracks removed beside Highway 10 in Drumheller. Photo by Bob Sheddy

Drumheller residents saw a dramatic change to the landscape this week as after nearly a century of being in place, the rails that divide the town were taken out. CN officially discontinued the line in January of this year and began the removal process this spring. CN Crews have been removing the railway tracks going through the town as part of CN’s decommissioning of the line from Hanna to Lyalta. The railroad has been a part of Drumheller since 1913. At this point CN intends to retain ownership of the land.

CN Crews and equipment dismantling the railway line in Drumheller this week.