A Drumheller man feels happy to be alive and is extremely grateful for the health care system in our community and Alberta.
“I would like to say how good our health care system is. AHS was sure awesome for me, that’s for sure,” Darrell Berlando told the Mail when sharing his ordeal. In days he went from going about his everyday life to being rushed to Edmonton for an emergency procedure that saved his life.
Earlier in the year, he noticed he was getting frequent heartburn, and on Thursday, February 18, it struck again, only this time it was persistent.
“I was in a meeting over the computer, and it kept getting worse and worse and wouldn’t go away, it was a burning at the top of my chest,” he said.
He went home, and his wife Laurie took one look at him and insisted they go to emergency. Within five minutes of walking in, he was in the ER and quickly began blood work and an ECG. They also sprayed nitroglycerine under his tongue.
“The fastness and efficiency at which they worked, there was no time wasted at all,” he said.
Dr. Ibrahim Moshood was the attending physician and by 6 p.m., Berlando was feeling better and his blood work looked normal. The doctor insisted he stay until later in the evening to retest because sometimes it takes time for the incident to show up in the blood work. At 10 p.m., he was tested again, and it indicated there were still issues.
In the morning, he was tested again, and it was determined he had a heart attack and was taken to the Red Deer Hospital. On Saturday, the doctor in Red Deer said he needed an angiogram. One of his arteries was blocked at 85 per cent. It turns out that Dr. Moshood had the foresight to book him for the procedure in Edmonton on Monday.
“On Monday morning, went from Red Deer to Edmonton to the Royal Alexander Hospital where I saw the most well-oiled machine I have ever seen in my life,” he said.
He said the medical team went in and took a picture of his heart that showed the blockage.
“So now I got a picture of my heart, so if someone tells me I’m heartless, I can show them this picture,” he said.
He said in less than 45 minutes the procedure was complete, and he had a stent in his heart.
He was taken back to Red Deer, and in less than 24 hours, he was checked out and on his way home.
Today he is doing well and is taking his health more seriously. He chose to talk to the Mail because he was impressed with the quality of service and professionalism he experienced in the health system, from contact to completion.
“From as soon as I walked into the Drumheller Hospital until I was released from the Red Deer Hospital, our health service was unbelievable,” he said. “With all the bad news and how everybody badmouths everything. I have complained about my taxes for years, but then I thought this little episode probably ate up most of the taxes I paid over the last decade.”
“Every nurse and doctor or nurse I dealt with was amazing, and I couldn’t ask for better care.”

While Drumheller Town Council was able the hold the line on spending in their 2020 operating budget, increased requisitions, and a lower assessment value saw the Mill Rate increase slightly.
Council passed the Mill Rate Bylaw at its Monday, April 19 meeting. The combined residential Mill Rate, which includes school and Drumheller and District Senior Foundation, was set at 11.85663, up from the 2020 Mill Rate of 11. 56901. The combined non-residential Mill Rate went from 17.81293 to 18.73769.
This means for a residential property valued at $250,000, taxes would go from $2,892.25 to $2,964.16. This would be if the property assessment maintained the same value. However, assessment values have dropped over the last year.
Of the $19 million drop in taxable residential assessment values, $3.6 million relate to properties that became exempt as they were bought up as part of the flood mitigation program. The remaining $15.4 million decrease is related to changes in market value. Non-residential properties saw an average drop of 2.3 per cent.
“What that means for municipalities is even if tax requisitions stay the same, Mill Rates will go up. But that doesn’t necessarily mean taxes will also go up. It depends on the properties,” explains Director of Corporate Services Mauricio Reyes. “On some properties, taxes can increase, for some, it will actually decrease, and some will see the same amount as in prior years. So it is really important to mention why, and it’s because of the assessment.”
The requisition from the Alberta School Foundation increased in 2021, and the requisition from the Christ the Redeemer Catholic School Division decreased. The Drumheller and District Senior Foundation requisition increased, however as Councillor Tom Zariski noted this is because the requisition is based on assessments of all the partner municipalities of the Foundation, including Delia, Morrin, and Starland County.
While tax rates cannot be appealed, a resident can appeal their assessment. For a property owner to appeal, the first step is to compare your assessment to other similar properties. This can be done at town hall. If you are not satisfied, you can file a written appeal to the Assessment Review Board Clerk at the Town of Drumheller Office. This appeal must be done within 60 days of the Notice of Assessment date. There is a fee to appeal, which will be refunded if the board rules in your favour or the appeal is withdrawn before it being heard by the board. More information is available at www.drumheller.ca or by calling 403-823-1314.