The 2013 provincial budget came out last week and is getting blasted from both sides; one saying cuts will hurt too much and one saying the government didn’t go far enough.
    For Mayor Terry Yemen, his issue was it didn’t fix any of the problems the old model of funding had, in particular the Municipal Sustainability Initiative.
    Finance Minister Doug Horner said in his speech last week the government was not going to balance the budget on the back of municipalities and the Municipal Sustainability Initiative will continue to be funded. Mayor Yemen said, is a fund they cannot rely  on from year to year.
    “To call it sustainable means that it has to be predictable, and it is never predictable,” said Yemen. “If we can’t know what we are going to get, it is tough to make plans to use that funding.”
    He explains that the government is not hearing the concerns of the municipalities and is insisting the funding is staying the same.
    “Over the terms of the project we are getting the same money, but they keep extending the term. “We are getting less money every year but they say the funding is going to be the same, but it is going to take years longer to get it,” he said.
 Ross Rawlusyk, CAO for Starland County, says the Municipal Sustainability Initiative will continue to fall in rural areas, simply because cities will continue to grow and take the lions share of per capital funding each year.
 One program cut he saw that was particularly surprising was the Local Road Bridge Program. He explains the government has a program where they would fund 75-80 per cent for bridge and culvert structure repair and replacement, he estimates this will take about $200,000 minimum each year out of their budget.
    “It is a major expense for us,” said Rawlusyk.
    Starland County also saw a 3.9 per cent reduction in the Basic Municipal Transportation Grant, which will cost the county about $15-18,000 per year.
    Overall, he says the cuts are not as extreme as the Klein era.
    “I have been here long enough I remember the Klein cuts too, and those were much worse.  One grant in the Klein cuts, our Municipal Assistance Grant, went from $605,000 to $1,600… and our budget was much smaller too. This was close to 20 per cent of our budget. When you talk about cuts, this is nothing compared to what we previously endured,” he said.  “These cuts are not so deep that we cannot adjust.”
    Another issue with the budget for Yemen is again not a change but the status quo on Senior Lodge funding. Last year, the requisitions for funding from ratepayers for the Drumheller and District Seniors Foundation doubled. Yemen expects it will increase again this year.
    “They have to bump it again next year because the provincial government has stepped away from the table and downloaded it to the municipality,” he said.
    Another line item that could affect the town is the wastewater treatment funding.
    “They have $25 million for all of Alberta in the budget…we have a $4 million project on the books now that we have been asking for grant money for,” said Yemen.
    He said the project is the result of the Alberta government’s changing of standards.
    “$25 million is one project for Calgary or Edmonton and then the money is gone,” he said.
    Yemen says the province should have enough money to increase funding where he feels it is necessary.
    “You don’t have to cut, you need to manage,” he said.
    For Rawlusyk, he feels this is a challenge they will be able to face.
 “The policy direction has been set and our efforts will be to try and adjust our budget to live with it,” said Rawlusyk.

    The men swimming in the Battle of the Sexes were poised to deliver a huge upset. Alas, it was not meant to be and the ladies continue their reign as the superior swimmers.
    In February, the Drumheller Aquaplex hosted the annual Battle of the Sexes, a two week swimming contest where the two sexes compete to see who can swim the most lengths of the pool.
    For most of the battle, the men had a commanding lead.
    “I thought we had it this year, to tell the truth. Every time we came, there seemed to be more guys than girls, but I guess, in total, there are always more women than men. Plus, most of the lifeguard staff are ladies and do a lot of lengths,” said Morgan Syvertsen, who swam the maximum 700 lengths for the guys.
    In the end, the ladies won by just over 400 lengths. They are being humble in their victory.
    “It feels good. It was nice that it wasn’t one-sided. The men were leading most of the way and there were tons of participants,” said Kali Wade. “There were more men who swam the maximum 700 lengths, but there were more ladies overall.”
    In the end, there were a total of 82 ladies and 52  men who swam. The ladies swam 12,785 lengths to the men’s 12,356, a different of 429.
    Participants who swam the maximum 700 lengths include Audrey DeBona, Ann Wade, Bev Cole, Wendy Bilson, Eileen Woods, and Kali Wade for the ladies. For the guys, Dave Eberth, Doug Wade, Sandy McLean, David Lloyd, Morgan Syvertsen, Guy Latour, Bill Judge, and Duane Bolin swam the maximum.
    Throughout the 18 years the battle has been held, the ladies have won all but one. Two years ago the men staged a huge upset and were the victors. Last year, the ladies reclaimed their swimming title.
    The Battle of the Sexes began in early February, but was interrupted for just over a week after the Aquaplex experienced a mechanical breakdown, where several valves broke.
    The contest started up again as soon as the pool was ready, but the delay may have had more of an impact than anyone expected.
    “It seemed like we had a lot more swimmers before the pool closed. After we came back, it felt like there was less people. When something like that happens it can really break up your routine,” said Kali Wade.
    Next year the men may get a boost from a few of the current members of the Badlands Aquatic Club.
    “There are a few 17-year-old male swimmers with the swim club. Some of them went to nationals and were just itching to join the battle, but couldn’t. With them, I think next year will be really good,” said Wade.
    The guys are already looking forward to next year.
    “Hopefully we can get more guys out next year,” said Lloyd. “It’d be nice to win more than once every 18 years.”

David Lloyd (left) and Morgan Syvertsen were forced to watch as Kali Wade and Dawna Losoncy celebrate their victory in the Battle of the Sexes.