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Last updateMon, 06 May 2024 1am

Cleanup gets ready to take out the trash

    Bring out your trash.
    In two weeks, starting on April 29 and running until May 9, the Town of Drumheller will be cruising the streets and alleys for Drumheller’s unwanted items in the annual Spring Cleanup.
    Residents can bring almost anything they wish to get rid of to their garbage. Town staff will then take it away free of charge.
    This year is slated to run much like the last, with East Coulee and Nacmine the first two areas covered. Over the following week, crews will migrate to the centre of town.
    Residents are encouraged to discard almost anything, but there are a few rules.

Norm Panisiak (left) and Markus Goodhope toss a few odds and ends into a bin during the Town of Drumheller’s spring cleanup last year. The 2013 cleanup is slated to begin April 29. This year, tires with rims will be accepted during the cleanup.


    “People have to go to Town Hall to pay for their freon appliances to be removed. They get a sticker there, which has to be put on their fridge,” said Tammi Nygaard, operations manager of the Drumheller and District Solid Waste Management Association.
    Residents are also asked to organize their items to help crews efficiently collect as many items as possible. Also, items must be on the ground, not in trailers or trucks.
    Last year, crews were extremely grateful for how well residents sorted their items.
    As with previous years, barrels with lids will not be accepted.
    “We are not accepting barrels with lids on them. We don’t know what is in them or was in them. Alberta Environment doesn’t allow any landfills to accept them. If people want us to take them, they have to be steam cleaned and the lids taken off,” said Nygaard.
    One new item added to the acceptable items list is tires with rims, which were not allowed last year.


Encana’s responsible practices recognized

    Encana has been recognized for its environmental and social consciousness.
    The company, which has some operation in the Drumheller area,  received the President’s Award at the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers’ (CAPP) Responsible Canadian Energy awards.
    “We are extremely proud to have received this year’s President’s Award, which we believe reflects our commitment to continuous improvement,” said Mike McAllister, Executive Vice-President & President, Canadian Division. “Responsible development is a key component of our business model throughout our operations and it’s important that we as an industry continue to improve our performance in that regard. These types of initiatives help support our business, improve our relationships with important stakeholders and help continually raise the bar on our environmental, safety and social performance.”
    The President’s Award is presented to companies that have demonstrated  “exceptional environmental, health and safety, or social performance.

Despite there no longer  being the opportunity for Stuff the Chuck with the WPCA event in Drumheller, Encana continued its support of the local food bank last summer, contributing to Stuff The Bus. The company was awarded for its work  in communities where it operates.


    Encana has been recognized for three separate endeavours. And two of these apply to its local operations, according to Luigi Vescarelli, community relations advisor for Encana.
    Encana’s Responsible Products program is a company-wide effort to manage chemical additives used in hydraulic fracturing. According to a release this program was developed in conjunction with third party toxicologists and it allows Encana to make, “thorough, objective and accurate assessments of its hydraulic fracturing fluid systems for potential impacts to human health or the environment using widely-accepted toxicological criteria.”
    Vescarelli says they employ hydraulic fracturing to extract oil and gas in some of their deep wells in the Horseshoe Canyon Play.
    Another endeavour of Encana, for which they were recognized is the Race against Hunger. This is a partnership between the WPCA Pro Dodge Chuckwagon and local community food banks.  During a WPCA event, they organize a large-scale food drive.
    While Drumheller no longer has a WPCA event, Vescarelli said they teamed up last summer with the Stuff the Bus local initiative led by Heather Colberg and was able to make a significant impact on families in the area that use the Salvation Army Food Bank.
    “It falls under the same program, supporting foodbanks in the areas we operate in,” said Vescarelli.

First annual Morgan Jayne Baby Shower huge success

    The Morgan Jayne Project has just finished sending potentially life-saving baby formula to Roatan.
    In the end, 235 cans of formula were collected and shipped to the small Honduras island.
    “Kudos and then some to everyone who got on board and provided help,” said Fred Makowecki, founder of the Morgan Jayne Project. “Many babies will be saved.”
    The formula was collected as part of the first Morgan Jayne Baby Shower, which ran earlier this year. Residents dropped off cans, donated money to buy formula, and a formula drive was held in Brooks.

Renee Michon, with the Drumheller Canada Post Office next to the 235 cans of baby formula destined for Roatan, Honduras.


    “Cindy Thomas initiated this first annual formula drive on the project’s behalf. Cindy attended some hockey games in Brooks where there was a town wide collection of formula. Dozens of cans of formula were donated from Brooks,” said Makowecki. “Alicia Bartzis helped us kick off our penny drive, which collected enough to ship and buy many more cans of formula.”
    The Morgan Jayne Project is resting on its laurels, though. Events are already lined up for  the summer.
    “We have some events coming up including the 5th annual Red Eye Tournament. We will also be serving food up at the arena on July 1 after the parade,” said Makowecki.
    The formula is currently being delivered, in person, by Morgan Jayne voluneeters, Cindy, Bob, and Mike Thomas.


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