The Wildrose Constituency Association for the Drumheller-Stettler Riding has a new president.
    The Association held its Annual General Meeting on March 23 and Lisa Hansen-Zacharuk was elected the Association’s president, replacing Gordon Butler.
    “It is exciting and a big step,” said Hansen. She explains she was approached a few weeks ago to gauge her interest and she feels she can do a good job.
    She explains the Constituency Association’s (CA) main focus is to make sure the area has an elected MLA.  It works on fundraising for the association and to mobilize during election time.
    “The party is supposed to be grassroots, and so the CAs come up with policies they bring forward to the AGM or policy session and then vote to see if it gets adopted,” said Hansen-Zacharuk.
    Hansen-Zacharuk is also a sitting Drumheller town councillor and sees no problem in performing both rolls, and in some cases, it could be helpful.
    “The point of the matter is we are all supposed to be working together towards one good and that’s Alberta,” she said. “Because Rick Strankman is our MLA, regardless of party affiliation, I can take our concerns directly from the Town to our MLA. I find that handy.”

    Businesses passing through Drumheller and how much they pay for that privilege are being put under the microscope.
    The Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce has begun research into the current business license fee structure of the Town of Drumheller and what changes could be made.
    “We’ve had a number of people write letters to the Chamber to do something about it and advocate for them,” said Chamber board member John Shoff. “We want to get feedback from Chamber members to see if we should pursue this and what our stance should be. Should the fees be increased or decreased.”
    The study was prompted by comments from Chamber members expressing a desire to raise the license fees for businesses coming to Drumheller for a few day and then leaving.
    “We’re not looking at businesses already in Drumheller or who are opening a new business here. We’re looking at the businesses who come here for one to two days and then are gone. They come to town, sell a bunch of stuff, and take all the proceeds out of the community,” said Shoff.
    Another aspect the Chamber is researching is whether the definitions for the different fee categories need to be redefined.
    “One of the comments we’ve heard is maybe there needs to be more clarification (in the bylaw). For example, there might be a need to decrease the cost for contractors but increase for these transient retail businesses,” said Shoff.
    The Town of Drumheller feels the license fees are comparable to other, similar-sized communities in Alberta.
    “When you look at other communities and compare, we’re basically in line with them,” said Mayor Terry Yemen. “We’re going to ask administration to look at few more communities to make sure we’re similar to them. If it needs to be adjusted, we’ll adjust it.”
    In addition, business license fees that are too high may only serve to drive business away from Drumheller.
    “There has to be a balance. We can’t discourage business or make it prohibitive to do business here,” said Yemen.
    Chamber members are encouraged to contact the Chamber at 403-823-8100.
    “We want to use this as an opportunity to engage our members. Our goal is to get more members involved in the Chamber, which will benefit our organization quite a bit,” said Shoff.
    Residents can also contact Town Council to let their views be known.
    “We’re open to suggestions. It’s a bylaw, so it can be tweaked, refined, and tuned,” said Yemen. “If anyone has concerns, they can bring them to their council representative.”