Town of Drayton Valley
5120 - 52 Street T7A 1A1 Drayton Valley, AB, Canada

Check out the free workshop Strenghtening Resilience During and After a Crisis about our children's mental health - January 14th, 2021! Register by calling 780-514-2204. Deadline for registration is January 11th, 2021.

We know these are challenging times. If you need help, there are many options available to you! Don't hesitate to contact our local FCSS department at 780-514-2204 and they'll be happy to provide support, or there are a number of crisis help lines. Help is always available.

TOWN FACILITY CHANGES Please note that beginning this weekend, many Town facilities will be changing their operations or closing due to the new COVID-19 measures announced by the Government of Alberta on December 8th. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at 780-514-2200 or any of our Facilities at the numbers listed.

Drayton Valley remains under the mandatory, province-wide restrictions that are in effect until at least Jan. 12, 2021 to slow the spread of COVID-19. We will update the public as these measures change. For updated information on case numbers in our area, as well as links to government resources, visit https://www.draytonvalley.ca/covid-19/

PROPERTY TAX We’d like to remind residents that tax penalties are coming up on January 15th, 2021. A 10% penalty will be applied to any outstanding amounts. Penalties do not apply to anyone who is part of the TIPP program. We encourage anyone who is not able to pay to call the Town office to make payment arrangements. Payments can also be made online on our website at https://www.draytonvalley.ca/online-payments/.... Should you have any questions regarding taxes, or would like to arrange payment, please contact the Town at your convenience at 780-514-2200 and we would be happy to help you!

Christmas Tree Drop-Off! Drop off your live trees for recycling at our designated area next to the rodeo grounds at the Omniplex! All decorations must be removed. Trees can be dropped off until January 31st, 2021! Trees will be recycled and used as mulch as part of the Town's Landscape Management Program.

Looking for a little Christmas spirit? Check out Light Up the Town this weekend, and drive by our community's Holiday displays! Not registered yet? There's still time and you can register online at https://forms.gle/726YN7iWSnvpEv5TA and have your location added to the map! The map can be viewed at https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer Judging is taking place this Monday, December 14th and you could win $50 Chamber Cash!... Keep an eye on our event page for more details! https://fb.me/e/3mr4atS0R

The next Council meeting is Wednesday, November 25th, at 9 a.m. in Council chambers. To view the agenda, visit our website at https://www.draytonvalley.ca//2020-11-25-Council-Agenda-Pk To join this meeting virtually, use the following link: http://tiny.cc/TODV-Council_Nov25.

These are challenging times for everyone. Don't hesitate to reach out if you need support, there are several local resources available!

The Take It or Leave It Centre is now open from Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m! The centre is available for residents who wish to donate unwanted items for others to take free of charge! At this time, the centre has lots of toys available leading up to the Christmas holidays! We ask anyone who visits the Centre to please wear a mask and properly sanitize hands before and after visiting the Centre. Signage for physical distancing is also in place, and we ask patrons to please respect the number of people in the centre at one time, and give everyone adequate room. The Take It or Leave It Centre is located at the Aspen Waste Management Facility (landfill) at HWY 22 and 58 Ave in Drayton Valley! Directions are available at https://www.draytonvalley.ca/landfill/

COVID-19 UPDATE | DECEMBER 10th, 2020 Today Dr. Deena Hinshaw provided an update on COVID-19 in Alberta over the last 24 hours, including 1,566 new cases identified out of 16,800 tests, bringing our provincial positivity rate to 9%. Currently there are 20,163 cases of COVID-19 in Alberta, with 682 people hospitalized, and 124 in the ICU. 13 more deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported in the last 24 hours. There are active alerts in 432 schools, about 18% of schools in ...the province, with 1,789 cases in those schools. 113 schools are on the 'watch' list. As of the end of the day on December 9th, there are 64 cases of COVID-19 in the Drayton Valley/Brazeau County area. 91 people have recovered. Watch the full update here: https://youtu.be/GUnnGPZoyDs

Today is the final day for the Education Survey! Don't miss out on the opportunity to provide your feedback! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HX5L8SP The Town of Drayton Valley is focused on making education a priority in the community! Your feedback will directly influence the programs and courses offered and be a key driver in attracting education partners to Drayton Valley! Take the survey yourself and please share it with others! Thank you for helping us make education a priority!

COVID-19 UPDATE | NOVEMBER 24th, 2020 Today’s update was opened by Premier Jason Kenney who declared a State of Public Health Emergency in Alberta and updated Albertans on new restrictions in the province. Some restrictions are province-wide, and some are for areas included in the ‘enhanced’ status zones. As of November 12th, Drayton Valley is included as an 'enhanced' zone. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR ME AND MY FAMILY?...Continue reading

SEASONAL PARKING BAN A reminder that a Seasonal Parking Ban is in effect! All parked vehicles need to be removed from the street as soon as possible so crews can complete snow removal. A map of the parking ban route can be found at https://www.draytonvalley.ca/.../Schedule-E-Seasonal...... In addition, signage was placed along the Priority 1 route. The map for Priority 1 can be found at https://www.draytonvalley.ca/.../10/Day-1-Priority-1.pdf We ask residents to please follow all posted signage and remove any vehicles from the roadway so crews can complete snow removal activities! More information about the Town's snow removal protocols can be found on our website at https://www.draytonvalley.ca/snow-removal-and-seasonal-par/

SEASONAL PARKING BAN A Seasonal Parking Ban is now in effect! All parked vehicles need to be removed from the street as soon as possible so crews can complete snow removal. A map of the parking ban route can be found at https://www.draytonvalley.ca//Schedule-E-Seasonal-Parking-... In addition, signage will be placed along the Priority 1 route for removal tomorrow. The map for Priority 1 can be found at https://www.draytonvalley.ca//uploads/2020/10/Day-1-Priori We ask residents to please follow all posted signage and remove any vehicles from the roadway so crews can complete snow removal activities! You may also see crews out today beginning snow removal activities along 50th Ave west and north, as well as this evening in the downtown core and recreation centres! We ask that you please use caution when you see crews working and we thank everyone for their patience as snow removal activities are underway.

44 AVE & 43 AVE SIDEWALK REPAIR Crews will be on site at 43rd and 44th Ave today to complete sidewalk repairs and fill the gap between the sidewalk and road! Barricades should be removed by the end of the day! We thank residents for their patience as crews worked around the weather to complete these repairs.

On December 8, 2020, Premier Jason Kenney announced that masks are now mandatory across the province for all indoor public spaces. This means: indoor public places, such as grocery stores, retail stores, etc. places of worship... indoor workplaces, except: when working alone in an office or a safely distanced cubicle or a barrier is in place; farm operations (exempt) This workplace requirement: applies to all employees, customers, visitors, delivery personnel and contractors includes all workplace locations where masks won’t pose a safety risk does not change current student mask requirements in schools For information on how to choose the right mask, click here https://youtu.be/J_hds5pOdyU For information on how to properly use a mask, click here https://youtu.be/6MojzHFStNs For guidance on wearing a non-medical mask, visit https://www.draytonvalley.ca//covid-19-guidance-for-non-me Extensive details on masks, including when to wear one, how to make one, and how to care for your mask, is available at https://www.alberta.ca/masks.aspx

Will evil prevail? Can you defeat Prof Schism’s nefarious scheme? Call the library at 780-514-2722 to book a slot.

PUBLIC HEARING POSTPONED A reminder that the Public Hearing regarding proposed Town of Drayton Valley Land Use Bylaw 2020/12/D, scheduled for tomorrow, has been postponed in light of the current situation surrounding COVID-19. Your comments in writing are still encouraged. More information is available at https://www.draytonvalley.ca/mdp-lubupdate/.

COVID-19 UPDATE | OCTOBER 26th, 2020 Dr. Hinshaw provided a COVID-19 update from the weekend including an average of 480 new cases per day. On Friday, October 23rd, 364 cases were identified out of more than 16,000 tests, on Saturday, 572 new cases were identified out of more than 17,000 tests, and on Sunday 504 cases were identified out of 12,700 tests. At this time, approximately 11% of schools in Alberta have active alerts, with 680 cases in these schools. 39 schools are o...n the ‘watch’ list with 5 or more cases identified. 39 schools have been removed from the outbreak list. Alberta Health Services is working on more efficiencies in identifying close contacts and is increasing staffing to help improve these efficiencies. Effective today, if a positive COVID-19 case attended an event, Alberta Health Services will notify the event organizer who will contact all attendees. This will make the close contact process quicker for large events. Alberta Health Services will continue to directly contact those outside of organized events. Dr. Hinshaw urged Albertans today to collectively commit to reversing the current trend. The Edmonton zone continues to see a rise in cases. Calgary is also seeing a rise in cases, and numbers are where Edmonton was just a few weeks ago. We are in a crucial phase right now, and it is important to take steps to reduce the growth we are seeing. At this time, social gatherings make up 15% of outbreaks. New public health measures are being put in place in the Edmonton zone and effective immediately there will be a 15-person limit on all social gatherings including events such as birthdays, wedding receptions, social events at restaurants, and baby showers. This is a targeted measure to reduce risks of exposure and the 15-person limit will be temporary and re-evaluated after one month. Other voluntary public health measures continue in Edmonton and will begin in Calgary including masks in indoor work settings, except offices and cubicles, as well as belonging to no more than three cohorts. This will help reduce close contacts and connections between different networks. For full information on cohorts, visit https://www.alberta.ca//covid-19-relaunch-guidance-cohorts. Dr. Hinshaw reminded Albertans to continue staying home when sick, physical distancing, wearing a mask when physical distancing is not possible, and washing hands frequently. The warning bell is ringing and our best hope to prevent further restrictions is to all go the extra mile. As of the end of the day October 25th, 2020 there are SIX cases of COVID-19 in the Drayton Valley/Brazeau County area. Watch the full update here: https://youtu.be/YjJYGWPGzU0

PUBLIC HEARING POSTPONED Please note the Public Hearing regarding proposed Town of Drayton Valley Land Use Bylaw 2020/12/D, scheduled for November 25th, has been postponed in light of the current situation surrounding COVID-19. Your comments in writing are still encouraged. More information is available at https://www.draytonvalley.ca/mdp-lubupdate/.

COVID-19 UPDATE | NOVEMBER 23rd, 2020 Today Dr. Deena Hinshaw opened her update by addressing a backlog in COVID-19 case investigations and announced that effective tomorrow, November 24th, if 10 days have passed since your positive COVID-19 test result, Alberta Health Services will not be contacting you to conduct case investigation and contact tracing. You will always be notified of a positive test result. Effective today, November 23rd, all Albertans who test positive will... receive a text message instead of a phone call at the time of their isolation period ending. In the last 24 hours, 1,549 new cases of COVID-19 were identified out of 19,500 tests. The provincial positivity rate is 8%. 328 people are in hospital, with 62 in the ICU and there have been five additional deaths. There are active alerts in 304 schools, making up about 13% of schools in the province. 64 schools are on the ‘watch’ list. As of the end of the day November 22nd, there are 37 active cases of COVID-19 in the Drayton Valley/Brazeau County area. 16 people have recovered. Watch the full update here: https://youtu.be/9dAySXZ1Kuc

EDUCATION SURVEY The Town of Drayton Valley is focused on making education a priority in the community! Your feedback will directly influence the programs and courses offered and be a key driver in attracting education partners to Drayton Valley! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HX5L8SP... This survey will be open from Oct. 23 Nov. 6. Take the survey yourself and please share it with others! Thank you for helping us make education a priority!

During the Regular Meeting of Council on October 7th, 2020, Deputy Mayor Nancy Dodds proclaimed October 24, 2020 as World Polio Day in the Town of Drayton Valley! The Town of Drayton Valley encourages all citizens to join in the fight for a polio-free world!

The next Council meeting is Wednesday October 28th, 2020 at 9 a.m. in Council chambers. To view the agenda, visit our website at https://www.draytonvalley.ca//2020-10-28-Council-Agenda-Pk To join this meeting virtually, use the following link http://tiny.cc/TODV-Council_Oct28.

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Education & Training Open House on Oct. 20th at the CETC! It was a great night and we were so excited to welcome the University of Alberta, Delmar College, the Health Care Aide Academy, Citi College, and the Drayton Valley & District Community Learning Association to our community! We are looking forward to working with them as we bring education to Drayton Valley!

As seen in this week's edition of the Drayton Valley Free Press, Mayor Doerksen responded to a letter received from Brazeau County regarding the County's recent decision to cut recreation funding.

COVID-19 UPDATE | OCTOBER 22, 2020 Dr. Hinshaw opened her update today by addressing questions around priority testing as well as detailing how everyone can celebrate Halloween safely. Dr. Hinshaw urged all Albertans to avoid large gatherings this Halloween keep it small and keep it safe. If you or your children are feeling sick, even with mild symptoms, please stay home and please don’t hand out candy. Trick of treating can be a safe activity if done outdoors and within a ...Continue reading

Drayton Valley celebrates Waste Reduction Week! See if you can solve the puzzles to save our town from becoming mountains of trash. This online escape room is available for one week only at https://platform.breakoutedu.com//drayton-valley-celebrate Keep an eye out for our LIVE escape room this fall!... This program is sponsored by Drayton Valley Community Foundation (@DraytonValleyCF). The online escape room was designed by the Town of Drayton Valley in collaboration with the Drayton Valley Municipal Libraries (@dvlibrary) and the Eagle Point - Blue Rapids Parks Council (@epbrparkscouncil).

TRAFFIC LIGHT OUTAGE Please note there is a traffic light outage at 46th Ave and 50th St, near Scotiabank, as well as 45th Ave and 50th St, near the funeral home. Public Works are aware of this outage and have contacted technicians who will be coming to complete repairs. Please use caution in these areas, and treat these intersections as 4-way stops until lights have been restored.

SPEED BUMPS New speed bumps have been installed on the north and south sides of Rotary Park - at 52nd Ave between 48th St and 49 St, as well as 51st Ave between 48th St and 49th St. We'd like to remind residents that the speed limit in these areas is 30 km/hr and to please drive with caution!

Drayton Valley's Water Treatment Plant is part of a new pilot project with ISL Adapt! https://islengineering.com/edmonton-engineering-firm-leads/