Latest news with #DraytonValley
CBC
7 days ago
- General
- CBC
Not just an urban issue: Alberta small town forms task force to address encampment
A sprawling forest encampment has brought jurisdictional concerns, community tensions, and discussions surrounding potential solutions to the forefront in the rural community of Drayton Valley, Alta. A letter written by Brazeau County resident Rob Pollard to municipal and county officials, the RCMP, and the local MLA, called for urgent action and cross-jurisdictional co-operation on the encampment. The encampment, made up of tents and temporary structures, sits on provincial land leased by the town, raising questions around who is responsible for the site and the people living there. The letter spurred Drayton Valley to create a task force which hopes to establish a formal strategy to address homelessness in the area. The task force includes representatives from Alberta Health Services, law enforcement, community groups, town officials, local residents, and a member of Brazeau County Council. In his letter, Pollard emphasized the need to strike a balance between maintaining public safety and ensuring that adequate support is provided to the unhoused population. "I just decided it's time to try to get something going, try to see if we can help the community and help the people as well, as it's two sides," Pollard said. "It's not good for the taxpaying citizens as well as for them." According to a presentation by administration to town council, the site serves as shelter for roughly 25 to 30 people without stable housing. One encampment resident told CBC that number can rise to as many as 70. Wayne Meronowich has been living in the encampment for 2½ years and said he's been without permanent housing for a little more than a decade. According to him, those living in the area can range in age from around 15 to their mid-50s. Meronowich said he doesn't mind living in the encampment, but the winters are difficult. He said the supports in the town are not adequate, and that officials could be doing more to help his community find affordable housing. "The town motto … is they try to help the homeless and everything else. But they don't. They try to get us out of here as much as they can." Brazeau County Reeve Bart Guyon voiced his support for the task force. "The more heads we get together, the easier it will be to actually create a solution," he said. Working together is a step in the right direction, but Guyon also pointed out the limits rural municipalities face. "We don't have the finances or the resources such as mental health workers," said Guyon. "So that's where we need to have the province at the table as well." In a statement, the office of the Ministry of Assisted Living and Social Services acknowledged the challenges in Drayton Valley and said that $186,000 was part of Budget 2025 to fund summer shelter spaces in the town. Additional winter funding is under review. "While encampments are a municipal responsibility, Alberta's government firmly believes encampments are not a safe or dignified place for people experiencing homelessness," the statement read. Drayton Valley Mayor Nancy Dodds said rural communities need more help from the province. "Many of the individuals staying in encampments are facing deep-rooted challenges related to addiction and mental health," the written statement read. "These are areas that fall under the responsibility of the provincial government, and as a municipality, we are not equipped or funded to provide those intensive services." Encampments like the one in Drayton Valley are becoming more common in rural Alberta, says Kara Westerlund, president of Rural Municipalities of Alberta. "Most rural communities are not equipped nor do we have the expertise nor, to be honest with you, the funding to look after the complex issues that a lot of these individuals are facing," she said. "We need real solutions. We need boots on the ground," she said. For Guyon, a multi-pronged approach is the only way forward. "It's not in our jurisdiction, but we can create awareness with the public, and we can try and help to find solutions," he said. "There isn't really any suitable solutions that have been developed anywhere in Canada because there seems to be an encampment in every community across the country." In 2022, Drayton Valley set up small pod-style shelters as temporary overnight options. The pods are one of the only official shelter options for homeless residents. For encampment resident Meronowich, the pods are more inconvenient than anything. "There's no water for one, and you've got to always pack your stuff every morning to leave there," said Meronowich. "So a person needs something that's more stable where you can actually feel like home." Safety concerns Guyon added that while not all crime in the area is connected to the encampment, some residents have raised concerns about safety. "There's no law against being homeless," he said. "But there are issues if they try to damage people's properties or you know, create issues around safety." Pollard agreed and said people are feeling unsafe while walking around town. "We've been seeing the impact of drug use and behaviour throughout common areas, in town, playground, sidewalks, local businesses. It's really getting to a point where it's unacceptable." Drayton Valley RCMP said in a statement that it supports the task force. "Drayton Valley has seen a reduction in crime rates, especially property crime, in the past year," it wrote. "Furthermore, Drayton Valley RCMP has not noted a disproportionate amount of calls of service or criminality linked to encampments or the houseless." Drayton Valley's council will look at the first round of applicants for the members at large on July 30. Pollard said he hopes the change he started keeps growing. "It's not a town problem, although it's portrayed that way … it's a whole community. So something needs to be done in that aspect," he said.
CTV News
04-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
It's looking like great weather to catch the Calgary Stampede parade on Friday morning
Temperatures will continue to cool over these next three days, but we will be back into the 30s by Tuesday. Are you heading to the parade? Either way, what a great morning, with temperatures just right. Eleven degrees at 8 a.m. and lots of sunshine. The clouds will start to increase in the city at 4 p.m. danielle weather / july 3, 2025 On Saturday, there is a risk of thunderstorms after 4 p.m. And temperatures will continue to cool over these next three days. We will be back into the 30s by Tuesday. danielle weather / july 3, 2025 Check this action weather picture out, taken by Matt Melnyk on July 3 near Drayton Valley:
CBC
03-07-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Tornado fells trees after touching down in central Alberta
A tornado touched down in central Alberta on Wednesday, cutting a path through a treed area, but apparently sparing the area from any more serious damage. Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a tornado warning Wednesday afternoon for an area west of Drayton Valley. Storm chaser Trenten Pentelichuk said he watched the twister touch down near the hamlet of Lodgepole — about 175 kilometres southwest of Edmonton. He'd been in the area all afternoon, waiting to see if the significant storm activity in the forecast would actually create a tornado. "Around 4 p.m., things kind of started taking off," he said. "Lots of the storms kind of went up and then died really fast, and then we noticed the one that did produce the tornado blew up ... when we saw it on the radar to when it had the tornado on the ground it was probably 30, 45 minutes." Pentelichuk and his storm chasing partner kept following the tornado as it died down, then returned to the spot where it touched down to survey the damage with a drone. The storm toppled some trees, but Pentelichuk said it seemed to have missed any of the nearby farms. "It was, I guess, what you'd call an ideal spot for a tornado, where it can't really do too much structural damage and nobody gets hurt." A survey team from the Northern Tornadoes Project, a research group based out of Western University, confirmed Thursday that a tornado occurred in the area. Project director Dave Sills told CBC News that once the team on site determines a tornado touched down, they use the details of the damage to assess its strength. "Typically what we look for to determine if it's a tornado is a long, narrow path," Sills said. "From what I understand, it's mostly tree damage that's occurred with this event. So they'll be looking at the number of trees down and over what area, and trying to make an assessment based on that." Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Brian Proctor said the tornado came from a "supercell" thunderstorm, which are common in the Prairies, and known to be capable of producing tornadoes. It looks like the tornado may have been on the ground for nearly 15 minutes, but it might not have sustained contact the entire time, Proctor said. "We have seen what appears to be tornado debris as it went across a treed area outside of a farmer's field, and we're seeing lots of trees laying down in opposite directions, which tends to indicate rotation associated with that." This is the fourth probable tornado in Alberta so far this summer, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada— compared to 12 tornadoes next door in Saskatchewan. In early July, that's already getting close to the yearly average of 14 to 15 that Saskatchewan typically sees all summer.
CTV News
03-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Severe thunderstorms possible in and around Calgary Thursday
More moderate temperatures are expected for portions of central and southern Alberta on Thursday, while the southeast corner of the province is expecting one more day of unusually warm temperatures. A heat warning was issued for most of east-central and southeastern Alberta on Wednesday, including Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton. Those warnings have been lifted for the QEII corridor Thursday due to cooler temperatures expected, but continued for southeastern Alberta with daytime highs expected to reach the low 30s. Calgary weather forecast for Thursday, July 3, 2025 Heat warnings (pink) issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada on Thursday, July 3, 2025. As expected, thunderstorms developed in central and southern Alberta on Wednesday with some cells rapidly intensifying into supercells. Local storm chasers reported a tornado touched down near Drayton Valley on Wednesday around 5:30 p.m., but this has not been confirmed yet by Environment and Climate Change Canada. There is a risk of severe thunderstorm activity across central and southern Alberta again on Thursday, with the moderate risk zone extending into Calgary. If these storms do develop, the greatest threats include strong wind and large-sized hail. Other potential risks include pockets of heavy rain, and possible rotation – especially in communities east of the QEII Highway. Calgary weather forecast for Thursday, July 3, 2025 More seasonal temperatures are expected over the next few days – with daytime highs ranging from 20 C to 23 C from Thursday until Sunday. The forecast for the Calgary Stampede parade should be pleasant, with a mix of sun and cloud and morning temperatures around 11 to 17 C. More showers and thunderstorms are possible across southern Alberta on Saturday and Sunday, with heavier rainfall likely along the southern border.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Conducive severe storm setup on the Prairies will reappear, shift on Thursday
Alberta will a catch break from the heat, humidity on Thursday but could see more foul weather in the northern section of the province once again. Wednesday was quite stormy in the northern half of Alberta, prompting severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings, as well as watches. A tornado was reported by storm chasers, with a visible funnel cloud captured in photos and videos--between Lodgepole and Drayton Valley, Alta.--but there hasn't been an official confirmation, yet. Tornado forming west of Drayton Valley, Alberta #abstorm — Braydon Morisseau (@BraydonMoreSo) July 2, 2025 Drayton valley 5:20 pm #abstorm — krista d (@KDenreyer) July 2, 2025 MUST SEE: The risk of severe storms will reappear in northern Alberta Thursday while also moving into parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, bringing the chance of large hail, strong winds and heavy downpours. Be sure to monitor local weather alerts and incoming conditions throughout the day. The same cold front to trigger Wednesday's storms will makes its way east into Saskatchewan and Manitoba on Thursday, triggering another risk of thunderstorms; although there is still some uncertainty as to how strong the storms will be and their locations. Thunderstorm energy over the Prairies will still be high, though, so we will see a risk of severe storms developing along the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border in the late-afternoon to evening hours. There will be a widespread risk for severe thunderstorms across the northern Prairies. Forecasters will be watching the Brandon, Man., region for severe weather by the early evenin, potentially moving east into Winnipeg in the overnight period. We could once again see some large hail, between 3-5 cm in diameter, and damaging winds between 90-110 km/h with any severe storms that pop up. As the week wraps up, the Prairie provinces are anticipated to get some relief from both the heat and the storms, with cooler air coming in by Friday. In the meantime, residents are urged to remain weather-aware. Those in high-risk areas should pay attention to alerts, particularly in the late afternoon and evening. Conditions will be very hot and muggy in southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with Winnipeg feeling like 43 on Friday. Thumbnail courtesy of Iona, taken in Prince Albert, Sask. Stay with The Weather Network for more information and updates on your weather across the Prairies.
