Alberta celebrated the New Year by announcing a new municipality: Diamond Valley. As pots banged and fireworks exploded, the province announced a merger between Turney Valley and Black Diamond.
The merger was approved initially back on September 1, 2022. Through several meetings, both towns voted to move forward with the merger.
But what does this actually mean?
According to Barry Crane, Diamond Valley’s first mayor, the merger is supposed to streamline services and save its community members some money.
Not convinced?
Just combining the town councils of Turney Valley and Black Diamond into one will save the new town $350,000 a year!
“We’re on the same garbage truck. We have the same water plant that serves both communities. We have the same sewage system and sewage plant services…Everything that we do, we do together, shoulder to shoulder so much, we have to wonder why are we duplicating all of these things,” Crane told Postmedia.
Crane makes a good point. Why pay for two of the same service when you can get by with one? That’s like paying for two sports cars when you only drive one.
By getting rid of these duplicate services, Diamond Valley will save a total of more than $1,000,000. Aside from saving the town some money, the merger will also make the community eligible for grants that smaller communities wouldn’t be eligible for.
Most of Diamond Valley’s community members are supportive of the merger, but this wasn’t always the case.
In 2007, a vote was held by both Turney Valley and Black Diamond residents. While Turner Valley residents approved of the merger, members of the Black Diamond community weren’t as ready to make new friends.
But Black Diamond has finally come around after more than 40 years of talking about the merger.
To mark the official naming of the town, Diamond Valley held a New Year’s Eve celebration with a new population of over 5,600 people.
“I think it’s an exciting time for our communities to come together as one on a map…It’s all about where we’re going in the future and planning accordingly. So, that’s one of the big wins by amalgamating, our planning and design for the future is going to be streamlined,” said Crane.
While this merger is now a done deal, for most people in Diamond Valley, it’s business as usual. Council members will be sworn in on January 9, 2023, and the town held its first council meeting on January 11, 2023.
As for Diamond Valley’s community members, business owners had to renew their licenses before February 28, 2023.
If you are a Diamond Valley dog owner, you must apply for a new permanent identification tag. If you are a cat owner, don’t worry about it. For whatever reason, licenses are not required for cats in Diamond Valley.
