Weekly update: Back to drawing board on flood mitigation, wildfires burn across region

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Happy weekend, Fort McMurray!

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• Fort McMurray Giants: Baseball action at Legacy Dodge Field. Next home games are against the Lethbridge Bulls on July 11-14. Drum Brewery hosts watch parties of away games. Tickets and schedule.
• Fort McMurray Food Festival: A schedule of events for the annual food festival has been posted online. All proceeds from the festival will support of Waypoints, which runs a family violence home and a crisis line for sexual and family violence. Fundraising has been difficult as demand for services grows locally.
• Pinoy Fiesta: The Filipino-Canadian Association hosts a celebration of Filipino culture. Fort McMurray Shipyard on July 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Entrance by donation.
• Treaty Days: The Fort McMurray 468 First Nation is celebrating the 125th anniversary of the signing of Treaty 8 with its annual Treaty Days celebration. July 26-28. Information.
• Local HERO’s Wheels and Wings Car Show: The foundation that oversees Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo’s medevac service is hosting its fundraiser car show at the Fort McMurray Airport’s North (old) Terminal on Snow Eagle Drive on Saturday July 27th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Information.
• Fam Expo: The Fam Expo is a mini comicon offering a Kidzone full of activities for the kids, vendor showcase, video game and board game stations, panelists, cosplay and food trucks. July 28 at Shell Place. Tickets.
• Acden Show & Shine: Acden’s fourth annual car show returns to support the Centre of Hope. Aug. 11 at Acden from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Information.
• Take the Pledge: Want a chance to win a helicopter ride AND reduce wildfire risk? Pledge to reduce wildfires in the Fort McMurray Forest Area by August 16 and you’ll be entered to win a helicopter tour of the region! Take the pledge today online.
• Fort McMurray Fringe Festival: Local theatre company Theatre, Just Because is launching the first Fort McMurray Fringe Festival at Heritage Village on Aug. 31. Information.
• Wood Buffalo Regional Library hosts all-ages weekly events.
• MacDonald Island Park updates its website with upcoming events and programs.
• Wood Buffalo Volunteers has volunteer opportunities for different causes and non-profits across Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo.
• Obituaries: Obituaries, memorial notices and sympathy announcements can be uploaded and read online.

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Council sends Clearwater Drive flood plan back to the drawing board

Plans to raise more than 2.5 kilometres of Clearwater Drive for flood mitigation plans in downtown Fort McMurray have been scrapped. Administrative staff for the RMWB will return to council with new options for flood-proofing the area in September.

This section is called Reach 6 and covers Clearwater Drive between the Riedel Street area and the intersection with Franklin Avenue.

A major problem with raising Clearwater Drive is Imperial Oil and Suncor own lots along that stretch of road. Both lots have contamination. Suncor does not want to sell the land, whereas Imperial Oil is interested. This would put the RMWB on the hook for environmental monitoring and cleanup.

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The berms and walls would also allow room for potential future growth in downtown. Heritage Shipyard also needs to be moved, but administration hoped a berm would allow the shipyard to remain within the Reach 6 area.

Administration proposed a network of berms and retaining walls between Clearwater Drive and the Clearwater River. This would cost $55.8 million, whereas raising Clearwater Drive would cost $94 million. The RMWB has already spent $119 million on flood mitigation.

Council rejected the idea 5-4 because of financial and safety concerns. Councillor Kendrick Cardinal argued flood mitigation work was a waste of money and said the temporary inflatable berms were sufficient.

Elliot White, the RMWB’s senior manager of environmental services, countered they were “Band-Aid” solutions and not suitable for long-term flood mitigation.

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The rest of council agreed flood mitigation was important but was divided on solutions. Councillor Stu Wigle proposed continuing with the original plan, but faced similar criticisms. He withdrew the motion and asked administration to propose new options in the fall. Wood Buffalo RCMP would be consulted about safety issues. This motion passed 6-3.

A September 2020 report to council concluded the April 2020 flood happened because “a comprehensive flood-protection system was not in place.” More than 1,200 buildings were damaged and an evacuation impacted 13,000 people. It is estimated the flood caused more than $424 million in insured damages and $617 million in uninsured damages.

Retail in census area continues 10-month loss as unemployment drops slightly

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The number of retail workers in the census region covering Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo has plummeted after peaking in September 2023, according to data from Statistics Canada released Friday. Last month’s data for retail was the worst month for retail since January 2023.

The sector lost 4,100 workers between September and June, while accommodations and food services has lost 400 jobs between June and the same period last year. The sector covering the oilsands has lost 1,400 workers between June and the same period last year.

The sector that has seen the most growth in the census region is construction which in June gained 2,300 workers year-over-year. Educational services followed, with 1,600 new jobs during the same period. Catholic and public school leaders in Fort McMurray say schools are crowded and understaffed, despite the growth.

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June unemployment for the Wood Buffalo-Cold Lake census region was 5.5 per cent, down slightly from 5.7 per cent in May. Employment rose to 69.7 per cent from May’s 68.6 per cent. Employment in June 2023 was 70.3 per cent and unemployment was 4.7 per cent. Unemployment in the last 12 months peaked in August at six per cent.

A list of how other industrial sectors in the census region have done is in the article.

Wildfire northeast of Fort McMurray now largest in Alberta

The out of control wildfire burning 70 kilometres northeast of Fort McMurray is now the largest in Alberta. High temperatures and dry conditions pushed the wildfire, which has been labelled MWF047, to roughly 670 square kilometres in size on Friday morning.

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It did not move towards any industrial sites or communities, and there are no evacuation orders in the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo region. As a precaution, Suncor and Cenovus have removed all non-essential staff respectively from the Firebag and Sunrise operations.

This wildfire remains eight kilometres northeast of Firebag, and 50 kilometres northeast of the Fort McKay First Nation and Metis Nation.

The wildfires clustered south of Fort McMurray are a combined 145 square kilometres. It is located 11 kilometres west of Highway 63 and 40 kilometres southwest of Fort McMurray. This complex grew significantly on Thursday.

There are 250 firefighters and support staff fighting MWF047. Another 18 helicopters are attacking the wildfire from the air and 16 pieces of heavy equipment working on this complex. An incident management team is overseeing operations.

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There are 78 firefighters and 14 helicopters fighting the southern wildfires, which are being called the Algar Lake Complex. An incident management team from Ontario is scheduled to arrive Saturday to oversee operations.

Firefighters are coming to the Fort McMurray region from other jurisdictions. Alberta will soon host 100 firefighters and 43 overhead staff from Ontario, and 20 firefighters and six overhead staff from New Brunswick.

Alberta Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen said Thursday that the province met this year’s hiring goals for wildland firefighters, but most of them need relief. It has also been difficult moving heavy equipment to some wildfires because many of the wildfires are in remote muskeg.

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Since Canada Day, there have been 184 new wildfire starts and 99 were caused by lightning. Alberta Wildfire has responded to 700 wildfires this year that have burned 2,000 square kilometres. To compare, this time last year 20,000 square kilometres had been burned by wildfires in Alberta.

Health-care, public sector workers rally for better wages

More than 20 people demanding better wages and improved workplace conditions protested on Monday outside the constituency offices of Energy Minister Brian Jean and UCP MLA Tany Yao, before moving across Franklin Avenue to the Provincial Building.

Many of the protesters were health-care workers, whose unions are undergoing bargaining talks this summer. Other protesters represented other provincial workers. Across Alberta, nearly 248,000 employees are about to have their contracts expire this year.

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“The membership is tired. They’re beat down and tired of a government and employer that bullies them,” said James Gault, vice president of the northeast region for the Alberta Union of Public Employees (AUPE).

Similar complaints about understaffing, stagnant wages and benefits, and problems keeping experienced workers have also been made, said Gault, by the unions representing workers in education, wildland firefighting and other government jobs.

“What we’re saying is we need better health care benefits, better mental health benefits, better pay, better wages and what’s been offered is just an insult to people they were calling heroes not long ago,” said Gault.

The Alberta government is offering 7.5 per cent raises during the next four years, which union leaders say is not enough to cover inflation and rising living costs. Finance Minister Nate Horner said in an April statement that the Alberta government’s offer is generous compared to elsewhere in Canada, and called AUPE’s position extreme.

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Council now needs unanimous support to skip public notices for motions

The mayor and council will need unanimous support to skip the two-week notice for public engagement on motions. Only the support of council members present at a meeting would be needed. Councillor Ken Ball proposed the motion at Wednesday’s council meeting and said this will guarantee it will be used only in emergencies.

Ball proposed the motion after council voted on July 2 to reverse a surprise vote to become full-time councillors. That motion was presented to council on June 11 by Councillor Kendrick Cardinal. Council narrowly approved the idea after Cardinal convinced some councillors to skip public feedback.

“This was introduced because, obviously, of things that happened recently,” said Ball, who supported the full-time vote but opposed skipping public debate.

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Councillor Allan Grandison told Fort McMurray Today in a June 13 interview that skipping the two-week notice and public debate should be reserved for emergencies. On Wednesday, Grandison thanked Ball for proposing the motion. Councillor Jane Stroud also gave her support and thanked resident Ron Pelletier, who made similar calls at the July 2 meeting. Stroud and Grandison opposed both skipping feedback and the full-time vote.

“I think it was something that should have been in there in the first place,” said Mayor Sandy Bowman, who also opposed both June 11 motions.

The motion carried unanimously. Councillor Loretta Waquan was absent from the meeting.

ACWB launches fundraising campaign for arts incubator

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Arts Council Wood Buffalo is launching a $3-million fundraising campaign for Arts Inc., a planned downtown arts incubator dedicated to creativity. The centre will open in the former Landmark Cinemas on Manning Avenue.

ACWB executive director Liana Wheeldon said in an interview the project will bring new life into downtown, and support the artistic and creative talents already in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo.

The former movie theatre has been empty since 2018 when Landmark Cinemas moved to Eagle Ridge. ACWB completed buying the building in 2022 in a $2.9-million deal.

Arts Inc. was supposed to cost $15 million to build and open in fall 2024. Inflation has hit construction costs and timelines, though. Wheeldon says the centre is now expected to open in mid-2026 and cost $16 million to build. The municipality has contributed $5 million towards Arts Inc.

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The front of the building will be mostly glass and open to the public. The lobby will be a place for workshops and events.

The projection area will have offices that Wheeldon says will include the Multicultural Association of Wood Buffalo and St. Aidan’s Society. Much of the creative work will be done in the building’s remaining movie theatres.

This include a culinary arts space and teaching kitchen; a visual arts studio for painting, drawing, sculpting and writing; a space for film, photography and multimedia production; a room for theatre productions, rehearsals and film showings; and a room with soundproof rooms with space for bands and individuals to practice.

Keyano begins construction of Indigenous Student Centre

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Keyano College has begun construction on an Indigenous Student Centre.

The $1.2-million project will give Indigenous students a place to practice their culture on campus, gather and study, and meet with Elders and Aunties participating in a residency program.

Traditional practices, such as smudging, will be available. There will be a display of Indigenous art and artifacts. A communal kitchen will also be at the centre.

Chantal Beaver, Keyano’s associate vice president of public engagement, said in an interview said the college’s current space is “a room tucked away” that was outdated and not culturally reflective of Indigenous peoples. College leadership realized an improvement was needed.

“Regardless of whether or not we meet our funding goal… we are following through on this,” she said.

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College leadership says the new centre will help meet its reconciliation goals with First Nation and Metis communities. There has been a rise in Indigenous students enrolling in programs at Keyano, which is Cree for “sharing.”

The college has secured $700,000 from the Suncor Energy Foundation to create Keyano’s Indigenous Advisory Council and an Aunty or Elder residency program. The Bouchier Family Charitable Trust has donated $250,000 to kickstart the fundraiser goal.

Drug trafficking charges stayed after lengthy trial wait:

A Fort McMurray Court of King’s Bench Justice has stayed charges against three people after ruling they have been waiting too long for a trial. Stayed charges means the Crown has one year to restart charges and resume trial, or the matter will be considered closed.

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The three people were arrested in January 2022 as part of a larger drug trafficking investigation by Wood Buffalo RCMP. After multiple delays, a two-day trial was scheduled for April but there were no justices available. The trial was than rescheduled for July 17 and 18.

Justice Kent Teskey of the Court of King’s Bench ruled last month the constant delays were “contrary to the public interest.”

Teskey cited the Supreme Court of Canada’s 2016 Jordan decision, which outlined reasonable limits on how long an accused can wait for a trial without having their Charter rights violated.

The Jordan decision set a time limit of 30 months, but this was not to be an “an aspirational target.” The July trial would have been one week shy of 30 months.

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“The presumptive ceiling continues to be a significant threat to criminal cases. This is an issue of resources rather than resolve,” Teskey said in his decision.

• Groundbreaking artist passes away: Alex Janvier, the famed Alberta painter and member of the Indian Group of Seven, has died at age 89. Janvier was born in 1935 on what is now the Cold Lake First Nations reserve. It was when he was attending the Blue Quills Residential School that he got his hands on pencils, crayons and paints. His work hangs in homes and galleries across Canada. The mosaic on the floor of Edmonton’s Rogers Place is his handiwork.
• Road trip: The Hells Angels are opening a new chapter in Lethbridge, and police from across Canada and Alberta are keeping an eye on the “large number” of outlaw bikers arriving in the city for the opening party. The Hells Angels gained a foothold in Alberta in 1997 after the takeover of the Grim Reapers.
• ‘An assault on their identity’: An 18-year-old student at an Okotoks high school says he was deadnamed in the school’s yearbook. Deadnaming refers to the name a transgender person was given at birth but no longer uses after transitioning. The school will reprint pages for anyone who bought a yearbook, while the division said it is updating its yearbook guidelines.
• Poilievre interview: Calgary Sun/Herald columnist Rick Bell got an exclusive interview with Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre during the Stampede. Poilievre accused his opponents of painting him as “scary,” but countered the present reality under the Liberals and NDP is “bloody terrifying.“ Poilievre also pledged to “unleash production of our oil and gas” and nicknamed potential Trudeau replacement Mark Carney “Carbon Tax Carney,” among other highlights from the interview.
• ‘Meltdown’: WestJet is struggling to relaunch its fleet after a two-day plane mechanics strike during the Canada Day long weekend. The task of fully resuming flights by a nearly grounded fleet of 180 planes across more than 175 destinations is complex, costly and time-consuming. The strike impacted at least 170,000 passengers, m any of whom feel the airline ignored them.

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