Weekly update: Janvier and CPFN go home, Alberta says La Loche highway a priority

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Happy Friday, Fort McMurray!

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• Fort McMurray Giants: The LAST home games of the season at Legacy Dodge Field are against the Sylvan Lake Gulls on July 27-28. 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.
• 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.
• YMM Digital Art Exhibit featuring Amy Keller-Rempp: Local painter Amy Keller-Rempp’s SkyDance series will be featured at the Fort McMurray International Airport as part of the YMM Digital Art Exhibit. She is the third of four digital art exhibits featured this year. The airport is hosting an opening party with food, live music and the arts community. August 1 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Information.
• Knights celebrate 50 years of rugby: The Fort McMurray Knights RFC celebrates its 50th anniversary. A planned day of rugby will be held at SMS Stadium with the club’s mini rugby program, followed by junior rugby and adult rugby. August 3 from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Summer Makers Market: Arts Council Wood Buffalo hosts a market featuring local artists, artisans and crafters selling their unique and handmade creations. The market takes place in the front and backyard of ACWB’s new office at 9908 Manning Avenue. Entry is free although donations are appreciated. August 3 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Information.
• 2024 Baseball Canada Cup: Fort McMuray hosts 10 provincial teams at Legacy Dodge Field and Ross Hennigar Ball Park. August 7-11. Tickets and information.
• Afro Canadian Festival of Arts and Culture: Celebrating the Afro-Canadian community of Fort McMurray with food, arts, crafts and live music. Performances by DJ Dynce, Oiltown Records and Sangea Academy’s Drumming Workshop. August 10 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at J. Howard Pew Park. Information.
• 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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Get the news and events of Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo in your inbox every Friday morning by signing up for our newsletter.

Wildfire evacuation orders and alerts end for Janvier, Chipewyan Prairie First Nation

The evacuation warning ended Thursday for Janvier and the adjacent Chipewyan Prairie First Nation said residents could start returning home.

About 400 people from the area left their homes when wildfires began threatening their communities last week.

The leadership of the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation ordered an evacuation on July 18. A voluntary evacuation for seniors, young children, people with breathing issues and other people considered vulnerable was organized on July 17.

People in Janvier, which is a municipal hamlet, were only warned by the RMWB to prepare for a full evacuation. However, most residents left the community during the week.

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Because an evacuation was only called for First Nation members, they are eligible for emergency financial relief from the Alberta government. One-time payments of $1,250 per adult and $600 per child are authorized if an evacuation lasts at least seven days.

The wildfires never hit Janvier or the First Nation. However, Highway 881 opened and closed three times because of heavy smoke and the wildfire’s proximity to the road. Highway 63 closed as the wildfire jumped the road.

The only two roads out of Fort McMurray were closed on Monday night and early Tuesday morning.

Highway connecting Fort McMurray, Saskatchewan ‘priority project’ for Alberta

Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen hopes construction will begin in 2026 on Highway 956, an all-weather road connecting the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo region to La Loche, Sask.

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The project was announced in 2005 to celebrate both province’s centennials. Saskatchewan has finished most work on their side, but Alberta has yet to begin any construction on a permanent road.

“We’re essentially catching up to make sure that there’s a market access road connecting communities and families on both sides,” Dreeshen said in an interview.

The La Loche Winter Trail cuts through 115 kilometres of boreal forest. The RMWB spends $25,000 annually maintaining 57 kilometres of the winter trail. Alberta has to connect 65 kilometres from just south of Anzac to the border with Saskatchewan. About $14 million has been set aside for engineering work that goes to tender next year.

Dreeshen was interviewed before recent wildfires briefly closed Fort McMurray’s only two highways out of the community on Monday evening and Tuesday morning. But he mentioned plenty of road projects in the region that will have economic and safety benefits.

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The province and Indigenous partners are still planning a route for Highway 686, a 218 kilometre, two-lane gravel highway linking Fort McMurray to the Grande Prairie region.

The province is also twinning 12 kilometres of Highway 63 north of Fort McMurray. The twinned route covers the entrance of Syncrude’s Mildred Lake site to the Peter Lougheed Bridge. Dreeshen says he hopes to see all of Highway 63 twinned, a hope shared by RMWB council.

There are also hopes to connect Fort McMurray and Edmonton with passenger rail. Premier Danielle Smith has mentioned she wants to see incentives to bring more routes to regional airports, including the Fort McMurray International Airport.

Wood Buffalo RCMP expanding drone use in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo

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Wood Buffalo RCMP is adding more eyes in the skies above Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo.

Alberta RCMP has been testing different types of drones since early June across the province. There are plans to deploy the technology across Canada in the near future.

Wood Buffalo RCMP has two drones in Fort McMurray and a third drone in Fort Chipewyan. Superintendent Mark Hancock hopes to add more drones to the detachment in upcoming years.

“Many things come to mind for us like missing people, you could have missing hunters or people in the woods, boaters, wildfires, natural disasters. It’s very helpful to pinpoint where people are. There’s also active investigations with property crime and of course more serious events,” said Hancock in an interview.

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The drones used by Wood Buffalo RCMP are the DJI Mavic 3T. They are not armed and are small enough to hold in your hand. They have a 56x zoom lens, a wide-angle lens and a thermal camera.

Const. Luke Frampton, who is one of the drone operators in Fort McMurray, said it will be used to support officers already at the scene of a situation. The second drone in Fort McMurray is being used by a dog handler.

Hancock’s excitement for the technology comes from a June visit to the Red Deer RCMP detachment. A drone docking station was on top of the detachment and could be deployed to situations quickly. They were also controlled and monitored from the detachment.

He hopes to get a docking station for larger drones in Fort McMurray and Fort Chipewyan. These drones would go straight to calls and provide support for officers arriving at the scene.

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Drug-related deaths in Fort McMurray drop as Alberta sees downward trend

Alberta Health reports overdoses killed five people in Fort McMurray between January and April this year. This is half of the deaths reported during the same period in 2023, which was Fort McMurray’s deadliest year for drug-related deaths.

The data says three deaths involved opioids, and one death each involved Methamphetamine, cocaine or alcohol. Half of reported deaths were in a private home and the other half were in buildings Alberta Health labelled as “other facility.”

EMS in Fort McMurray responded to 11 calls involving opioids between January and May. During the same period last year, EMS responded to 31 calls.

Opioid deaths in Alberta hit their lowest point since 2020. Alberta reported 90 known opioid-related deaths in April. This is the first time since April 2020 that Alberta’s monthly death count dropped below 100.

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There have been 513 people reportedly killed by drug poisonings between January and April. EMS responses across Alberta are also down compared to last year.

“I am encouraged by the downward trend in the number of opioid-related fatalities, and our government remains cautiously optimistic with the most recent data showing opioid overdose fatalities down 52 per cent since peaking last year,” said Dan Williams, Alberta’s mental health and addictions minister, in a statement.

Lured out of retirement by a $36.8M package, Suncor’s Rich Kruger was Alberta’s top-paid executive in 2023

Suncor Energy CEO Rich Kruger’s $36.8-million payday in 2023 made him Alberta’s highest-earning executive last year, after he was lured out of retirement to lead the Calgary-based energy company.

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The bulk of Kruger’s compensation came in the form of share-based awards, which Suncor says was required to ensure he wasn’t negatively financially affected. The former president and CEO of Imperial Oil had retired in 2019.

Kruger’s interim predecessor, Kristopher Smith, earned $7 million in 2022. The previous year, former Suncor CEO Mark Little earned $11.8 million.

Kruger, 64, overtook Imperial CEO Brad Corson for the top slot as Alberta’s highest-paid executive following a healthy year bolstered by strong oil prices. The province’s list of top 10 highest-paid business leaders is dominated by the oil and gas sector.

Kruger’s earnings placed him third among all CEOs in Canada last year. GFL Environmental Inc., an Ontario-based waste management company, paid CEO Patrick Dovigi almost $68.5 million in total compensation. Joshua Kobza, the CEO of Restaurant Brands International, earned $37.7 million.

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Man charged with arson, breaking and entering on Chipewyan Prairie First Nation:

Police patrolling the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation have accused a man of breaking into a home and starting fires shortly after nearby wildfires caused the First Nation’s leadership to trigger an evacuation.

Wood Buffalo RCMP say that shortly after 9:50 a.m. on Friday, officers patrolling the First Nation were told that a break and enter at a home was in progress. Staff Sergeant Amanda Clayton, a spokesperson for Alberta RCMP, said in an interview the alleged incident was spotted by someone remaining on the First Nation.

Officers arriving at the home found local firefighters extinguishing a fire. The suspect had left but was found at a nearby home’s construction site. Police arrested the man without incident.

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Timothy Justin Herman, 41, of Chard (also known as Janvier) has been charged with two counts each of breaking and entering, arson and breaching probation.

• Between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of the Town of Jasper has been destroyed after two wildfires overwhelmed firefighters on Wednesday night. More than 25,000 people, including roughly 4,700 residents, were part of a Tuesday evacuation. Parks Canada expects crews will battle flames for weeks. Residents and workers are grappling with the fact that their homes and businesses may be gone.
• The Globe and Mail reported last week that some ministers and staff attended Edmonton Oilers playoff games in MHCare’s luxury box. MHCare was the company tasked with importing Alberta’s foreign shipment of children’s pain meds. Smith told reporters to ask individual politicians if they accepted any tickets. Postmedia asked all 24 ministries about attendance and ticket sources; none responded. Just before last Christmas, the province raised gift limits and allowed Smith’s chief of staff to approve gifts over $500. Columnist Don Braid argues no rules were broken because “these rules are almost impossible to break.”
• Read up on the politics and culture of Alberta  with Postmedia’s subscriber-exclusive newsletter, What’s up with Alberta? Curated by the National Post’s Tyler Dawson every Tuesday and Thursday.

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