Weekly update: Wildfire season starts, flood season ends, property taxes slightly up

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Happy Friday, Fort McMurray!

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• Les Liaisons Dangereuses: Keyano Theatre Company invites you to step into the lavish and decadent world of the 18th-century French aristocracy, where desire and treachery reign supreme. Keyano Theatre on April 26-27 and May 2-4. Tickets.
• Spring Trade Show: April 26-28 at MacDonald Island Park. Tickets and information on vendors.
• Multi-sport girls camp: The Keyano Huskies and Syncrude Sport & Wellness Centre, in conjunction with Girls in Sport Alberta, is hosting a multi-sport camp on Sunday, April 28 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free and open to girls aged 5-12. Those interested can register online.
• Unraveling the Mosaic: Puzzling the Pieces of Our Region: Keyano student Lynel Baguio is the latest featured artist at the Fort McMurray International Airport. Refreshments, live music, networking and an opportunity to see Baguio’s full exhibit on display will be at the airport’s observation area on May 1 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Information.
• Drama Force: The Keyano Theatre Company’s young actors’ summer intensive program opens for registration soon. The program runs from July 29-August 17. Registration will be [tickets.keyano.ca]here on April 30 at 12:30 p.m.
• Northern Bout: Western Canada’s highest stakes drift competition matched with freestyle motocross, monster trucks and stunt bikes. May 3 and 4 at MacDonald Island Park. Tickets.
• Street Banner Program: Residents of all ages are invited to showcase their talents through the Street Banner Program. Selected designs will receive a $600 design fee. This year’s theme is Spirit of Water. Submissions will be shown across the region and at the Kirschner Family Community Art Gallery. Deadline is May 3 at 4 p.m. Information.
• Local HERO Mash Bash: The Local HERO foundation annual fundraising gala returns with a MASH-themed event. Local HERO is Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo’s only helicopter medevac service. May 4 at MacDonald Island Park. Gala tickets and 50/50 raffle tickets.
• Red Dress Solidarity Walk and Memorial Round Dance: An event honouring the thousands of Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people who have gone missing or been murdered. May 5 at Kiyam Community Park from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Information.
• Art for Social Change: Artists from Western Canada can submit proposals for site-specific public art installations creatively exploring the theme of accessibility. The call is open to any discipline. Up to six projects will be selected, each with a budget of up to $10,000. Deadline is May 6. Information.
• Monster Pro Wrestling: Dirty Deeds: Monster Pro Wrestling returns to Fort McMurray on May 11 at the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre. Doors open at 6 p.m. Information and tickets.
• Fort McMurray Oil Giants: Tickets and schedule for the upcoming baseball season are online. Opening day is May 24 against the Edmonton Prospects.
• 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.

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Council approves new outdoor fire bylaw, updates fees for illegal fires

Council has approved an updated bylaw on all outdoor fires and burning within Fort McMurray. This includes stiffer penalties for illegal fires and violations, and clear rules for backyard fire pits, fire permits and fire bans.

Municipal penalties range from $300 to $1,200, depending on severity. Penalties in the forest area are enforced by the Alberta government and have a similar range, unless you intentionally ignore a fire ban and start a wildfire–than it’s up to $100,000 or imprisonment for up to two years.

“It’s important to note that over 60 per cent of wildfires in Alberta are caused by human actions, a statistic that is consistent here in the urban service area,” said Regional Fire Chief Jody Butz during a presentation to council.

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Just before council held their meeting, an evacuation warning for Saprae Creek ended as firefighters stopped a nearby wildfire from expanding. The wildfire burned through 90 hectares and Alberta Wildfire stopped the risk of further spread when it was 67 hectares.

“They’re not taking anything lightly. As soon as anything sparks up, they’re hitting it with full force,” said Mayor Sandy Bowman

Temporary flood protections gone by Victoria Day, river breakup complete

River breakup is complete. Ice in the Athabasca and Clearwater rivers is moving easily, and there is no longer a risk of ice jams causing flooding in Fort McMurray.

The municipality is still warning people to keep a safe distance from the rivers during the next few days. Chunks of ice are passing through Fort McMurray during the next few days and the river flows quickly in some areas.

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Crews are removing the temporary inflatable flood protection berms deployed near shorelines. The plan is to open traffic as soon as possible, but crews are hoping traffic will return to normal before the Victoria Day long weekend. The interim clay berms will remain until the municipality’s flood mitigation projects are fully built.

Flood mitigation is Fort McMurray’s largest and most expensive urban construction project. As of the end of 2023, the total price tag is expected to be more than $117.4 million. Budget 2024 included $33.8 million for construction. The temporary measures cost the municipality more than $5.4 million this year.

Most flood barriers and berms surrounding downtown, Waterways and TaigaNova Industrial Park will be finished by 2026. The barrier stretching along Clearwater Drive from Riedel Street to Longboat Landing—known as Reach 6—will be finished by 2028.

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RMWB approves slight increases to 2024 property taxes

Property taxes in 2024 for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo will see slight increases when notices go out. The new rates keep the municipality’s property taxes among the lowest in Alberta. Some residents might pay a slightly smaller amount depending on the assessed values of their properties.

The municipality expects to collect more than $460 million in municipal property taxes this year. This matches what was collected in 2023. Approximately $70 million in education taxes will be collected on behalf of the province.

Laurie Farquharson, the RMWB’s chief financial officer, warned council that annual revenues have dropped by roughly $306 million since 2016. The RMWB’s finances peaked when council passed a $1-billion budget for 2013, while the 2024 budget is $611.4 million.

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Much of this loss is because the Alberta government told municipalities in 2016 to lower the difference between the highest rural non-residential tax class, which includes oilsands operations, and the lowest residential taxes to a 5-to-1 ratio. The RMWB’s rate is at 6.21-to-1 and still dropping. A full list of the new tax rates is in the story.

Federal budget proposes turning Canada Post office into housing

The federal government is considering turning the Canada Post building on Hardin Street into housing. The building is one of six Canada Post locations across Canada being assessed for its potential to be turned into housing.

A more detailed plan is expected by the end of the year. For now, there are still plenty of unknowns about the program.

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An assessment needs to be finished before developers can know how many housing units can be built on the site, what modifications will be done to the current building, or if a new building will need to be built.

It is not known how much funding, if any, the federal government will offer for construction and renovation work. It is not known if any other federal properties in the region will be considered for housing. The single-storey building has been listed by JLL Edmonton Industrial for $2.2 million.

Centennial RV Campground closing by May 2026 to become dealership

The Centennial RV Campground will close by May 2026 so it can become a Legacy Dodge dealership. Council approved an amended bylaw to allow the rezoning, but some councilors were shocked to learn the campground’s permit expired in 2020.

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The campground was destroyed in the 2016 Horse River Wildfire. When the owner applied to rebuild the campground, the municipality learned the land was actually zoned for parks and recreation. To support the post-wildfire rebuild, the municipality allowed the land to continue operating as a campground until March 28, 2020.

When the permit expired, the municipality told the owners a new three-year permit was needed to continue running, the municipality was told about the owners’ hopes for the land. Last April, the owner proposed amending the land’s zoning to allow the campground to remain open until they are ready to break ground on a dealership.

Councillor Keith McGrath proposed an amendment that the campground must close within the next 25 months.

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“We’ve forgotten our way to enforce our own governance and that’s not on these owners,” he said. “We’ll have a new dealership in the ground or we won’t have a campground.”

Province boosts bursary funding for students living, working in northern Alberta

The province is adding more funding to a bursary that helps post-secondary students live and work in Alberta’s north after graduation. The Alberta government announced on Wednesday evening that an extra $573,500 will be added to the Northern Alberta Development Bursary (NADB).

The funding supports domestic students studying healthcare, education and business programs with grants of up to $11,500. Bursaries went to 308 students for the 2023-24 academic year. This includes 72 students supported by the additional funding. About $2.448 million was spent on the NADB this past academic year.

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“These programs have been really successful in enticing people to life in the north,” said Tany Yao, UCP MLA for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo and parliamentary secretary for Small Business and Northern Development, in an interview. “They’re a really nice attraction tool for getting people to pursue their work and education in northern Alberta.”

Four charged after RCMP spend day chasing speeding stolen truck around Fort McMurray

Four people have been charged with stealing a truck after police spotted the vehicle speeding around Fort McMurray all day on April 19.

The first sighting was at 9 a.m. when an officer saw someone driving a grey 2019 GMC Sierra at more than 150 km/h on Confederation Way in Timberlea. As the officer drove after the truck, the driver sped through red lights and started driving faster. The officer lost sight of the vehicle.

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Sheriffs saw the vehicle speeding at 180 km/h at 2 p.m. on Highway 63 near the landfill, but again lost sight of the truck.

The truck was seen again by police after 5 p.m. Police were able to immobilize the vehicle near Stoney Mountain Road. Wood Buffalo RCMP did not want to say how they did this, but a spike belt was not used.

Officers, with the help of a police dog, arrested three people. A fourth person tried running from the police but was quickly arrested.

• Council control: Proposed legislation would allow the Alberta government to compel councils to amend or repeal municipal bylaws as a “last resort” and remove councillors. The province can only fire councillors under specific circumstances via the municipal inspection process. Party affiliations on municipal election ballots will come to Edmonton and Calgary as a pilot program. Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver defended the legislation as “a natural evolution” while the Opposition NDP calls it “a massive overreach.”
• What’s in a name?: Olivia and Noah were the most popular baby names in Alberta in 2023. As for unconventional names, Jor-El, Zeppelin, Ludacris, Wednesday, Stormi, Kathysgirl and Coyote stuck out to the person behind this newsletter. Arya and Sansa were there, but people who watched Game of Thrones will know why Daenerys and Khaleesi were not.
• Million-person city: Premier Danielle Smith has big hopes for Red Deer. On her radio show and during a fundraiser in the city, Smith said Red Deer (population: about 106,000) should prepare to have a population of 1 million. She hasn’t said how many years or decades out she’s thinking, but Smith has predicted aggressive population goals in the past. She already hopes Alberta will have 10 million people by 2050, which is 3 million people more that what other provincial officials predict.
• Rail project off track: Proponents of a hydrogen-powered train from Calgary to Banff say the project will die without more support from the province. Premier Danielle Smith has praised the project, but its proponents say Alberta Transportation’s bureaucrats have been a bottleneck.
• Nursing pay: The Alberta government announced a new payment model that would allow nurse practitioners to make 80 per cent of what family doctors are paid. Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said nurses eligible for the payment plan must commit to caring for 900 patients and operate their clinics on weekends, evenings and holidays. They also must accept walk-ins.
• ‘Rare and special’: Enough funds have been raised to protect 22,000 hectares of grasslands and wetland habitats roughly 40 kilometres south of Lethbridge. It’s the largest such conservation agreement in Canadian history. The Nature Conservancy of Canada hopes to protect 500,000 hectares of native prairie grasslands by 2030. Fewer than 20 per cent of grasslands remain in the Canadian Prairies.
• 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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