Author: Shelly W

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Ft Mac

Safe Trick or Treating Tips for Fort MacMurray Residents

Fort MacMurray residents, safe trick or treating
Fort MacMurray residents, safe trick or treating

Safe trick or treating is an important goal for Fort MacMurray residents, and there are some tips that can keep kids in the local area safe as they go house to house dressed up in costumes. These safe trick or treating tips include:

  • If you have children who are 12 years old or younger then accompany them on their trick or treating. Some Fort MacMurray residents go trick or treating in larger groups, or hold neighborhood parties so that kids can go from house to house in their own neighborhood and all the parents can keep an eye on the kids.
  • Older kids should always go house to house in groups, never alone. Remember that there is safety in numbers.
  • Always take a flashlight for safe trick or treating. There may be areas where there is little light, and a flashlight can help your group navigate the dark better.
  • Make sure that all children are aware of the ground rules. Fort MacMurray residents who do not turn on outside lights may be signaling that they are not handing out candy or participating in this holiday. Remind kids only to go to homes that have an outside light on.
  • Watch for kids trick or treating while you are driving on Halloween evening. While children are supposed to follow all traffic safety rules and only cross at crosswalks and corners kids get excited. Be prepared for kids and other Fort MAcMurray residents to dart in front of your vehicle so you can safely stop in time if this does happen.
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Ft Mac

Injured Hunter Rescued North of Fort MacMurray by Volunteers and Facebook Posts

injured hunter, Fort MacMurray
injured hunter, Fort MacMurray

Trevor Simon, an injured hunter who was rescued by volunteers, would probably not be around today and would most likely have frozen out in the wilderness north of Fort MacMurray instead. Simon headed off for a hunting trip with friends Thursday morning, with a destination that was roughly 100 kilometers north of Fort MacMurray. After shooting a moose Trevor crossed Firebag River so he could retrieve the animal, and friends helped him load the moose onto a canoe to be transported to a nearby truck. The weight of the moose proved to be too much, so Simon volunteered to ride with the animal carcass to the nearby vehicle located around a bend in the river. When the rest of the group arrived at the spot agreed on Trevor Simon was nowhere to be found, and friends contacted the police and reported him missing at 6:30 pm Thursday evening.

Injured hunter Trevor Simon can thank the local Fort MacMurray community, and his wife and friends, for finding him as quickly as they did. While the local police recommended that people stay out of the woods individuals with extensive knowledge of the area set out to locate Trevor as soon as possible. The canoe ended up getting away from Simon and he ended up on the bank of the river, soaking wet and with only four bullets for his rifle. Simon climbed a tree to ensure he was safe from wolves in the area and was injured when he was climbing back down. Doctors believe Trevor has hypothermia and may also have a fractured vertebrae and frostbite.

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Canada Ft Mac

Crash on Highway 63 Claims 18 Year Old Edmonton Man

highway 63, 18 year old Edmonton man
highway 63, 18 year old Edmonton man

After a crash on highway 63 an 18 year old Edmonton man is dead, and police are still investigating to determine what caused the crash. The accident happened in daylight, around 11:15 in the morning, and investigators are still not clear on the sequence of events or what caused the 18 year old Edmonton man to cross the center line and cause a head on collision. Witnesses who were also on the road when the crash happened on highway 63 reported that the SUV driven by the 18 year old had crossed the line several times before he caused the crash with the semi truck. The accident occurred close to Wandering River, and was near a construction area which is currently active.

The RCMP who investigated the crash on highway 63 have not ruled out the possibility that the 18 year old man from Edmonton, who has not yet been identified, was either distracted, speeding, or under the influence of alcohol or another substance. The 18 year old driver was seriously injured in the impact and he died while he was on the way to the hospital for emergency treatment. The driver of the semi truck which was hit head on was not injured at all, and the medical personnel on the scene cleared him. Highway 63 was closed down as a result of the crash, and it did not reopen to traffic until around 5 pm. The RCMP do not believe that any weather conditions or road conditions were responsible for the accident.

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Breaking News Canada

Winnipeg Storage Locker Remains to Undergo Autopsies

infants remains, Winnipeg storage locker
infants remains, Winnipeg storage locker

A Winnipeg storage locker which was delinquent was opened by a worker at the facility, leading to the gruesome discovery of infant remains. It is hoped that the pending autopsies will help law enforcement determine how long the infant remains had been in the storage locker and how the infants had died. Officials from U-Haul confirmed the find, and that it was a U-Haul worker who discovered the infant remains in the Winnipeg storage locker. According to Const. Eric Hofley “Autopsies are pending, but my understanding is we are discussing very young infants, certainly not children. Newborns. The remains were in a state such that it is not obvious yet whether we are dealing with four separate remains. That will be done at autopsy.”

The infant remains found in the Winnipeg storage locker have not yet been identified, but police hope that that will change as the investigation moves forward. The U-Haul storage facility where the infant remains were found has 24 hour surveillance cameras in place, so it is just a matter of time until law enforcement can identify the owner of the storage locker and review footage of any visitors who went in and out of the locker. Const. Eric Hofley has never experienced a case like this in his 14 years on the force. Hofley commented that “Absolutely for all involved, whether it be the employees of the business or officers or emergency personnel, (it’s) very disturbing, tragic. What the outcome is after the investigation is complete remains to be seen.”

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Ft Mac

Fort MacMurray Ranks #4 on List of Top Entrepreneurial Cities

Fort MacMurray, entrepreneurial cities
Fort MacMurray, entrepreneurial cities

Fort MacMurray recently ranked #4 on the list of top entrepreneurial cities according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, and Alberta cities seemed to dominate the list. The 2014 Entrepreneurial Communities states report “No city would be a city if not for entrepreneurs. Some entrepreneurs were attracted to the advantages of a certain location, while others saw the benefits of large and growing markets for their products. Those areas that grew the fastest, or the most, did so because the commercial advantages were the greatest relative to other areas.” Fort MacMurray is considered one of the economic centers in Alberta, with a booming economy in spite of the remote location. The fact that this city is number four on the report and list is not surprising.

The 2014 entrepreneurial cities report continued by explaining “One often sees higher entrepreneurial activity in resource regions as well–although economies there can suffer from wider boom and bust business cycles. Favourable resource development conditions will attract businesses seeking to service increased activity—and, when conditions deteriorate, a strong base of experienced business owners often becomes the primary pillar of community support.” In 2013 Wood Buffalo only ranked #14, so the fact that Fort MacMurray came in at #4 this year shows incredible improvement as far as efforts to make the area friendly to entrepreneurs. In order to determine the ranking for each city on the list the report took into consideration 3 areas and a total of 14 indicators, so each ranking reflects the value of the area as well as entrepreneurial activity.

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Ft Mac

United Way of Fort MacMurray Invites Local Songwriters for Theme Song Competition

United Way, Fort MacMurray
United Way, Fort MacMurray

The United Way of Fort MacMurray is inviting local songwriters for the theme song competition that the organization is holding. The theme for the song competition is Change Starts Here, and the United Way is looking for a unique and catchy theme song that people will remember and that will catch on quickly. According to Communications and Community Impact.Director Russel Thomas “We’ve launched this idea of getting local songwriters to play around with that phrase, (Change Starts Here), and turning it into a song in hopes we can use it as the theme song for our 2015 Community Campaign. We found this year, that using video to tell the story of a couple of our agencies — we have three different Seeing Is Believing videos and an overall campaign video — the investment of time and effort into making those videos has been unbelievably successful. It cuts through in a way that is really, really powerful, and we’re hoping the music component does that as well.”

Fort MacMurray residents and local songwriters have until November 7 to submit their creations, and 3 finalists will be chosen by the United Way of Fort MacMurray to perform. Guests at the event will decide which of the 3 finalists win the top spot. Thomas went on to say that “These (VIPs) are the folks that are so passionate about the United Way. So getting them involved in the selection process just makes a whole lot of sense because they’re the most invested in what this is all about. And that includes the (member) agencies as well, because they’ll be at that event. It’s an opportunity for local songwriters and musicians to find a way of tapping into what the United Way campaign is all about and using their talents to do that. I suspect we’ll have a variety of different genres at the end of the day. I’m sure we’ll have a few rap selections, certainly some more folksy-type performers, and possibly some country as well.”