Author: Shelly W

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Wood Buffalo RCMP Arrest Man Involved in Human Trafficking

Wood Buffalo RCMP, human trafficking
Wood Buffalo RCMP, human trafficking

 

On September 7 the Wood Buffalo RCMP arrested a man who has been involve din human trafficking in the past, and this is not the first contact that local police have had with Raphael Patrick Duchard. When police stopped a man for speeding along Highway 63 the vehicle was a rental, and the male presented Wood Buffalo RCMP with a drivers license from Quebec. The vehicle had the smell of marijuana in the interior so a Police Service Dog was called out. Trace amounts of the drug were found in the vehicle so police placed the license on a 24 hour suspension. The male driver left after being told he could pick up his license the next day. When the license was not redeemed from the Wood Buffalo RCMP after 7 days it caused suspicion.

After becoming suspicious the Wood Buffalo RCMP did some further investigation and it was determined that the license which had been provided was a fake, and the male was actually Raphael Patrick Duchard of Quebec. Duchard is wanted on a number of outstanding warrants from the Ontario police. These warrants include sexually assaulting a 17 year old, assaulting a female, benefiting from human trafficking, human trafficking, and even living on the avails of prostitution. According to Wood Buffalo RCMP Cpl. George Cameron“We don’t have anything indicating he has been active on that side of things here in Fort McMurray. It sounds like he just got here.”

 

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Rezoning for Commercial Use Allowed But Some Concerns Were Voiced by Wood Buffalo Residents

Wood Buffalo residents, commercial rezoning
Wood Buffalo residents, commercial rezoning

 

The council recently agreed to rezone part of downtown in order to allow for the development of commercial properties. The commercial rezoning went ahead but some concerns were voiced by Wood Buffalo residents about the types of commercial businesses that might move into the neighborhood. The goal is to create a neighborhood which is family oriented like what can be found at Eagle Ridge, but some are wondering if the changes could attract seedy businesses which affect the local neighborhood. The area in question is zoned for condos and residential homes currently and the commercial rezoning would allow commercial development in the area as well. The area includes Prairie Look Boulevard, Franklin Avenue, and Saline Creek Parkway. Many support the zoning change but some Wood Buffalo residents have some reservations.

One of the Wood Buffalo residents who spoke up at the council meeting about the commercial rezoning was Jon Tupper. When the floor opened Tupper stated “While the addition of the right type of commercial space could improve the character of the neighbourhood, the wrong type of businesses could change the character and diminish its spirit. It is a wonderful focal point for that community, but if one looks, for example, at Gregoire Corner, that paints an entirely different picture.” Winchester Builders owner Paul Bergram also spoke up, saying “I would also cautiously support this, however my caution is largely taken care of. The landlord of an older strip mall who has the building paid for and is more rundown would be more comfortable renting to a head shop or a massage parlour than somebody who is building a brand new, three-, four-, five-story concrete building that is very expensive.”

 

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Penhorwood Owners Upset Over Letter Perceived as Threatening, Wood Buffalo Municipality Apologizes

Penhorwood, Wood Buffalo
Penhorwood, Wood Buffalo

 

Penhorwood owners are quite upset over a letter received by the Wood Buffalo Municipality, and many say that they feel threatened because of the harsh letter that was sent to them. The municipality has formally apologized if the letter seemed harsh, and said that it was not the intention of the municipality to deal harshly with the Penhorwood owners. The letter demanded that the owners demolish the building, and stated that they faced steep fines and possibly imprisonment if the demolition was not performed. Penhorwood Condo Association President Christine Burton stated “We’ve been getting very panicked phone calls. They are in a state of complete panic over these letters. We certainly didn’t want them to do it this way. I know no one intended this harshness, but they have perceived this as being a threat.”

The letter from Wood Buffalo that some Penhorwood owners perceived as threatening was not intended that way according to the municipality. Mayor Melissa Blake explained “Council is completely in favour of the demolition of those buildings. But the way the legislation was written does not convey the will of council at all. It was a very concerning letter but not intentionally so.” RMWB’s legal services director David Leflar sent an open letter to Penhorwood owners and tenants stating “Please be assured that the Regional Municipality has absolutely no intention of charging or prosecuting anyone for not demolishing these buildings. What should have accompanied the letter was a cover letter assuring residents they had nothing to fear. We understand that our failure to do so has caused many of you a great deal of stress, and for that we sincerely apologize. The Order was not intended as any kind of threat of prosecution, and we deeply regret that some of you read it that way.”

 

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Wood Buffalo Residents Find Out About the Purple 3

Wood Buffalo, 3 things movement
Wood Buffalo, 3 things movement

Wood Buffalo residents recently found out what the deal was about the roving purple number 3 that has been spotted, and it involves a community engagement campaign called the 3 things movement. This is a new initiative by the municipality to engage residents and encourage them to make a difference 3 things at a time. More about the initiative can be found at the website 3thingsforwoodbuffalo.com. According to committee member Paula Ogonoski “(It’s) a way to remind us that we can all be doing small steps to make our community that much better. It was a comfortable number. It’s not a huge number in that it feels overwhelming, but it is a number that still feels like it’s impactful. We can all do three things.”

The 3 things movement in Wood Buffalo started with a single resident. The resident was concerned that the zero tolerance signs displayed by businesses in the area promoted a negative image. According to Ogonoski “There’s a lot of businesses in the community that have these signs that say ‘Zero tolerance toward verbal or physical abuse,’ and some businesses, I’m sure, feel they’re necessary, but it really does put a negative stigma in people’s minds about what the community is like. Especially if you’re new to the community.” Paula continued by saying “There’s lots of things people can be doing, but one of the things that comes up quite a lot is waving in traffic. It can be kind of frustrating when someone doesn’t wave to say thank you, and it can make such a significant difference to your morning or afternoon when you have that positive exchange between two drivers.”

 

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Traffic on Highway 63 May be Slowed by Bridge Repair

Fort MacMurray, Highway 63
Fort MacMurray, Highway 63

 

Fort MacMurray residents may find that traffic on Highway 63 is at a slower pace while bridge repairs are underway. For a period of a few days only one lane will be available for traffic to use, and that could mean longer travel times for some. The bridge repair will occur near the La Biche River. Alberta Transportation said that a temporary fix was being performed to the expansion joints of the bridge, because a recent inspection indicated that this joint needed to be replaced. According to Alberta Transportation spokesperson Nancy Beasley-Hosker “It’s part of routine maintenance and it’s why we… keep an eye on things that we think may require further attention in the future. Until we can do the repair, we had to restrict the traffic down to one lane with alternating travel that was controlled by temporary traffic signals.”

Fort MacMurray residents may find that the bridge repairs on Highway 63 are an aggravation if traffic slows too much, but there was nothing else that could be done according to the experts. Nancy Beasley-Hosker continued by saying “Until… (it) is ready for us to re-open the bridge, the traffic will be kept at one lane with alternating traffic. So even though drivers might not see any construction workers on site, we can’t actually reopen the lane until the concrete is cured.” Fort MacMurray resident scan expect slowdowns or even complete stops at times, and this could lead to traffic congestion when traffic is heavier and the single lane is crowded.

 

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Fatal Crash on Highway 881 Still Under Investigation

fatal crash, Highway 881
fatal crash, Highway 881

 

A fatal crash on Highway 881 is still being investigated by the RCMP. The single vehicle accident occurred on Monday, September 15, at around 11 am. A gravel hauler was driving down Highway 881 when the fatal crash occurred, and the highway was closed for some time while the investigation was underway and the wreckage was being cleared. So far the RCMP do not believe that alcohol or drugs were involved, but there is no clear answer yet about what caused the fatal crash. The driver of the gravel hauler has not yet been identified, although the RCMP has stated that they believe he was from Calgary and in his 30s. According to George Cameron, RCMP Cst., “It may be driver inattention, could be something ran across in front of the guy, we’re just not sure yet.”

This is not the first fatal crash on Highway 881, just the latest. It is possible that the driver was startled by an animal running across the road, or that the driver was distracted for some reason. Right now the RCMP do not have further details to release and the name of the driver is not known. As winter comes the roadways will start to become treacherous at times, and this fatal crash is a reminder to everyone to pay attention to the road and take care while driving. In the remote areas you never know when an animal may decide to bolt across the road, and this can contribute to vehicle accidents.