Author: Shelly W

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Jim Prentice Addresses Fort MacMurray Politics and Growing Pains in Fort MacMurray on Visit

growing pains in Fort MacMurray, Fort MacMurray politics
growing pains in Fort MacMurray, Fort MacMurray politics

Jim Prentice, who is hoping to obtain PC Leadership, recently visited and discussed Fort MacMurray politics, and the growing pains in Fort MacMurray that result from the population in the region expanding so quickly. While in Fort MacMurray Prentice took part in a number of events over a few days, and he spent the weekend taking with members of the community. A strong Fort MacMurray base is the cornerstone to a successful Alberta economy and Prentice pointed this out more than once during his visit. When Prentice spoke at one event he stated “I will talk with the prime minister and if I’m successful as premier, it’ll be on the agenda list and we’ll get it out of the bureaucratic gray area that it’s currently mired in.”

The growing pains in Fort MacMurray are becoming bigger every day, and te infrastructure of Wood Buffalo needs to be further developed and strengthened. As the area continues to attract more people to work in the oilsands or perform other vital services the region will continue to see growth in large numbers. During his visit Prentice told community residents “The provincial government has a role to play in making sure land is available and brought on stream for development in Fort McMurray. It is a model community. It’s the economic engine of Canada. I don’t think the growth pressures are extreme right now,.Until we get a line of sight on pipelines to the west coast, you’re not going to see many significant multi-billion investments in the oilsands.”

 

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Another Fatal Accident in Fort MacMurray Occurs on Highway 881

fatal accident in Fort MacMurray, highway 881
fatal accident in Fort MacMurray, highway 881

On Sunday night a fatal accident in Fort MacMurray occurred on Highway 881 when a vehicle collided with an unknown object, and the crash caused one death while three other passengers were injured. The accident was a single vehicle collision and all of the facts about the incident are not fully known yet. Law enforcement officials arrived on the scene of the crash at approximately 9:30 pm on Sunday evening, and the officers who responded were from both the Wood Buffalo RCMP and the Lac La Biche RCMP. This fatal accident in Fort MacMurray occurred around Highway 881 marker 173, and the police who responded were on the scene for hours trying to collect evidence and investigate exactly what happened. The road was closed while the investigation was performed and then opened back up.

This is not the first fatal accident in Fort MacMurray, and it is not the first to occur on Highway 881 either. When the RCMP responded to the scene of the crash they found that one of the vehicle occupants was dead on the scene, and another was in serious medical condition and needed to be medevaced out of the scene to a hospital. The other two occupants of the vehicle also required medical attention for injuries and they ere taken to local hospitals by ground ambulances. Highway 881 was closed off from around 9:30 pm until dawn of the following morning, and all of the details of this fatal accident in Fort MacMurray have not been released yet including the names of the occupants.

 

 

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Drug Arrests in Fort MacMurray Lead to Illegal Weapon Being Seized by RCMP

Fort MacMurray crime, drug arrests in Fort MacMurray
Fort MacMurray crime, drug arrests in Fort MacMurray

 

In recent weeks there has been a lot of suspected activity involving drugs, a Fort MacMurray crime which is becoming all too familiar to law enforcement and residents, and last week the Wood Buffalo RCMP issued a number of search warrants. These warrants led to some drug arrests in Fort MacMurray, and during one warrant execution an illegal weapon was seized from the premises. The warrant in question was issued on August 13 at close to 6 pm in the evening and it allowed law enforcement to search the property located at 159 Brett Drive in the Timberlea area of Fort MacMurray. The warrant listed the subject as 33 year old Weston Niemi, a resident of Fort MacMurray who was taken into custody at the scene.

 

When it comes to drug arrests in Fort MacMurray and Fort MacMurray crime the warrant execution on Brett Drive provided plenty of results. Law enforcement located almost 50 tablets of Oxycodone, close to 60 grams of marijuana, an assortment of drug paraphernalia, approximately $1,500 in cash, and a sawed off shotgun which is illegal to own or possess. The weapon was loaded when the officers located it. Recent drug arrests in Fort MacMurray show that this remote area faces problems that many cities do, and there are incidents of Fort MacMurray crime even though a majority of residents are honest and hard working individuals. Weston Niemi faces several charges in court, and these include possession for the purpose of trafficking, two counts of possession of a controlled substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, possession of property obtained by crime, unauthorized possession of a weapon, possession of a prohibited firearm, and unsafe storage of a firearm under the Criminal Code.

 

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Fort MacMurray Fundraiser Held to Help Wild Horses in Canada

Fort MacMurray fundraiser, wild horses in Canada
Fort MacMurray fundraiser, wild horses in Canada

 

A Fort MacMurray fundraiser is being held in order to help wild horses in Canada, who have seen a declining population over the years. The event was hosted by the Alberta Wild Horse Heritage Society and it was held at Blackstone Pub. According to the society chairperson Laura Watson “We pride ourselves on being a cowboy province and tourism also puts out in their brochures to come out to Alberta and see our wild horses, so I feel that it’s an injustice to the wild horses to eliminate them, but at the same time, pride ourselves on being a province that has wild horses. There’s probably quite a few from the 16th century that need to be DNA tested. With this money, we hope to be able to do some DNA testing and prove their bloodlines.”

 

Wild horses in Canada are the subject of disagreement, with government agencies stating that the horses are feral and come from animals that have escaped over the years. Many advocates for the horses say this is not true, and that the wild horses in Canada in the Fort MacMurray region are descended from wild horses and not domesticated animals. The goal of the Fort MacMurray fundraiser is to obtain DNA testing to determine which theory is correct, and to protect the animals if they can be traced back to wild herds from the past. In addition to Fort MacMurray fund raising and other efforts to raise money to help wild horses in Canada there is also a petition to provide heritage status to these animals so they are better protected.

 

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Muslims in Fort MacMurray are Vocal in Their Opposition to Terrorism

Fort MacMurray, muslims in Fort MacMurray
Fort MacMurray, muslims in Fort MacMurray

 

Recently Muslims in Fort MacMurray have been vocal and visible in their opposition to Alberta links to terrorism. In recent weeks Canadian born citizens who have been fighting as terrorists in the Middle East have been in the spotlight. Calgary native Farah Mohamed Shirdon is reported to have been killed in the fighting in the Middle East, and the Canadian was fighting on the side of terrorism. This has left Muslims in Fort MacMurray with a need to speak out against terrorism and to distance themselves. Shirdon is just the last of several native Canadians who have died as terrorists. Damian Clairmont, Salman Ashrafi, and Andre Poulin are three other men from Canada who have lost their lives while fighting for Islamist Jihad in the Middle East.

 

Markaz-Ul-Islam mosque vice-president of community affairs Wajeehullah Arain has come forward to declare that Muslims in Fort MacMurray condemn acts of terroriism, and went on to ask that anyone who has information on this topic contact the local police with the information. Arain also stated “As Muslims and as Canadians, we stand against this extremism, ignorance, hatred and violence. The best course of action in combating extremist beliefs is to be proactive by educating our members, giving back to our community of RMWB and to identify and report all extremist activities to law enforcement authorities.” Arain continued with “As a community we collectively strive to uproot any extremist views. We have an open line of communication and a strong relationship with the RCMP. Education is the best tool to combat extremism; which is a by-product of ignorance. So far thankfully we have not encountered any issue involving extremism in our community. We understand the need to be proactive because the RMWB is a region with a transient demographic.”

 

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The Pakistani Culture in Fort MacMurray is Celebrated

Pakistani culture in Fort MacMurray, Pakistani holidays
Pakistani culture in Fort MacMurray, Pakistani holidays

 

Recently the Pakistani culture in Fort MacMurray was very visible, as the local Pakistani community celebrated several Pakistani holidays at once. On a recent Saturday many members of the local Pakistani community came together at Keyano’s Sport & Wellness Centre and more than 300 people attended the event. The event was put together by the Pakistan Canada Association of Fort McMurray, or PCA, and many in the community who came to take part wore white and green to honor the colors of their previous homeland. The Pakistani celebrations that were observed at the event included the 67th anniversary of Pakistan’s Independence Day, Eid-ul-Fitar which marks the official end of the Ramadan holiday, and the 5th anniversary of the Pakistan Canada Association of Fort McMurray.

 

The Pakistani community celebrated the Pakistani culture in Fort MacMurray with traditional songs, dances, and foods. Asma Ahmad, who has been a member of the local Fort MacMurray community for over 33 years and who is the Fort MacMurray Islamic School head secretary, stated “I remember getting together in the basement of whoever had a house for Friday prayers and weekend afternoon prayers. When families with younger children moved here we started a weekend religion school – also in a basement, and that used to be sufficient. Now, we have a mosque which can’t accommodate our growing numbers, and on top of that our Fort McMurray Islamic School, which started about ten years ago, with 30 kids, and a current population of 350 students has a waiting list. What a change!”