Category: Breaking News

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Alberta Breaking News Ft Mac

2015 Shooting Homicide of Tyler David McDermid Leads to 1st Degree Murder Charges

1st degree murder charges have been filed in the 2015 shooting homicide of Tyler David McDermid, almost a year after the 20 year old was shot and killed at a Conklin residence on August 11, 2015. 21 year old Trevor Powder has been arrested and was charged with 1st degree murder. Police allege that Powder shot McDermid although there is no motive that has been given for the shooting yet. Powder will have his first appearance in court on July 25, 2016, when he will appear through closed circuit tv in Fort McMurray. When Powder was arrested a news release revealed that a number of departments had worked on the case and assisted the Wood Buffalo RCMP, including the Edmonton Major Crime unit and the National Firearms section in Ottawa.

Tyler David McDermid was not the first 2015 shooting homicide in the region or the last. Until the wildfire evacuation earlier this year the rate of shootings was on the rise, and many were calling for additional steps to curb the violence. Crime seems to be down, but with more residents returning to Fort McMurray every day this trend may not continue in the future. As people come back to the area to work in the oil company camps the drugs and violence could start to go up once more. Residents need to be alert and aware, keeping an eye on their communities and contacting the police when they see something suspicious or when they have knowledge of a crime that has been committed.

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Alberta Breaking News Canada Economic Ft Mac

Wildfire Recovery Could Take Years for Fort McMurray Community

After the recent devastating wildfire recovery could take years for the Fort McMurray community, but few expect divisions in this area. As a community the Fort McMurray area has always come together in times of crisis, helping out those in need and thinking of the community as a whole instead of the needs and desires of each individual in the community. Few doubt that the people who live and work in the area will rise up to the challenge and start the wildfire recovery efforts but the scope and scale of the devastation will take time to fix. Some neighborhoods saw a complete loss of most of the residences, and the fire was random. Some homes were completely destroyed while others look almost untouched by the disaster. Insurance claims have been filed but even this process takes time, and right now many who were evacuated are relying on charities and the kindness of others just to get by.

Even a best case scenario for wildfire recovery in the Fort McMurray community will involve months of struggle and hard effort as residents start to clean up and many are forced to rebuild from scratch. Energy companies were forced to shut down oilsand camps and evacuate workers, and these camps are not back to operation just yet. This means a loss for the companies in the area as well, but the oil giants may be able to absorb this financial blow much easier than many of the residents who may have to rely on the proceeds from insurance claims in order to rebuild and start again.

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Alberta Breaking News Ft Mac Health

Fort McMurray Sees 20% of Homes Destroyed by Wildfire Damage

The wildfire damage caused by a wildfire that is still raging on has cost Fort McMurray 20% of the homes in the area after these residences were completely destroyed. Many are saying that this could be the most expensive wildfire ever after the fire is finally contained and all the damage caused can be assessed. Right now heroic efforts by firefighters from around the area have prevented even more devastation but the area has been completely evacuated and even the oilsands operations of energy companies has ground to a halt as everyone is ordered to leave for their own safety. After David Yurdiga toured Fort McMurray to survey the damage caused he voiced his concern that it could take years before the city resumed normal operations after this disaster.

The wildfire damage in Fort McMurray has caused the evacuation of over 100,000 people. Many of the residents do not even know whether they still have a home to go back to once the evacuation order is lifted, and many find themselves relying on the goodness of others to help in this time of need. Communities have stepped up in order to assist those who were forced to evacuate and the government is also taking steps to provide assistance as well. The wildfire currently covers around 620 miles, thanks to a spread that was slower than anticipated, but it could still take months to extinguish and a considerable amount of wildfire damage could still occur during this time. According to Yurdiga after the tour “An estimate: 20% of the homes have been burnt, but the majority of homes are standing, no damage at all. So you know what? It’s a lot better than I thought it was.”

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Alberta Breaking News Canada Ft Mac Politics

Ruling by Canada Supreme Court Celebrated by Wood Buffalo Metis

A recent ruling by the Canada Supreme Court is cause for celebration by the Wood Buffalo Metis. The highest court in the country has determined that Canada and the government have the exact same responsibilities to the Metis and other non status groups of Indians that it does to the other indigenous people and groups that are under the constitutional jurisdiction of the government. This ruling finally ends a debate that has gone on for 17 years, and it decides once and for all just how much responsibility the government has and must take for the non status aboriginal people including the Metis who do not have specific reserves. This group numbers around 600,000. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the decision “a landmark ruling that will have broad consequences and impacts”, and the ruling was more than the Metis expected or hoped for.

After the Canada Supreme Court ruling the Wood Buffalo Metis expressed their relief at the decision. Fort McKay Métis member Dwayne Roth stated “It’s a glorious day for the Métis people. It made direct statements to treat us fairly, bring us into confederation and work on a nation-to-nation basis. The comments from the prime minister is a great sign. It’s more than we expected. It’s the start of a new relationship for the Métis people of Canada.” The court determined that the Metis and other non status aboriginal groups were all placed together into what the court deemed a “judicial wasteland with significant and obvious disadvantaging consequences.” Because of this the court found that the communities in these groups were deprived of significant programs concerning funding, services, and benefits, and that these people were caught up in a “jurisdictional tug-of-war.”

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Alberta Breaking News Ft Mac

Fort McMurray Woman Suspected of Alleged Fraud Found Murdered in British Columbia

A Fort McMurray woman who was suspected of alleged fraud has been murdered, and her body was discovered in British Columbia. 28 year old Vikki Heppner was found dead on March 29, 2016 close to Stave Lake in close proximity to a service road. Heppner was being investigated in Fort McMurray after it was determined that thousands of dollars were removed from a memorial fund for the family of Roger Belanger who perished in a car crash. Belanger left behind a wife and two children and the online fundraiser was supposed to raise funds for the family. Heppner set up the GoFundMe account, and the money disappeared after more than $24,000 was raised. After Belanger’s family complained that they did not receive any of the funds intended for them the Wood Buffalo RCMP started an investigation. At the time of her death Heppner had not been charged with a crime.

The alleged fraud against Heppner was not proven before she died, but after the investigation she did leave the Fort McMurray area according to her mother because the theft became public knowledge. Someone who was driving in the area of Stave Lake came across a burned body and reported this to police. At first police would not release the identity of the murder victim but the body was confirmed as Heppner’s by CTV Vancouver. 29 year old Ryan Jack Armstrong has been charged with second degree murder as well as a charge of indignity to a body, and investigators confirmed that Heppner knew Armstrong at the time of the murder.

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Alberta Breaking News Ft Mac

Jamie Paris Identified as TransCanada Worker Killed by Fall From Scaffolding

Jamie Paris, a 29 year old TransCanada worker, was the welder who died after falling from a scaffolding at a Northern Alberta pipeline construction site while working for the energy company on March 21, 2016. According to Alberta Occupational Health and Safety the workplace accident occurred at approximately 10:45 a.m. Jamie Paris was contracted by TransCanada, and as an employee of Horton CBL Ltd. Paris was working on a storage tank that was recently fabricated and he was using bracket scaffolding that was attached to the top of the storage tank when he lost his footing and fell over 20 metres. The Wood Buffalo RCMP has investigated and determined that the fall was accidental, ruling out the possibility of foul play. So far it has not been determined whether Paris was wearing fall protection gear, and Alberta Occupational Health and Safety is still investigating the accident.

Jamie Paris was working at the TransCanada Northern Courier Pipeline Project when he fell from the scaffolding. According to Mark Cooper, the spokesman for TransCanada, “We are deeply saddened by this and our first thoughts are with the family of the worker, as well as his employer.” A stop work order was issued by OHS on March 21 as a result of the accidental fall. According to Jamie Paris’s Facebook page he originated from New Brunswick and the website for the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Lodge 146 stated that Paris had been a member of the union for two years. Paris survived the fall but he passed away in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.