Category: Economic

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Economic Ft Mac

Police Ask for Help Identifying Suspect in Food Theft at Timberlea Grocery Store

The police in Wood Buffalo are asking for help from the public identifying a suspect involved in food theft at a local grocery store in Timberlea. The man was caught on surveillance video and he made off with a cart loaded with meats, cheeses, and seafood. It was not until store personnel were alerted by another shopper who witnessed the suspect load up the cart and then leave without paying that the store reviewed their camera footage and then contacted the police. There are people who need help with food but stealing is not the answer, and there are many resources available in the community that can help out if residents face a food shortage for some reason. Police have released video that shows the suspect and are asking anyone who knows this man to come forward with this information.

The food theft occurred at the Timberlea Save On Foods, and it happened at around 6 p.m. Om March 19, 2016. The suspect was seen loading the stolen groceries into a silver Chevrolet Tahoe vehicle and the video footage shows that three other people helped the suspect load the food into his vehicle. The video shows that the suspect entered the store shortly before 6 p.m. with an empty cart. The man went to the meat section and grabbed random packages, then hit the cheese section where he grabbed several bricks of cheese. Next the suspect grabbed bags of frozen prawns before returning to the meat section for more meat. After this the man simply pushed the loaded cart out the door and placed all of the stolen groceries in his vehicle before driving away.

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Alberta Economic Ft Mac Health

Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Partners With Titan Tire to Address Old Tire Waste

The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is partnering up with Titan Tire to address old tire waste. The partnership between band owned Acden and Titan Tire subsidiary Titan Tire Reclamation Corp. will help turn old tire waste into something positive instead of the environmental threat that used tires can pose when they are simply disposed of. A ribbon cutting ceremony for the processing facility was recently held. The facility is located off of Highway 63 close to the open mine pit operated by Suncor situated to the north of Fort McMurray. The new facility currently employs 15 workers but both companies hope to expand this number and say they could employ as many as 40 workers in the future. Used tires that are not repairable are baked in a thermal vacuum recovery device which breaks down the used tire materials, and the gases which are released during the process are captured and used to generate energy.

The new facility uses innovative technology to eliminate old tire waste and produce new products that are useful. Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam explained “We talk about the environment and the state of it, but we also find partners looking to do things that are more environmentally friendly in this region, Keeping tires out of landfills is one of our ways of promoting what we’ve been talking about. Reclamation is a big part of the future and lucrative enough to make a profit.” According to Paul Newton, the president of Titan Tire Reclamation Corp., “It’s a green story in an industry that has been looked upon and shunned as dirty.”

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Alberta Economic Ft Mac

Pilot Project Seeking Officer Overtime to Boost Highway Safety Proposed

A new pilot project has been proposed to boost highway safety on highway 63 and highway 881 by securing overtime funding so that additional officers can patrol both highways. Both 63 and 881 link to the oilsands in the region, and there have been a number of serious and fatal accidents in recent years. According to The Coalition for a Safer 63 & 881 the funding for the overtime expenses would be covered by the membership of the group, and the goal of the coalition is to provide for a maximum of 900 additional overtime hours for officer overtime expenses to patrol both highways involved. ConocoPhilips, Suncor, and Syncrude are all members of the coalition. Highways 63 and 881 are an important part of the oilsands infrastructure and the coalition hopes to improve safety on these roads.

Debbie Hammond, the coalition executive director, discussed the pilot project for officer overtime and highway safety. Hammond explained that “We as industry are at the table with our partners, looking to be part of the solution to safety on the highways.” During shutdown season traffic can increase by thousands of people and that means more safety issues as more people travel these roads. Hammond stated that the coalition wants to help and that they are not trying to send a message or make a point, and she reassured the public that the coalition would provide the funding and the money would not have to come from the municipality coffers. Hammond told the media that “There’s not an infinite amount of money to go around. We know the federal and provincial governments have priorities across our province and country,” she said. “Industry feels it’s important to be a part of this. We want a collaborative relationship with our government and feel this is the right approach.”

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Alberta Economic Ft Mac Politics

Oilsands Workers May Gain Opportunity to Learn Solar Skills if Iron & Earth Plan Succeeds

The oilsands workers in the Wood Buffalo area and beyond may gain an opportunity to learn solar skills if a plan by the group Iron & Earth is successful. The group consists of both former and current oilsands workers, and the goal is to train those in this industry in solar skills so that they are qualified to install solar panels. Iron & Earth was founded by Lliam Hildebrand, who is a boilermaker from Victoria, and the group is seeking assistance from the Alberta government to succeed. Lliam gave a phone interview about the plan and said “I’ve been working in the oilsands for the last six years and it’s always been a conversation some of us have had on site, diversifying our trades to incorporate renewables into our work scope. I’ve never gone into my union hall and seen a renewable energy project posted on the job board.”

Before starting Iron & Earth Hildebrand worked for many oil companies which hire oilsands workers, and he saw a need to diversify worker skills and this included solar skills as renewable energy saw a higher demand. Hildebrand explained that “There will be a continued need for the oilsands for a number of decades to come. But in terms of energy sources, we definitely need to move towards renewable energy to meet our climate change commitments and avoid damaging climate change impacts. With development likely accelerating, there’s going to be lots of work to do in terms of that growth. The mission of Iron & Earth is to catalyze the renewable energy sector in Canada.”

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Economic Entertainment Ft Mac

Asti Trattoria Italiana is Now Open in Downtown Fort MacMurray

People searching for a great Italian restaurant in downtown Fort McMurray now have someplace new to visit since the opening of Asti Trattoria Italiana. Owned by Karen Collins the Italian eatery has a relaxed atmosphere and reviews of the food have all been enthusiastic and positive. Asti has replaced the more upscale Italian eatery Ristorante Cosa Nostra which closed, and the new place is located in the same location as the previous restaurant. Giovanni Poggio is head chef at Asti Trattoria Italiana, and Collins retained all of the staff from the former eatery although the space was reorganized. Members of the staff reside in Fort McMurray and the eatery could bring in much needed revenue to the downtown Fort McMurray area. In the initial days following the opening of the new Italian restaurant things were slow but business has picked up as more people realize that Asti Trattoria Italiana is in business.

When Collins was interviewed about opening Asti Trattoria Italiana in downtown Fort McMurray she discussed the expense, effort, and slow business in the beginning. Collins said “This was sort of a soft opening. I’m not too upset if we’re not busy. A lot of people have said it’s nice to see more of a relaxed atmosphere. Even the staff feels the difference, there’s a lot more laughter. If we get 30 to 40 customers a night, I’d be happy. We’ve done cost analysis. The lower prices should increase sales, whereas under Cosa Nosta prices were high, but the sales were low. And we’re trying some new concepts. It’s also available if a group comes in at night and they want to have family style platters, we can do that for them.”

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Economic Ft Mac Health

Slow Cooker Program Launched by Wood Buffalo Food Bank Association

A new slow cooker program has been launched by the Wood Buffalo Food Bank Association in order to provide area residents with more food security, and the program is a year long initiative. The food bank has seen demand rise considerably. According to Arianna Johnson, the Wood Buffalo Food Bank Association executive director, things have reached a level last seen in the 1980s when the food bank was started. Johnson explained that “We started to look at programs we could be a part of.” The slow cooker program seemed like a good program to have. The program is designed to give the food bank clients a hand up and the opportunity to learn how to make nutritious and affordable meals without a lot of time or effort. The program started early last month and so far the feedback has been really positive.

The slow cooker program launched by the Wood Buffalo Food Bank Association involves 10 participants. Each participant will attend a total of two classes per week for 6 consecutive weeks, and when one class ends another will begin with new participants through the rest of the year. The weekly classes are held from 5 pm until 7 pm on Mondays and Thursdays. Each participant receives recipes, ingredients, and a slow cooker to use them with. The cost to cover the slow cooker program was covered by Shell and partner companies, and company employees are also encouraged to volunteer and donate time to the program as well. This program could be very beneficial for those in the region who struggle with food insecurity and a lack of healthy meal options.