Category: Ft Mac

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Alberta Ft Mac

Crime Statistics Show Increase in Fort McMurray Crimes

According to the crime statistics there has been an increase in Fort McMurray crime, but the current numbers are still lower than the high seen in 2008. Fort McMurray saw a rating of 94.54 incidents per 100,000 people, and the community saw a rise in the Statistics Canada’s Crime Severity Index of over 2.5%. This increase erased the steady gains that were achieved over the last 7 years. The report also shows that the number of actual incidents that were recorded has dropped. Starting in 2009 and continuing until 2015 the trend in Wood Buffalo was one of lowering crime, but some do not think the recent increase is too much to be concerned about. Both Fort McMurray Mayor Melissa Blake and Wood Buffalo RCMP superintendent Rob McCloy agree that the area has seen worse days in the past.

The rise in crime statistics in Fort McMurray does not indicate a need for alarm though. According to Mayor Blake “I hate to accuse everyone leaving town of being a criminal, but that element is a lot rarer these days. I think the actual trends in recent years show the true reality of Fort McMurray.” Superintendent McCloy explained “I wouldn’t address any of it to oil prices at all. Any community has issues. A few less people in town doesn’t mean crime has changed. We were already going down. The changes are due to a shifting attitude in policing. Intelligence-based policing is what we’re getting good at. We’re cooperating with ALERT and bylaw, the sheriffs and other agencies. If you can shift from being reactive to crime to proactive, it changes things a lot. Are there still challenges we’re facing? I’d be lying if I said no. I’d be lying if I said there weren’t drugs coming into the community. The StatsCan numbers and the municipal census shows the difference in population, so the stats are a bit skewed. But on the ground, we’re seeing less and less crime, and we’re getting better and better at fighting it.”

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Economic Ft Mac

Temporary RV Parking Extended But Winter Service Not Available at Abram’s Landing

According to a recent municipality announcement the temporary RV parking located at Abram’s Landing will be extended to October 31 so that options for alternative transitional housing can be developed, but it is important that residents understand that Abram’s Landing does not offer winter services. There are campgrounds which are open all year long that do offer services in the winter, and some RV residents may want to see about availability at these local locations if they plan on staying in the RV for the winter. The Alberta government, the Red Cross, and the Wood Buffalo Recovery Task Force is working to address interim housing issues and develop solutions, and further updates will be provided when more information is available.

Many residents in Wood Buffalo lost their homes when the wildfire came through, and they are now living in an RV for the time being. The temporary RV parking extension was provided in order to give these residents time to find a campground which provides winter services or to come up with alternatives for housing before the winter hits. Year round campgrounds in the area include The Lewyk Park Campground and the Tower Road Campground. To contact Lewyk Park Campground call 780-791-2267, send an email to thelewykpark@gmail.com, or visit thelewykpark.com. To find out more about the Tower Road Campground call 780-715-3519, send an email to president@towerroadcampground.com, or visit towerroadcampground.com. According to a recovery update over 1,150 demolition permits have been issued and the municipality has even issued some rebuild permits. A second checkpoint has also been created in Waterways for demolition heavy equipment in order to speed up the recovery process.

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Alberta Economic Ft Mac Politics

Construction Resumes on Conklin Multiplex After Rural Coalition Efforts

Construction has resumed on the Conklin Multiplex thanks to efforts by a rural coalition. The council voted to resume the project and also pledged to improve the relationship that they have with citizens from rural areas. Ron Quintal, the McKay Métis president and also one of the rural coalition leaders, gave a presentation that outlined the goals and the grievances of the coalition to the council. Quintal told the council that “We have been brought together by the fact that Conklin is a community in crisis. It is absolutely frustrating that I have to sit here and try to rally the troops.” The presentation covered the fact that Janvier and Conklin have no piped water or sewage, that the crime rates are incredibly high, the fact that business property taxes are hundreds of times the urban rate for taxes, and the lack of infrastructure and recreation in rural areas.

After the presentation by Quintal on behalf of the rural coalition the council voted 7-3 to resume construction on the Conklin Multiplex. Councillor Tyran Ault was not present because of illness. Councillors Lance Bussieres, Sheldon Germaine, and Allan Vinni opposed resuming construction while all of the other councillors voted for it. According to Germaine “I’ve always supported the Conklin Multiplex, I haven’t supported the scope of it.” Quintal stated “I don’t disagree, councillor, in terms of right-sizing it. I think that Conklin should not have to pay for the mistakes made by this administration. We have helped to fund the quality of life in the urban area while rural residents lived in poverty.”

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Economic Ft Mac

Municipal Government Issues First Rebuild Permits

The first rebuild permits have been issued by the municipal government, paving the way for the community to start recovering from the devastating wildfire, but some are critical and say that the process is taking too long. The very first person to be issued a rebuild permit, who also ironically was the first one to receive a demolition permit after the wildfire destroyed much of the Wood Buffalo area, was Vis-Star Homes Ltd. Owner and homebuilder in Fort McMurray Darrin Eckel. The home that Eckel owned in Wood Buffalo was rented out to tenants at the time of the wildfire, and the property was completely destroyed. Eckel told the media “Next year is going to be hectic. Everyone wants to get going right now, but in the actual process, some people will have to wait until the following year.”

So far more than half a dozen rebuild permits have been issued by the municipal government, while the wildfire in May completely destroyed a total of 1,958 buildings between Fort McMurray and Anzac. Some of these buildings contained multiple apartment units and the community lost more than 2,500 residences and a total of 23 commercial buildings and spaces. More than 1,000 demolition permits have been filed with the municipality and more than 80% have been approved so far. Next spring a construction boom is expected, bring a new set of problems. According to Eckel “It’s going to be long. We never built 2,000 homes in one year, not even in the heavy days of construction in 2006-2007. I’ve been part of our building community for some time. We have a great building community. We know the processes.”

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Alberta Ft Mac Politics

Should the Alberta Government Ban Spear Hunting?

The Alberta government is planning on a ban against spear hunting after a video was posted online which showed a black bear being slaughtered by a spear, calling the practice unacceptable and motivating many to try and make it illegal. The video of the kill was posted to Josh Bowmar’s YouTube account, and it has caused considerable anger and outrage by those who viewed it. Eventually the video was made private but not before it became the center of a controversy. The video had over 200,000 views before the setting was changed. An emailed statement from Tim Chamberlin, the spokesman for Alberta Environment and Parks, stated “Work is well underway to update Alberta’s hunting regulations. We will introduce a ban on spear hunting this fall as part of those updated regulations. In the meantime, we have asked Fish and Wildlife officers to investigate this incident to determine if charges are warranted under existing laws.”

Josh Bowmar does not understand what all the fuss is about, or why the Alberta government would want to ban spear hunting. Bowman explained “Spears have been used for hunting since the dawn of man and the notion that the method is inhumane couldn’t be further from the truth. The bear I speared only ran (55 metres) and died immediately, that’s as humane and ethical as one could get in a hunting situation on big game animals. Trust me, no one cares more about these animals than us hunters, especially me, If I didn’t care about the humane killing of this bear, why did I spend years preparing and practicing, becoming extremely proficient with a spear to make sure I could harvest this bear ethically? In fact, it is even against the law to waste the animals hide from the animals. We also eat the meat from our harvested animals including bear. On top of tasting amazing, it’s extremely nutritious for our bodies.”

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Economic Ft Mac

Housing Sales in Fort McMurray Go Up in July

In July the housing sales in Fort McMurray went up close to 50% over July of 2015 according to the recently released statistics from Fort McMurray Realtors. Last month there were 133 housing units sold on the market, and this included mobile homes, townhouses, and condominiums. In July of 2015 there were only 90 housing units sold. The fire did delay some sales, but it was also a motivating factor behind sales as well. Lynn Edwards, the president of Fort McMurray Realtors, said “We’re having people that are selling their home and moving to another home, larger or smaller. And then you have a buyer that has been affected by their [fire] loss. We’ve seen an increase in the average price for the last two, three, four months but that’s just because people are buying.”

One reason for the July increase in housing sales in Fort McMurray is that some buyers have been ready to make a purchase but were waiting for the best time. Another reason is that some of the listings for homes on the market expired during the evacuation period, and these homes have now been relisted. Edwards explained “So they were up for sale pre-fire, and then you’re going to see them come back on in July, some of them.” The housing market and economy are both stable in Fort McMurray right now, and housing unit prices are still low when compared to the average price last year for the same time period which makes purchasing a home right now a smart move to some.