Tag: Fort MacMurray

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Shell Place Stadium Construction on MacDonald Island Park is Almost Finished

MacDonald Island Park, Fort MacMurray
MacDonald Island Park, Fort MacMurray

Shell Place Stadium, the newest stadium in the Fort MacMurray area which is under construction on MacDonald Island Park, will be ready soon and is expected to be ready for the turf to be rolled out by the end of Summer if everything goes as planned. The expansion project on MacDonald Island Park will cost around $127 million by the time it is finished, and the Fort MacMurray area residents will have a stadium that they can be proud of. According to Tim Reid, who is the CEO of Regional Recreation Corporation “Any time that you work on capital projects in Wood Buffalo, you have to keep an eye on weather. Unfortunately it’s that one thing you can’t control, (but) we feel very confident that SMS Stadium will be completed, which is our biggest risk initiative outdoors. We also feel very confident that the work indoors will be completed and delivered on time.”

Reid continued about the expansion and construction on MacDonald Island Park by stating “This is a place where people go anyways. It’s a destination location within the community, and if we can have public transit that’s easier to access, that solves some of our parking challenges (and) it solves some of our accessibility issues. It’s just not feasible to put 20,000 parking stalls and use up the entire island, nor would it be responsible.” Reid also talked about finances. “This year-to-date, we’re off by about $1.6 million. So it’s not trending to where we thought it was going to be, but some of that is actually how we account for expenses, in terms of what equipment is on-site (and) what the architects have approved to be built by the contractor. So yes, there’s a gap between where we thought we were going to be, but when you’re spending $7 to 9 million a month, we’re not really concerned that we won’t make that up.”

 

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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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St. Kateri Will Open for First Day of School in Spite of Delays in Construction

St. Kateri, Fort MacMurray, school
St. Kateri, Fort MacMurray, school

 

St. Kateri, a Catholic school in Fort MacMurray, will be open for the first day of the 2014-2015 school year in spite of the delays in construction that have occurred. Valerie Dyck, the principal of St. Kateri, has said that any student who is registered will be welcome on the first day, and classes at this Fort MacMurray school will start on schedule even though some areas of the building are not completely finished and can not be utilized right away. Most registrations are handled online, but if parents wish to do this in person they can visit the temporary office which will be at the Holy Trinity Catholic High School until the start of the school year.

St. Kateri school in Fort MacMurray is well aware of the concerns about student safety. According to Valerie Dyck “The current situation is they’re going full steam ahead (with construction) and things are looking good. It’s all coming together. Construction should have minimal impact on students. Wherever students are not supposed to be, we will have safety fencing. We will have lots of signage for the public, whether they’re walking in or driving in … and of course, teachers will be extra vigilant, as we always are during supervision, to make sure students are staying where they’re supposed to be. Students won’t be able to go in where they’re still working, and likewise, workers won’t be able to get into the school. Currently around 430 students are already registered.

 

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ALERT and Wood Buffalo RCMP Seize Cash and Drugs in Fort MacMurray

Wood Buffalo, drug seizure, Fort MacMurray
Wood Buffalo, drug seizure, Fort MacMurray

On August 15, 2014 the Wood Buffalo RCMP and the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team partnered together to perform search warrants and initiate a drug seizure. Two individuals were arrested and cash was also seized during the operation, which occurred in Fort MacMurray. Everything started because there have been numerous complaints about drug activity in the Timberlea area, and these complaints were heard and taken seriously. This led to search warrants being issued, and when the operation was over both Allen Bryson, a 43 year old Fort MacMurray resident, and Chuol Both Chuol, a 19 year old believed to be a resident of Edmonton, were under arrest. All together law enforcement seized around $30,000 in cash and an amount of cocaine believed to have a street value of around $40,000.

 

This is not the first time that the Wood Buffalo RCMP and the ALERT team have worked together, and they have been responsible for numerous drug seizures in the Fort MacMurray area in the past. Last year the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team managed to find and seize drugs that were valued at over $1 million just in Wood Buffalo, and close to 60 people faced over 200 charges as a result. Fort MacMurray and Wood Buffalo law enforcement encourage residents to report suspected drug or gang activity in order to help keep the community safe and get drugs and criminals off the streets. If you suspect any illegal activity you can contact the local Wood Buffalo RCMP, and any suspected gang activity can also be reported anonymously to 780-788-GANG.

 

 

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Fort MacMurray Man Dies After Fatal Hit and Run

Fort MacMurray, fatal hit and run, criminal charges
Fort MacMurray, fatal hit and run, criminal charges

 

A Fort MacMurray pedestrian was recently pronounced dead after a fatal hit and run, and the driver of the vehicle will face criminal charges. As the victim was walking across the street at 2 a.m. on Franklin Avenue right in front of the 7-11 he was struck by a car. The victim of the fatal hit and run was eventually identified as Albert Mercredi, a 46 year old whose aunt Angelina Pratt wrote about his death in her blog. Mercredi was seriously injured as a result of the collision and he was taken to a hospital in the Edmonton area using medevac. At 6:20 pm Sunday Albert Mercredi was taken off life support and he passed away from the injuries that he received when he was stuck by the vehicle.

 

The driver who was involved in the fatal hit and run in Fort MacMurray could face a number of criminal charges. The driver has been identified as 28 year old Gaetan Henri Joseph Cartier, and the initial reports from police indicate that Cartier fled the scene after hitting the victim with his vehicle. Wood Bufflalo RCMP arrested Cartier after they received a complaint about a hit and run. According to the victim’s aunt Angelina Pratt “I remember him as a gentle and loving person. He was kind. He was funny. Some might remember him when he occasionally directed traffic in Fort McMurray. He was loved by many. He enjoyed life. He loved and was so proud of his only child, his daughter Antoinette. He loved his mom and would always tell to her not to worry about him and that he would take care of her. But she worried about and prayed for him. He didn’t deserve to have his life taken from him in this manner.”

 

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Tomorrow the Fort MacMurray International Film Fest Starts

Fort MacMurray, Fort MacMurray International Film Fest
Fort MacMurray, Fort MacMurray International Film Fest

 

Starting tomorrow, August 8, 2014, the Fort MacMurray International Film Fest starts. This festival is set to run from August 8 through August 10 and will be held at the Keyano College Theatre and Arts Centre. Todd Hillier, who helped to organize the event, stated “Arts are so very important. Arts equals a hometown kind of feel, more so than just a place to work and sleep. To me, a film festival can really showcase what’s going on around the world and might be able to inspire you right here. Some of the best stuff you’ll ever see, in terms of cinema, is independent films. Over 150 submissions from around the world were submitted to the film festival and we had our selection committee narrow it down … based on entertainment value, based on the categories that we have. Our criteria really was seeing what films appealed to each person on the selection committee and we all took votes.”

 

The Fort MacMurray International Film Fest submissions totaled over 80 hours of viewing. Members of the Fort McMurray Filmmakers Association went through and chose 9 hours of film total to be shown at the festival. There will be awards, prizes, and even a 48 Hour Film Challenge. There will be a range of different genres to be viewed and anyone who attends will have a great time at this event. Some of the film submissions for the festival were sent in from as far away as Europe.