Tag: Fort MacMurray

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Ft Mac World

Fort MacMuray Celebrates World Hajib Day for Second Year in a Row

Fort MacMurray, World Hajib Day

Fort MacMurray celebrated World Hajib Day for the second year in a row, showing that the municipality believes in multiculturalism. This special day was initiated in 2013 in New York, and it is designed to recognize Muslim women who wear the hajib as part of their life and their religion. For many Muslim women the hajib is not something they are forced to do, it is something that is voluntary. Local women in the Fort MacMurray area were encouraged to try out a hajib Sunday at Peter Pond Mall, an there were women with hajib experience on hand to help out and to show newcomers how the garment is properly worn. The goal is to let people experience the hajib before they blindly condemn it, and to teach people about the significance of this head apparel.

In Fort MacMurray Worl Hajib Day has proven to be popular, and the hajib may be mandatory for Muslim women but many women of this religion see it as an honor and not a form of oppression. Kiran Malik-Khan, the organizer of the event and the Word Hijab ay YMM president, said “When you try it, you can speak intelligently to it. You can say, ‘I tried it and this is how I felt.“My hijab is not for discussion. This is not something you discuss; not in government, not in lunch rooms. Oppression is really a stereotype, (that) somebody’s forcing us. Is it the father, is it the husband, is it the brother? The answer is, nobody should be forcing it on us. It is by choice and it is with heart in mind.”

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Ft Mac Sports

NHL Stars Promote Hockey Awareness With Fort MacMurray Visit

NHL stars, Fort MacMurray, hockey awareness

Fort MacMurray will soon receive a visit from some hockey starts in order to promote hockey awareness and raise funds for kids who want to get involved in the sport. Jamie McLennan, a former goaltender in the NHL and currently a hockey analyst for TSN, will be one of the hockey greats to visit for the Every Kid Every Community event. Jason Strudwick, formerly a defencemen in the NHL and currently a radio host for TSN, is another one of the well known hockey players who are slated to speak at the event. Both former NHL players will be one of the speakers who will be featured during the Every Kid Every Community Speaker Series which will be held on February 18.

The Fort MacMurray event which will include a visit from NHL stars to promote hockey awareness will include dinner, and it will be held from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. The event venue will be the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre Timberline Room. Tickets can be purchased for $80 per individual or $600 per table. All proceeds from the event will be given to the Hockey Alberta Foundation’s Every Kid Every Community Program and the Fort McMurray Minor Hockey Association’s No Kids Left Behind Program. Travis Galenzoski,, the president of Fort McMurray Minor Hockey and Wood Buffalo Hockey development, issued a release which read in part “This unique event will not only allow us the opportunity to host a couple of entertaining NHL celebrities in Fort McMurray, but it will also serve to bring local hockey community partners together to support Wood Buffalo kids in need with an opportunity to play hockey.”

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Ft Mac Health

Freshii Fort MacMurray Grand Opening A Huge Success

Fort MacMurray, Freshii, grand opening

The Freshii grand opening in Fort MacMurray has been a big success, and at times the crowd was almost unmanageable and extremely large. Last Tuesday was the first day that the franchise was open to the public and people waited in life just to see what the eatery offered. The only Freshii location in the Fort MacMurray area can be found at 9612 Franklin Ave, and Chris Burrows is the owner of the franchise. Burrows said “We can bring fast food, simply that’s nutritious and wholesome. We can deliver relatively quick unprocessed, simple foods and we’ve taken a lot of new, contemporary twists on classics like the Cobb salad or by adding brown rice to it.” Fort MacMurray residents now have a healthier option when they want to eat out and that is a change for the better.

The Fort MacMurray Freshii showed why the franchise is so popular during the grand opening. The menu offered features options that are rich in produce and that can be high in whole grains. Customers will find salads, frozen yogurt, bowls, soups, wraps, smoothies, and juices offered. In addition the Fort MacMurray Freshii also has a range of breakfast items to choose from as well. Not only will you find a lot of healthy choices and fresh produce but you can also customize the menu options to suit your tastes. Bowls are available with greens, brown rice, or even quinoa. Wraps can include traditional choices or they can have collard greens instead. Customers also have the option of adding one of many protein choices to anything on the menu, and the proteins available include shrimp, tofu, chicken, falafel, and steak.

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Alberta Economic

Fort MacMurray Would Be Harmed By Provincial Sales Tax

provincial sales tax, Fort MacMurray

A new provincial sales tax would be very detrimental to Fort MacMurray according to local leaders and business owners. Many in the local Fort MacMurray community are warning that the proposed tax could cause the entire Wood Buffalo area to see higher living expenses and make it very difficult for small businesses and lower income residents to survive. In recent months the treasury of Alberta has seen an increasing shortfall because oil prices have been steadily dropping, and Premiere Jim Prentice floated the idea of a provincial sales tax in order to make up for the millions in losses for oil revenue. In fact Prentice warned that failing to pass the proposed sales tax could leave Alberta with a shortfall of $7 billion.

When discussing the provincial sales tax Fort MacMurray Mayor Melissa Blake said “I recognize change is imminent during challenging times but I am not sure if a tax on sales is the way to go. When I think of a new tax, I think about the wage gaps in our community from low-income earners, such as in the hospitality and service sector, compared to those in the oilsands and higher paid industries.” Blake continued by stating “If there is a recessed economy or serious slowdown, that has fewer people going to local businesses. Certainly, considerations become more dire for anyone purchasing goods.” Nick Sanders, the President of the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce, told the media that “Before we go down that road, let’s look at our provincial expenditures. We definitely see it as an absolute and desperate last resort. Not having a sales tax seems to be something Albertans hold sacred. There are just other levers available for the province right now.”

 

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Entertainment Ft Mac

An Expectant Parent Casting Call Offers Unique Opportunity for Fort MacMurray Residents

Fort MacMurray, casting call, expectant parents
Fort MacMurray, casting call, expectant parents

A casting call for expectant parents in the Fort MacMurray area is providing residents with a unique opportunity. Toni Higginbotham, a casting director from Australia, will be directing a Samsung commercial for a new camera being launched by the electronics company. According to Higginbotham “The commercial is for a new camera that enables you to experience what you are watching as if you really were in the room. It’s cutting edge technology. We are hoping to cast a couple who are due for a birth in February, March or April 2015. The husband needs to be in a position where he would be missing the birth because he is off-shore or abroad … This will form the basis of a short film showcasing the benefits this technology can bring to those who are unable to be physically present at important life moments. The idea of using a real life story involving a husband who would otherwise miss the birth of his newborn will really show its value.”

The Fort MacMurray casting call for expectant parents does have some requirements. The ideal candidates will be scheduled to give birth by C-section, and both parents must be available so that they can be filmed during the birth of their child. The commercial will play in Australia for one year at least, and the casting call for expectant parents is a global project. The couple chosen will receive $10,000 AUD as compensation. Higginbotham continued by saying “This project represents an incredible opportunity for the husband to experience the birth of his child virtually in real time. In doing so, we place technology at the heart of the most human interactions we can have. We believe the end result will be highly positive for all involved.” Applications can be sent to Toni Higginbotham Casting (admin@tonihcasting.com.au), and are due by the end of January.

 

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Economic Ft Mac

Oil Price Drop Means Coming Cutbacks in Fort MacMurray

oil price drop, coming cutbacks, Fort MacMurray
oil price drop, coming cutbacks, Fort MacMurray

The recent oil price drop has many thinking about the coming cutbacks in Fort MacMurray, an oil boom town in Alberta, Canada. Past downturns in oil prices have caused problems in the area, but the city has continued to grow at a rapid pace. This time around a number of analysts are predicting that the oil price drop is not temporary though, and prices may stay depressed for some time to come. Most of the roughly 75,000 people who reside in and near Fort MacMurray depend on the nearby oilsands and the energy industry for employment. It costs more to produce oil from the oilsands than more traditional methods, so the drop in prices has a higher impact. This is also true for shadow workers, a population of around 60,000 who live and work in camps in the area.

It could take several months for the full effect of the oil price drop and coming cutbacks to be seen in Fort MacMurray because many of the employees are contract workers who move from one project to the next. Some are already starting to feel the chill of coming cutbacks. Shane Boersma, manager of the Driving Force which supplies trucks on a lease basis to those in the energy industry, told the media “I can’t say business as usual. We haven’t had so much a lot of returns of vehicles from our current customers but we’re seeing that there aren’t as many orders put in as you would normally see.” Wood Buffalo Brewing Company Steven Sachse said “We notice it in terms of our sales right now. There’s not as many business meetings happening. The biggest fear right now is how long it’s going to last. We can definitely weather the storm. We go down to business basics and ensure our costs don’t exceed our revenues.”