Tag: Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

Categories
Ft Mac Health

Restricted Area Access Tightened by Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

The procedures in place by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo for restricted area access have been tightened up for Abasand, Beacon Hill, and Waterways neighborhoods. The new procedures are designed to enhance security in the restricted access areas by keeping anyone except owners and approved individuals out of the areas. Anyone who is not a resident of the restricted area that they are trying to enter must be accompanied by a resident or have written authorization from a resident in order to get through. Photo identification issued by the government will need to be provided in order to check in for restricted area access, and a police officer will record the check in information provided. Any passenger traveling with a resident must also check in and provide identification. Every individual who checks in must also check out.

One way that the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has tightened up the restricted area access is by using colour coded wristbands to identify various contractors, insurers, and residents. Abasand residents will receive an orange wristband after they check in, residents of Beacon Hill will receive a blue wristband, and Waterways visitors will get a wristband that is white. RMWB contractors and employees will have an REOC ID tag with an outline in either red or blue. A green wristband will be provided for other contractors while a gray one will be given to insurance adjustors. Identification badges will be worn by security guards in the restricted access areas. This will streamline the process and identify anyone who should not be in these areas.

Categories
Economic Ft Mac Politics

Small Business Financial Relief Available From the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

Small business owners who meet certain requirements and were impacted by the recent wildfire may be eligible for small business financial relief from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. RMWB has partnered with Economic Developers Alberta to provide $1,000 to eligible businesses which meet all of the program criteria. The financial assistance actually comes from the Canadian Red Cross and there are a number of eligibility requirements that a business must meet in order to qualify. The council approved the financial relief as part of the Business and Economic Disaster Recovery Plan, which placed a priority on financial relief for the small businesses that needed it most. Fort McMurray Mayor Melissa Blake “Our businesses are resilient, but the wildfires have affected our community profoundly. We know that they need financial assistance as they begin working through the recovery process, and I encourage all small business owners in the municipality to apply for this support.”

In order to qualify for small business financial relief from the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo a business must have an RMWB business license which is currently active, and the business must be either headquartered or located within the municipality. Qualified businesses will also have fewer than 50 employees, but contractors do not count towards this number. Business owners who want to apply for the small business financial relief program can do so by registering their business with the RMWB Business Recovery Hotline, which can be reached by calling 1-855-RMWB-BIZ. Anyone who owns a small business which could be eligible for the program is encouraged to apply for financial assistance so that they can keep their business gong during the recovery process.

Categories
Ft Mac Politics

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Needs New Members for Wood Buffalo Housing and Development Corporation Board and Landlord and Tenant Advisory Boards

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is in need of new board members for the Wood Buffalo Housing and Development Corporation board since four members stepped down and resigned on April 20 and 21. This occurred shortly after Bryan Lutes, the long time president of the board, departed the organization. On April 20th board chair Dan Fouts resigned, and so did vice chair Susanne Manning and treasurer Doug Allen. The next day on April 21 board member Scott Gillis also resigned, leaving only 6 board members remaining. The municipality will be accepting applications for a position on the board until May 16, 2016 at 4:30 p.m. MST. Anyone who is interested in one of the available positions can contact the RMWB in order to learn more about the requirements for each open position.

In addition to Wood Buffalo Housing and Development Corporation board members the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo also needs members for the Landlord and Tenant Advisory Boards. Municipal residents who are interested in serving on any of the boards that have open seats can apply by visiting rmwb.ca/boards to learn more or to download the application form that is needed. All applications, both for the Wood Buffalo Housing and Development Corporation Board and the Landlord and Tenant Advisory Boards, must be received by the deadline of May 16, 2016 at 4:30 p.m. MST to be considered. Application submission can be done using email buy sending the application to legislative.assistants@rmwb.ca or the application can be submitted in person at the Jubilee Building, 7th floor, Legal and Legislative Services department.

Categories
Alberta Economic Ft Mac

Several Senior City Managers in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Let Go

Several senior city managers in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo have been let go, including Brian Moore who was the executive director of planning and regional development, Kola Oladimeji who was director of financial services, Emdad Haque who was director of engineering, and Bradley Evanson who was director of planning and development. Confirmation that all four senior city managers are no longer employed by the municipality was made but no further comment was given because the issue is a personnel matter. According to Coun. Phil Meagher “Obviously [Chief Administrative Officer Marcel Ulliac] has made some decisions and we have to live with them.” Since there were four senior city managers who were let go it is doubtful that the terminations were because of misconduct or other cause, instead the managers may have been let go because of economic reasons.

The termination of the four senior city managers by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is a sign that there is still an economic struggle going on in the region. Wood Buffalo depends in a large part on the oil industry and the oil companies who operate in the nearby oilsands. With oil still at very low prices and oil companies cutting back on expenses and spending it is possible that the municipality is doing the same and trying to reduce costs when this can be done. There have not been any reports about whether the employees who are no longer employed received any severance or other benefits. Further details about the senior city managers being let go may become public in the next few weeks.

Categories
Alberta Economic Entertainment Ft Mac

2018 Alberta Winter Games Will be Hosted by Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

It is official. The 2018 Alberta Winter Games will be hosted by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Many expect these games to boost the local economy and bring in large crowds in 2018, although not everyone was fully behind bidding on the games in the beginning. One of the initial naysayers was Fort McMurray Mayor Melissa Blake, who was concerned that a successful bid might not be possible with the time available. After the amount of community support Mayor Blake changed her vote to approve the bid. Blake discussed Wood Buffalo being the official host of the games and said “We have got just exactly what council was looking for, and I know that I have got just exactly what I was looking for today.”

As the official host of the 2018 Alberta Winter Games the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo will receive $370,000 from Alberta Sport towards the cost of hosting the games. Since the stadiums and arensa necessary are already available in the region Wood Buffalo is a good choice. The games allow kids between 11 and 17 to compete in a competition of winter sports, and participants come from all over the region. The final bid that was submitted, and which won, includes a budget of $6.8 million $2.3 million of the budget is allotted for accommodations, and another $1.7 million has been set aside to cover staffing costs associated with the games. The only councillor who voted against the final bid package was Coun. Tyran Ault.

Categories
Alberta Ft Mac

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Announces Work on Fort Chipewyan Winter Road has Started

Fort Chipewyan winter road, Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has announced that work has started on the Fort Chipewyan winter road, and the road is expected to open in the middle of this month. The temperatures during the day have been warm, making day time work on the road next to impossible. The RMWB issued a press release that explained crews will be doing the work at night because of the current temperatures, and this will continue until the temperatures during the day have fallen to “acceptable freezing ranges.” The municipality also stated that almost all of the northern rivers are getting close to the required thickness for light passenger travel. The Richardson River is an exception though, and the water trucks and road prep crews have made it this far but the ice is still not close to the thickness needed.

The Fort Chipewyan winter road covers close to 200 kilometres, winding through boreal forest and covering frozen streams, lakes, and rivers to allow travel. The announcement by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo detailed that grading crews for the winter road were as far as the Lencucha Bridge, and the crews from Fort Chipewyan have already graded across the Rivière des Rochers and the area is prepared for the flooding stage. The municipality will announce any relevant updates on their official website, and also through social media channels. Engineering crews for the municipality will be constantly monitoring the compliance with regulations as well as the thickness o the ice on the winter road.