Tag: Wood Buffalo

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Economic Ft Mac

Temporary Foreign Workers Earn Less in Wood Buffalo, Leading to Complaints

Wood Buffalo, temporary foreign workers
Wood Buffalo, temporary foreign workers

In Wood Buffalo temporary foreign workers are being paid less than Canadian workers by construction companies, and some of the TFWs are working in the Athabasca oilsands. The Alberta Federation of Labour has received documentation that hundreds of companies in Wood Buffalo and Alberta are being allowed to pay TFWs far below what Canadian workers would receive for the same positions, titles, and work duties. AFL president Gil McGowan released a statement explaining “In June, the federal government introduced changes that will make it harder for low-wage employers to get access to TFWs. What these documents show is that the problem is not solved; it’s just moving up the wage ladder.” Many Canadian workers believe that companies are hiring temporary foreign workers in order to cut costs when there are Canadian workers who are just as qualified but who would require a higher wage.

The temporary foreign workers in Wood Buffalo are often paid quite a bit less than Canadian workers with the same skill sand qualifications. The construction industry is not the only industry with high numbers of temporary foreign workers in Wood Buffalo, fast food businesses and other industries also tend to have larger numbers of TFWs. Some Canadian workers feel that these numbers are unfair, and that companies prefer TFWs over citizens because they can pay lower wages and fewer benefits. The Canadian government is monitoring the situation and changes may be made to current laws and legislation in order to provide a level playing field for Canadian workers.

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Wood Buffalo Offered Plenty of Culture in Recent Days

Wood Buffalo, culture
Wood Buffalo, culture

Recently Wood Buffalo has had plenty of culture to offer to residents, thanks to Culture Days. There were more than 17 cultural events held in a 5 day period, giving visitors and residents both plenty of artistic activities and items to choose from. The Wood Buffalo Alberta Culture Days was held from September 24 through September 28, and many people attended at least one of the activities that were offered during this time. According to Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo’s cultural coordinator Theresa Joliffe “Alberta Culture Days brings together all of our cultural community groups, including arts groups, dance groups, multicultural groups… over one weekend and they produce free events for our community,.They’ve been working together since the beginning of March, here, to come up with various events to showcase the talent within our community, it’s pretty amazing.”

Some of the recent culture events in Wood Buffalo included the Dance Till Dark music and dance celebration, the MacDonald Island Park Handcrafts Fair, and the showcase for dance called The World Meets in Wood Buffalo. Theresa Joliffe talked about the importance of culture exposure, saying “I think it might open somebody’s eye, give them an option to try new things that they may have never tried before, and look into other opportunities to get involved in these events… or community groups. I think it’s really great that they make everything accessible so that community people can really try something new.” Participants could also take advantage of events like Come to the Caberet, the Nicely Put Together Band, Identity Day, and many others.

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Penhorwood Owners Upset Over Letter Perceived as Threatening, Wood Buffalo Municipality Apologizes

Penhorwood, Wood Buffalo
Penhorwood, Wood Buffalo

 

Penhorwood owners are quite upset over a letter received by the Wood Buffalo Municipality, and many say that they feel threatened because of the harsh letter that was sent to them. The municipality has formally apologized if the letter seemed harsh, and said that it was not the intention of the municipality to deal harshly with the Penhorwood owners. The letter demanded that the owners demolish the building, and stated that they faced steep fines and possibly imprisonment if the demolition was not performed. Penhorwood Condo Association President Christine Burton stated “We’ve been getting very panicked phone calls. They are in a state of complete panic over these letters. We certainly didn’t want them to do it this way. I know no one intended this harshness, but they have perceived this as being a threat.”

The letter from Wood Buffalo that some Penhorwood owners perceived as threatening was not intended that way according to the municipality. Mayor Melissa Blake explained “Council is completely in favour of the demolition of those buildings. But the way the legislation was written does not convey the will of council at all. It was a very concerning letter but not intentionally so.” RMWB’s legal services director David Leflar sent an open letter to Penhorwood owners and tenants stating “Please be assured that the Regional Municipality has absolutely no intention of charging or prosecuting anyone for not demolishing these buildings. What should have accompanied the letter was a cover letter assuring residents they had nothing to fear. We understand that our failure to do so has caused many of you a great deal of stress, and for that we sincerely apologize. The Order was not intended as any kind of threat of prosecution, and we deeply regret that some of you read it that way.”

 

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Wood Buffalo Residents Find Out About the Purple 3

Wood Buffalo, 3 things movement
Wood Buffalo, 3 things movement

Wood Buffalo residents recently found out what the deal was about the roving purple number 3 that has been spotted, and it involves a community engagement campaign called the 3 things movement. This is a new initiative by the municipality to engage residents and encourage them to make a difference 3 things at a time. More about the initiative can be found at the website 3thingsforwoodbuffalo.com. According to committee member Paula Ogonoski “(It’s) a way to remind us that we can all be doing small steps to make our community that much better. It was a comfortable number. It’s not a huge number in that it feels overwhelming, but it is a number that still feels like it’s impactful. We can all do three things.”

The 3 things movement in Wood Buffalo started with a single resident. The resident was concerned that the zero tolerance signs displayed by businesses in the area promoted a negative image. According to Ogonoski “There’s a lot of businesses in the community that have these signs that say ‘Zero tolerance toward verbal or physical abuse,’ and some businesses, I’m sure, feel they’re necessary, but it really does put a negative stigma in people’s minds about what the community is like. Especially if you’re new to the community.” Paula continued by saying “There’s lots of things people can be doing, but one of the things that comes up quite a lot is waving in traffic. It can be kind of frustrating when someone doesn’t wave to say thank you, and it can make such a significant difference to your morning or afternoon when you have that positive exchange between two drivers.”

 

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Will Wood Buffalo Taxi Drivers Strike?

Wood Buffalo, taxi drivers
Wood Buffalo, taxi drivers

 

Local taxi drivers in Wood Buffalo recently started negotiating with the Taxicab Advisory Committee and the municipal council members, but it is still possible that the drivers could end up going on strike on September 6 if their demands are not met. One of the biggest issues that Wood Buffalo taxi drivers have is the $3 surcharge every time the driver goes to the new airport but this is not the only issue involved. When the old airport was in place Wood Buffalo drivers paid an $250 per year fee to take fares to and from the airport but this ended when a new contract was negotiated for the new airport. Other issues that have drivers upset is the annual cost of the license, and another is the lack of benefits that drivers have on the job.

What happens if Wood Buffalo taxi drivers decide to strike in early September? There may not be an available taxi when residents or visitors need one. According to both sides the other side is wrong, and many Wood Buffalo taxi drivers feel that the new $3 per airport fare is steep, and that this should not be charged to the customer either. Abdihanan Hussein, the Taxi Driver Committee representative, “We’re the ones saying you cannot charge this to the customer. Sun Taxi wanted to charge this to the customer. I don’t want to see the customer paying $3 or the driver. But I could shut my mouth and say nothing and charge the customer. So that $1 million is between us and the customer.”

 

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The Best of Wood Buffalo App Already Popular

Wood Buffalo, new app for residents and visitors
Wood Buffalo, new app for residents and visitors

A new app for residents and visitors to Wood Buffalo was a hit as soon as it was released. The app is called the Best of Wood Buffalo, and it helps people find the best places for the activities that are desired. Whether you are looking for a great restaurant, the best store to find clothes or household goods, or even looking for the most popular sites in the area the new app for residents and visitors can help you find what you are looking for in minutes. The top services, amenities, and locations in Wood Buffalo are now easy to find and quick to locate with just a few keystrokes or clicks of the mouse. There is a website and free apps for mobile phone users to make it accessible to almost everyone.

The Best of Wood Buffalo, the new app for residents and visitors both, can be used to scan any QR codes that are posted in stores, vote for services and establishments which they have chosen as the best, and much more. According to Kenton Price, Community Futures Wood Buffalo executive director, “Every corner you turn, you see the demand for engagement in this community. There’s a lot of people that want to be engaged, sometimes it falls flat, and this is a perfect avenue of which to get that started. What we hope for is this being the centre for what people want to do when they’re in town. Where do they go? The first thing that you do is open our app, and that’s what we want.”