News

RMWB Launches Snow Angels Volunteer Program for Winter 2024-2025 FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta— The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) is seeking volunteers for its Snow Angels program. The campaign pairs community members with volunteers to clear driveways and sidewalks for residents who cannot do so due to age, mobility issues, or health concerns. Snow Angels […]

Alberta Premier Proposes Expansive Amendments to Provincial Bill of Rights EDMONTON, Alberta— The UCP government has tabled Bill-24, which proposes several amendments to Alberta’s Bill of Rights. The government says the revisions aim to broaden personal freedoms and expand the Bill’s protections. Among the changes in Bill 24 are the right to refuse vaccines and […]

FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta—The Royal Canadian Legion’s annual Poppy Campaign is underway. The local drive kicked off on Friday at Fort McMurray’s Legion Branch 165 in Waterways, where Legion President Michael Gray pinned the first poppy for Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo on Mayor Sandy Bowman. At the traditional pinning, Mayor Bowman spoke of his appreciation for […]

Contractor Facing Charges in 2023 Worker Death at Mildred Lake FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta— Pacific Rim Industrial faces charges under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act following the death of a worker at Syncrude’s Mildred Lake site in June 2023. The contractor’s employee, Milo Sagmoen , was working on a Chemtrade building where he was removing construction […]

Manhunt in Lac La Biche Area Ends with Arrest of Armed Suspect LAC LA BICHE, Alberta — A four-day manhunt in the Lac La Biche area ended Sunday with the arrest of Peter Hamelin near Beaver Lake, Alberta. The search for Hamelin began on Thursday after the Heart Lake First Nation was forced to shelter […]

Support Staff Strike Action at Fort McMurray Schools Could Begin Next Week FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta— Support staff in Fort McMurray’s Catholic and Public School divisions could go on strike as early as next week. CUPE representatives said Sunday that the Alberta government has finally responded to the union’s rejection of the Disputes Inquiry Board’s (DIB) […]

Alberta Sees Spike in Employment Insurance Claims Amid Rising Unemployment Unemployment in Alberta rose in August, with the province recording one of the highest rates of joblessness in Canada. Recent data from Statistics Canada shows the unemployment rate in Alberta reached 8.1 per cent in August 2024, a 1.9 per cent increase in Employment Insurance […]

Athabasca Tribal Council Cultural Festival Draws 14,000 Attendees in Fort McMurray FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta— The Athabasca Tribal Council (ATC) has released the numbers from its 2024 Cultural Festival. From September 12th to 15th, the celebration drew over 14,000 attendees to Snye Point Park making it one of the largest annual cultural gatherings in Fort McMurray […]

Inuktut Language Debuts in Google Translate In a significant step toward Indigenous reconciliation, Google has added Inuktut, a Canadian Indigenous language, to its Google Translate service. This marks the first time a language from Canada’s Indigenous communities has been included in the popular translation app. Inuktut, spoken by approximately 40,000 people across Canada, is a […]

Wood Buffalo Economic Development Faces Major Governance Shake-up FORT MCMURRAY, AB — For the second time in just seven months, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) has made a significant change to the governance structure of Wood Buffalo Economic Development and Tourism (WBEDT). During a meeting on Wednesday, RMWB Council authorized Mayor Sandy Bowman […]