Fort McMurray Minute: Issue 82

Fort McMurray Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Fort McMurray politics

📅 This Week In Fort McMurray: 📅

• It’s Election Day for Fort McMurray / Wood Buffalo! Polls are open from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. In case you missed it, check out our 2025 Municipal Election Survey, revealing where Mayoral and Council candidates stand on key issues like safety, affordability, taxation, and accountability. We have published their unedited responses so voters can make informed choices. Some candidates answered, others declined - but all responses, or lack thereof, offer insight into their priorities.
  
  
• Our friends at the Alberta Parents’ Union have officially launched the School Board Trustee Survey 2025! After extensive research, outreach, and review, this survey offers the most detailed look at school board candidates’ positions ever compiled in Alberta. It covers key topics like parental involvement, student safety, academic performance, and transparency. You can access it here.
  
  
• The Municipality’s 2025 election results will take longer than usual due to provincial legislation banning electronic vote tabulators. Ballots will be counted manually by over 300 election workers across 345 shifts, starting after polls close on October 20th and continuing the next morning. The Municipality is using the Kangaroo Board method, adopted from the UK, which organizes ballots into stacks of 25 on transparent boards to ensure accuracy and ease of counting. Each row of votes is counted by one person and double-checked by another, with totals verified before moving to the next batch. Counting will be faster in rural wards due to fewer voters, while Fort McMurray’s multiple-Councillor wards and School Trustee elections will take longer. Security measures are in place, and ballots are counted on-site to comply with provincial rules. Unofficial results are expected on October 21st, with official results by noon on October 24th. 
  
  
• Mitchell’s Café, a downtown Fort McMurray institution since 1996, closed its doors at the end of September, marking the end of nearly three decades of Sunshine Bread and made-from-scratch sandwiches. The final days saw long lines of loyal customers eager for one last taste of favourites like the Sweet Heat, turkey cranberry, and honey mustard pulled pork sandwiches. Owner Owen Erskine, who began at the café as a dishwasher and took over in 2014, cited rising costs, staffing challenges, and personal considerations as reasons for closing, despite the café remaining financially stable. The closure reflects broader challenges for downtown businesses, including changing dining habits, increased overhead, and reduced foot traffic. Mitchell’s stood out for its homemade menu and community atmosphere, fostering a connection that many locals remember fondly. Though the café won’t continue under a new owner or in cookbook form, Erskine shared the Sweet Heat recipe as a parting gift to the community. The final day was emotional, with many waiting hours to savour the last sandwiches and bread.
  
  
• The Municipality has launched its winter maintenance season and is encouraging residents to sign up for Winter Maintenance Zone (WMZ) email alerts. While all subzones are currently relaxed, parking restrictions will be enforced once subzones are activated. Snowbanks over 15 centimetres created by plows will be cleared from driveways in active zones. Residents are also reminded to remove personal items like basketball nets or curb mats from streets to avoid damage or delays during snow clearing. Temporary no-parking signs may appear on busier streets outside the WMZ program, and vehicles not moved within 24 hours could be ticketed or towed. Every residential street has an assigned subzone and weekday for maintenance, with restrictions applying from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. Information on subzones, schedules, and alerts is available on the Municipality’s website.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

This week's sponsor is you! We don't have big corporate backers, so if you like what you're reading, please consider making a donation or signing up as a monthly member.

Having said that, if you are a local business and are interested in being a sponsor, send us an email and we'll talk!