Fort McMurray Minute: Issue 92

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

📅 This Week In Fort McMurray: 📅

• Merry Christmas! We hope you had a wonderful day with family, friends, and food! Thank you to every single one of our readers and supporters who reached out, donated, volunteered, or shared our content this year. We appreciate every single one of you and hope you have a wonderful holiday season.
  
  
• We usually reserve these weekly updates for sharing news and analysis, but as the year comes to a close, we want to be upfront with you. Our year-end fundraising campaign is underway, with a target of $10,000 to be met by December 31st. This funding is essential to sustaining our operations and allowing us to carry our work into the new year. If you find our work valuable and want to help ensure it continues, we’d be grateful if you would consider making a contribution. Even a modest gift makes a meaningful difference. You can donate by clicking here, and we sincerely thank you for being part of this effort.
  
  
• The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo received nearly $500,000 in federal funding to support new housing placements and staff aimed at reducing chronic homelessness. The $497,000 grant, provided through the Homelessness Reduction Innovation Fund, will fund 30 new housing placements and the hiring of two housing coordinators and a landlord support liaison. Municipal officials said the resources will improve access to housing through collaborative case conferencing and closer coordination with service providers and landlords. The project runs until August 31st, 2026, and is part of a national $45 million initiative by the Government of Canada and the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness. Fort McMurray is one of 16 communities selected in the first round.
  
  
• Erin Humphrey, a teacher at Elsie Fabian School in Fort McKay, has received one of Canada’s highest teaching honours, the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence, for her innovative approach to math instruction. As a numeracy support teacher for kindergarten to Grade 9, Humphrey integrates Cree, Dene, and Métis teachings into lessons. Elsie Fabian School, operated by Fort McKay First Nation, blends the Alberta curriculum with cultural teachings, language learning, and land-based education. Humphrey, a member of the McMurray Métis Association, also coaches volleyball and participates in youth activities. Local leaders praised her achievement as highlighting the importance of Indigenous-led education, while school officials noted it reflects the success of culturally grounded learning models.
  
  
• Fort McMurray’s family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration, The Craze, is returning on December 31st, 2025, at MacDonald Island Park. The free event runs from 12:00 pm to 4:30 pm and features a variety of activities for all ages, including bouncy castles, a craft carnival, speed climbing, drop-in badminton and pickleball, DJ skate sessions, kid’s play zones, outdoor skating, skating trails, sensory-friendly skating, face painters, wagon rides, a photo booth, and an obstacle course. The day of fun concludes with the New Year’s Eve Grand Finale and fireworks. Several activities are weather-dependent, such as outdoor skating, skating trails, and wagon rides, while other indoor activities take place across multiple arenas and concourses. More information and the full schedule is available on the MacDonald Island 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!