Fort McMurray Minute: Pipeline Support, Airport Closure, and Canada Day Beautification

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

This Week In Fort McMurray:

• On Tuesday, at 4:00 pm, there will be a Council Meeting. The meeting begins with a closed session, wherein Council will discuss a land matter. When the meeting opens up to the public, at 6:00 pm Council will discuss the Municipality's procurement processes. Councillor Dogar will bring forward a motion to direct City staff to install light displays for Canada Day and to encourage residents to “beautify and use light displays for Canada Day to commemorate our country.”
  
  
• The Communities in Bloom Committee will meet on Thursday at 6:00 pm. The agenda includes 2025 Flower of the Year Updates and a discussion about Community Gardening Day.
  
  
• From today until February 28th, Subzones 1 and 2 will undergo snow removal operations, with on-street parking restrictions from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm on designated days. Residents are asked to remove vehicles and curbside collection bins to allow crews to work efficiently. Snow removal can take longer due to hauling snow to disposal sites, so it's important to maintain a safe distance from equipment. Subzones 3 and 4 will have relaxed restrictions, with snow removal scheduled for March 3rd to 7th. Temporary no-parking signs will be placed in advance of snow removal.

Last Week In Fort McMurray:

• According to the most recent point in time count, Fort McMurray's homeless population has decreased from 200 in 2018 to 152. About a third of those individuals were living unsheltered, with many housed in emergency shelters or transitional housing. A partnership between social agencies and the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has led to significant progress in addressing unsheltered homelessness, including the removal of encampments. The Wood Buffalo Wellness Society’s Indigenous supportive housing program has also been providing housing and support services.
  
  
• A leaking fire hydrant temporarily closed Fort McMurray International Airport on Monday morning, leading to flight cancellations and delays. The airport was shut down at 7:30 am due to the water main leak, although it remained open for medical evacuations and non-commercial flights. The leak was traced to a fire hydrant, and operations resumed around 12:15 pm after crews restored water pressure. As a result, one flight each from WestJet and Air Canada was cancelled, and two WestJet flights were delayed. The airport is now back to normal operation.
  
  
• As trade tensions with the US continue, new polling revealed that pipelines are regaining support in Canada. Recent polling showed that 65% of Canadians now support an Energy East pipeline, with support even growing in Quebec. Energy analysts suggest that diversifying trade routes away from the US would strengthen Canada's negotiating power. The success of the Trans Mountain expansion project has also fueled optimism for interprovincial cooperation on energy projects.