Fort McMurray Exclusives

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The Forever Canadian Unity Bus stopped at Heritage Village on August 13 as part of its tour across Alberta.Founded by fo...
08/14/2026

The Forever Canadian Unity Bus stopped at Heritage Village on August 13 as part of its tour across Alberta.

Founded by former Alberta deputy premier Thomas Lukaszuk, the Forever Canadian movement supports Alberta remaining part of Canada and has been travelling across the province with its unity message.

Hundreds of people reportedly came out during the Fort McMurray stop to pick up signs and show their support.

The movement grew out of a successful citizen initiative petition asking Albertans whether Alberta should remain in Canada. Elections Alberta counted 438,568 valid signatures, with 404,293 verified through statistical sampling.

The visit comes as Alberta’s separation debate continues ahead of the October 19 referendum, which will include a question about whether Alberta should remain a province of Canada or begin the legal process toward a future binding referendum on separation.

What do you think is driving Alberta’s separation debate, and has your opinion changed over time?

Sources: Elections Alberta, Government of Alberta, Alberta Forever Canadian

📸 Photos: Jeff Cromwell, Thomas Lukaszuk

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YMM HIDDEN GEM: The Wood Buffalo Viewing Point and Bison Sanctuary. Just north of Fort McMurray along Highway 63 is a ro...
08/14/2026

YMM HIDDEN GEM: The Wood Buffalo Viewing Point and Bison Sanctuary.

Just north of Fort McMurray along Highway 63 is a roadside stop that many people may drive past without realizing what’s there.

The bison are part of a reclamation project started by Syncrude and Fort McKay in 1993, when 30 wood bison were introduced to reclaimed oil sands land to see if the restored landscape could support native wildlife.

Today, about 300 bison roam across three reclaimed areas near Syncrude’s Mildred Lake site. 📈🦬

Wood bison are the largest living bison in the world and North America’s largest land mammal. Adult males can weigh more than 1,000 kg (2,200 lb).

The viewing point gives you a chance to spot some of them roaming the landscape, with Syncrude’s Mildred Lake operation in the distance.

Fun fact: despite the name Wood Buffalo Viewing Point, the animals you’re looking at are actually wood bison. Bison and buffalo aren’t technically the same animal. 👀

Have you ever seen a wood bison in person? If you’ve visited the Wood Bison Viewpoint, did you get to see the herd?

Know someone who’s never stopped here? Send this to them. 👀

Sources: Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo, Fort McKay Group of Companies, Parks Canada

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Favorable conditions for funnel clouds today 🌪Funnel clouds are rotating columns of air extending from a cloud but not t...
08/14/2026

Favorable conditions for funnel clouds today 🌪

Funnel clouds are rotating columns of air extending from a cloud but not touching the ground. A tornado occurs when that rotation reaches the ground. Funnel clouds can develop into tornadoes, but many never do.

Fort McMurray officially lost its city status more than 30 years ago.On April 1, 1995, the City of Fort McMurray amalgam...
08/14/2026

Fort McMurray officially lost its city status more than 30 years ago.

On April 1, 1995, the City of Fort McMurray amalgamated with Improvement District No. 143, creating the Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

Then, on August 14, 1996, the municipality officially became the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, giving us the RMWB name we know today.

As part of the amalgamation, Fort McMurray became an urban service area within the larger specialized municipality, a designation it still holds today.

Three decades later, Fort McMurray remains the region’s largest urban centre, and despite its official status, “the city” is still what many locals call home.

When you think of Fort McMurray, is it a city or a town to you?

Sources: Alberta Municipal Affairs, Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

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08/13/2026

When you’re +10 through three holes and the local bear quits for you. 🐻⛳

What are you doing here? 😂

⛳ Finishing the round with the clubs that fell out of the bag
🏠 Cutting your losses and going home
🏎️ Jumping in the golf cart in hot pursuit
🍹 Forgetting the clubs and starting on the drinks from the cart

Not filmed in Fort McMurray.
🎥 Video: Mathew Bearheart

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Alberta is investing $100 million to address growing classroom complexity in preparation for the 2026–27 school year.The...
08/13/2026

Alberta is investing $100 million to address growing classroom complexity in preparation for the 2026–27 school year.

The funding, first announced in June, will add 221 teams across the province. Alberta says classrooms are becoming more complex as schools deal with a wider range of learning, behavioural and emotional needs, alongside rapid student growth.

Of the 221 teams, 158 will support Grades 7–12 and 63 will support Kindergarten to Grade 6. Every public, separate and francophone school authority will receive at least one.

$75 million will go toward the new teams, while the remaining $25 million will support staff training and remote schools.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides highlighted the training today, which will help school staff prevent, de-escalate and respond to behavioural challenges.

💬 Do you think this $100 million is going where it’s needed most? What do you think is driving growing “classroom complexity” in our schools?

Sources: Government of Alberta, Fort McMurray Public School Division
📸 Photo: FMPSD

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FORT MAC FIX: Changes could bring new life and more people to downtown.Downtown has been at the heart of Fort McMurray s...
08/12/2026

FORT MAC FIX: Changes could bring new life and more people to downtown.

Downtown has been at the heart of Fort McMurray since the community’s early days, a hub for business, shopping, services and everyday life.

There’s always room to make it better, and everyone seems to have a different idea of what could bring new energy downtown.

🍽️ More restaurants and patios?
🛍️ More local shops?
🎶 More entertainment and nightlife?
🏠 More housing?
🌳 More parks and green space?
🚗 Better parking and accessibility?
🎉 More events and activities?

What do you think should be changed downtown to make people want to go there more often?

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Tonight marks the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, but cloudy conditions could make viewing difficult around Fort McMu...
08/12/2026

Tonight marks the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, but cloudy conditions could make viewing difficult around Fort McMurray.

If the clouds don’t cooperate, there are still more chances. The Perseids will remain active Thursday and Friday and continue through August 24, although activity will gradually decrease after the peak.

If skies clear, your best bet is to find a dark spot away from city lights, give your eyes time to adjust and look toward the open sky. No telescope or binoculars are needed.

The Gregoire Lake area or other darker spots outside the city could offer better viewing conditions.

Planning to watch? Where will you be watching from?

Source: Environment Canada & International Meteor Organization

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On August 12, 1927, Robert C. Fitzsimmons formed the International Bitumen Company Ltd. with an ambitious goal: finding ...
08/12/2026

On August 12, 1927, Robert C. Fitzsimmons formed the International Bitumen Company Ltd. with an ambitious goal: finding a practical way to develop the Athabasca oil sands commercially.

The company operated at Bitumount, about 90 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, where Fitzsimmons worked on ways to separate bitumen from the sand. By 1930, a small separation plant had been built.

The company later changed hands and became Oil Sands Ltd. The Alberta government eventually took over the Bitumount project, where experiments with hot-water separation helped demonstrate how bitumen could be separated from the oil sands on a larger scale.

Although Bitumount never became the large commercial operation Fitzsimmons envisioned, its early work became part of the foundation for what followed.

Decades later, large-scale oil sands development would transform Fort McMurray and the surrounding region.

Now, 99 years after the International Bitumen Company was formed, this early chapter of our region’s oil sands history is just one year away from its 100th anniversary.

💬 What do you think Fort McMurray’s oil sands industry will look like 99 years from now?

Source: Government of Alberta , Alberta Energy Heritage
📸: Provincial Archives of Alberta

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