63 Replies to “McMurray Fires”

  1. I’ve been talking on the radio with some American hams about what’s been happening in and around Fort McMurray. One mentioned that it reminded him of what took place around Red Lake a while back. Another one has been following the news about it.
    Even the “New York Times” had an item about Fort Mac on its main page the other day.

  2. A friend of my wife’s works in the patch. She used to be an ambulance attendant, and was working as a haul truck driver. She got flown out today. From what she had to say about what she’s seen, done, and heard over the last few days:
    She was one of the volunteers for triage on the incoming flood, and the mining companies provided as much health care as they could under the circumstances. This included check-ups and free dental work for some who didn’t have the benefits packages that the mine workers take for granted. The camps to the north of Fort Mac usually house the mine’s workers, but they were hosting around 20,000 people according to our friend. Most of the camps also have runways, and some of the mining companies are reportedly offering flights from the mines to anywhere in Canada with their normal shift-change planes (that went to most parts of Canada anyway as part of the agreements with their workers and the signing conditions.
    God bless and God help those afflicted. May their troubles be eased and their hearts strengthened by this challenge.
    Sadly, it is only through the worst of times that you can find out who the heroes in a society are. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more of the works of heroism in the near future.

  4. “Meanwhile, donations have been pouring in”
    This I can attest to. Early yesterday afternoon (a Friday) I went to the LCBO to pick up some wine. At the check-out, I was asked if I’d like to donate a few dollars to the Red Cross for Fort McMurray.
    I asked the young woman at the counter what the response had been like so far. “We are utterly overwhelmed,” she replied, “almost every customer today has donated at least five dollars, many have tossed in 10 dollars, and a good number have even given us twenty.”

  5. It’s good to hear there’s some relief in sight. A lot of homes are destroyed but so far, no one physically injured apparently. I’ve contributed what I can to the relief effort and it’s heartwarming to know that people across the country are chipping in when the chips are down so to speak.
    As an aside, and not to make the thing political since I’m sure Notley is doing the best she can under the circumstances, up to now I’d been a bit ambivalent about Brian Jean as Wildrose leader and potential premier. After this he will have my complete backing. He’s demonstrated incredible courage under fire (literally) in the face of considerable personal loss.
    This event also points up the need for better management of forests and green spaces close to human habitation and infrastructure. Eco-nuts be damned — some trees simply need to be cut down to protect human life and property from fire.

  6. Jean’s been in the Fort McMurray area for the past few days. Notley flew over it in a helicopter. Even Rona Ambrose visited evacuees in Edmonton.
    Our prime minister? His response was along the line of “now’s not the time”.

  7. Is the red cross the best way to help out with this situation?
    I have my doubts about that. I wonder how much they pocket for themselves.

  9. I’m sure the Red Cross would face the same heat as they did after 9/11 if they weren’t to distribute all the donations to those affected.

  10. Hearing Wildrose Leader Brian Jean explain the Situation clearly and succinctly adds to my impression of Him as a Credible Alternative.

  11. Lets start putting those tree huggers on these fires after all if their so interested in saving the trees lets see them help with disasteroius fires start with tree sitter Julia(Butterfly)Hill and his band of fellow tree sitters/huggers

  12. Fort Mac and Alberta will never recover from the Carbon Tax’s Rachel Nutley will charge for this fire.

  13. NB >
    Trudeau and Nutley need to be investigated and charged accordingly with their involvement in the Red Cross scandal!

  14. To be fair, Notley’s been more professional about the situation in Fort McMurray in the past few days. That was quite a change from when she played CYA in response to Jean raking her over the coals in the Legislature and she accused him of “fear-mongering”.
    Reality has a tendency to focus one’s mind.
    On the other hand, aside from that stupid remark by what’s-his-face about “karma” or some such thing, there’s hardly been a peep from the rest of the NDP.

  15. You just wait till the enviro-tards and bureaucrats get stupid when the rebuild efforts get started. Using their well honed skills at being obstructive knobs, they’ll make life hell for anyone wanting to replace their homes. Mark my words.

  16. Yup, its too bad that Fort Mac wasn’t full of Syrians. The response from PM Poof would be over the top, instead of staying where its nice and safe in Queerbec

  17. I was thinking the same thing. Not the most glib, polished speaker, but he is certainly under stress right now. Sounds serious, and involved, and sincere.
    Not wanting to donate via Red Cross, are there credible alternatives?

  18. I donated to the Salvation Army and Pay Pal is waiving their fees. I know the govt is doubling the contributions to the Red Cross, but I know all the money I donated will be used for the people at Fort McMurray this way.

  20. A question for the greenies: How do you think you would have fared in the evacuation in your electric cars when they ran out of power in the stop and go lineups? Would you have consented to being saved by a gas guzzling F350 towing your useless piece of junk away from the destruction?
    Gasoline enabled people to evacuate not electricity.

  21. Say what one likes about our PM, he is the leader of our country and is supposed to act like it. The people of Canada look to him for leadership and wise and sage counsel.
    However, this is the third major crisis since he took office 6 months ago (Paris attack, hostage death in the Philippines, and now this), and, each time, his response has been lukewarm at best. When will he finally grow up and take charge like he’s supposed to or is that a foolish fantasy?

  22. Sorry, but Trudeau’s right on this,this is no time to drag the Trudeau Media Circus to Fort Mac,while there’s still serious work to be done.

  23. The funds raised from 2013 High River flood were never completely distributed. Personal experience. They were chastised for holding the funds raised at the concert held at McMahon Stadium. I will never donate to them again.

  24. The lukewarm response to this catastrophe by the Federal Government is a true indication that the Liberals were not ready to govern. The billions given away to foreign aid in the first six months of power have left the Liberal government coffers bare and unable to provide a decent re-action to a Canadian calamity. Three days into a mass evacuation of this dimension and PM selfie is dithering better than Paul Martin ever did. Perhaps this will be the catalyst that will bring Canadians to their senses, the money wasted on foreign aid and on the UN would be better spent here in Canada. We have wasted enough money on questionable overseas aid and now we require a government that can do more that match Canadian donations.

  25. Seems like the force is strong in Brian Jean and he’s showing what good leadership is all about. I think it will go a long way in winning the next election for Wildrose.

  26. Government matching = your tax dollars. You are donating twice. Or it is borrowed. You do understand this right?

  27. That is absolutely true, same story at my local LCBO, I was a fifth line watching people in fornt of me all donated.

  29. True, but that’s not how many people will see it. They’ll interpret it as hesitation or even outright cowardice. I mean, he could easily be on an RCAF jet and have a first-hand view as he flies over. I haven’t heard of him doing that.
    Fort McMurray could turn out to be our prime minister’s Hurricane Katrina. (“Gerry Butts, you’re doing a heck of a job….”)

  30. Not sure if some of the gofundme Ft. McMurray requests are all legit, but have donated to Ft. McMurray Firefighters because there are rescue workers who have lost their homes themselves and continue fighting fires.
    Kind of pathetic with Ralph Goodale as the spokesperson for the Liberals as they only have four members from Alberta and all from urban centres.

  31. Sorry Don he and you are not right on this. No one says he has to land in the middle of the blaze.
    If this was a Quebec town, you would see images of Trudeau sleves rolled up at the shelter, helping with blankets, giveing out water, offering solace to individuals.
    So Prime Minister Selfie is now going to pass up the opportunity to showcase his compassion? Because now is not the time?
    Remember when George W Bush stood atop a pile of what used to be the World Trade center. Whether you like Bush or not, that was a moment of true leadership. Its what you do when you are the leader of a nation.
    This idiot man child has no business being PM, and he demonstrates it every single day and every time he opens his lisping, vacuous, idiot yap.
    He is not going because he and every other progressive just had thier wetest of dreams come true. A few of them got out the message early on what they viewed as Karma, and took the opportunity (Elizabeth May) to politic climate change while the town still was burning.
    Then they realized that as much as many Canadians may mouth platitudes toward climate change, they take no joy in watching a city burn down.
    Progressives did and do, and no face compassion is going to change that. These are sick people and that are in power.

  32. Notice how Brian is positive and forward looking.
    Where as the Libtards and NDP all seem to wallow in the “tragedy” and almost take pleasure in Alberta’s pain.
    Notley does a fine deer in the headlights job.

  33. It’s a bit more complicated than the picture you paint, but you are right that people will not be able to rebuild very quickly.
    The damage from the fire isn’t only structural, but there will be contaminated soil and water to deal with. Very few insurers will want to cut a check to rebuild a house on a property that’s contaminated with PAHs, dioxins,furans,etc.
    The municipality probably doesn’t have enough space in their landfill to handle all of the water that will be generated. It will likely have to be expanded and hazardous waste tricked elsewhere…
    Blame bureaucrats all you want, but they’re not all jerks.

  34. Maybe I am being churlish, but the offer the Feds made to MATCH donations made by Canadians sounds as though it is some OPTIONAL Bono charity scheme a million miles from Canada.

  35. The Red Cross … I prefer to call it by its modern incarnation … The Red Crescent, has never met a disaster that it didn’t like. Same as with American leftists. They exploit and fan the flames (sorry) of “fear” with each disaster to swell their coffers. Their work on the ground is mostly symbolic and shambolic … like setting up tents with big Red crescents (er … crosses) and handing out blankets and granola bars. The Red crescent/cross pay their executives million dollar salaries, bonuses, expenses, etc. so over the top to be disgusting. They are the prototypical “non-profit” that pays such HUGE administrative salaries and costs as to have -0- money left over to actually “help” the disaster victims as promised (see: Clinton Foundation). Donate DIRECTLY via a number of web based giving options … or thru reliable church org’s.

  36. What makes that particularly extraordinary is that his own house burned down. He knows first-hand what his constituents are having to deal with.

  37. …the offer the Feds made to MATCH donations made by Canadians…
    Seems their first thought is always how they can emotionally manipulate people. These people are freaks and shouldn’t be in charge of anything.

  38. Right, while CBC and has abandoned the “climate change is responsible routine”, at least temporarily, and Lizzie May has shut her abundant trap, others are not so reticent. Thus BBC has a whole article up claiming exactly that, with local spokesmen from Alta universities to back up the assertion. I’m sure these anti petroleum zealots will not be silenced very long, secretly they must be overjoyed that this has come to pass. Whoever said no crisis should go to waste, people certainly will be attempting to further their green agenda with this disaster.

  39. Blame bureaucrats all you want, but they’re not all jerks.
    But they are all parasites who feed off the wealth of the population, and pay no taxes. They’re paid taxes…

  40. “These people are freaks and shouldn’t be in charge of anything.”
    This is no different than their High School Students “Union” for these exceptionally strange politicians.

  41. Tom,
    The same scary chemicals you mention are present in EVERY fire. House fire, grass fire, forest fire, even backyard bonfire. Somehow we have survived fire for thousands of years.
    Contaminated water? The problem is there was no water. And when the rains finally come, the thousands of hectares of forest and lawns will green up with new healthy vegetation. The nutrients in the ash will feed the new plants.
    You sound EXACTLY like the idiots Robins is warning us about. Maybe I missed the /sarc tag?

  42. Yes. Trudeau is doing the right thing, for whatever reason, by staying away. I’m sure that the pathetic twerp is gnawing at the bit to travel to Fort McMurray, issue useless platitudes and take advantage of some photo-ops but his handlers have strongly advised otherwise.
    The good people of Fort McMurray need Trudeau’s presence about as much they need a visit from Notley. Feckless excuses for leaders such as these two need only to remain absent and preferably keep their mouths firmly shut.

  43. …the thousands of hectares of forest and lawns…
    There’s no such thing as ‘hectares’ in Western Canada. The land is surveyed in, quartered, 1 mile square sections containing 640 acres There are some variations, but there are no ‘hectares’.

  44. Not to be too skeptical but in light of some of the comments here, is there anyway that we can check to see if the Canadian Red Cross has made any political contributions to the Liberal Party of Canada? Somehow the rapidity of the liquor boards getting on the bandwagon in accepting donations on behalf of the Red Cross has a distinct smell of an Adscam operation. Ten, twenty, fifty dollar donations without an authorized tax receipt has the makings of graft and corruption in it.

  45. Of course, I did assume that Trudeau would actually do something useful if he ever set foot in the area or even use it as an opportunity to show that he actually is a leader.
    By staying away completely, he’s only confirming that he’s an empty suit, lacking in courage and imagination.

  46. There’s no such thing as ‘hectares’ in Western Canada.
    Hectares is merely a unit of area measurement. It could also be stated in square miles, square kilometers, acres, arpents, perches, square yards, or square light years. It only depends on what unit of measurement you choose to use.
    For measuring the burn area, square centimeters would be too ‘fine’ and square light years would be too ‘coarse’. I would have used square miles or square kilometers, since most people can visualize land area in those units.
    This map graphic is useful to visualize the burn area:
    How big is a 1,000-square-km wildfire?
    See how the Fort McMurray fire compares in size to familiar cities
    http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/680865347960
    Your height could be expressed in centimeters or inches, but that wouldn’t change how tall you were would it?
    I live in Western Canada; my land title documents state the homestead size in hectares. My grandfather’s title stated it in acres. The land area hasn’t changed.
    Intelligent people can choose the unit of measurement that best fits the task at hand. It’s a lot like the ability to speak different languages.

  47. You guys and gals should teach your first nation Abos that you check your gasoline level in your truck using the gas gauge. No need to light a match and look in the tank. I learned that from the Cherokees 65 years ago. Smart folks them Cherokees. That keeps the prairie fires down.

  48. My local swim club in High River will be raising money for the swim clubs in Fort Mac. When we had our flood in 2013 we desperately needed something normal for the kids. We were very blessed to have donations immediately and throughout the summer to help the kids have 2 hours of every week day that was not flood related.
    Thankfully the Rec Centre in Fort Mac (according to Brian Jean) is ok. This will be huge for kids.
    There will be donations for hockey equipment and sports team fees that you can donate to this fall. The Flames helped out our Minor Hockey Association. Donations of used equipment came from all over the province and Western Financial Bank paid for all sport fees for the 2014 year. Many churches took in donations of food, clothing, furniture. Even if a house wasn’t burnt down, many of those items will need to be replaced because the smell will be unlivable. You just have to look beyond your nose.
    It’s amazing what one learns having gone through a disaster. Sadly those in government won’t learn from those experiences. Where was/is the freakin plan for evacuations due to fire, flood, tornado?? When I hear that those who are staying in Fort Mac are contributing to the problem my blood boils! That is straight up propaganda. If you don’t need rescuing why leave? So you can’t record the RCMP? What has been done since Slave Lake?
    I tell you what I learned first and second and third: don’t trust the government to do what is says it’s going to do / don’t trust the Red Cross / don’t trust the RCMP.
    There are still people who have don’t have a house settlement for a house lost in the flood and the deadline is mid-June. They were asked to extend. Answer: no. And on and on and on……Sorry bad memories rear up at times like this.

  49. I worked on building Ft. Mac in the 70’s. One of my fellow workers was a WWII vet that was a POW. Somehow the conversation got around to the Red Cross, he said that they did nothing for the POW’s … it was the Salvos that supplied them with stuff.
    Since that time I have no time for the read cross … my dollars go to the Salvos.

  50. Intelligent people can choose the unit of measurement that best fits the task at hand.
    Yeah, so intelligent we go 1.6 km to go a mile from one range road to the other…

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