A year in recovery with the Wood Buffalo Recovery Committee

Wood Buffalo Recovery Committee meets on August 31, 2016.

The last Wood Buffalo Recovery Committee (WBRC) meeting was on June 7, 2017.

In total the committee held 25 public meetings since it was created on June 21, 2016.

The committee reported directly to Municipal Council with a mandate to serve the community as the governance entity overseeing the Recovery Task Force (RTF).

The committee looked back at the year we have spent so far in recovery after the wildfire and heard updates from the Insurance Bureau of Canada and from the Recovery Task Force Here for You public information sessions.

They also discussed the latest information and issues from the Waterways Slope Stability Assessment.

Rebuilding and recovery for Waterways has been a top priority for the WBRC and one of the most talked about topics that saw many residents as delegates at various meetings.

Latest on the Waterways Slope Stability Assessment 

The RTF recommended that the committee propose to council that 14 additional lots in Waterways also be acquired in addition to the 21 lots that they have already agreed to buy at their pre-fire value.

The RTF believes that the properties be acquired based on a long term view that weighs community-level mitigation over individual rebuild consideration.

This would cost the municipality about $4 million which is $2 million cheaper than the RMWB upgrading the area for it to be suitable for rebuild.

Many residents of Waterways had mixed feelings about the decision and voiced their concerns for the buy out or its praises.

The WBRC passed the motion to make the recommendation to council.

If approved by council, all residents would have to vacate the area.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada

With an estimated $3.7-billion in insured damages, this is the most costly wildfire in Canadian history, and the second costliest wildfire in the world.

From day one the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) has stepped up to help the community.

During evacuation there was a total of 28,000 living expenses claims issued for food and accommodation that were made in person.

To facilitate all this work 1,200 insurance adjusters helped Fort McMurray evacuees get their claims started.

There has been a total of 50, 000 insurance claims

• 27, 000 personal property claims, average of $77, 000 per claim
• 18, 000 audio claims with an average of $6, 000 per claim
• 5, 000 commercial claims with an average of $310, 000 per claim

They have also aided in the recovery of our community through the cleanup:

• 12, 000 fridges and freezers were recycled.
• 104-thousand metric tons of concrete,
• 57-thousand metric tons of ash and debris
• 3, 000 metric tons of metal were collected and recycled.

Between May 14 and Dec. 31, 2016 the IBC has been in the community for over 200 days and will remain until the community is back on its feet.

Here for You Public Information Sessions

On August 18, 2016 the first Here for You session took place at MacDonald Island Park.

They were launched by the Regional Municipality of the Wood Buffalo in partnership with the WBRC as part of the ongoing effort to listen to the communities concerns, answer their questions and bring information on recovery efforts.

Since then there have been 48 public sessions covering recovery topics such as the waterways slope stability assessment, re-greening projects, FireSmart, construction management and emergency preparedness.

Approximately 8,650 people participated in the sessions.

The next session will be on June 8, from 5 – 8 p.m. at McMurray Experience and will discuss support for the arts community.

From there they will continue every second Wednesday starting on June 21 at the Urban Market at Jubilee Plaza.