Fort McMurray (Mac) - Wood Buffalo, Alberta
Sep 14th 2018, 8:53 am
#1
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Fort McMurray (Mac) - Wood Buffalo, Alberta
Hi All!
I'm new to the forum and looking forward to having a good nose at the resources here
Just a quick question - my husband is a highly experienced HGV technician and we've been looking into making the move to Canada with our 2 girls (1 & 4) after he spent 8 months there back in 2008 and loved the lifestyle.
We were hoping for a move to Ontario (Ottawa & Cornwall were our favourites) however my partner has been offered a position in Fort McMurray, Alberta. After some online searching it's hard to find out much about Fort Mac as most of the news relates to huge fire that wiped out most of the city in 2016 - does anyone know anything about the place?
It'd be great to hear from people who live there or have lived there! My main worries being purely child related - I want somewhere safe for the girls to grow up in and enjoy.
Thank you!
Vicky.
I'm new to the forum and looking forward to having a good nose at the resources here
Just a quick question - my husband is a highly experienced HGV technician and we've been looking into making the move to Canada with our 2 girls (1 & 4) after he spent 8 months there back in 2008 and loved the lifestyle.
We were hoping for a move to Ontario (Ottawa & Cornwall were our favourites) however my partner has been offered a position in Fort McMurray, Alberta. After some online searching it's hard to find out much about Fort Mac as most of the news relates to huge fire that wiped out most of the city in 2016 - does anyone know anything about the place?
It'd be great to hear from people who live there or have lived there! My main worries being purely child related - I want somewhere safe for the girls to grow up in and enjoy.
Thank you!
Vicky.
Sep 14th 2018, 9:24 am
#2
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Re: Fort McMurray (Mac) - Wood Buffalo, Alberta
Hi, welcome to BE.
I'd suggest you do a search of the forum for previous threads on Fort McMurray (maybe with 'family' or 'children' chucked in to the search box too), there are lots of them around and you'll get loads of info from them. Not sure it's exactly an ideal family place from what I've read, but I've never been myself. Will he earn enough for you to live in Fort Mac? It's not a cheap place from what I understand! Here are a couple of threads to get you started -
Fort McMurray for the family?
Regina, Saskatoon or Fort McMurray.
HTH, good luck.
I'd suggest you do a search of the forum for previous threads on Fort McMurray (maybe with 'family' or 'children' chucked in to the search box too), there are lots of them around and you'll get loads of info from them. Not sure it's exactly an ideal family place from what I've read, but I've never been myself. Will he earn enough for you to live in Fort Mac? It's not a cheap place from what I understand! Here are a couple of threads to get you started -
Fort McMurray for the family?
Regina, Saskatoon or Fort McMurray.
HTH, good luck.
Last edited by christmasoompa; Sep 14th 2018 at 9:31 am.
Sep 14th 2018, 11:44 am
#3
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Re: Fort McMurray (Mac) - Wood Buffalo, Alberta
Hi!
Thanks for replying, I had search and found a few things but nothing seemingly ‘post fire’ which was why I thought I’d ask out and see.
The wages seemingly reflect the cost of living from his wage point (only on basic research so far) but it’s not looking like it’s the best family place which is a shame as would be good to get the ball rolling.
Thanks for replying, I had search and found a few things but nothing seemingly ‘post fire’ which was why I thought I’d ask out and see.
The wages seemingly reflect the cost of living from his wage point (only on basic research so far) but it’s not looking like it’s the best family place which is a shame as would be good to get the ball rolling.
Sep 14th 2018, 1:58 pm
#4
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Re: Fort McMurray (Mac) - Wood Buffalo, Alberta
Fort McMurry (Fort Mac) is basically a town set up by the oil sands industry to house workers and their family's. Wages typically reflect this fact and are reasonably high, especially if working for the oil sands industry.
The tourist site is usually a good first step but will always promote the most positive image
Fort McMurray Tourism |
Local news will give you more of an idea of what the place is to live, although I find Canadian news media too American (sensationalist) for my tastes.
https://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/category/news
What will be interesting to see is how cities like Fort Mac cope with the ongoing Trans Mountain, anti oil and gas sentiments in Canada at the moment.
The tourist site is usually a good first step but will always promote the most positive image
Fort McMurray Tourism |
Local news will give you more of an idea of what the place is to live, although I find Canadian news media too American (sensationalist) for my tastes.
https://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/category/news
What will be interesting to see is how cities like Fort Mac cope with the ongoing Trans Mountain, anti oil and gas sentiments in Canada at the moment.
Sep 14th 2018, 2:25 pm
#5
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Re: Fort McMurray (Mac) - Wood Buffalo, Alberta
Fort Mac is great for the workers, not so much a family environment. I know guys who work in Fort Mac for a stretch then come home to the family for a while.
Sep 14th 2018, 4:13 pm
#6
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Re: Fort McMurray (Mac) - Wood Buffalo, Alberta
Hi All!
I'm new to the forum and looking forward to having a good nose at the resources here
Just a quick question - my husband is a highly experienced HGV technician and we've been looking into making the move to Canada with our 2 girls (1 & 4) after he spent 8 months there back in 2008 and loved the lifestyle.
We were hoping for a move to Ontario (Ottawa & Cornwall were our favourites) however my partner has been offered a position in Fort McMurray, Alberta. After some online searching it's hard to find out much about Fort Mac as most of the news relates to huge fire that wiped out most of the city in 2016 - does anyone know anything about the place?
It'd be great to hear from people who live there or have lived there! My main worries being purely child related - I want somewhere safe for the girls to grow up in and enjoy.
Thank you!
Vicky.
I'm new to the forum and looking forward to having a good nose at the resources here
Just a quick question - my husband is a highly experienced HGV technician and we've been looking into making the move to Canada with our 2 girls (1 & 4) after he spent 8 months there back in 2008 and loved the lifestyle.
We were hoping for a move to Ontario (Ottawa & Cornwall were our favourites) however my partner has been offered a position in Fort McMurray, Alberta. After some online searching it's hard to find out much about Fort Mac as most of the news relates to huge fire that wiped out most of the city in 2016 - does anyone know anything about the place?
It'd be great to hear from people who live there or have lived there! My main worries being purely child related - I want somewhere safe for the girls to grow up in and enjoy.
Thank you!
Vicky.
Welcome to BE!!
If you have any questions about work permits / immigration etc., do feel free to post to our immi forum
Has he checked that he has his Provincial Certification or a Red Seal Endorsement, as that trade is a compulsory certification one in Alberta.
https://tradesecrets.alberta.ca/trad...cation-trades/
I thought this story interesting.. it's quite long but do read it to the end as it has relevant recent information about family living there,particularly for newcomers. I also understood FMM to be not the greatest environment for families. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...ticle24915022/ There's lots of news stories on how families are coping there, post fire.https://www.google.ca/search?q=fort+...cr%3DcountryCA
This might be of use - about neighborhoods in FMM https://www.rentfaster.ca/blog/best-...urray-alberta/
Many people are on fly in fly out contracts - where they fly in - work for 7-14 days, staying in a camp, then fly home (flights paid by the company) for 7-14. Might be worth investigating - you could live in another area instead of FMM perhaps.
Last edited by Siouxie; Sep 14th 2018 at 4:39 pm.
Sep 14th 2018, 7:00 pm
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Re: Fort McMurray (Mac) - Wood Buffalo, Alberta
Thank you all! Definitely lots to consider as whilst I’m excited to make our move I don’t want to rush into it just because it’s an option. The last thing I want, especially with two under 5’s (itd be different if it was just us) is to make a failed move and have to upheave them again.
On a brighter note.. I love Canadians 😍 I decided what better way to get more info than from someone who lives there. I searched the #fortmacstrong hashtag on Instagram figuring that people using the hashtag would be those who have been there pre & post fire...
Sent a message to a guy on there who had a little girl in his pics and he also had a shared hobby. He said it has highs and lows and that he would happily explain them to us it turns out that he’s actually a HGV mechanic too so it’ll be a great perspective. He worked out the time differences and said he’ll give us a call to chat tomorrow night. Very pleased!
In London if you sent a message you’d be lucky to get a reply let alone a 7 hour time difference phone call lol.
On a brighter note.. I love Canadians 😍 I decided what better way to get more info than from someone who lives there. I searched the #fortmacstrong hashtag on Instagram figuring that people using the hashtag would be those who have been there pre & post fire...
Sent a message to a guy on there who had a little girl in his pics and he also had a shared hobby. He said it has highs and lows and that he would happily explain them to us
it turns out that he’s actually a HGV mechanic too so it’ll be a great perspective. He worked out the time differences and said he’ll give us a call to chat tomorrow night. Very pleased! In London if you sent a message you’d be lucky to get a reply let alone a 7 hour time difference phone call lol.
Sep 14th 2018, 8:29 pm
#8
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Re: Fort McMurray (Mac) - Wood Buffalo, Alberta
Why not live where you wish to live and have your OH fly in and out? Lots of people do this.
Sep 15th 2018, 12:53 am
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Re: Fort McMurray (Mac) - Wood Buffalo, Alberta
Ft McMurray is big enough that it's a fully functional place.
But it is VERY remote and VERY isolated. There is a North American term called "cabin fever" that you should perhaps familiarise yourself with.
Unless you are exceptionally outdoorsy with major winter snow skills (ie, not 'walk through the garden in the UK in a drizzle' type outdoorsy).
I've worked in smaller, more remote places - you can either handle it or you can't, and if you can't, you will be miserable.
Ft McMurray's size, and somewhat relative proximity to Edmonton (though in no way commuting distance) mitigates that a little bit, but only a little bit. It's much bigger than places like Dawson City, Whitehorse, Yellowknife etc.
It's also a very transient place like many remote locations. This can hamper your personal relationships.
Do you have experience living for extended times in remote company towns?
If not, concur with the others that you may want to try a southern town and have your husband do FIFO until you get your bearings and can decide if you want to move there or not. In your case I would be thinking Edmonton or Calgary, both a day's drive from Ft McMurray in good weather, and not Ottawa.
An interesting option for you to consider would also be Saskatoon - about as far from Ft McMurray as Calgary - and a very good quality of life there. Regina is a bit further but also a (long) day's drive in good summer weather.
Good luck.
But it is VERY remote and VERY isolated. There is a North American term called "cabin fever" that you should perhaps familiarise yourself with.
Unless you are exceptionally outdoorsy with major winter snow skills (ie, not 'walk through the garden in the UK in a drizzle' type outdoorsy).
I've worked in smaller, more remote places - you can either handle it or you can't, and if you can't, you will be miserable.
Ft McMurray's size, and somewhat relative proximity to Edmonton (though in no way commuting distance) mitigates that a little bit, but only a little bit. It's much bigger than places like Dawson City, Whitehorse, Yellowknife etc.
It's also a very transient place like many remote locations. This can hamper your personal relationships.
Do you have experience living for extended times in remote company towns?
If not, concur with the others that you may want to try a southern town and have your husband do FIFO until you get your bearings and can decide if you want to move there or not. In your case I would be thinking Edmonton or Calgary, both a day's drive from Ft McMurray in good weather, and not Ottawa.
An interesting option for you to consider would also be Saskatoon - about as far from Ft McMurray as Calgary - and a very good quality of life there. Regina is a bit further but also a (long) day's drive in good summer weather.
Good luck.
Sep 15th 2018, 2:06 am
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Re: Fort McMurray (Mac) - Wood Buffalo, Alberta
I used to fly in and out Thankfully the out was only a couple of hours after the in.
Sep 17th 2018, 11:50 am
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Re: Fort McMurray (Mac) - Wood Buffalo, Alberta
Sep 17th 2018, 12:39 pm
#12
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Re: Fort McMurray (Mac) - Wood Buffalo, Alberta
That was an interesting read. I’m sure the slow down is great for people living locally that have work outside of the oil industry but in the same sense it reads as though it will become a forgotten town due to lack of significant investment.
The guy from Instagram did call as promised which I thought was really nice. He explained that it has its good parts and bad parts like most places - the wages are very high though which can only be a good thing! He said that school wise extra curricular stuff is hard to get into as there’s more kids applying than there are spaces for. Also something about having to pay a large deposit and then you get your money back if you volunteer your time to help in the activities etc.
Is this a common thing as I’ve certainly not come across it in London. I’m fine with that though as for the time being I’ll be giving up work for the kids until they’re both in school. I’ll miss it but hey, you can’t have it all.
Im trying not to just ‘settle’ because there is an offer there. So lots more thinking to do!
The guy from Instagram did call as promised which I thought was really nice. He explained that it has its good parts and bad parts like most places - the wages are very high though which can only be a good thing! He said that school wise extra curricular stuff is hard to get into as there’s more kids applying than there are spaces for. Also something about having to pay a large deposit and then you get your money back if you volunteer your time to help in the activities etc.
Is this a common thing as I’ve certainly not come across it in London. I’m fine with that though as for the time being I’ll be giving up work for the kids until they’re both in school. I’ll miss it but hey, you can’t have it all
. Im trying not to just ‘settle’ because there is an offer there. So lots more thinking to do!
Sep 17th 2018, 12:45 pm
#13
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Re: Fort McMurray (Mac) - Wood Buffalo, Alberta
Ft McMurray is big enough that it's a fully functional place.
But it is VERY remote and VERY isolated. There is a North American term called "cabin fever" that you should perhaps familiarise yourself with.
Unless you are exceptionally outdoorsy with major winter snow skills (ie, not 'walk through the garden in the UK in a drizzle' type outdoorsy).
I've worked in smaller, more remote places - you can either handle it or you can't, and if you can't, you will be miserable.
Ft McMurray's size, and somewhat relative proximity to Edmonton (though in no way commuting distance) mitigates that a little bit, but only a little bit. It's much bigger than places like Dawson City, Whitehorse, Yellowknife etc.
It's also a very transient place like many remote locations. This can hamper your personal relationships.
Do you have experience living for extended times in remote company towns?
If not, concur with the others that you may want to try a southern town and have your husband do FIFO until you get your bearings and can decide if you want to move there or not. In your case I would be thinking Edmonton or Calgary, both a day's drive from Ft McMurray in good weather, and not Ottawa.
An interesting option for you to consider would also be Saskatoon - about as far from Ft McMurray as Calgary - and a very good quality of life there. Regina is a bit further but also a (long) day's drive in good summer weather.
Good luck.
But it is VERY remote and VERY isolated. There is a North American term called "cabin fever" that you should perhaps familiarise yourself with.
Unless you are exceptionally outdoorsy with major winter snow skills (ie, not 'walk through the garden in the UK in a drizzle' type outdoorsy).
I've worked in smaller, more remote places - you can either handle it or you can't, and if you can't, you will be miserable.
Ft McMurray's size, and somewhat relative proximity to Edmonton (though in no way commuting distance) mitigates that a little bit, but only a little bit. It's much bigger than places like Dawson City, Whitehorse, Yellowknife etc.
It's also a very transient place like many remote locations. This can hamper your personal relationships.
Do you have experience living for extended times in remote company towns?
If not, concur with the others that you may want to try a southern town and have your husband do FIFO until you get your bearings and can decide if you want to move there or not. In your case I would be thinking Edmonton or Calgary, both a day's drive from Ft McMurray in good weather, and not Ottawa.
An interesting option for you to consider would also be Saskatoon - about as far from Ft McMurray as Calgary - and a very good quality of life there. Regina is a bit further but also a (long) day's drive in good summer weather.
Good luck.
Ill have a look into the places you’ve mentioned but the crime ratings of Saskatoon/Regina from what I recall, were recorded as being a lot higher than other regions.
Will have a look into fly in fly out possibilities
thanks!
Sep 17th 2018, 1:52 pm
#14
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 12,830
Re: Fort McMurray (Mac) - Wood Buffalo, Alberta
Saw this in the news this morning https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/long...ds-era-is-over
Oct 14th 2018, 3:31 pm
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Re: Fort McMurray (Mac) - Wood Buffalo, Alberta
Hi Vicky,
I currently live in Fort McMurray AB, and hopefully can answer many of your questions. Fort McMurray is very safe and there are amenities here for families and children.
Is the job offer still open?
I currently live in Fort McMurray AB, and hopefully can answer many of your questions. Fort McMurray is very safe and there are amenities here for families and children.
Is the job offer still open?
