Fort McMurray Today Blog

$400,000 versus a free letter to the editor

2007-01-25T13:41:00.000-07:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today, Jan. 5, 2007

One doesn't look far to find negative perceptions of Fort McMurray. Letters to this newspaper decry everything from emergency room waiting times to litter to truck-crazy drivers speeding and changing lanes on icy roads. Internet bulletin boards are full of chatter of the impressions of outsiders, residents, and former McMurrayites who leave the city to make their fortunes elsewhere.

Outside press coverage -- think of the infamous Chatelaine article that painted Fort McMurray as largely an uncultured town of cinderblock buildings populated by gold-diggers, escorts, and the men who love them -- tends to focus on the "unusual," which, in the media industry, tends to skew towards the problems afflicting the city. Regional council in November approved $400,000 to combat so-called negative press coverage, but the money spent to counter bad press would be better spent addressing problems that the "negative" stories are about.

For example: a story might focus on Fort McMurray's drug problem. Does this city have a drug problem? Sure does -- but then, so do most cities. So give an extra $400,000 for treatment programs. Tired of reading stories about the growing homelessness problem? Earmark that $400,000 for affordable housing programs or even to local shelters. It would be money better spent, and perhaps then stories could pick up on the ways council is tackling local problems, instead of tackling stories about local problems.

The folly of the $400,000 was laid bare over the weekend when local doctor John O'Connor wrote a letter to the Halifax Chronicle-Herald warning people about the quality-of-life problems being experienced by our rapidly growing community.

The $400,000 won't begin to counter all the new negative attention focused on the city by a letter to the editor -- which cost O'Connor nothing to write -- that tells people "life here is intolerable." O'Connor has long been an advocate for improving working conditions in the local health region, and is unafraid to call things as he sees them.

His letter was overly harsh -- it's not true that there's "nothing to do" for teens, for example (besides, any parent knows that teenagers growing up in Disneyland would have the same complaint) -- and many worry that his letter could scare off workers in industries we desperately need here (like health).

However, keeping silent about problems does absolutely nothing to solve them. Instead of arguing whether O'Connor should or shouldn't have written that letter, let's address the problems he wrote about.

© Copyright 2007, Fort McMurray Today.

Streets of gold, or streets full of potholes?

2007-01-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today Dec. 29, 2006

The streets in Fort McMurray are paved with gold.

This is a phrase that many Canadians, especially those who don't live here, know and believe. Many of those familiar with this phrase probably call us Fort McMoney to boot.

Is it true? Here's a quick analysis:

For

- While streets, in our real world, are paved with crumbling asphalt, the high wages here lead to the perception. The wages are real.

- Wages at all levels -- from entry level to union positions, specialist computer experts to mining engineers -- are way above the norm.

- Vacancies abound -- the health region alone has more than 100 jobs it's recruiting for and can't find the people to fill. The same is true at the municipality and almost every oilsands plant.

- You want to get ahead? Show up with a few skills and an abundance of enthusiasm and drive -- be someone who never uses the word "never," but search for new ways to do something, and you'll go far.

- Want to be your own boss? This is the place for entrepreneurs. Whether you want to provide a service that's already here or something new, there's plenty of room in the marketplace. And any competitors will probably welcome you with open arms -- you'll take some of the strain off them.

- Looking for a social group to join, or just make new friends? Fort McMurray is probably one of the most accommodating places in Canada when it comes to making connections. While much is made out of the male-female imbalance, it's not as big an issue as it seems. Many other centres have a large female senior overload, while that's not true here. In some age demographics, it's 50/50.

- Like the outdoor life? This region has it in spades. The year-round recreation opportunities are second to none. People come here from across the globe to canoe our rivers. Whether it's hunting, fishing or riding recreational vehicles, we have everything but big mountain ranges. And the paved link to the outside world puts us ahead of remote (and expensive) destinations like the north.

- People here have an upbeat attitude. Those who don't like the region leave after a short while and leave it for the long-timers who love it here.

There's a downside to the gold, too.

- Some are left behind in the rush to riches.

- The fast-growing economy leads to some unsafe lifestyles -- specifically alcohol and drug use and overuse. While these are problems everywhere, from small town to big city, it's possible that big salaries here make it easier to get caught up in a fast lifestyle without due regard for the consequences.

- The Fort McMurray Factor. Things cost more here. Large projects rise 1.5 per cent per month in cost. Some oilsands projects have more than doubled in cost.

- Time away from family. Almost everyone in Fort McMurray now came from somewhere else or their parents moved here in adulthood. Family is the foundation of our society. Without it, many of us are anchorless.

- The pursuit of money for its own sake. Sure, big-screen TVs and trucks with chrome and big tires are valid, hardly the way to an uplifting life. Again, this is a phenomenon of our society, but places like Fort McMurray play their part.

On balance, the gold in the streets is somewhat accurate, but far from the whole story.

If the ill-fated publicity campaign that Wood Buffalo hopes to pursue in 2007 is ever successful, it must address these issues.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

What's on our Christmas wish list?

2007-01-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today, Dec. 20, 2006

Here's our Christmas wish list for people and entities who made it into the news in 2006 and, we anticipate, 2007.

Guy Boutilier: A Canada and world atlas to help him in his new intergovernmental affairs cabinet posting.

Premier Ed Stelmach: A page out of that atlas with the route up Highway 63 clearly highlighted (Guy already knows the way). Hopefully the anticipated visit by the new leader will be by land, not air, so the new premier can see what McMurrayites are dealing with.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper: No more nonsensical votes in the House of Commons on issues to please the right wing of his party. Stick to issues that matter to Canadians.

New Liberal leader Stephane Dion: English lessons and a fashion consultant.

Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe: Defeat.

Mayor Melissa Blake: Less frustration and more successes in her bid to build the region's future.

MP Brian Jean: Removal of the gag imposed by the prime minister's office to speak on the issues of the day. Hello, Brian?

All politicians, especially those in Wood Buffalo: Rid your speech of "going forward," "at the end of the day," "there was a good turnout," "basically" and "in fact." These phrases are meaningless.

Fort McMurray RCMP: More drug arrests.

Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan: Safety. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Alberta Transportation: One entire week without complaints about traffic on the revamped Highway 63. Also, a long construction season next year.

Fort McMurray Oil Barons: A winning streak longer than one game.

To CJOK/KYX-98 under its new Rogers owners: More, different tunes, not talk.

To three new radio stations expected to start up here in 2007: You're broadcasting to a local audience, so ensure your content is local, too.

The oilsands industry: High oil prices to ensure growth and production continues, because it seems clear royalty rates are going to be bumped up.

Fort Chipewyan residents: A clear answer on the moose meat contamination issue based on scientific facts, not hysteria.

Businesses in Fort McMurray: Employees who show up for work every day.

To all our readers: A merry Christmas and happy new year.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Artificial ice in Chip didn't make sense

2007-01-09T12:55:00.000-07:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today Dec. 19, 2006

Regional council was split on the issue of artificial ice for the replacement of the Archie Simpson Arena in Fort Chipewyan last week.

In stark contrast to many of the issues our local politicians deal with regularly, emotion seemed to play a big part in the call to build the arena without a concrete pad, tubes and an ice plant.

When the former Improvement District and the City of Fort McMurray amalgamated in 1995, there was creeping suspicion by rural folk that the city would come to dominate them, that spending -- with money generated by the oilsands plants -- would gravitate to the big city and away from the hamlets scattered throughout the municipality.

The Improvement District even came to the table with millions of dollars in accounts set up for future infrastructure improvements. They were careful to ensure the money was spent on the needs of rural people.

Considering the high spending today, a few million seems like chump change when compared with the 2007 budget.

No accounting has even been done, but if the spending on everything from pavement to fire halls and other buildings is compared with the small population (more people live in Abasand Heights than the entire rural portion of the municipality), it's likely the dollar/citizen ratio would shift to those former I.D. residents.

The amalgamation was put together on more than money: it was a joining-together of people with the same goals, rural and urban.

It was obvious the decision on the Archie Simpson Arena was not about the money. It was about a community with a recreation board that didn't want to be saddled with ongoing user fees to pay the power bill for the ice plant. It was about a small community without enough young people to keep an expensive operation a going concern.

In Fort McMurray, ice time costs more than $100 per hour. In Chip, residents are not willing to pay anything, regional council was told.

Many other issues were brought to bear by one side in the issue or the other:

Global warming. The argument went that as the winters get shorter, the need for artificial ice becomes greater.

This argument is without scientific merit. While it's generally accepted that global warming is a fact and we'd better get ready to cope with it, scientists talk about a difference of a degree or two Celsius over many decades. While it's enough to affect worldwide weather patterns, it's not significant enough to make the call for artificial ice or natural ice at this time.

Drugs: giving the youth of Fort Chipewyan another outlet for their energy in a hockey arena is certainly a healthy -- and preferred -- alternative to getting caught up in a culture of addictions. While the extent of the problem in Fort Chipewyan is unknown, it's probably not better or worse than in Fort McMurray. That means it's bad.

Will artificial ice that extends the season by a couple of months make a difference? Unlikely.

Regional council didn't go ahead with the Archie Simpson Arena artificial ice because it didn't make sense. The local recreation society was opposed, along with one of the two councillors (John Chadi) who represent the hamlet. The other councillor (Sonny Flett) argued passionately in favour of the project -- his objections may have even delayed it for a year -- but in the end, there was no concrete proof that spending more money would benefit anyone.

Repeated mentions linking the ultra-expensive MacDonald Island project to the Chip arena didn't make sense. While some councillors said Chip residents were welcome at MacIsland, they forgot to add that the access was 250 kilometres away and only good for a few months each year when the winter road is open.

On the other side of the coin, building a project in one part of the region doesn't mean a tit-for-tat automatic entitlement everywhere.

If a case could be made, the Chip artificial ice would be a go.

Amalgamations, like marriages are tough. There must be give and take. respect for other viewpoints. And each partner must put up with the other's foibles.

So far, the urban-rural mix in Wood Buffalo has worked well. This latest case is another example that the amalgamation was a good idea almost a dozen years ago.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

I missed my chance to spy on the Conservatives' priorities

2006-12-08T15:34:00.000-07:00

Column: Gimme some grammar appeared in Fort McMurray Today, Nov. 24, 2006

By MICHAEL HALL
Today staff

I blew it.

I was relaxing at home Monday, on a day off, when the phone rang at half-past noon.

"This is the Conservative Party of Canada. Is it this Michael Hall?"

I answered "yes," by reflex. I regretted it immediately.

The woman went on to ask me if I wanted to participate in a survey, but my mind was racing. I picked the first option that my grey matter offered up: "Uh, er, thanks, but I don't want to participate. Goodbye."

I hung up.

With that stupid answer, I passed on the chance to spy, to be your eyes and ears into what the Tories are wondering about. Are they checking up on how well Brian Jean is doing? Are they checking up on how well Stephen Harper is doing?

Are they judging their chances if the government falls on a vote in the House of Commons and they call an election? The new Liberal leader will be in place in a couple of weeks, and he'll be raring to go.

I blew all of that. Dang.

Then I got to wondering. How did the Tory pollsters know that Michael Hall answered that phone? My name is not in the telephone listings.

I figured it out. The bastards purchased my name from some other company's list! It may be that gift subscription I bought my wife for Chatelaine, or my own subscription to Macworld magazine.

Could it be the contest entry at the trade show, or even -- gulp -- my ticket in the Oil Barons Dream Home lottery?

Who knows which list the Tory polling firm was using. There are a million of them.

The fact that the party is doing telemarketing in this way makes me very unhappy.

While there's a wave moving slowly through the federal government right now to crack down on this evil practice, to make a do-not-call list a reality, there's no way politicians will ever allow it to apply to themselves.

All parties have a stake in permitting everything from calls to homes to spam in our e-mail boxes and sign-pollution along highways to continue.

I'm thankful for the end of the Tory leadership race either this weekend or next. Almost all the candidates (except Gary McPherson, -- thanks, Gary) have been spamming my work in-box for the last couple of months.

I tried to politely ask one of the campaigns to stop sending me something, but was ignored. Another one didn't offer a way to remove myself.

Stop sending me e-mail I never asked for!

I mean, the Viagra, penis enlargement and stock picks e-mails are bad enough. I have to put up with Ted Morton's policy issues, too? Who the heck has a different view on something every day?

I'm still kicking myself for not playing along with the Tory pollster, however. I could have fed the woman nonsense answers and really screwed up the results.

It would have been delicious.

I hope politicians don't take this the wrong way, but their partisan machines, built to do nothing but win elections, are worthless to the average citizen.

Keep your back rooms in the closet. Don't inflict them on regular people.

* * *

On the subject of politicians, it was interesting to see the coverage of Stephen Harper's visit to Vietnam.

It seems the Prime Minister and his aides hate the press so much, they ended up shooting themselves in the foot. The stories out of the trip weren't about what the PM did or didn't do, but about how Canadian reporters got better and more timely information from Chinese officials than their Canadian counterparts.

And how Harper ticked them off.

Newspapers rank down there with collection agencies in the eyes of the public. Harper may feel that giving us the cold shoulder will only enhance his image among voters.

But if it interferes with his message -- that he's supposedly a strong advocate for Canadians abroad and human rights in general (I write supposedly because I don't know if this is true or not -- seriously), then he's blowing it.

Interestingly, Alberta government officials, for all of the criticism that is aimed at the province and Premier Ralph Klein, almost always return calls from the media asking for information, and do so in a patient, timely, and understanding way.

It may be the result of a number of many newspaper and wire service colleagues being hired by the Alberta government. In return for being called flacks by us still writing news, they get big pay increases.

But they know we get ticked off when no one returns our calls. Left to our own devices, we do things like phone opposition politicians.

This lesson, it seems, has not been learned by the prime minister's office.

I'm thankful for the end of the Tory leadership race ... almost all the candidates have been spamming my work in-box.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Where, exactly should the workers go?

2006-12-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today Nov. 22, 2006

It's a balancing act.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has appeared before a third Alberta Energy and Utilities Board hearing to speak against proposals by oilsands companies to build or expand here.

The theory behind the opposition is sound: the region needs help to cope with the growth.

That argument is unassailable. It's bomb-proof.

When taking it further, however, officials open themselves up to criticism that might prove hard to handle.

Mayor Melissa Blake and other officials have consistently stressed they're not opposed to investment by industry in this region -- a key point -- they just want help. The infrastructure deficit must be addressed, they argue. Quality of life is suffering, they say.

Most citizens would support that argument wholeheartedly. Those who live here don't have to be schooled in the Fort McMurray disadvantage.

So far, so good.

But oilsands plants are adapting to gain the upper hand.

Starting with Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., and continuing with Imperial Oil's Kearl, almost every new project is looking at the fly-in and fly-out strategy.

It seems to be a win-win for the plants and for the region. Workers are parachuted in from Edmonton, Calgary and across Canada. They have little effect on the local economy, because they don't live here -- they live in camps to the north.

Kearl is more than 70 kilometres northeast of Fort McMurray. Even if the company could find homes for its construction workers here -- and that's a big if -- they'd spend hours a day on buses. Some plants have compensated for this by putting the employees on the clock when they step on the bus -- but at a big cost.

Blake is arguing against oilsands plants that house employees in town and don't do more to help the municipality in the form of infrastructure. She's looking for financial help. It's a just cause.

She's also arguing against those plants that don't use infrastructure -- like housing or the highway -- because those workers don't use services in the city, thereby contributing to the local economy.

Wood Buffalo cannot have its cake and eat it too.

The first plant expansion that municipal officials opposed -- Suncor Energy's Voyageur -- was approved.

While the arguments have been refined in each of the subsequent oppositions, they may ring hollow if the words are ultimately ignored.

It's obvious the panels that listen to submissions and rule on the applications are made up of smart, savvy people. They said Wood Buffalo's objections to Voyageur should be addressed by the Alberta government. They handed a political issue off to other politicians.

Saying we don't want new workers in town and we don't want them out of town is a rough road to traverse.

When funding requests end up in the laps of provincial politicians, they can use this argument to turn Wood Buffalo down.

This balancing act will work until someone slips and falls. Wood Buffalo must be sure of its footing.

John Malcolm wins a battle, not a war

2006-11-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today Nov. 10, 2006

It's been a long, hard fight for John Malcolm.

The man who calls himself chief of Wood Buffalo First Nation has met with roadblocks at every opportunity.

A stop sign has blocked him at every turn on the road to official recognition for him and his supporters. Official recogition could be leveraged into land and funding for his cause.

As a result, Malcom has appeared at regulatory hearings for new oilsands plants over the years: Pan-Canadian Petroleum in 1999, Canadian Natural Resources in 2003, and recent hearings for Suncor Energy and Imperial Oil's Kearl project.

Until now, Malcolm and the his group that calls itself Wood Buffalo First Nation have been rebuffed. They've received no funding to pay for consultants and lawyers, like some other groups. While he's been permitted to talk at hearings in the past, it seems the final rulings by the regulatory agencies have not taken his arguments into account.

Part of this story goes back more than 100 years, when federal agents were fanning out over Alberta to sign treaties with the Indian bands that existed at the time. Many were missed.

In this region, the five first nations that are now joined together as the Athabasca Tribal Council were signatories. They are now negotiating, or have arrived at agreements, with oilsands plants and at least some members are reaping some rewards as a result.

The story is unclear from here: the federal government has broken many promises over the intervening century. Even the definition of who is entitled to assistance and who is not is still debated, despite many court rulings.

Does Malcolm qualify? Are his claims legitimate?

He will likely cite this editorial to help prop up his argument: his success has been that elusive. That would be wrong.

The entire issue in Alberta and across Canada has been mishandled. With a minority government in Ottawa that seeks to tear down progress made by the Liberals, don't expect any progress soon.

In the meantime, Malcolm's victory in signing agreements with Imperial Oil is one step.

Will there be more success for the unaffiliated aboriginals in Wood Buffalo?

There is still no answer to that question.

Don't expect John Malcom to stop trying, however.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

2006-10-27T09:26:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today Oct. 13, 2006

Syncrude Canada and Suncor Energy in the top 10 of companies across Canada contributing to greenhouse gas emissions?

That makes sense.

But what does it really mean?

Let's suppose you were an average Canadian living in Ajax, Ont., or Truro, N.S., and you were called by a researcher seeking opinions on the subject.

Given the facts collected about the tens of thousands of tonnes put into the atmosphere by the Ontario Power Generation utility, TransAlta and Sask Power, the reaction would likely be one of alarm.

Fort McMurray's two leading oilsands companies are also on the list at No. 6 and 7, and in light of the poor nationwide press this region has received to date, some may turn thumbs down in our direction, too.

That's the immediate reaction.

But if you tell the same people the power to their homes would be cut without coal-fired electric generation and gas stations closed with no crude oil flowing into refineries, the answer would be completely different.

People want electricity. They want gasoline. They want to leave lights on all night and drive SUVs.

The fight to cut greenhouse gas emissions is an honourable one. While the vast majority of scientists argue it's a real concern, even the few dissenting voices must admit that doing nothing -- in case they're wrong -- is too dangerous.

It doesn't make sense to change the Earth's ecosystem on a huge scale, lest we make our environment uninhabitable.

If that's being too cautious, tough.

Suncor, almost alone in the oilpatch, has it right.

Officials there know something must be done other than complaining about coming legislation.

Surprisingly, the federal government seems poised to enact a tough set of regulations. Next week, we're told, the new green plan will finally be unveiled. Already, some are blasting away at it, but they're shooting blind at a target in the dark. They don't know where it is, or how big the target is.

The fact that some industries are unhappy bodes well for the plan.

Wood Buffalo MLA and Alberta Environment Minister Guy Boutilier is holding judgment, but he's a realist, too. While Boutilier may not always please the environmentalists with his drive to cut emissions with the help of advanced technology, he's not pleasing industry, either.

The federal Tories, once thought hostile to any new limits on emissions, may surprise us.

That would be welcome.

Meaningful change won't work by cracking down on industry alone. Every Canadian must do his or her part.

Syncrude and Suncor won't produce the oil if there's no market for it.

That's where the feds can do some good with laws and regulations.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

A fed-up consumer's tips to avoid the dreaded telemarketers

2006-10-24T13:06:00.000-06:00

Column: Gimme Some Grammar appeared in Fort McMurray Today Oct. 13, 2006

By MICHAEL HALL
Today staff

There was a time when I didn't get too many telemarketers calling my house.

I assumed it was because the firms doing the calling were in big cities. With long-distance rates chewing up the budget, perhaps it would be less attractive to dial us here in Fort McMurray.

That limitation is now gone: with Internet-based telephone service moving into the mainstream, we get calls from far afield, the accents on the callers sound like they're calling from a wide range of Third World countries.

I get lots of calls. I assume most of you reading this do, too.

I've tried all of the tricks:

- Say "just a minute," then put the phone down for the next 30 minutes. Believe it or not, the caller was still there once. When he heard noise that indicated I picked up the phone, he started yelling at me.

- Say "put me on your do-not-call list." Some do, some don't.

- Check your caller ID to see who is calling. Oops. I don't have caller ID.

- Try to reason with the telemarketer. Most are very rude.

- Simply hang up. This is very rude. I have to admit this is what I do for the most part, however.

I don't want to hang up. Contrary to my reputation, I'm not a mean guy. But it's the easiest thing to do.

Telemarketers are people, too. The people who call are regular Janes and Joes, trying to make a buck. If it's a Third World country, they're likely trying to make a buck or two a day.

Jerry Seinfeld had a bit in one of his shows. here's one version:.

"Tell the telemarketer you're busy at the moment and if they give you their phone number, you'll call them back. The telemarketer will say, 'We're not allowed to give out our number.' You say, 'I guess you don't want anyone bothering you at work, right?' The telemarketer will agree. You say, 'Now you know how I feel!'"

The ultimate fantasy is to construct an argument that will force the telemarketer to see the utter fallacy of what he or she is doing and quit the job on the spot. That's never going to happen.

Edmonton Report (which morphed into Alberta report, then Western Report, went out of business, and is back in another form as Western Standard) was the king of telemarketing. The magazine's message, based on old-fashioned morality, had big loopholes: it sought subscriptions by bugging people at home. That's a morally questionable practice, in my view.

Its telemarketers were especially tenacious; they were ready and willing to debate issues when they called me.

When I'm at home, I don't want to debate. That's part of my daytime job.

Now Western Standard is up to the same tricks. I've been solicited at least twice by their telemarketers in the past year.

They have a script at the ready if you try to politely put them off. I don't feel bad hanging up on them.

The former federal Liberal government, for all of its failures, passed a law to establish a "do not call" registry. The job is now on the shoulders of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. They held hearings and invited comment earlier this year. I don't know when they'll unveil the registry itself.

I sure hope the Conservatives aren't eyeing this baby as a cost-cutting possibility. It will be worth its weight in gold.

Will the registry cull the offshore telemarketers? I'm not sure.

This is the precise thing we look to our governments to take care of.

With the Conservatives coming through on laws to limit the excesses of the payday loan industry, this is another area where they can do some real good for average Canadians.

- - -

Fall is here. The leaves turned, then hung around for a while, but they fell to the ground in big bunches on the weekend.

Winter is coming.

I'll put it this way, instead of dreading winter, I'm looking forward to spring.

- - -

Everybody's talking about it.

Construction on Highway 63 through town is out in the open and on the tip of many tongues.

At the regional council meeting this week, Coun. Jim Carbery took the optimist tack: he praised how well the new lights at the bottom of Thickwood Boulevard are moving drivers to their destinations.

He's right.

A pessimist out there might gripe about the overall slowness of every portion of the project: from the almost-finished Beacon Hill/Gregoire Park intersection, to the almost-but-not-quite-finished Thickwood Boulevard link, to the unknown downtown bypass.

A reporter asked, and was told, the project is on schedule. It's on schedule until it's behind schedule, I guess.

If you asked local McMurrayites if it's behind schedule, you'd likely get a different view.

One aspect of the job is really ticking some people off.

With new pavement on Beacon Hill -- wasn't that stretch paved about eight years ago? -- many drivers treated the road as if there were three lanes all the way up to the Beacon Hill turnoff.

When lines were finally painted on the asphalt, the clear message is that vehicles in the right lane should merge left, then go back right to turn a few hundred metres later.

It's obvious the lines were dictated by someone who doesn't know local traffic patterns.

Will the province, who is in charge of the project, reconsider? Stay tuned.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Sex and the single girl in the Oilsands City

2006-10-03T09:37:00.000-06:00

Another Point of View appeared in Fort McMurray Today Sept, 20, 2006

By LARISSA LIEPINS
Today staff

Like many of you, I read the recent October 2006 Chatelaine story, Down & Dirty in Fort McMurray, with dismay.

Not because I'm one of those knee-jerk boosters who flat-out denies we live in a utilitarian boomtown with a healthy number of male oilsands workers who stave off the long hours and loneliness by spending their fat paycheques on drugs, booze, gambling, and hookers.

In fact, when I arrived one year ago, I thought I'd never seen a downtown with less character and charm: strip malls and parking lots as far as the eye could see. And living downtown, I've witnessed many a drug deal and dodged dozens of crackheads and drunks.

But I've never felt threatened; I actually feel safer walking at night in McMurray than I do in my hometown, Toronto.

I've also learned to enjoy McMurray's many charms, like beautiful parks and trails, small-town friendliness and relief from big-city gridlock and crowds.

But back to that Chatelaine piece.

What really alarmed me was its portrayal of Fort McMurray's single women as heartless gold-diggers who won't date/bed a man until they know the size of his, ahem, salary.

In a breathtaking generalization, the reporter states that "every last guy in Fort McMurray claims to have been through a similar experience" of women bypassing the 'getting to know you' stage and heading straight for the wallet. That can't be, I thought: I know lots of single women here (all younger and prettier than I), and none is in the gold-digging business.

But my illusions were shattered last weekend at a popular restaurant's bar, when a friend-of-a-friend turned to me and asked, "You know what I hate about this f--king place?"

He had plenty of liquor in his system and gold in his pockets, he would later inform me.

"What's that?" I said, wincing.

"The fact that women, even some really f--king ugly chicks, come up to me in bars and ask where I work and how much I make."

"It's like, why the f--k would I wanna f--k you? I wanna yell!"

So it really does happen -- even to average-looking guys with no manners.

Let me be clear: At my age (in my 30s), it's been awhile since I walked into a bar and anyone did a double-take -- much less in a dance club aimed at 20-somethings like Cowboys, where the Chatelaine writer did much of his research. So, who am I to talk? What do I know about how young men and women hook up these days?

Well, I learned two things from that conversation: Apparently, some women do ask the money question. And in the process, they've helped to create at least one woman-hating creep.

God help us if there's many more like him out there.

But what the Chatelaine writer did not ask is, Why are women (who I presume are gainfully employed) doing it? What do they want, exactly, that they can't buy themselves?

It was my mother who taught me a thing or two about sex, money, and power.

To my teenaged self, she said: When you go on a date, pay your own way. If you don't, it's harder to say no if the guy demands something in return that you don't want to give.

Later, she gave the grownup version of that advice: that financial independence is a woman's best friend -- for the simple reason that not relying on a husband's or boyfriend's handouts gives her the freedom to live her life as she chooses.

But another value she (and my father) passed down was this: The amount of money someone earns is not a measure of his or her character.

How sad if, in our relationships, however casual, we stop seeing the person and see only a walking bank account (or an instrument for sex.)

I can hear the howls of protest already: 'It's my choice what I do with my body!'

That's true. But in this case you're using it for monetary gain. Whether you like it or not, that's called prostitution. The guy could be looking for a relationship, or just mutual interest in a one-night-stand. Heck, it could be only friendly conversation he's after. But putting a dollar value on any of it is a form of cynicism that will kill the fun of flirtation quicker than you can say, "three-fifty an hour." And if he isn't expecting it (say, by calling an "escort service,") he has every right to feel resentful.

Is that how we want to interact? Do we want men to suspect our motives when we show interest? Do we want them to hesitate (for the wrong reasons) before approaching us?

Women today can hold almost any job they want and get fair compensation for their work. Sexual harassment in the workplace is against the law. And all because feminists have been fighting for 100 years to convince men we're more than sex objects and baby-makers.

Let's not turn back the clock. Let's get past the idea that our bodies are mere commodities, and men should pay the price.

What we'll get in return is worth more than its weight in gold -- including a generation of available men (rich or not) who don't hate and distrust us because we're only after their money.

You can't put a price on that.

Illustration:
photo
The Chatelaine magazine story that stirred up a controversy

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Thriller is little more than period eye candy; The Black Dahlia wilts under close inspection

2006-09-26T15:18:00.001-06:00

This movie review appeared in Fort McMurray Today Sept. 20, 2006.

The Black Dahlia

Starring: Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson

Directed by: Brian De Palma

rating: 18A

** 1/2 stars (out of four)

By PAULA OGONOSKI
Today staff

Plot aside, The Black Dahlia is a visual masterpiece but like Grandma Strelczyk says, looking good simply isn't good enough.

The story is overly complex and the subplots draw the viewers' attention away from the main story, that in itself is compelling.

Based on James Ellroy's novel, inspired by the most notorious unsolved murders in California history, two Los Angeles detectives (Josh Hartnett and Aaron Eckhart) are thrown into the biggest case of their careers, the murder of the Black Dahlia.

As the wannabe starlet's gruesome murder unravels, they uncover the seedy world in which she entangled herself.

The detectives also discover that their own skeletons in the closet might be the last ingredient in their personal recipes for disaster.

Director Brian De Palma (Mission Impossible) does an amazing job bringing the 1940s to life, from the fashion to the soft lighting and camera angles to the language.

The lure of gumshoe cinema draws you into the compelling tale. But the overly complex subplots, like the main characters' secrets, ruin an otherwise strong script. Keeping it simple would have been the order of the day. With a strong screenplay, the bridge to nowhere subplots could have been averted.

But not all was lost. Performances by today's Hollywood elite proved that veterans like academy award winner Hilary Swank and the up-and-comers Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson will likely be accepting golden statues in the future, even if it's not for this flick.

In the end, if you're a fan of the 1940s, the film is worth the two hours, but if seeing a strong murder mystery complete with twists is on the menu try A Perfect Murder with Michael Douglas or Primal Fear with Edward Norton.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Afghan war: tell us why we're fighting

2006-09-26T15:10:00.000-06:00

This editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today Sept. 19, 2006

It will be a Remembrance Day to remember in a few weeks.

The annual ceremonies will carry more significance than any other time since the Korean conflict in the early 1950s for us.

Why? The Canadian body count piling up in Afghanistan.

The troops -- sent there by Liberals and reinforced by Conservatives -- are doing the best job they can, under circumstances that are precedent-setting in the history of warfare.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper argues that Canada has not pulled its weight in recent decades by directing resources at peacekeeping instead of warfare. He's right.

Perhaps previous administrations -- both Grit and Tory -- didn't want to face the death toll that inevitably comes with warfare. They didn't want to face the emotions. They didn't want to answer tough questions.

It's not as much fun as a cheque presentation, but it's part of governing.

No one celebrates Canadian lives lost. Remembrance Day tells us about the folly of war.

But Afghanistan, where the terrorists that crashed four planes, three of them into buildings on Sept. 11, 2001 were trained, remains a dangerous place, both for the people of that war-torn country and the rest of the world. It makes sense to do battle with them, before they bring death to peace-loving countries.

The fight in Afghanistan is different from the war the United States is waging in Iraq. The premise of that battle -- that Saddam Hussein and his government backed the 9/11 terrorists -- was false.

Canadians can hold their heads up that the Afghan conflict is a just fight against an enemy who has does us harm and who wants to do us more harm.

But we hang our heads every time there's a death. When it's perpetrated by suicide bombers and not only soldiers, but Afghan citizens and children are also killed or injured, it becomes inexplicable, however.

Harper's insistence that Canadian soldiers are fighting "evil" is less-well-grounded in reality, however. The word paints an easy picture for a politician under fire himself for backing the battle. It's Bible-based echoes are not reassuring to many, however.

While the battle is just, it's incumbent on our elected representatives to spend more time explaining why Canadian soldiers are there.

It must be done not only for the soldiers and their families, but for all Canadians.

The families of those who come home in coffins must be at the head of that line. They deserve more respect than they're getting.

Some have reacted with anger; some have told reporters that their child was doing what he or she wanted to do.

The deaths must not be in vain, however.

While the NDP have, as is their right, come out against Canadian involvement in Afghanistan, they cannot be brushed aside. Their views represent those of many Canadians who are against involvement in any foreign conflict.

While the battle for hearts and minds by our politicians has been badly handled on the homefront, those in opposition have been able to gain prominence.

We've seen reluctance by the Conservatives and Liberals to debate the involvement of our soldiers.

Why?

The decision to send them was a serious one. It should be explained, calmly and rationally.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

One can support the troops without supporting the war

2006-09-20T15:36:00.000-06:00

This Letter to the Editor appeared in Fort McMurray Today Sept. 13, 2006

During this war in Afghanistan, support of our troops is equated with support of the war. This is simply not true. It is very possible tosupport the war and not truly support Canadian women and men in uniform. It is also possible to support the troops and not support the war.

I will not get into a debate here on whether or not we should support involvement in the Afghan war. People must be informed about facts on both sides of this issue, including the likely length of the conflict, and the culture and history of the region. Then and only then can they decide whether or not to support our government's decision to continue to send Canadian troops to Afghanistan.

However, every patriotic Canadian must support our troops regardless of opinions on the war itself.

I do not know whether the media is failing to keep us informed or whether our government is failing to give people in uniform and their families the support they deserve. There are some serious questions that need answers.

Returning soldiers find it very hard to return to family duties and many marriages collapse after their return. What support systems are in place to help armed service personnel rebuild marital and family relationships?

What assistance is given to families when a member is serving overseas in this war? In particular, what counselling is available to children who may have trouble adjusting to the absence of a father or mother? What financial assistance is given to schools to offer programs for children of absent service members?

What assistance is given to life partners of service personnel killed in action, regardless of the nature of the relationship? What assistance and counselling are given to their children in order that they can make a healthy adjustment to life without one parent? What long-term followup is given to bereaved families (and I am not just talking about financial assistance)?

What long term followup is undertaken by the defence and Veteran Affairs departments to ensure injured and retired service members have all the assistance to live healthy and productive civilian lives? One lesson from the Vietnam war is that those who served in that war suffered serious long-term physical, mental and emotional health problems. Often, these problems made it impossible for them to resume normal and constructive civilian life.

Furthermore, these health issues also caused trouble for family members.

Are all armed service personnel paid adequately so they may support families and be able to save for long-term needs? We still hear too many stories of armed service families who cannot meet their financial needs. If the salaries of people in uniform are inadequate, then we are not supporting them. If it means raising taxes to ensure armed service personnel are paid adequately, then the government has a moral obligation to do so.

If support for our troops is deficient in any of these areas, we may well be supporting the war, but we are failing to support those our government has sent to fight in that war- and that is immoral. It is our responsibility to support our troops whether or not we agree with involvement in this war.

WAYNE MADDEN

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Costly projects will be unsustainable

2006-09-19T16:49:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today Sept. 8, 2006

Is it a good thing when there's just one bidder on an expensive, taxpayer-funded, public project?

Is it a good thing when the bid price is 73 per cent higher than the estimate three months ago?

Is it a good thing when politicians hold their noses and vote to accept the tender because the alternative is to get in the way of the police doing a good job?

Is it a good thing when an expensive bid is rubber-stamped in fear of a retendering coming in even higher?

Is it a good thing when a revamp of jail cells downtown is postponed because the new Timberlea building is over budget? (The existing basement jail at city hall is not ambulance-accessible and does not meet federal standards.)

One hopes lots of money wasn't earmarked for prisoner comfort.

A perfect storm sucked the pockets of taxpayers a lot drier this week when these circumstances combined.

The new police station -- a building almost everyone, except criminals, perhaps, support -- will live up to former mayor Doug Faulkner's worst fears: it has become a Taj Mahal.

That term is normally associated with edifices that are so beautiful and over-the-top that they deserve to be one of the wonders of the world, not structures used daily for a down-to-earth cause: law enforcement.

No one's suggesting this is the case for the new police station in town. It will likely be a functional building for the boys and girls in blue, with environmental features added in.

But the price tag makes it seem as if we're getting a Rolls Royce when it will probably resemble a Volkswagen Beetle. Practical, yet expensive.

And we're paying for it.

Regional council OK'd spending between four and five times the original price.

Why so much?

* The project was delayed

* The market was hyper-inflated

* It took forever to find a suitable site

* A bigger population required a bigger detachment

In the end, these are all lame justifications.

It could have been built more quickly. Growth could have been taken into consideration earlier. As for sites -- just pick one!

In private industry, the person in charge of a debacle like this would likely be fired. The reason many people have low regard for public servants is that when they fail, it's spectacular. And it costs us, not them.

Bring on the new police detachment. Under the contract between Wood Buffalo and the federal government, it's a local responsibility. The existing cop shop, just a decade old (previously, it was in Gregoire Park) was poorly thought out, most now realize.

If locals want good policing, it's a cost that must be borne.

There's a big but, however.

If too many more projects go the same way as this one and the $107-million MacDonald Island redevelopment, the level of municipal indebtedness will likely force Wood Buffalo into bankruptcy at some point.

Civic employees and politicians alike will all point at someone else, blaming them for the mess.

It will be a mess of their own making. Lots of bad decisions were made to arrive at this situation.

Elections are three years apart, and the foresight by politicians often extends that far and no more.

The average citizen is left holding the bag. The empty money bag.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

McMurray's message gets marginalized

2006-09-19T16:45:00.000-06:00

Column: Gimme Some Grammar appeared in Fort McMurray Today Sept. 8, 2006

By MICHAEL HALL
Today staff

Does this region get the respect it deserves? I don't think so.

Here's an example of the attitude.

In a story in the Edmonton Journal looking back on the beginning of Ralph Klein's 14-year term as Alberta premier, reporter Jason Markusoff wrote recently: "Metro Edmonton boasted more people than Calgary, and Fort McMurray was largely irrelevant."

There were 90 million barrels of oil produced by Syncrude Canada and Suncor Energy in 1992. That's a heck of a lot of oil by anyone's measure.

Conventional oil production was on the decline and that however it worked out -- that part wasn't clear then -- the oilsands with almost untold reserves was the future.

Any analysis that concludes this region and its resources were irrelevant is flawed. Hopefully it wasn't just arrogance talking in the article, but lack of knowledge.

But it shows how Fort McMurray's message gets marginalized so easily in the provincial capital.

* * *

I caught the following in former Today publisher Don Sinclair's regular contribution in the Saint (Albert) City News.

Many of you who've been around McMurray for awhile will remember Sinc. He went on from here to become a vice-president in our parent company before leaving to become a consultant.

In his Sept. 1 column (it's entitled The Things I See, and Hear, and Think), he includes a letter from a reader.

"On: Naming rights

"Hi, Don. With naming rights being a hot topic in the last few weeks -- The St. Albert Leisure Centre and its rinks (the original proposal was to remove the Mark Messier name from one of the ice surfaces, but that decision was reversed), along with the new children's hospital in Calgary -- here is a suggestion for a lasting honour for our outgoing premier. Why not rename Highway 63 to Fort McMurray 'Klein's Way?'

"Liz Samson, St. Albert."

Sinc says: "Just what do you have against Highway 63, Liz?"

Funny stuff.

* * *

Our link to the south is becoming more important all the time. We're hearing about how places like Lac La Biche, Athabasca and Boyle are quickly growing because of McMurrayites who can't afford to live here relocating to the smaller towns.

I can't imagine a three-hour commute each way, but I guess some can. I haven't been following the housing market in those centres, but it could easily be half the price to put a roof over one's head.

The end result? More traffic on Highway 63.

It's going to spread out over all seven days of the week, around the clock.

That's why I was so pleased to see four of the new Alberta sheriffs patrolling 63 last Friday on a trip south to Edmonton between here and the Lac La Biche turnoff.

They were in two pairs and three of them had someone pulled over.

I slowed down to 60 km/h, as the law now requires, although the move didn't agree with at least one car behind me that quickly loomed large in my rear view mirror. I guess he or she didn't get the memo on slowing down when passing emergency vehicles with lights flashing.

And boy, do they flash. The new sheriff cruisers are configured differently than the RCMP cars. The lights seem to be much brighter -- a good idea on a busy highway.

The call to put these additional enforcers on the job was the right one, and I believe traffic is safer today as a result. My only quibble? We need more.

Highway 63 is unlike any other in the province. Why there aren't more deadly crashes like the recent collision near Boyle is a mystery to me. I was just about involved in a couple in one trip south and back to McMurray. If I hadn't taken evasive action, I might be another statistic.

Bring on the law.

* * *

Fort McMurray is back in the news again. As usual, there are TV crews and reporters circulating almost every day. Tours of the plants to show off the oilsands are keeping staff busier than ever, from what I hear. Reporters from the Calgary Herald are back, too. Oh, goody.

The latest issue of Chatelaine gives this region a going-over in an eight-page story entitled Down & Dirty in Fort McMurray.

Despite the rhyming headline, it's mostly accurate. Like almost any overview, while the focus is on drugs, hookers and the imbalance between the numbers of men and women, there's tacit acknowledgment of the fact this community is overwhelmingly a normal family town.

I'm troubled by the sexist treatment of Mayor Melissa Blake, however. Her marital status is pointedly featured in the story. Other articles have focused on her physical appearance.

Why?

I never saw former Mayor Doug Faulkner's marriage brought up in stories in the past, or his separation near the end of his time in public office.

Too many reporters come here with their stories pre-written. This is a bad place, filled with criminals, drugs and alcohol, to the exclusion of other things. That's the reputation we have.

The Chatelaine piece gives better attention to the fact we're mostly normal. The reporter has relatives here.

While there are negative elements in Fort McMurray, like anywhere else, isn't the real story the oilsands?

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

As culture fragments, tragedies get us talking

2006-09-15T11:52:00.000-06:00

Column: Check Your Head appeared in Fort McMurray Today Sept. 7, 2006

By DAN MACEACHERN
Today staff

There are things in this world that are surprising. The death of Australian Steve Irwin, popularly known as "The Crocodile Hunter," is not one of them. Tragic, surely. But when you make your living poking and prodding at potentially lethal creatures in their natural habitats, instant death is a routine possibility. The cause of death, instead of "stingray bite" might be more accurately listed as "law of averages."

A co-worker of mine said the Australians she's met have said they and their fellow citizens couldn't stand Irwin, because, apparently, thanks to him, people think all Aussies are like him. Their enmity mystifies me for a few reasons: a) Irwin always seemed to be engaging, exuberant and passionate about his life's work. I can think of worse people to stand for an entire country: George W. Bush, for example; b) the steady stream of mourners and well-wishers for Irwin, as well as the offer of a state funeral from the Australian government would seem to belie the idea that nobody liked him; and c) people who would think all Australians are like Steve Irwin are obviously stupid, and we should not waste much energy fretting about what they think. Shouldn't proud Australians reserve their rancor for the person whose thought process, apparently, goes something like this: "Steve Irwin is Australian. Ergo, all Australians are like Steve Irwin"? I don't see myself losing any sleep over people who think all Canadians are like, say, Don Cherry, or Bob and Doug McKenzie, even though I'm sure those people are out there. But why?

Perhaps there's something about the television screen that affixes a sheen of importance to the individuals appearing on it. Subconsciously, we assume that for someone to be appearing on television, he or she must be the best at what they do. Once upon a time, that might have been true, but as the number of channels available rockets through the triple digits, more and more "talent" is needed to satisfy the home viewer. And as reality television continues to dominate network television and water-cooler chatter, less and less talent is needed to make it on air. If once you had to be a talented actor or newsman or athlete to become famous, now you can go on Fear Factor and eat a bug.

But still we look to television for authenticity, for validation. Nine years ago, when I landed a job at a newspaper in Lloydminster -- my dream since I was 15 years old (the newspaper part, anyway) -- I excitedly told my aunt. She was similarly thrilled, not just at my job, but at the possibilities: "Maybe one day you'll be on television!" she said.

The other effect of television fragmentation is a weakening of society's common culture. With more and more channels to choose from, today's top programs aren't watched by as many people as the top programs of the '50s. And sometimes there are even hierarchies of viewers of those shows. Take The Sopranos, for example. To see an episode's premiere, you need to have HBO (or in Canada, Movie Central, and even then, until a season or two ago, the Movie Central episode ran a few days later than the HBO one). But you have to pay to get those channels. If you can't or don't want to pay for television, you have to wait months before it'll appear on Canadian basic cable. Another alternative is to wait for the season to be released on DVD, technology that's made it easier to buy and store entire television libraries. Try imagining how much space eight seasons of The Simpsons on videocassette would take up on your shelf.

So if people at work once discussed Lucy's latest harebrained scheme in the episode broadcast the night before, today we have to be careful not to talk about which gangster was whacked by Tony Soprano, mindful of co-workers who will be watching the show some weeks or months down the road and who don't want plot twists spoiled for them.

So what's left for our common culture? The ultimate reality television: news (and, to some, sports). And nothing resonates and gets people talking like tragedies -- catastrophic ones like 9-11 and hurricanes, and individual ones like Princess Diana's death. Less and less notable people become famous for less and less notable accomplishments, but these "accomplishments" -- Paris Hilton's sex tape, backstabbing on Survivor, Mel Gibson's drunken flameout, an obsessed creep's confession to the murder of Jon-Benet Ramsey -- become our social language. I can't count the number of times in the past few days I've been asked, "You hear about the Crocodile Hunter?" But I know exactly how many times in the past few years I've been asked, "You watch the Crocodile Hunter last night?" Zero.

Entertainment Tonight last night promised to stick with the story of Steve Irwin's death as it develops. But he's dead; unless he rises from the grave, I'm not sure how much news he's going to provide now (unless he rises from the dead. I'd be willing to clear some space on the front page for that). What Entertainment Tonight really meant was they'll follow the story until the next thing comes along to catch our collective attention.

Irwin's family declined the offer of a state funeral, opting instead for a private service, out of the public eye. But with word today that Paris Hilton has been arrested for drunk driving, they would have been out of the public eye in short order anyway.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Finally, the truth as Klein leaves office

2006-09-14T11:36:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today, September 6, 2006

Flashback to 2001.

Wood Buffalo Coun. John Vyboh, then the local provincial Liberal candidate, commented on Premier Ralph Klein's annual address to the province.

"I still don't believe they have a direction or a plan," he said Jan. 30. "Despite the premier trying to put the best face on it, we probably saw another sample of a 30-year-old government that's lacking ideas and visions."

Vyboh was handily beaten by Guy Boutilier. Twice.

But he was right. There was no plan.

Ralph Klein admitted as much last week. "They were right about not having a plan,'' Klein told a news conference. "The plan is being developed, but no one could anticipate the phenomenal growth that was taking place."

We'll get back to the issue of anticipation.

"We were prepared for sustainable growth, but not the kind of growth that occurred," said Klein last week.

The statement is something we've come to expect from the folksy premier. He says what he thinks. If something's bugging him, if something's on his mind, it comes out of his mouth, without any censor in between.

Fort McMurray residents know there was no plan. We didn't need Klein to tell us.

If there were a plan, it would have included twinning Highway 63 from Edmonton to this city's outskirts. It would have included upgrading the highway through town, or some kind of bypass route. It would have included wider bridges or more bridges across the Athabasca River.

All of these projects are now in the pipeline or under construction. A good plan would have seen all of these projects finished by now, however. Traffic would flow easily, instead of being tied up. A plan would have anticipated the need years ago.

People here knew about the growth. Consultant reports and studies for the last decade all called the situation correctly.

Following the generic oilsands royalty OK in 1996 -- a cutting of the tax on new projects that was approved by the federal government and Ralph Klein's administration -- tens of billions of dollars in investment was announced within a short while.

By now, that price tag is north of $50 billion.

The numbers were there. The projects were there. The growth projections were there, specifically the numbers of construction and full-time workers at the new oilsands plants.

Klein had an MLA in his caucus -- Boutilier -- whom he later promoted to a minister, who told him the same thing.

What was missing? A plan.

Wood Buffalo was growing. Ralph Klein had the input from people like Boutilier and civil servants. He visited Fort McMurray regularly for political fundraisers.

It's a fair assumption that Klein was pigeonholed by local Tories at these dinners and urged to invest in infrastructure here to cope with the massive growth.

While a premier is probably constantly lobbied for pavement and other projects when he travels Wild Rose Country from Magrath to Manning, no other region is contributing to the province's bottom like this one.

Why no plan? Can Klein plead stupidity? He certainly can't tell us he wasn't approached to assist with growth pressures.

Klein said last week he realized as little as six months ago the "phenomenal growth" here.

That statement doesn't pass the smell test.

What about the municipality's so-called "business case" presented at the Alberta legislature April 4, 2005? Provincial politicians and civil servants had the whole issue laid out for them.

This region has been repeatedly let down by the Alberta government.

Our contribution to the province's bottom line has not been respected. An almost maniacal pursuit of deficit-cutting ignored the needs of future growth.

It may end up hurting the provincial treasury as oilsands projects are delayed or cancelled if the infrastructure can't keep up. How many billions of dollars will that cost?

People here were hurt in many ways as a result of the lack of a provincial plan: from deaths and injuries on the overcrowded highway to substandard living conditions forced on people by the lack of affordable housing.

All of this was easily foreseen. All could have been dealt with by simple plans back in 1997 or 2000.

It never happened. Now that Ralph Klein is leaving office, we hear the truth.

What a disappointment.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

63 twinning means election looming

2006-09-06T14:04:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today Sept. 1, 2006

Welcome to the 2007 election season.

It kicked off in fine form this week, with both federal and provincial representatives flying to the Oilsands City to announce a big bunch of money for Highway 63.

It's our money, of course -- politicians routinely gloss over this little fact -- but they're plenty proud to give it back to us, and maybe even attach a brass plaque with their names.

While no elections have been called yet, it's almost a given that the new Alberta premier -- the person who will replace Ralph Klein later this year -- will go to the voters to get a mandate some time in 2007. Probably the spring.

As for the feds, some feel it's unlikely Stephen Harper will still be getting along famously with the Liberals, Bloc Quebecois and NDP for 16 more months. Something's gotta give, and that would result in another election.

Brian Jean's hobbyhorse since the MP was first elected in 2004 has been Highway 63. The Fort McMurray man knows, as all do who live in the Oilsands City, that the link to the south is dangerous in its present condition.

MLA Guy Boutilier has laboured long and hard for widening and twinning of the link. A series of deaths fortified his argument.

But he was one voice in the big Progressive Conservative caucus. His colleagues elsewhere in the province almost always won out.

Former transportation minister Lyle Oberg, a physician, travelled the 450-kilometre link by car. During his trip, he came to the aid of a motorist injured in a crash.

Not long after that, money for twinning suddenly appeared.

Not long after that, Oberg was out. Although motorists are told work is ongoing on the highway, they're still waiting for it to show up in the form of pavement.

Jean's campaign literature will point to the fact he came through on his promise to get federal money for Highway 63.

It's a correct statement.

What he won't say -- and can't say -- is how the cash will hasten its completion.

No one at the news conference this week would comment on:

* When it will be finished (three, five and 10 years have been mentioned in the past)

* Whether the Alberta government really needs the money to twin 63.

Our province is awash in cash -- billions of surplus dollars. The project was not being held up waiting for the money; it was held up in other ways.

The project wasn't a priority for many years. They were wasted years for the residents of this region.

People in this region knew about the growth. They knew traffic on 63 was getting unbearable. And dangerous.

While no one will sneeze at more than $100 million coming to this region from the feds, what does it mean??

Politicians who fly in and fly out for cheque presentations should be ashamed. They're spending our money to give us our money.

It's money that should have been spent years ago. By the time all the dust is settled, it's quite possible many construction projects in this region will be finished, and the thousands of workers who clogged the highway Thursday nights and Sunday afternoons will be gone.

What matters is the end result. To date, it's a big fat zero.

Yes, get ready to mark your ballots. Not only will we be voting at the federal and provincial levels, municipal polls will be open all day Oct. 15, 2007.

Wood Buffalo politicians have long fought for four lanes on the highway -- a provincial responsibility -- to no avail. It's possible they were finally able to prod the bureaucracy in Edmonton with strong words about impeding oilsands projects if the infrastructure deficit wasn't addressed.

Did Wood Buffalo representatives wait too long to apply the strong-arm tactics? Voters will judge them too.

Instead of a great day for this region, the funding announcement this week exposed the cracks in the system that continuously frustrate average citizens.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Sick of Fort McMurray's traffic problems? Aren't we all

2006-09-06T14:01:00.000-06:00

Column: Gimme Some Grammar appeared in Fort McMurray Today Sept. 1, 2006.

BY MICHAEL HALL
Today staff

Traffic. I hear about it all the time.

From relatives. from co-workers. My wife.

I hear strangers talking to each other in the grocery line about the subject.

There are many different sub-topics. They include, but are not limited to:

- Why is it taking so long to finish the downtown bypass road on Highway 63?

- Why don't they finish the last bit of paving and open up the third turning lane on to Thickwood Boulevard?

- Whatever happened to the magical tow truck that was supposed to stand by during rush hour to get stalled/crashed vehicles off the bridges?

- Why were several wide loads -- taking up two lanes each -- stuck in the highway traffic jam created when two big trucks crashed Wednesday between King and Hospital Streets? Aren't they supposed to come through in the middle of the night to avoid traffic?

I get grouchy about this topic. I think I write about it too much here.

But people are talking about it.

- - -

I visited the eye doctor recently.

A few years ago I passed That Certain Age where bifocal lenses become necessary. I've never really liked them.

Since my glasses were equipped with the bifocals, reading has become harder. My eyes get tired more easily.

Looking at a computer screen -- usually farther away than a book page -- has been OK.

One eye doc suggested trifocals, but I had this image of looking like a bug, so I said no.

This time, I was encouraged to try something else. I got a second pair of clear glasses (I have prescription sunglasses, too). This pair will be useless for driving. I was also warned that they may be no good for walking around the office.

The upper portion of the lens is built to look at the computer screen. The bottom is for reading.

The goal is not to let my eyes get tired.

I hope it works.

Many people might be saying aloud as they read this: "why don't you get contact lenses, Mike?"

I don't really know. I grew up in an era before the flexible lenses were popular. The whole idea of sticking something in my eye grossed me out.

I could probably handle the new models now, but I'm set in my ways. Plus, I think glasses add to my rugged good looks.

Hopefully the new set-up will add to my vision, too.

So far, taking one pair off and putting another on is not going well. I keep forgetting and misplacing them. I may need to get a string to hold them around my neck.

It's not a good look for picking up chicks at the bar. I guess my wife would see that as a plus.

- - -

When one gets to a certain stage in life, medical issues come to the forefront.

I don't want to start counting the number of relatives and friends who have received bad news from a doctor or died in the last few years. It would get me down.

At family gatherings, there is as much talk of various symptoms or experiences in hospitals as catching up on how youngsters are doing.

One distant in-law, who lived outside Edmonton, learned he had a brain tumour. He died within a matter of weeks. The funeral was last Thursday. I regretted not being able to tear myself away from work to attend.

Death is part of life. We all know that. But we don't know that, if you know what I mean.

On an intellectual level, death is a certainty. On an emotional plane, it isn't as easy.

I'm also at the stage when my parents are getting on. Things are going to be tough.

All of us have either faced or will face these issues.

Medical/health news is more popular than ever. We hear about new discoveries, but wonder why they don't help our lives of those of our loved ones.

Still, doctors heal patients every day who might not have made it decades ago.

We owe them a debt of gratitude.

We also owe thanks to Ralph Klein, who sowed billions of dollars in the health-care field in advance of his upcoming resignation. We will all benefit in years to come.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Harassment not fault of labour shortage

2006-09-05T09:28:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today August 30, 2006

The Fort McMurray Factor gets blamed for a lot of things: staff shortages, astronomical rents, a lack of selection of local goods and shops (and the high prices of what is available in town), and the frequency of budget overruns on any project, large or small. In a lot of cases, the blame is well-placed.

But in a local human-rights case, the supposed worker shortage was unfairly blamed for the behaviour of a local restaurant employee.

Diane Carr, a cook at Humpty's, was awarded $6,300 in lost wages after she left a job because of harassment by another employee. Another kitchen worker, Chris Troake, routinely cursed her, made sexually charged comments towards her and, on one occasion, stuck a sausage in the fly of his pants, waved it at Carr's sister, invited her to bite it, and chased her with it.

Troake's actions were reprehensible by any reasonable person's definition. But in Fort McMurray, we're all familiar with instances of subpar service, of less-than-competent workers who maintain their employment simply by virtue of the fact that local businesses are in dire need of workers. A bad worker is better than no worker, one might say.

At least, that was the argument put forth by Humpty's. A supervisor for the restaurant told the panel they had to put up with Troake's behaviour because of McMurray's labour shortage.

Nonsense.

If anything, the labour shortage should have meant Humpty's booted Troake, for fear that his behaviour might drive away good workers. After all, if a bad employee can simply get another job somewhere else, so can good ones, right?

Thankfully, the panel ruled in Carr's favour. We hope Humpty's learned a lesson -- and other local businesses did, too.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Movie of the year (for preteens)

2006-08-29T15:40:00.000-06:00

This movie review appeared in Fort McMurray Today Aug. 23, 2006

STEP UP

Starring: Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan

Directed by: Anne Fletcher

Rating: PG

2 1/2 stars (out of four)

By PAULA OGONOSKI
Today staff

If your preteen years aren't behind you, Step Up is possibly the best movie of the year. Otherwise, chances are you've seen this film thousands of times, only better. In the past it's been called Dirty Dancing, Save the Last Dance or The Cutting Edge. The only way to recycle a plot successfully is to do it better. This film may step up but that's about all it does.

Nora (Jenna Dewan), a wealthy trained dancer, is forced to partner with Tyler (Channing Tatum), a delinquent kid from the 'hood with nothing but club dancing experience, to help her practise for a life-changing audition. While the two are from opposite sides of the tracks and have little in common, things heat up both on and off the dance floor.

There are three major problems with this film.

The first: Dewan isn't memorable. I found myself drifting during her scenes, and paying more attention to the extras whenever the one-dimensional actress was on the screen.

Her acting is weak, and she lacks the "it" factor. I'm not even sure the inexperienced actress believed what she was saying. And passion isn't just lacking in her acting. The chemistry between the lead actors is non-existent. Where's Dirty Dancing's Baby and Johnny when you need them? Now, they knew how to heat up a screen.

The second major problem with the film is its relatively boring dance sequences, with the exception of the last number. Some are hopelessly cheesy, especially one number at a nightclub. With television hits like Dancing with the Stars and So you Think You Can Dance? showing the public how it's done, movies really need to step up their dance choreography and bring something memorable to the audience.

Third, like the dancers, the plot is weak. The foundation on which the entire story lies is unbelievable. Nora supposedly can't find someone at her prestigious dancing school to lift her, so she has to use Tyler. I find it hard to believe none of these supposedly `world-class dancers could lift the petite Nora at that stage in their careers.

I'll admit the film is somewhat entertaining, but so is a waterskiing squirrel. And I can't imagine sitting through a movie about a waterskiing squirrel.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Bars need to help fight against scourge of drugs

2006-08-29T15:38:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today Aug. 22, 2006

Alberta government ministers have been musing aloud lately.

It's worth noting because musing can result in new laws and regulations for Albertans.

Gaming Minister Gordon Graydon started the charge last week with speculation about raising the legal limit for drinking.

According to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, three provinces allow 18-year-olds to drink: Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec. The rest set the barrier at 19.

In the '70s, some provinces forced youth to wait until the age of 21 to drink -- legally.

That's the key. Legally.

It's not common for socially active young people to wait until even 18. One doesn't have to talk to too many people to come across tales of boozing at bush parties when they were 15.

In later life, they may justify youthful indiscretions by noting they turned out OK.

The trouble is, many don't.

Alcohol doesn't have a neutral effect on people or their lives. A quick check of the courthouse will find many criminals being sentenced for various crimes blaming alcohol for their downfall. Drugs, too, but alcohol is so readily available and its use is so accepted that overuse is too easy.

Booze must not be banned. We've seen how that boosted organized crime last century. But encouraging responsible drinking is in everyone's interest.

Is raising the drinking age a year the way to do this? Probably not.

It will put booze legally in the hands of some still attending high school, but parents have their heads in the sand if they think their teens can't get their hands on a bottle without that advantage.

The second musing came from another Alberta minister, who wondered about putting the liquor licences of bars into jeopardy if drugs were sold on the premises.

This one, while fraught with some legal concerns, should be pursued.

While some may disagree, it's hard to see how illicit drug use is beneficial for individuals or society. For many, it's a one-way ticket to despair.

By forcing bar owners to rigorously police their premises, a big source of drugs would be cut off. By making drugs harder to obtain, they might be used in smaller quantities.

Anything to stop the scourge.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

New school good news for district

2006-08-28T15:52:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McmUrray Today August 18, 2006

Fort McMurray's first new school in 13 years opens its doors to students this fall -- terrific news for a desperately overcrowded education district.

Because of the overcrowding, it's perhaps fortunate that the growth of the school system has not kept pace with the population growth of Fort McMurray. Enrolment in the school systems has grown at about two per cent a year, less than the general population. The question is why.

One possibility -- the common-sense answer -- is that few children are accompanying the adults moving to Fort McMurray, either because these adults don't have children, or they're leaving family behind for temporary work.

If it's the latter, that's not good news for anyone -- not the workers forced to leave their children behind, nor for the workers' families themselves. It's not the workers' fault; either they don't see Fort McMurray as a place they want to settle in, or the miniscule vacancy rate combined with sky-high rents means it makes little financial sense to try to find anything other than a single room with a single bed.

But if we want workers to bring their families -- to help shed Fort McMurray's image as a largely transient town -- we need more amenities, more attractions ... more schools. And that's why the opening of St. Martha is such good news. A new school in a new neighbourhood inceases the chances of families settling there, especially since schools, as well as residents, have started migrating from the downtown area; downtown used to have five schools, and now has two.

Settled families mean longer-term residents, and a populace more invested in the future of the city.

Teachers are excited, too. As Today reported earlier this week, St. Martha staff have showed up earlier than usual to get the ball rolling for fall, which speaks volumes about their commitment to educating our children.

Now, the public school division needs a new school. The district is so anxious for funding for one that they've already got a name picked out. Why hasn't the government recognized the need?

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

North, south, east and west -- streets are all turned around

2006-08-22T15:29:00.000-06:00

Column: Gimme Some Grammar appeared in Fort McMurray Today Aug. 18, 2006

By MICHAEL HALL
Today staff

I had a long talk with a longtime local resident this week. He opened my eyes to something I've been getting wrong.

While he didn't ask me for confidentiality, I'm pretty sure Ken Hill won't mind my dropping his name.

I'm writing about this here because I agree 100 per cent with the point he made.

It's not earth-shaking news, but Hill pointed out something I -- and the paper -- have been getting wrong on a regular basis.

Franklin Avenue does not run north and south.

In fact, it heads northwest from L. Robert Enterprises to the go-kart track.

And the pair of bridges -- the Ralph Steinhauer and the Grant MacEwan (it's the one with the metal superstructure) run east-west. Not north-south.

We have probably referred to these geographic facts incorrectly many times over the years.

It's not that we're ignoramuses. It's just that we strive for clarity and simplicity in communicating with you, the reader, in stories.

While it's correct to refer to the Steinhauer as a northbound bridge -- the traffic heads to Fort McMurray's north side -- noting it runs from east to west is just confusing for someone who is headed to the other side of the Athabasca River.

It's also confusing to contemplate the fact that parts of Thickwood Heights are actually south of some points in the Lower Townsite.

Back to Franklin Avenue. It's canted on an angle, more to fall in line with the landscape -- perhaps to run parallel to the Abasand Heights escarpment or the Clearwater River -- than anything else.

Many of us are used to streets and avenues laid out on grids aligned to the compass. Edmonton, where many McMurrayites have either lived or stayed, is like this -- in the older subdivisions.

The new subdivisions in Edmonton -- think Millwoods -- are just like many parts of Fort McMurray, ranging from Timberlea to Chickweed. What passes for urban design these days mandates curving streets -- the opposite of the grid system -- to ensure everyone lives within a predetermined distance of a transit bus stop.

The upshot of this is, unless you track your direction with a GPS, compass or follow the location of the sun in the sky, you have no idea where you are.

That's me. I grew up in cities, so I never relied on the yellow orb that shines down on us.

That's why I approximate directions, and have passed on this bad habit to scores of reporters over the years.

The lack of a grid system for streets, apart from a few blocks downtown, is part of the charm of Fort McMurray. The system in place elsewhere in Alberta with numbers instead of names, and a system that steers you precisely to your destination based on the street address alone, is too smart for us. Better the system elsewhere in Canada with names that make little sense.

To sum up:

* Few streets in Fort McMurray are on a grid system or run north-south, east-west.

* Franklin Avenue runs southeast-northwest.

* It's better to avoid map co-ordinates altogether.

* * *

I was delivering newspapers last week when I noticed something startling.

Everyone knows about the many tenants being put up at homes throughout McMurray's residential neighbourhoods. I've written about it here.

The municipality looks the other way on this issue.

It's gone past basements. There are hundreds of large trailers in local driveways, each one housing one or more workers. Probably oilsands workers.

Many of these aren't normal trailers. They're referred to as fifth wheels. They're usually bigger than the normal holiday trailers you can tow behind almost any car, and they're smaller that semi-trailers.

I saw several fifth wheel trailers on my stroll with pop-outs, where the living space inside is made bigger when the trailers is at rest. I wonder if the municipal census takes these trailer residents into account. While there may be a category for basement rental suites (that are probably under-reported, because homeowners fear a crackdown), I bet this one was overlooked.

There could be hundreds of additional "shadow population" residents out there.

Heck, maybe even some full-time McMurrayites.

* * *

The newspaper has been under a full-court press this week from representatives of the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation. You may have read here that Chief Walter Janvier is the target of a petition to unseat him.

Curiously, the chief has not been able to schedule an interview with us, but he took time to meet with the local CTV reporter this week for an interview.

This dispute is between band members who oppose the chief's rule, and the chief and his supporters.

Some are trying to drag the newspaper into the dispute. We are being accused of various transgressions. They're bogus. There are two sides in this issue. We are not one of them.

The safe course would be to not cover this story. We didn't take that route.

I was told it's not good enough for me to issue an invitation in this space to the chief to propose positive stories about his hamlet. It should be by e-mail.

I reject that.

The invitation is still open.

In the meantime, stories about Janvier residents without running water will continue to make the news. It's a scandal. Everyone should be outraged.

Over to you, Chief Janvier.

Unless you track your direction with a GPS or follow the location of the sun in the sky, you have no idea where you are.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Readers defend Quarry Ridge Golf Course

2006-08-18T12:48:00.000-06:00

The two letters to the editor below appeared in Fort McMurray Today Aug. 15, 2006.

It's very strange that the same people who were for 15 or more years the leaders in minor sports are now the leaders in destroying a facility that caters to families -- in particular, young families with children from three to 12 years old. Show me another course where it's common to see three-, four- and five-year-olds playing golf.

Quarry Ridge is a golf course that caters to the exact people it was designed and built to serve. Tell the four thousand or so people who love to play our course that they're not playing golf.

Is there a scenario evolving in which deep pockets and corporate influence is going to prevail over common sense and quality of life?

KEITH JAMIESON

What's next if Quarry Ridge closes?

I am concerned with the quote from Little League director Colin Solbak, when he says, "...and if people are concerned about losing a golf course, it's not even a golf course, in my view, it's a starter track."

My family moved here almost five years ago when my sons were 13 and 15, and in that time they have enjoyed many golf games at Quarry Ridge. Most of all, they have enjoyed the fresh air, exercise, camaraderie, low-priced green fees, and the casual and friendly atmosphere of the patrons, golfers, and staff. This, along with skiing in the winter, has kept them active and has enabled them to meet many good friends.

Quarry Ridge reminds me of the golf courses owned and operated by the City of Edmonton. Their courses are affordable and challenging enough for the part-time, love-to-learn-the-game golfer. This municipality needs to retain as many low-cost, recreational facilities it can in order to provide an outlet for youngsters and families who are unable (or unwilling) to pay the much higher fees at the other two golf courses.

Through our sons, my wife and I were encouraged to learn the game of golf, and we quite like the Quarry Ridge course for its forgiveness of our limited golfing abilities. We have played the other golf courses in town; however, Quarry Ridge fits the bill for beginner golfers or golfers who just want to go out and have fun.

I applaud the Rotary Club for their plans for a golf course on Airport Road; however, that course will not be available for use next year, once the planned rezoning of the Quarry Ridge property has occurred, and it has met its demise.

I am all for development and expansion as a natural progression for a growing and vibrant community; however, I am also concerned when a municipality addresses the rezoning of parks and recreation land. What's next: Borealis Park? Birchwood Trails? Snye Park? Vista Ridge Ski Hill?

JOHN HULLEMAN

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Safety first, from Mideast to skate park

2006-08-18T12:39:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today August 11, 2006

Safety first.

That's the mantra for hundreds of men and women in Wood Buffalo who oversee and promote the idea that no job, no pay packet, no matter how lucrative, is worth injury or death.

Not only is safety the law of the land on the worksite, there are financial incentives -- and penalties, too. Companies in this region have proudly cashed rebate cheques or paid lower assessments to the Alberta Workers' Compensation Board because of better than average records compared with their industry peers.

That's the positive side. That's the spin you'd likely hear from public relations advocates.

The cold hard truth is that safety is not a priority for every worker, every hour, on every job.

Injuries occur. Workers die.

No final conclusion has come out of the investigation into the death of 64-year-old Michael Gauthier at the TransAlta power station at Suncor Energy, but, as many safety professionals constantly remind us, "there are no accidents."

From the preliminary information available, it seems fault will be found in the incident.

While it's of national importance, the oilsands industry is not worth taking dangerous shortcuts. Employers in this region have repeatedly demonstrated their commitment to the cause. Unfortunately, when the rubber hits the road, that commitment isn't always translated into action.

This week, a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan died. Tragically, it appears he was shot by a fellow soldier's rifle.

The military is a work zone, too. The tools we give the soldiers are dangerous. Training emphasizes that.

The investigation into this incident is underway. No final conclusion has been reached.

Remember, however, there are no accidents. It's quite possible that the soldier assigned to the gun that discharged will be held responsible, unless there was some mechanical fault with the weapon.

From the local skate park, where teens on inline skates or skateboards casually do flips without protective equipment, to drivers on Highway 63 who think nothing of driving at 150 km/h, safety advocates have a long row to hoe.

Some may ask, then, why this newspaper publishes photos of cyclists without helmets. Or why these pages have seen photographs of workers on steep roofs without safety harnesses.

To hide practices that occur anyway amounts to censorship. To turn one's head and pretend these practices don't take place helps allow them to continue.

That said, newspapers are not enforcers. That's the domain of others.

Safety needs to be taught from an early age. Without a good grounding in the culture of risk aversion, we can't expect every worker to make it a way of life.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

World Trade Center doesn't live up to expectations

2006-08-17T09:37:00.000-06:00

This movie review appeared in Fort McMurray Today Aug. 15, 2006

WORLD TRADE CENTER

- Starring: Nicolas Cage

- Directed by: Oliver Stone

- Rating: PG

2 1/2 stars (out of four)

By PAULA OGONOSKI
Today staff

"Disappointing" is the best way to describe Hollywood's first film directly about the collapse of the World Trade Center.

Just months after United 93 landed in theatres, controversial director Oliver Stone releases his attempt at conveying one of the most pivotal moments in history.

World Trade Center, written by rookie writer Andrea Berloff, tries to tell the true story about two port authority police officers trapped in the rubble, John McLoughlin (Nicholas Cage) and William Jimeno (Michael Pena). The story shows the hours leading to the disaster and the time while the two men were buried alive, 20 feet below the ground in an elevator shaft.

It felt like Berloff was overwhelmed with the various aspects of the story and simply couldn't find the elements that would be important to the viewer.

The thing that bothered me the most, was the lack of character development. Many characters are introduce and then left on the sidelines. In one scene a wife is told her husband, an officer, might be alive; we don't see her again when the worst is confirmed. In another scene, a cop from Wisconsin is seen getting upset over the incident, leading us to think he's a pivotal character. We don't see him again until the end, handing out hotdogs to the workers at Ground Zero. I understand the point that Berloff and Stone were trying to make -- that brethren were killed and everyone tried to do his part -- but it's watered down. It's a characteristic Stone isn't know for. Also, key characters important to the rescue aren't introduced at all in the beginning; they just show up.

I also wanted to know about how the two heroes reacted when they discovered it wasn't a car bomb that went off, their belief during their ordeal, and that both buildings had in fact collapsed. We went through a heroic journey with them, and I feel ripped off I didn't get the rest of the story.

Despite the characters being underdeveloped, the actors are high-calibre. For many, this is the largest project they've been on and I expect they will make big names for themselves. Maggie Gyllenhaal (Allison Jimeno) showcases one of her most compelling performances to date, playing the wife of one of the officers.

But the performances don't make up for the sloppy movie-making.

There are obvious goofs in the film, including microphones being visible in numerous shots, and the same paramedic being used at different sites during the same scene.

With a film of this kind of importance, it's a disgrace filmmakers seem flippant about the details.

---

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Story on Chief Walter Janvier split opinions from residents

2006-08-15T09:33:00.000-06:00

Column: Gimme Some Grammar appeared in Fort McMurray Today August 11, 2006.

By MICHAEL HALL
Today staff

Our story Tuesday on the bid by a large number of Janvier residents to force out long-serving Chief Walter Janvier has attracted a lot of interest.

There are two kinds of calls:

* Those from people in the hamlet who back the chief and oppose the recall.

* Industry and government officials who want to keep in the loop on the situation.

Reporter Glenn Kauth's story did everything we can ask: it set out the situation -- the petition that is asking for the change in leadership -- and included comments from those opposed to Janvier and both the man himself and a councillor who supports him.

Whether the document is upheld is a matter that must still be determined; Janvier hinted to Kauth that he will allege that some signatures are not valid.

One man who called me said that he wanted to get his views in the paper. While he's a relative of Walter Janvier, he said that's not why he supports the job the chief is doing.

I asked him to write a letter to the editor.

The hamlet of Janvier has been a flashpoint for controversy as long as I've been on the job here. It seems that people either love the chief or hate him. I've only talked to him on one or two occasions, and he came across as both smart and cagey.

Kauth briefly talked to Janvier, but he quickly rang off and was unavailable later on. That's the pattern we've seen from him in the past.

I've received literally dozens of calls over the years complaining about Walter Janvier personally and the way he and his council runs the hamlet.

Because the callers won't let us use their names to write a story, you've seen little in these pages. We are not the New York Times; we weigh the decision to go forward with a story using anonymous sources carefully.

I should also note that we have received calls criticizing us for portraying the negative side of Janvier and not the positive. I expect this line will resurface.

Crime stories are crime stories; we report what's there. I reject any suggestion we unduly focus on Janvier or anywhere else. We cover crime that happens. It's not up to us; it's up to people who commit crimes and where the police enforces the law -- like traffic blitzes.

As for positive stories, bring 'em on! We search them out in every nook and cranny of Wood Buffalo.

People in Janvier brought the story of the petition to us. I challenge people in Janvier to bring us stories they feel are positive. We will endeavour to cover them, along with positive and negative stories from across Wood Buffalo.

Are you reading this, Walter Janvier?

- - -

I want to clear something up.

We live in a free society.

We can phone whomever we want. We can ask any question we want, no matter how impertinent.

Unlike lawyers in a courtroom, we can ask leading questions. We can ask speculative questions. We can ask "what if?"

We ask these questions for one reason. To get information to write stories. That's it.

Don't like it? Tough.

While we have a right to ask any question we want, the sources we talk to have an equal right to refuse to answer questions. They have the right to answer a different question (this is what many politicians do so successfully). They have the right to complain about questions.

The latter makes them look whiny, however.

While some may even tell us they don't think we should be investigating or writing a story about something, I'd caution against it.

Those who challenge our right to write a story on an issue raise suspicions. We ask ourselves why. It might even lead to even more questions, a more probing look at the situation.

If people don't like our questions, they can hang up (although that's rude). They can refuse to return our calls.

That's rude, too.

We're seeing this latter tactic more often in recent years, especially from government functionaries. I find that disturbing. Governments run on the tax dollars that you and I give them.

We have the right to report that they won't return calls.

It tells you, the reader, that someone might have something to hide.

The next step is up to you.

That's the way this whole thing works.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Ideology rules for the outgoing Alberta premier

2006-08-14T10:04:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today Aug. 9, 2006.

Ralph Klein is raising a lot of questions in the run-up to his resignation. Foremost on the minds of Albertans: how did he get elected in the first place?

Last week, he questioned the right of environmental groups to examine industry for compliance with the government's own regulations.

"The Pembina Institute should keep their noses out of anyone's business, especially businesses that want to take risks.

"To have a long-range plan (to govern oilsands development) would be an interventionist kind of policy which says you either allow them or you don't allow them (to proceed). The last thing we want to be is an interventionist government."

That kind of broad statement, seemingly made in ignorance of the huge number of rules already in place to limit what industry does, all to protect people and the environment -- loses track of why government is there in the first place.

Do we want to be a society where citizens cannot question the wisdom of decisions of those who govern us? It sounds like Klein would rather be a dictator instead of an elected servant of the people.

Ralph Klein has taken non-intervention to new highs -- or lows. With the government's ideological determination not to intervene in the rental market, McMurrayites have been hammered again and again with huge increases. Even the local Progressive Conservative MLA's backing of rent controls for this region did not influence Klein.

The Alberta leader is blind to anything but his own direction on this.

All we can do is hope his successor isn't as blinded by ideology as Ralph Klein.

Extreme measures must be considered to deal with extreme circumstances, like those being experienced here right now.

Never say never.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Oil prices: driven by fear, not reality

2006-08-14T09:58:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today August 9, 2006

With the oil pipeline that carries hundreds of thousands of barrels a day of crude oil from Alaska south to markets in the lower 48 out of commission, it's likely more eyes are being cast on this region.

We're a lot closer than Alaska. Our country, no matter what you hear from politicians in Ottawa, is stable.

And there are multiple pipelines to take the product to market in the continental U.S., so customers aren't held hostage by metal fatigue or corrosion.

As a result of this and other world events, the price of oil is crazy.

At almost $80 a barrel, it's more expensive than it needs to be.

While the free-market system is usually adept at balancing supply and demand with rising and falling costs, the supply of oil -- specifically gasoline, doesn't seem to follow natural trends.

Much of the world supply is kept artificially propped up by OPEC, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Other producers like Canada and Russia aren't OPEC members, but they cash in on the windfalls from the price swings.

The price of oil is set by commodity markets, but the dollar figure is driven more by fear -- that conflict or political instability will dry the supply up.

It's a good system for Albertans and oil companies. There are lots of profits and lots of high-paying, solid jobs.

Sure, we have to pay more to fill up our tanks, but no one's complaining too much.

Well, not oil companies or contract workers, anyway.

Where will it end?

More development in Wood Buffalo as the insatiable American thirst for oil, unquenched by the high price, rises.

Any tactics that government or industry can come up with to deal with the ever-accelerating growth are welcome.

They should be implemented tomorrow.

When were they needed? Yesterday.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

War is catastrophic -- but not the coming of the apoclaypse

2006-08-11T09:44:00.000-06:00

Column: Gimme Some Grammar appeared in Fort McMurray Today August 4, 2006

By MICHAEL HALL
Today staff

With the seemingly cataclysmic battle between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon (and Israel itself) playing out in news media these days, another issue has surfaced.

Yes, it's bigger than the daily killing by both sides.

It's the constant references to the coming apocalypse.

These references are biblical in nature. While I read the book, and am no expert on it, and I'm not going to claim that I have any special insight, I'm a bit concerned.

There are several dozen pastors and ministers in Fort McMurray who could take any words I might share here and turn me inside out, so I'll choose them carefully.

Normally, the Good Book gets used as a citation in church services on a regular basis. From the pulpit. In the hands of an expert.

Yet in recent days, there have been print stories, features on TV and even radio broadcasts that make a connection between the Mideast conflict and the end of days. The second coming of Jesus Christ (or the first, if you're a Jew).

All linked to a secular event, a war between two opposing sides.

Again, I emphasize that I'm no expert of the Bible or even the Mideast situation. But these increasing references to the apocalypse are disquieting.

Some may say the stories themselves are part of the indications of the end.

I think the reporters are making links that are not there.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, that despite some of the dismal news that you read in these pages and elsewhere, we live in mankind's golden era. It's better now than ever.

I don't believe things will end, they'll get better.

* * *

Some may take the following as another indication that mankind has played itself out, but I just gasp in bewilderment. I really have no explanation.

According to an interview I came across with socialite and sex video star Paris Hilton, the heiress to the hotel fortune doesn't know who Tony Blair is. You, of course, are familiar with the British prime minister, yes?

Well, yes?

OK, sure you are.

Hilton apparently goes on to brag that she pulls in $200 million a year, for a "job" that involves personal appearances at $500,000 a crack.

Here's a quote from GQ Magazine, the article claims: "Only this week I met a family at the airport who wanted me to drop into their daughter's 16th birthday party for $100,000. Because I'm her idol. So I will. I'll take her a present, though."

It's hard to make any sense of that. I fully believe there are parents rich and foolish enough to pay Hilton to attend their daughter's birthday party.

Heck, if someone wants me to show up at a teen's birthday party, I'll do it for a lot less. And clean all the spyware off the kid's computer to boot. It was probably installed while he or she was watching Hilton's sex video anyway.

* * *

Then there's Mel Gibson. No, on second thought, I won't go there. He's too messed up.

* * *

Fort McMurray Today is an intensely local newspaper. The stories our reporters write are about people or companies in this region. Yet we include Canada and world news, too.

Why? It's important. We must look outwards, not just inwards. What happens worldwide (especially the price of oil) directly affects what happens here, too.

There are so many people here from across the world. They want to know what is going on where they come from.

I've heard the complaint that so much of the world news we and everyone else reports is negative.

That's right. There are few stories with the headline: "Train arrives on time without crashing." Or "Volcano doesn't erupt: Villagers go about their business."

The converse of those headlines are what we see instead.

No, this is not another sign that we're headed for the Big One. It's the reality that the lack of conflict or tragedy is not newsworthy.

* * *

Finally, an echo of my column last week on crudity.

Charlotte, N.C., TV station WCNC, recently lost sports director Chuck Howard. The 11-year broadcaster quit after an incorrect videotape was aired. According to the story in the Charlotte Observer, he "decided to redo the segment. 'Let's retake that,' he said, prefacing the statement with the word s---."

That's how the newspaper reported it: s with three dashes.

The station apologized after that short clip was aired.

I e-mailed the reporter. I asked him if the word was shit. He replied in the affirmative.

Someone loses a job over this everyday word? And the newspaper reports a story without reporting the word at the focus of the story?

I shake my head.

And I've run through my quota for that word in 2006.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Businesses were inconvenienced for too long

2006-08-10T09:25:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today August 2, 2006

It's a poor effort.

Businesses on the south end of Franklin Avenue have been mightily inconvenienced for the better part of a year after Franklin Avenue was torn up and new water pipes were installed to accommodate future residential growth in the former industrial area.

We need the housing, so the utilities installation was a prudent act.

The work was done in two stages, so there were two different detours to deal with while the construction was underway. Since then, the project remained unfinished, with rough gravel or mud -- depending on the weather -- confronting people who wanted to visit businesses in that part of town.

What we will never know is how many potential customers were turned away in recent months. How much in lost business did the store owners endure?

There's lots of talk about creating a level playing field for businesses with the tax system. What about a level playing field in all aspects?

Perhaps the most outrageous bit of information to surface from this incident was that a taxi driver charged a Home Hardware employee an extra $2 for driving a few blocks on the rough service.

That driver should be fired.

It may be telling that municipal officials did not return repeated calls a Today reporter made about this issue. Wood Buffalo was plainly in the wrong. Citizens were let down.

The average person doesn't care much about the machinations and politics that swirl around city hall. They want water to come out of the tap on demand. They want garbage picked up. They want snow cleared.

And they want the street in front of their home or business paved.

Citizens were let down. They were given no apology, justification, or even excuse.

Something's got to change down at city hall.

The municipal election is just over a year from now.

Land for oil a tradeoff most Canadians will make

Two environmental groups released a report Tuesday condemning the method of oilsands extraction that harms the surrounding land, air and water the least.

So-called in-situ extraction -- in which wells are drilled deep into the oilsands formation, steam is pumped into the hole, and bitumen is collected at the bottom -- is gaining in popularity.

It doesn't require stripping off metres of topsoil, or the creation of a hole so big it's likely visible from space. Also absent is the need for extensive reclamation to return the land to its original configuration.

Groups opposing Suncor Energy's Voyageur project noted that the land is never the same after mining. They're right. The price of progress is land that, once reclaimed, will hopefully approximate its former state.

To the average person, in-situ extraction holds many advantages over traditional mining.

But not to environmental groups.

What should we look at? Abandoning the oilsands industry entirely?

While some may prefer that, they're on the extreme edge of society. Most Canadians don't want to abandon their personal vehicles, which require gasoline.

We can get it from unstable and undemocratic countries like Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, or make it here.

We can mandate the world's strictest environmental standards and oversight if we make it here. We can hold our heads high. And we can invest the tax dollars to help make our society better.

If in-situ were abandoned as an allowed oilsands extraction method, the vast majority of the natural resource would never be exploited.

It's a tradeoff that many Canadians are not prepared to make.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Rock Island a success that should be repeated

2006-08-03T09:57:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today August 1, 2006.

Please, may we have more?

Last weekend's Rock Island event on MacDonald Island was a huge success by almost any measure.

Tickets were sold out and the line for beer never stopped, so the promoters must have headed south on Highway 63 with some cash in their back pockets when all was said and done. That's good, because it wasn't always so in Fort McMurray. Many will still remember the flop that was called Fortstock -- a 1996 outdoor concert featuring Kim Mitchell that lost a lot of money.

While booze is always a volatile additive for a group of 2,000 young people, the fact there was little work for the police is excellent news.

MacIsland itself, while just the landlord for the event, got a double shot in the arm: after bathing in gallons of red in in recent years, forcing expensive taxpayer bailouts, it cashed in on the event. And the controversial in-town work camp, together with the construction underway, didn't figure in the concert at all.

For a change, MacDonald Island can bask in some good news.

Perhaps most important, we're back on the list. Concert promoters know they can bring equipment and musicians up Highway 63 -- a one-stop trip, compared with many other circuits, where they can make stops along the way -- put on a good show and earn some money doing it.

Music fans in this region have suffered through a long drought. While occasional country shows have fed the music hunger that many have, and rock acts sometimes hit local bars, there's no question that Fort McMurray's location has worked against concerts in the past.

With the growth of Fort McMurray -- the local census is still under wraps, but the population has more than doubled in the last decade -- the time has come.

Proposals for a 5,000-seat arena in the future that could or could not be approved are fine. But people, as evidenced by the support of Rock Island, want something to happen now.

This is an area where a budding entrepreneur could cash in financially and be a hero to many McMurrayites.

Failing that, why doesn't MacIsland itself consider getting into the promotion business?

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Secrecy no way to handle cancer study

2006-08-02T08:49:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMuray Today July 28, 2006.

Is there a cancer problem in Fort Chipewyan?

Many residents of the hamlet of 1,200 -- who are either stricken with the disease or know someone suffering from it -- say yes.

There are also the spaces in the graveyard that are occupied by cancer victims, their voices stilled by the disease.

This latter-day scourge has touched many lives. Billions of dollars are spent annually in Alberta in a bid to solve the riddle of cancer. It's serious money, and it's a serious disease.

It can hit suddenly, without warning. Although we're encouraged to live healthy lives, there are no guarantees offered to us by the medical profession.

Smoke three packs of cigarettes a day and you might live until you're hit by a bus at age 95. Eat your greens, never allow toxic substances into your body and keep in shape, and a spot may show up on an X-ray when you're 35.

People in Chip have remarked on a number of cases of cancer in recent years. They've been dismayed by not only the quantity, but the strange types of cancer that are not supposed to routinely show up.

Dr. John O'Connor, the Fort McMurray physician who treats patients in Chip on a regular basis, has raised alarms, too.

That tells most people that something's amiss.

O'Connor, along with most Chip residents, wants the matter probed.

At the recent hearings into Suncor Energy's Voyageur project, a study into the problem by the Alberta Cancer Board was released. The study didn't find an elevated incidence of cancer in Chip.

While doctors have given the institution a clean bill of health when it comes to freedom from influence, many Chip residents do not accept the outcome.

Pointing at the oilsands plants along the Athabasca River, they claim the rate is not only high, they know the cause.

There is no factual background for this conclusion. Not only can no one can say the plants are the cause of something, the fact that there's an elevated risk itself is still unproved.

It's important to listen to the voices of the people. But public policy is based on science.

A decade ago, an exhaustive study was done on the Athabasca River. It found no significant pollutants, but recommended further study.

(We should be aware that oil has leaked into the Athabasca for thousands of years. Mother Nature's gift was revealed to aboriginal people here as it dribbled from the riverbanks.)

It makes sense to study this phenomenon more. It makes sense to involve a wide range of Fort Chipewyan in the study, so they validate and support whatever conclusions are arrived at.

If there's a higher incidence of the dreaded disease, we need to know it. If there's an environmental cause, let it come out.

So far, the chances of this happening are not good.

A meeting in the community to discuss the subject was held behind closed doors on Tuesday. Everyone involved in that consultation -- from the Nunee health board, to federal and provincial officials -- should be ashamed of themselves.

If they're going to explore this issue in secrecy -- going against the trend in society to openness and transparency -- no one will believe their eventual conclusions.

It will be a wasted effort.

A level of distrust on this issue among local residents has built up ever since the cancer board study was released to the oilsands hearing in Fort McMurray, not a town hall forum in Chip.

Meanwhile, more cases of cancer are being diagnosed, and questions multiply.

People in the hamlet not only need their questions answered, they need their fears calmed.

Secrecy will only make a bad situation worse.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

More enforcement needed at campgrounds

2006-07-31T14:17:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today July 26, 2006

It's a summer pastime many of us enjoy: hitching the trailer up to the truck and heading out to nearby campground for a weekend of hiking, fishing, campfires and fresh air.

But, as Today reported Monday, Fort McMurray's housing woes are robbing weekend campers of even that simple vacation pleasure. Forget packing up on a Friday, loading up the kids and driving out for a peaceful weekend away from traffic delays -- if you want a spot in one of the provincial parks, you might have to stake your spot out on a Tuesday to ensure your weekend getaway -- and you'll have to pay the extra money to secure the site for the extra few nights. Even then you might not to be able to find a campsite with an electrical hookup.

The problem? Workers using campgrounds as permanent residences, despite regulations meant to prevent that from happening. By law, one can only stay in a spot for 16 days before vacating it for at least 24 hours before returning.

Disgruntled campers report that that's not happening. They complain that workers, if they bother to vacate at all, simply drive around the campground before returning to their same spot. One pipefitter told us he tries to find someone who'll hold his spot for him at the Gregoire Lake campground while he's gone.

With rents through the roof in Fort McMurray (and a dearth of housing in Anzac) $25 a night at a campground -- that's $750 a month -- sounds like a more affordable alternative. But workers -- especially those receiving a living-out allowance -- aren't forced to stay there, and if they're doing so, they should at least be required to honour the letter of the law, if not the spirit, and vacate when they're required to.

We're certain park staff do their best to enforce the laws -- but the housing shortage is not their fault. And making workers find apartments instead of campsites will only strain Fort McMurray's housing more. Perhaps, instead of a 16 consecutive-day limit, there should be an overall limit to the number of days one could stay in a campground during the summer. Passes could be purchased, and once you've used up your stay in a particular campground, it's time to move on.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Lady in the Water is all wet

2006-07-28T12:37:00.000-06:00

Movie review appeared in Fort McMurray Today July 25, 2006.

By PAULA OGONOSKI
Today staff

M. Night Shyamalan should have abandoned ship on this one. Lady in the Water sinks.

That said, the things I liked about this movie are also the aspects I hated about it.

Shyamalan, known for creating the best twists in movie history with The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs and The Village, has abandoned his surprise endings in exchange for possibly one of the most unique plots in movie history. While I loved the innovation and the risks taken in this film, Lady in the Water crosses a line and becomes simply ridiculous.

Lonely apartment superintendent Cleveland Heep's (Paul Giamatti) life is forever changed when he meets a mysterious woman (Bryce Dallas Howard) who claims she is from a water world.

To help her go home he rallies an unlikely group of misfits to help her in her journey. But the road home is blocked by a deadly creature who will do whatever it takes to stop her from achieving her mission.

I wanted so desperately to love this film; it had all the ingredients to be a huge success: strong character performances, led by Giamatti and Howard (who also starred in The Village); an intriguing plot; and a blend of genres. But the movie simply drowns.

There are many aspects of the plot the audience is left to contemplate and levels to unfold before you can come to terms with the ending. I'd love to pick Shyamalan's brain and ask him thousands of questions about the story, which left me relatively malnourished. Many things in the film were never fully developed or explained.

While watching the film I kept feeling like there was a vital message trying to be relayed but I just couldn't put all the pieces of this puzzle together to comprehend the moral of the story.

However, while the story itself isn't very good, it's a memorable film nonetheless. Shyamalan is great at creating characters you'd almost like to see in a spin-off. Each person, no matter how small the part, is incredibly intriguing on his or her own.

In the end, if you can look at a Picasso abstract and find some merit in it, then you're still likly to enjoy the innovation of Lady in the Water despite its weak execution.

I couldn't put all the pieces of this puzzle together to comprehend the moral of the story.

LADY IN THE WATER

Starring: Paul Giamatti

Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: PG

2 1/2 stars (out of four)

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Boutilier right to intervene at hearing

2006-07-27T10:02:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today July 21, 2006

MLA Guy Boutilier's appearance before the Alberta Energy and Utility Board panel looking into Suncor Energy's application for its proposed Voyageur Thursday was a unique event.

The local politician, who rose from a city council seat to become mayor of Wood Buffalo, has insisted that this region remained his priority since being elected to the Alberta legislature.

It's a tough undertaking.

Politics within his party, the demand for secrecy and allegiance to not only the organization but to its increasingly erratic leader must be difficult.

What's important for Fort McMurray and Wood Buffalo is not always politically expedient for those who toil in the provincial legislature.

A party seeking to expand its base in Edmonton, for example, might want to spend money on new schools and asphalt in the Alberta capital. Spending cash in Wood Buffalo -- probably a safe Conservative constituency with Boutilier as candidate -- would only take away from the Edmonton effort.

The local MLA has consistently lobbied for his home since he was first elected in 1997, even if that process went against the will of his colleagues on the government benches.

That's what the people of this region want.

They've voted in Liberals -- many still remember Adam Germain's time in the spotlight. They support the person, not the party.

But Boutilier's passion -- don't forget it was he who coined the municipal motto "We've got the energy" -- seems to have followed that lead.

His AEUB appearance is one example.

While many from outside Fort McMurray criticized the process and the legal questions surrounding his appearance at the same time he served as environment minister (the department has a formal role of its own at the hearing), locals just shake their heads. "That's Guy," they remark.

Lawyers tried to question Boutilier in his role of cabinet minister, but he shook them off.

Good for him.

McMurrayites wanted to hear what their representative said, not a bureaucrat controlled by his underlings and party protocol.

Why not hear from the man who has more experience with the complex municipal/provincial/oilsands relationship than anyone else, including the present crew at city hall?

His ideas are plausible and unique. While holes can be shot in anything, especially by opposition politicians who visit Fort McMurray for a day to get some press, Boutilier's solutions to the problems that growth has brought on this region would work.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

It doesn't take a village to raise a child -- just Grandma Collins

2006-07-27T10:00:00.000-06:00

Column: Check Your Head appeared in Fort McMurray Today July 20, 2006

By DAN MACEACHERN
Today staff

Regular readers of my column (i.e., my family) know that my wife Alex and I were expecting our first child. You might even know, much to Alex's discomfort at the personal information being shared with my estimated tens of readers, that there were complications early in the pregnancy, such that we were told early one January morning by the emergency room doctor that Alex had had a miscarriage.

Fortunately, the doctor was wrong, and the little MacEachern burrito was doing just fine. I'll spare you the details this time, mainly because Alex will kill me if I get into it again.

As the pregnancy progressed and the danger to the baby lessened, Alex began to have a more pressing fear: that our child was going to inherit my (apparently) freakishly large head. I did not know that I have a big head, but Alex and her family confirm that I do. Alex was hoping for a natural child birth, but she didn't relish the thought of having to squeeze out a living being with a head the size of a car battery.

I told her not to worry about it, but that was easy for me to say. Everything is easy to say for the father, I'm told, since he's not the one carrying the child, and most attempts to console your wife in her moments of distress will go unthanked and will sometimes even be derided, given that it's pretty much directly your fault she's suffering the discomfort in the first place. Alex started showing the pregnancy fairly early, and the baby "bump," as it is now supposed to be called, if celebrity tabloids are anything to go by, seemed to be there forever, and always would be.

Alex herself felt that the baby was never going to actually come, as though she had contracted some sort of perpetual perma-pregnancy, and she was doomed to forever sleep on her back and require help to get up from the couch.

But fifteen days ago yesterday, with smoke from prairie forest fires turning the sky the colour of concrete and veiling Fort McMurray trees in a blue-grey haze, Alex called me at work to say she was at the hospital and that the doctor was inducing labour. She'd left the Suncor hearing (she works for the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board, and because she is partly insane, insisted on working right up until it was time to deliver) to go to the Northern Lights health centre because she was feeling dizzy. The doctor took one look at her elevated blood pressure and said it was time for the baby to arrive.

I finished up my work at the paper in what I can only presume was a calm, professional manner, which was difficult because I felt like hyperventilating.

Labour wasn't dramatic, at least not initially, the way it is in movies and on television. Alex didn't spend her labour cursing me and saying things like, "You did this to me!" In fact, she cursed less than she does in real life, and I was left remarkably unscathed except for the time I took a picture right when a) she was trying to sit up and b) she was being hit by a massive contraction. This is apparently not when you want a camera flash going off in your face. But when I look at that picture today -- Alex's upper teeth biting her lower lip as she begins the F sound at the start of the phrase she was about to hurl at me, murder in her eyes -- it was completely worth it.

Active labour started several hours later, which we idled away by playing cards, but by midnight the doctor wasn't satisfied with Alex's dilation. Alex got an epidural so she could sleep without waves of pain washing over her body every few minutes, and the doctor said she'd check her out in the morning.

I'd barely woken up from the hospital cot when the doctor decided that there wasn't enough improvement over the night, and that our baby would be delivered by C-section. It's unfortunate that Alex got the worst of both worlds -- she got to experience much of the pain of labour, but then had to have a C-section anyway. I was disappointed for her, but I'd by lying if I said I wasn't just a little happy that I might get to hold our baby first.

I put on scrubs and Alex was wheeled into surgery. I didn't get to be in the room with her, though, as she was going to be put completely under; the epidural wasn't completely numbing her, which she needed for the operation.

Instead, I watched from a window into the operating room, and could only see Alex from the waist up. I had no idea what was going on, or how long the operation would take, and each second ticked off at the clock at a glacial pace.

Finally, I could see the nurses craning their necks towards the operation, and I knew our child had been born. One of the nurses turned towards me and mouthed the words "It's a girl!" and moments later a nine-pound, 10-ounce purple, screaming little person was carried over by my window as the nurses performed their newborn duties -- checking the lungs, wiping off the white gunk (I don't know what that was. I don't want to know what that was).

Her name is Molly Joy -- MJ to her father, MoJo to her Uncle Dominic --and she is no longer purple, or even the shade of yellow she became -- thanks a lot, jaundice. We're overjoyed, but not a little bit terrified at how to look after her. I mean, she's over her jaundice, but she hasn't been getting enough milk and now she's got "thrush," which is a yeast infection in her mouth. See, the pediatrician can use words like " thrush" and "jaundice," but in my mind that gets translated into "worst parents in the world."

Fortunately, I've gotten pretty good at changing diapers. Or at least I think I have. I imagine on Molly's next doctor visit, the pediatrician will discover that Molly has severe diaper rash, shoot me a withering glare, and pick up an office hotline to Social Services and ask them to send over a couple of case workers to save the poor child from her woefully negligent parents.

Fortunately, we have a secret weapon: Grandma Collins. Alex's parents live close by -- like Everybody Loves Raymond close by -- and without Alex's mother's help and advice, I'm not sure what we'd do. "We'd be screwed," is how Alex puts it.

I mean, I'm not the most nurturing person in the world. In my college dorm, I wanted a plant, but didn't trust myself to keep anything alive. So I got a cactus, figuring it would require very little maintenance. Even I could keep a cactus alive, right? Well, even a cactus couldn't survive being repeatedly knocked off my desk. I felt this didn't bode well for any potential offspring.

So the fact that I'm now responsible for a living, breathing human being is still something of a shock. Slowly, though, we're getting the hang of it, I think. I can do just about everything but feed her -- Molly does sometimes latch on to my nose, which I am relatively certain does not resemble a nipple. But at least I know when that happens to hand her off to Alex (whom we've nicknamed, to everyone's amusement but hers, the "Dairy Queen").

Not that it's time to breathe a sigh of relief just yet, because I have a feeling our biggest challenge is just around the corner: Grandma MacEachern arrives soon -- and I'm not sure Grandma Collins is ready to share.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today Unauthorized.

Tedium of hearings redeemed by importance to Fort McMurray

2006-07-27T09:59:00.000-06:00

Column: Gimme Some Grammar appeared in Fort McMurray Today July 21, 2006

By MICHAEL HALL
Today staff

Reporter Renato Gandia has been keeping everyone in touch with what's happening at the Alberta Energy and Utility Board hearing into Suncor Energy's proposed Voyageur project.

He's dutifully attended (because we asked him to) the hearings for a couple of weeks now.

Gandia has been the only reporter to be at the hearing since Day 1: some of our colleagues from Edmonton newspapers, The Canadian Press, radio and TV have dropped in from time to time, but Gandia has listening to the endless testimony from almost everyone involved in the hearing, only skipping out for a few hours during the most boring stuff.

"Boring"? Yes, boring.

That's my assessment.

One participant told me she was a "hearings geek," but I'm having a hard time accepting that at face value after spending a little over 1 1/2 hours at the hearing Wednesday. I wanted to get a flavour of the scene. I'm here to report it to you.

Yes, boring. It wasn't just me. I saw participants surfing the Internet with their laptops, checking e-mail on their BlackBerries, writing documents that didn't appear to have anything to do with the hearing, reading newspapers, stretching, yawning and staring off into space. One woman, eyes closed, rocked her head from side to side.

There's a court reporter typing a transcript in real time, and people actually sit there and watch the words on the screen, a few seconds after they hear them.

Here are some of the notes I made, trying to keep busy during the tedium:

* A child with flip-flops runs through the back of the room, making (a predictable) flip-flop sound.

* The words are far and few between, with huge gaps between question and answer. At times, two or three minutes can lapse, only to be rewarded with a "no."

* I counted every head in the room: 83.

* People lean over, whispering into each others' ears.

* When asked about the IFN (I later learned it meant instream flow needs), a witness answers "I could not speak to that, sir."

* When the meeting breaks for lunch, many of the participants march out with thick (six- to 12-inch) binders under their arms.

* More dialogue: Lawyer: "You'd agree with that, then." Witness: "Generally we wouldn't disagree."

* One moment of humour: a lawyer asks the government witnesses if he can refer to them as "the province" instead of the legally correct "Queen in right of the Province of Alberta." The witness answers, "I've been called worse."

Suncor and AEUB staff have rented separate conference rooms from the hotel to allow their people to get away from the hearing itself. There's a steady stream of people in and out of the hearing room and into these rooms. I was allowed a peek into the EUB's room, and saw a food buffet set up for meals on the go. The Suncor people kept their doors closed, but admitted they have a buffet, too.

Lucky people. The food at the Sawridge is delicious.

While I was sitting there, listening to a lawyer cross-examine a witness, my mind wandered to all of the other times I've been in the same ballroom before and after it was renovated a few years ago.

On my first trip to Fort McMurray during the Easter weekend in 1988, we sampled the scrumptious brunch the hotel puts on in that space. Many more meals there over the years have helped expand my belt size.

Over the years I've attended numerous political forums there, along with dinners of every description, including the chamber of commerce function a couple of years ago when Fort McMurray Today was honoured.

Just over a year ago, a close relative's wedding reception was held in the same room. It was quite a night.

I've heard the AEUB hearing referred to as part of a quasi-judicial process. I guess that's why there are so many lawyers there. At hundreds of dollars an hour, multiplied by dozens of lawyers, it could be a big bill.

While costs aren't determined until afterward, it could run into the hundreds of thousand of dollars, an AEUB spokesman told me. Suncor may have to foot much of that bill.

The longest hearing to date was for an application by Compton Petroleum. It took six weeks. Many locals feel the Suncor hearing is one of the longest in this region.

The company looking to get its Voyageur project approved had 40 people at the Sawridge at its peak, according to a company spokeswoman. They range from support staff to experts to the oft-derided lawyers. It's a good investment, because while Voyageur will cost billions of dollars to build, they expect it to earn a tidy profit over time.

In a perfect world, I wouldn't send Renato to the hearings. I'd rather have him cover stories about people in Fort McMurray and how they're making this a better place.

But the hearing is Important, with a capital I. It could mean thousands of jobs. Lives could be changed.

No one else is covering the hearing, so we have to.

While it's dull, it's important, too.

I hope you've been keeping up with Gandia's stories almost every day. He's done excellent work.

He's there so you don't have to be.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

When lightning strikes, communication woes hit the newspaper

2006-06-26T15:12:00.000-06:00

Column: Gimme Some Grammar appeared in Fort McMurray Today June 23, 2006.

By MICHAEL HALL
Today staff

We've run into a couple of nasty, ongoing snafus that interfere with our ability to communicate with you, the readers, in recent weeks.

Sporadically over the last month, our website, fortmcmurraytoday.com (you can preface it with www or not), has been down, not been updated or shown some web surfers the wrong stories when they clicked on links.

I'm as frustrated as the next guy about this.

The root cause, without getting into too much technical detail, is that the popularity of our website and those of other Sun Media community dailies and weeklies, all hosted on computers in Grande Prairie, is overreaching the capacity of the servers.

We're seeing more web surfers on our site all the time. That's gratifying. But it's forcing the tech people to scramble to keep up.

They're trying. Please bear with us while we install additional capacity.

I'm told there's a plan to deal with this problem on a large scale, including redesigning our website and moving it to other servers in 2007.

The second communication headache concerns our voicemail system here at the paper.

With the various downtown power outages and lightning activity last weekend, we came to work Monday to find our voicemail inaccesible.

If you call the main switchboard after hours now, it just rings and rings.

Our receptonist dug out the old pink message pads to let us know who called for us if we are out during office hours.

We've called in the technical support in this area, too. The telephone system has a computer at its heart, and something's wonky.

But the lightning fried phone systems for other businesses in town, too. We're on a list. As of this writing, the voicemail is still not working.

I'm as frustrated as those trying to call us, or visiting our website.

I can only apologize, and thank the stars we're not in the situation of turning customers away, as did many retail stores and restaurants on the other side of Franklin Avenue during the recent power outages.

As always, we're a work in progress, one paper at a time. Thanks for patronizing us during our never-ending construction period.

* * *

As you know, if you read this space often, I'm a keen observer of the goings-on with construction along the highway.

Last weekend, I saw the beginnings of a retaining wall for the new lanes.

The work is proceeding quickly.

When all of the construction is finished, including the interchanges for Hardin and Morrison, my hope is that we'll see an end to all pedestrians along the downtown portion of the highway.

There are two types, and both must be banished because they're so dangerous.

The first is the worker being picked off or dropped off along the highway, Many of them live in the apartment blocks in the Nixon Street area.

The possibility of a catastrophic crash is not worth the "convenience" for someone who doesn't want to detour a kilometre downtown.

The second is the homeless person living in the bush below Abasand Heights.

It's bad enough that someone lives in the bush, especially in the winter, but those I've seen crossing the highway near Hardin Street are almost like ducks in a shooting gallery.

I use this unfortunate word picture because it looks like one will get picked off some day. Whatever one's life or living circumstances, that must not happen.

We have legally mandated seat-belts to protect us from harm. We need something to protect stupid pedestrians from themselves.

* * *

Jim Dinning stopped by this week.

The candidate for the PC party leadership (and, by extension, the Alberta premiership) is thought by many to be the front-runner.

I wondered whether Dinning would forget about the Oilsands City after a press release last week about his twin announcements (in Edmonton and Calgary), including a number of other appearances around Alberta, but not Fort McMurray.

Local PC Blake Robert squired Dinning around town, including his visit to our offices, where reporter Larissa Liepins interviewed him.

I shook hands with the candidate after the meeting and asked him if Wood Buffalo MLA Guy Boutilier was endorsing him.

He shot the question back at me. What did I know?

At his campaign kickoff, Dinning said more than two dozen PC MLAs stood with his candidacy. He even broke it down by the year they were elected.

Other leadership candidates cannot muster the same star power.

Who is Boutilier backing?

It's an important question for him: his future participation in cabinet could ride on his choice.

Boutilier is participating in an independent movement -- they call it C5 -- to judge the worthiness of candidates. More power to them.

With all Alberta PC members voting in the fall leadership race, let's hope the winner is not decided in the back rooms but in the full glare of the spotlight.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today

Councillors right to vote to intervene

2006-06-20T14:31:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today June 16, 2006

The vote by regional council this week to intervene at the upcoming Suncor Energy Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (AEUB) hearings that start in a couple of weeks is precedent-setting.

Many have viewed the oilsands industry and local government as closely aligned for as long as bitumen has been a going concern. The upcoming intervention will be unusual because it's evidence of a clear split between the local government and the dominant industry that employs so many citizens here.

Wood Buffalo was driven to the action by desperation. To build the needed infrastructure to support the workers brought in by oilsands expansion, the municipality is going into debt. Huge debt. Way more debt than almost any other municipality in the province when compared with the annual budget.

It's debt that will hurt councillors and mayors of the future. They'll be limited by the huge payments being rung up today.

The spending that's now being undertaken is needed. Expansion of the water and sewer plants are a legal and moral requirement. The new MacDonald Island recreation facility is mandatory to maintain the health of our citizens, as are the new library and police station.

As has been pointed out repeatedly, it's a list of needs, not wants.

The oilsands plants are good corporate citizens. They pump millions of dollars into the local economy above and beyond the salaries they pay and purchasing they do.

But it's not enough.

While we haven't seen the municipality's submission to the AEUB, we know it will likely touch on many of these points.

A series of hearings around Wood Buffalo brought out submissions by individuals and groups that, in some cases, are unhappy with the changes wrought on the landscape and environment by the oilsands industry. Their concerns are relevant, but the reality of the oilsands industry will not be challenged. It's here to stay.

No one should get their hopes up too much. The AEUB is a government regulatory body that examines all applicants according to a set of rules, put in place by politicians.

It's possible the AEUB could listen to the Wood Buffalo concerns and dismiss them. It's conceivable the board could order Suncor Energy to do more for local residents. But it's unthinkable it would deny Suncor's application.

This is the real world, after all.

We all hope -- even Suncor workers -- that a precedent is set and right here, right now, and oilsands companies are asked to share their incredible wealth to a greater extent.

We'll know by the fall.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Road crews slowing down traffic, but it will be worth it in the end

2006-06-20T14:28:00.000-06:00

Column: Gimme Some Grammar appeared in Fort McMurray Today June 16, 2006

By MICHAEL HALL
Today staff

Just when you think you know everything, you don't.

When I heard about the plans by Alberta Transportation to make short-term improvements to Highway 63 through town to help traffic flow, I was optimistic about the plan, and assumed it would be in place in a month or so.

The biggest change -- a southbound traffic lane that will bypass the lights at Morrison and Hardin Streets -- already existed, in part. An ancient (by today's standards, a decade is ancient -- this road probably dates back 30 years) portion of the highway already curved up and above the signs for downtown businesses.

That road, it seems, did not meet standards. I'm in favour of strong standards for road design -- I've covered too many crash stories and worry about my own safety as a result. Good for them.

The new bypass road crews are building now, including a wider approach at the Hospital Street overpass, is a massive job. When finished, it's going to be smooth sailing for many local drivers.

Many people griped when the double left-turn lanes were installed at Morrison and Hardin. This new route will turn those frowns upside-down.

I was thinking that the workers toiling on the road project have more than a bit in common with oilsands workers -- there are hundreds of men and women at the mines devoted to stripping off the layer of earth covering the oilsands deposits -- they call it overburden. There are also crews to rip up, change and replace roads throughout the oilsands mines, sometimes on a daily basis.

I've been with PR staff on voyages into various mines when they had to loop around changes to the network of roadways. It must be a difficult task to keep track for everyone out there.

Once the initial changes in town are made -- still to come is the proposal to have three lanes turning left on to Thickwood Boulevard from the highway -- we'll see construction start on a new bridge and all of the interchanges/over/underpasses at Morrison and Hardin, Thickwood Boulevard and Confederation Way.

It'll make the work underway now seem like child's play.

- - -

The 50 km/h speed limit on the downtown highway section is there to protect the workers doing their best for us. Few local drivers are following the limit.

One of these days, they're going to get a rude shock when the police issue them a ticket for twice the usual fine.

I support the change to raise fines in construction zones. There's no reason those workers should be exposed to extra danger from the driving public.

On the other side of the equation, construction crews in town and on the highway south don't always take down the speed limit signs when they knock off for the night or a weekend.

This ticks many drivers off.

Am I out of line lobbying for some kind of penalty for the workers if they neglect this duty?

- - -

Regional councillor Sonny Flett, who represents Fort Chipewyan and Fort McKay, came up with a startling number this week.

He said the MacDonald Island expansion price tag was $135 million.

It snapped me out of the semi-daze I'd fallen into, listening to politicians gab for the sake of gabbing.

The last number we heard on the project was $107 million. That would be the Fort McMurray Factor with rocket boosters attached.

I checked. The number is still at $107 million. Municipal staff are cautious, however. There are no guarantees it won't jump, because high bids on portions of the work can wreck their best-laid plans.

Flett wants to see the Archie Simpson Arena in Chip have artificial ice when it's rebuilt. The former structure collapsed in 2003.

Flett's exaggeration was to make a point, of course. He's not the first politician to use this tactic since the dawn of time.

It was a bit surprising because Flett has served for a long time on council but said very little in public. When he talks, people listen, however.

Flett has graciously chaperoned two Today reporters on extensive tours of his hamlet that money could not buy. Rob Petkau and Larissa Liepins came back from their visits to the northern hamlet with a new appreciation for the man and his community.

Flett represents his constituents with a quiet ferocity that belies his shy outward appearance. While he's a role model for Chip youth, he should also be an example for some of our more verbose councillors, too.

Ron Morgan shared the council chambers with Flett for several years. The two men, from different backgrounds, are like peas in a pod in a sense: the few words they shared around the table were important and respected.

I talked briefly to Morgan on Thursday. He sounds like he's doing well. It's too bad he's not still on council.

In this time of incredible growth, we all need to step back a bit and hear the wisdom of our elders.

- - -

Should we start a pool? My guess is 79,431.

Actually, I have no idea.

I hear the results of the Wood Buffalo census will be made public in a week or two. I'm really curious to learn how many were counted.

I saw a new projection this week by an engineering firm with a "high growth" estimate of 196,000 people in this region by 2030.

Wow. Double wow.

When this region leaps into third place in Alberta, behind Edmonton and Calgary, the province will have to start treating us with the respect we deserve.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

More than enough work to go around

2006-06-16T11:37:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today June 9, 2006

Canada is still a free country, isn't it?

No law was passed while we were sleeping that forces oilsands plants -- or any other employer -- to hire union workers?

No.

There are laws that allows groups of employees to vote to join a union, and for the employers to honour that decision.

In Fort McMurray, Suncor Energy has been unionized for years. The McMurray Independent Oil Workers (now the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Local 707) have represented many of the workers at the plant with great distinction. There was a bitter 23-week strike in 1986 that divided the town, but there's been nothing but harmony between employer and employees at Suncor in recent years -- as far as outsiders know.

Up the road at Syncrude Canada, CEP has repeatedly attempted to organize the company's workers. No one knows why they've failed. It's clear the oilsands giant's employees are happy with the status quo, however.

Two plants. One unionized, the other not. Everyone's happy, right?

The United Association Local 488, a union that represents thousands of plumbers and pipefitters in northern Alberta, is ticked off.

The organization took out an ad in the Edmonton Sun aimed at the shareholders of Canadian Natural Resources, an oilsands company that may or may not be (the company isn't talking so far) disinclined to hire union workers.

Rumours have swirled around the importation of so-called foreign workers. CNRL has been at the centre of the vortex.

The ongoing debate has verged at times onto xenophobic ground. While some people may well be afraid of foreigners, the ugly face of discrimination seems to be lurking behind a curtain.

Except for Aboriginal Canadians, we're all immigrants.

The next debate turns to the shortage of Canadians to do the job. It's a rallying cry for unions.

But the term must be qualified. Are there enough Canadian workers at the right price?

If CNRL chooses to bring in foreign workers because union members cost too much, should they be prevented from doing so? Should unions be given a veto over the situation? Should this country be a place where freedom is replaced by dictators?

Plumbers and pipefitters have the freedom to join a union. They have the freedom to charge whatever they want for their services. Shouldn't CNRL and other employers have the freedom to hire whomever they want?

Traditional trade unions don't only have a beef with foreign workers. Another union -- the Christian Labour Association of Canada, with many of its members working at oilsands plants -- has come under fire from groups like the United Association Local 488. In Fort McMurray, the group's office was the focus of a march.

This dispute, to the average outsider, is like Burger King and McDonalds ganging up on A&W.

To the average outsider, these unions need to get a grip on reality. They have every right to push for work for their members. Targeting the shareholders of a company because they couldn't come to an agreement -- likely on money -- is unwise and unfair.

Shareholders want company officials to get work done safely, at a low price.

The union effort will only backfire.

There's lots of high-paid work in Wood Buffalo. More than enough for everyone.

Why can't unhappy unions see this?

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

As boom spreads across province, McMurray will lose its advantage

2006-06-16T11:34:00.000-06:00

Column: Gimme Some Grammar appeared in Fort McMurray Today June 9, 2006

By MICHAEL HALL
Today staff

Alberta is booming.

We all know that. The trouble is, we're all focused on the boom that's a lot closer to our homes and workplaces: in Fort McMurray.

At Today, we contribute to this self-centred attitude by writing about the Fort McMurray Factor and how it hurts everything from public facilities to oilsands plant upgrades.

We're not off base. The stories are true. The Factor is real. It directly hurts the quality of life here.

But, as someone I talked to recently pointed out, is it the whole story? Is there more?

He made the argument that what we're really looking at here is the Alberta Factor -- maybe you could call it the Wild Rose Factor after our province's official flower -- and we're not the only victims.

Traipsing around Edmonton, I've noticed there are as many help wanted signs in windows as here, it seems. I checked the Calgary Real Estate Board's website, and their home prices are neck-and-neck with ours.

My wife and I recently visited family in a small Alberta town we used to live in -- population about 1,500 -- and were told by relatives there have been 10 home sales.

"10 so far this year?" I asked.

"No, 10 last week," they replied.

When I lived there, whole years would go by without 10 sales. Whole years would go by with no new homes built.

This is amazing.

There are two driving forces. No. 1 is Wood Buffalo. The growth here is not contained within our borders -- it's spilling over. No. check that -- the growth is cascading past the municipality's borders faster than the Niagara River is tumbling over the Horseshoe and Niagara Falls.

Those big vessels coming up Highway 63 are built elsewhere in the province by skilled trades that are probably paid the same as workers here, minus the LOA, of course.

Those trailers, and even a new, two-storey home I saw recently, that are hauled up here are built by Albertans.

No. 2 is growth elsewhere. Corporations are moving their head offices to Calgary. People are coming west (or east, from B.C., although there's growth there, too) looking for better job prospects.

The boom is not just here. It's everywhere.

That's forcing growth pressures down south, too.

The news that the cost of a major interchange on Edmonton's south side had grown from $70 million to $120 million even before work started -- and that it could end up north of $150 million -- was the icing on the cake.

It's not just the Fort McMurray Factor, or even the Edmonton Factor anymore.

So what?

We lose our special status.

Last year's so-called "business case" put together by oilsands companies and the municipality made the argument that we're in a special situation here. It lobbied for $1.2 billion in infrastructure funding because of growth.

I support the conclusions, if not the bland, generic name of the study. I feel this region is not getting the respect it deserves from its contribution to the province's wealth.

The struggle was always with competing voices. Guy Boutilier is one MLA. His voice, no matter how insistent, gets drownedout by the rest of the Progressive Conservative caucus.

With the explosive growth elsewhere in Alberta, we may be losing the foundation of our argument -- that our infrastructure needs are not keeping up with the industrial and population growth.

Calgary, with two dozen MLAs, might make the same point. The same with Edmonton. And Red Deer. And Grande Prairie. And others.

The growth is good news for Alberta. It's a horror story for the next premier, who must sort between competing voices and demands on the provincial treasury.

It might be time for a new study to push our point home to Ralph Klein's successor.

But please, a more dynamic title for the document.

We don't want to get lost in the shuffle.

- - -

We have another new face to welcome to the Today newsroom.

Randy Edison, who hails from Springdale, N.L., arrived this week to take up the position of our Specials Editor.

Randy will be in charge of the many sections we publish during the year, from the big Extracting Energy supplement (you'll see the spring issue arriving in your mailbox in a couple of weeks), to sections that focus on specific themes, from graduation to housing.

Randy was manager and editor of the weekly Nor'wester newspaper in central Newfoundland, and I know his long experience there will put him in good stead for his work here.

Please welcome Randy and his fiancee to Fort McMurray.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Attack could happen here -- but will it?

2006-06-16T11:32:00.000-06:00

Editorial ran in Fort McMurray Today June 7, 2006

As more details become known in the alleged terrorist plot recently foiled by the RCMP, CSIS and the Canada Border Service Agency, it's understandable to grow increasingly nervous about the threat of terrorism on our own soil.

Allegations suggest that the plan was to storm Parliament Hill and take politicians hostage, demand the withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan and the release of Muslim prisoners. Toronto's downtown CBC buliding was also a potential target, and the plot called for the decapitation of hostages -- including Prime Minister Stephen Harper -- if demands weren't met.

Around Fort McMurray, talk turned to the possibility of oilsands plants being a potential target. The destruction that could be wrought would devestate Canada's oil industry.

And at first glance, an oilsands plant could be relatively easy to strike. While rigourous background checks are performed on workers, the level of daily scrutiny on workers and visitors entering or leaving the plants doesn't approach that at, say, an airport. The length of pipelines running from the plants -- into the U.S., in many cases, making them a security concern for Americans -- makes them virtually impossible to protect with any certainty.

But strategy isn't necessarily a terrorist's prime consideration. Terrorists don't look to kill people or cripple industries as much as they look to send a message -- of fear and hate -- into the hearts of those they call their enemies. One of the most unsettling thoughts after the attacks in New York on 9-11 was that terrorists could attack anywhere, but the reality is that they chose office buildings full of innocent workers, the heavily fortified and protected Pentagon and, allegedly, the White House. There's no chance a terrorist flying a plane would have been able to kill the president -- but imagine the shock to the U.S. psyche to see the smouldering wreckage of a plane crash into the iconic government building.

Any attacks are likely to be done where, as in New York, there's a concentration of media -- Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto -- where the world will instantly see the aftermath.

That's not to say those in the industry shouldn't be concerned about safety -- they are, and we must always be wary. But it does mean we should live in fear.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

The break-up suffers from identity crisis

2006-06-09T13:41:00.000-06:00

Movie review appeared in Fort McMurray Today June 7, 2006.

By PAULA OGONOSKI
Today staff

While I thoroughly enjoyed The Break-Up, the movie suffers from an identity crisis.

First, it's not a comedy, although it has some rather comedic elements. Second, it's not a PG film, especially when you consider Ice Age 2: The Meltdown carries the same designation.

But once you get past the identity problem, the film is an emotionally charged drama.

Without giving away the ending, the final scene provides the audience with enough nourishment that no one is left feeling empty. The end is open to interpretation, allowing the individual to decide what happens after the film finishes. This is certainly not your run of the mill, paint-by-numbers flick.

Brooke (Aniston) and Gary (Vaughn) call it quits after a fight escalates into a break-up. Neither one is prepared to let go of their condo, the one thing keeping them together. But the pair find it's nearly impossible to stay together and even harder to call it quits.

Both Brooke and Gary, on the advice of friends, play a variety of mind games to get what they want but discover nothing is fair in love and war.

While the film begins with the usual performances from Aniston's quirky girl next door, and Vaughn's usually funny macho guy, a switch is flicked and the pair, under the direction of Down With Love director Peyton Reed, deliver compelling performances, possibly their best. And it wasn't just the lead actors; the supporting cast which includes Vincent D'Onofrio as Gary's awkward brother and Judy Davis as an eccentric gallery owner, are the icing on this already tasty cake.

It's too bad the film is being sold as a romantic comedy, especially when there is so much more to the story. The true-to-life portrayal of a break-up is a pleasant surprise from the filmmakers, whose movie walks a very fine line between being a depressing dirge -- something no one wants from either actor -- and a light-hearted, somewhat educational tale.

If only real relationships were as simple as going to an Aniston/Vaughn movie.

The Break-Up

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Vince Vaughn

Directed by: Peyton Reed

Rating: PG

* * * (out of four)

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Did Timberlea crash suffer from CSI effect?

2006-06-09T13:38:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today June 6, 2006.

There are a lot of disappointed residents in one Timberlea neighbourhood right now.

Some are so unhappy, they're thinking about moving.

No one is at fault, however.

The fault-free zone extends far and wide.

The courts failed to find fault with the person charged with a crash last November. Charges were laid against a local man, but they were dropped.

For their part, prosecutors and police deny any fault, too. Both arms of the government did their jobs, they told Today.

Local residents are left bewildered.

For them, the justice system didn't work.

Is this another case of the CSI Effect?

Last year, researchers at St. Mary's University in Nova Scotia named the phenomenon, said to be caused by the huge popularity of the CSI, or Crime Scene Investigation family of TV shows (CSI, CSI: Miami and CSI: New York).

In the space of an hour (less than 50 minutes, actually) the actors come upon the scene of a crime, extract all the fibres and fluids within a square kilometre, then apply science and techniques that haven't even been in textbooks yet, and point the finger at the guilty party.

No fuss, no muss. It's all science. They even refer to themselves as scientists.

The real world is an entirely different matter.

'They're noticing that cases they might have won 10 years ago, they're losing now because jurors are saying, 'Where was the evidence? Where was the DNA evidence? Where was the fingerprint evidence? This is all anecdotal,''' said Veronica Stinson, one of the researchers.

Not to denigrate the qualifications of RCMP officers, but that could be the case here.

People -- potential jurors -- now have higher standards for evidence and a lower tolerance for imprecise results as a result of the show.

In the local crash last November, local residents spied what they thought was blood on a deployed airbag. Those who watch shows like CSI would naturally look for it as a source of evidence, to prove someone drove the car, caused the damage, then be convicted and serve time for the crime.

That didn't happen in this case. We don't know why. The RCMP, in its usual opaque manner, is reluctant to comment in detail on the facts of the charges, since they will never result in a conviction.

There's a good reason. The man accused of the crime could theoretically sue the force if some of that evidence were made public and called his innocence into question.

Everyone wants the justice system to protect the rights of the innocent. Some argue it's gone too far.

Our society has evolved, if that's the word, where every youngster learns to claim innocence when facing charges because the case might be thrown out of court at some point.

Admitting guilt -- taking responsibility for one's actions -- is not done anymore. There's always the possibility that a witness won't show up or evidence will be lost.

Some in Fort McMurray have now lost a degree of confidence in the police and the prosecution system. They saw what they thought was a crime with their eyes and now learn that no one will pay a fine or serve any time for the incident. (There was conviction for a couple of lesser offences.)

The no-fault zone only leads to speculation and ill will.

Because no one stepped forward and admitted responsibility, we're left with an increasing lack of respect for the law-- the existence of which is the only thing that divides us from tin-pot dictatorships.

It starts with licence-plate covers some buy to avoid photo radar tickets. They want to break the law -- speed with impunity -- without regard for the consequences.

Now we're faced with an unsolved crime that came close to killing local residents in their beds.

Where will it end?

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Whyte riot: when a party turns ugly

2006-05-31T15:10:00.000-06:00

Today reporter Renato Gandia witnessed the fun that turned into mayhem on Edmonton's Whyte Avenue Saturday night. This story appeared in Fort McMurray Today May 30, 2006.

By RENATO GANDIA
Today staff

It's been called different names: Blue Mile -- an homage to Calgary's Red Mile in 2004, Whyte Avenue's War Zone, Whyte Mile, Whyte Trash, among others.

When the Edmonton Oilers charted another victory on Saturday, cheering crowds spilled over into Edmonton's Old Strathcona yet again.

By 8 p.m. the stretch between 109 and 103 Streets on Whyte was still quiet but the police were seen lining up on the sidewalk, getting ready for the eventual burst of people.

An hour after that, people started to trickle to the sidewalks from bars in the area. The trickles became torrents of fans and curious people high-fiving each other, including police on hand to monitor the situation.

The officers kept people to the sidewalks as cars paraded down the avenue honking their horns.

Some motorists poked out of their sunroofs with video cameras.

On the corner of 104 Street, a man in a wheelchair played a clarinet. Some women danced to his music while others shelled out coins in appreciation.

At this time, the police still had control of the crowd, which kept its jubilation on the sidewalks.

But by 11 p.m. police could no longer hold people to the sidewalks, and in one collective push they were on the street, whooping and swapping high-fives.

Some men began their own hockey game in the middle of the street but it only lasted for five minutes as the throng thickened and the chanting became louder, "We want the Cup!"

I am not a bonafide hockey fan, but since the Oilers got into the western conference final, I've been following the series.

I'm not opposed to celebration and partying. In fact part of the reasons why I rushed to Whyte Avenue after the second period of the game was to witness and be part of the fun.

And there I saw how people not only trashed my favourite Edmonton spot, I witnessed how they trashed themselves.

A number of fans, who looked as though they had one too many, mounted a telephone booth and threw themselves onto the cheering crowd at the intersection of 105 Street.

One car dealership cleared its lot lest out-of-control partyers trash the new vehicles.

Another group carried a grocery cart amidst the sea of partyers. Later on, the same group carried one of their own in the shopping cart until people lost their grip and he fell over. "It's insane," the young people yelled. "I love it."

The street reeked of alcohol.

As I sat atop a garbage bin, a number of people handed me empty bottles and cans for disposal.

A man walked with a sign that said "Shirts off for Horcoff," which encouraged a woman to mount another man's shoulder and flash her breasts to the crowd.

Fireworks flew from the middle of the crowd, while an ambulance stood by just off Whyte and police watched from the top of the Met Hotel.

After midnight, there were nine bonfires in the blocked-off the street.

At this point, I knew it was time for me to go home.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

New X-Men movie does justice to franchise

2006-05-31T15:06:00.000-06:00

Movie review appeared in Fort McMurray Today May 30, 2006.

By PAULA OGONOSKI
Today staff

While I wouldn't go as far as saying that X-Men has mutated into a better film than its predecessors, it's still one of the best comic book adaptations of all time.

The newest instalment is the most mature of the three, allowing the story to grow with its audience the same way Harry Potter films became darker, adding a heavier load for their viewers.

In the new instalment, a major pharmaceutical company has developed a way to suppress the mutant X-gene, permanently. They're calling it a cure. Lines are drawn and Professor Xavier's (Patrick Stewart) crew, led by Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and Storm (Halle Berry), must fight Magneto (Ian McKellen), their old nemesis. But this time Magneto has more than his blue-skinned sidekick (Rebecca Romijn) at his side. This battle will pit friend against friend as a new, more powerful mutant threatens to destroy the human race.

I'll give the writers credit for not wasting a lot of time getting the audience up to date. The film definitely caters to those who have seen the first two films, but the story is still lacking in some areas. It feels forced and -- without giving anything away -- some characters are conveniently taken out of the plot in ways that seemed very much against their personalities.

But where the plot is lacking, special effects explode with fierce realism and edge-of-your-seat action. The no-holds-barred climax of the film is enough to send shivers down one's spine.

The plot's various levels -- in all three films -- is part of what has made the trilogy so successful. The more mature, complex content is evident if one looks a little deeper than in a simple action flick. While mutants in real life are simply genetic aberrations that don't have super powers, there are many parallels in the X-Men stories to the world around us.

That said, it's not all serious. Much of the dialogue is tongue-in-cheek; the characters never take themselves too seriously.

If you're a fan, you'll love The Last Stand; if not, go rent the first two movies and get on the X-Men bandwagon.

Word of caution: There's a not-so-secret scene after the end credits. To uncover the secret, stick around until the ushers start cleaning the popcorn mess around you.

X-Men 3: The Last Stand

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry

Directed by Brett Ratner

Rating: PG

* * * (out of four)

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

High wages as projects start up, slow down, come with instability

2006-05-30T11:47:00.000-06:00

Column: Gimme Some Grammar appeared in Fort McMurray Today May 26, 2006.

By MICHAEL HALL
Today staff

A couple of Wood Buffalo issues have been briefly written about in these pages, but they're like icebergs: most of the potential problems are below the surface, ready to sink the next passing ship.

The pair that I've been thinking about lately are not related, but they matter deeply to many people

Foreign workers and parking.

Strange pair, when you think of it.

I'll deal with jobs first.

Unions in the area have blasted contractors and oilsands plants -- Canadian Natural Resources is at the top of the list -- for inking deals that already have and could bring more non-Canadians to work on oilsands construction projects.

At the same time, Syncrude wrapped up most of the work on its UE-1 upgrader, sending thousands of workers home. Not Fort McMurray, but Edmonton, Calgary and elsewhere.

The result, from what I understand, is that many highly skilled workers are sitting around doing nothing.

They became used to the high wages paid by Syncrude and other plants, plus the much cursed $100 per day living-out allowance, or LOA that has caused so much inflation in Fort McMurray.

It's hard to go from $100,000 a year or more to nothing.

There's no question that the construction workforce numbers will shoot up and down in this region as one project finishes and another one starts. There might be gaps between the projects, too.

The result is uncertainty for some businesses in town that depend on the construction workers, and some uncertainty for the unions and the people they represent, too.

One of the tradeoffs for high wages is uncertainty. The pay is good, but it may not be for long.

Many other jobs, it could be argued, do not pay anything near oilsands construction wages, but they have more predictability. Mine is one.

Over the next decade, lots of work must be done here. Many jobs will be up for grabs. Who will fill those jobs is still uncertain, of course.

If I were the CEO of an oilsands plant, I'd want the work done safely, by high-skilled workers, but there would be pressure on the bottom line. If everything else is equal, I'd want to stop paying LOA, for example.

These workers are being paid nowhere near minimum wage. They're in the stratosphere.

The beef seems to be that unions want to protect their territory. They don't want lower-cost competition -- whether it be rival unions or foreign workers.

In the wake of UE-1 idling workers, the problem has been brought to the forefront. One Edmonton commentator said hundreds of workers were sitting at home.

Mark my words, this isn't the last you've heard of this.

* * *

Parking? We're in the middle of nowhere. You'd think it wouldn't be a problem.

It is.

On every street in town, the number of cars, trucks, work vehicles up to semi-trucks and bigger are choking the life out of neighbourhoods.

Apartment complexes are built with enough spaces -- or so they think. But none are prepared for four of five vehicles per unit.

Then there are the complexes that charge extra to renters for parking. Many simply choose to park on nearby streets for free.

There are so many cars and trucks here that people lose track of them. When signs were posted in my neighbourhood to remove vehicles for street cleaning, officials had to tow two before the job was done.

It's more than neighbourhoods, however. Downtown is bursting. I've tried to visit a store downtown on a Saturday afternoon only to be forced to circle the block a couple of times before I could hop out of my vehicle to hand my hard-earned cash over to a local retailer.

Then there's the airport. Work is now underway on a permanent fix, but many air travellers were scrambling this winter when they didn't allow enough time to find a parking place and either just got on or missed getting their flights because they had to walk from a remote lot.

We're bursting at the seams with people and vehicles. I'll bet there are as many cars and trucks here as there are human beings. Maybe more. I won't even begin to count the ATVs, dirt bikes and motorcycles.

They've all got to be parked somewhere.

And we've done little to cope with the four-wheel boom in the last decade, where our population doubled.

What's the answer? Parkades?

Probably.

An extra tax on vehicles (quadrupled for oilsands work trucks brought into town) like the one in London? Maybe.

I don't know what the ultimate answer is.

If you do, please share.

One of the tradeoffs for high wages is uncertainty. The pay is good, but it may not be for long.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Without my trusty putter, how will I ever find inner calm?

2006-05-29T14:09:00.000-06:00

Column: Check Your Head appeared in Fort McMurray Today may 25, 2006.

By DAN MACEACHERN
Today staff

Few things I possess are so simultaneously infuriating and invigorating as my golf clubs. A birthday gift from my wife a few years ago, the clubs represent all that is possible and all that is futile about my hopes and dreams.

The woods are protected with soft, black head covers, emblazoned with the Edmonton Oilers insignia, cause for compliments everywhere but Calgary -- which is fine, because even there, if worse comes to worst, I have golf clubs with which to defend myself.

Up until about five years ago, I wasn't much for golf. I was convinced it was an elitist's sport, one practised mainly by people who wished to show off how much a) leisure time and b) money they have, both of which are needed in abundance if one is ever going to get from tee to cup in four strokes.

My father played, occasionally. But we weren't rich, and Dad, an educator by training and manager by experience, usually had so much on the go that I don't remember him often sneaking out to the golf course for a round. This despite the fact that our house in my hometown of Grande Prairie was separated by a mere strip of greenbelt from the 14th hole of a local course. Wayward tee shots from G.P. duffers meant Dad had plenty of plastic ice cream buckets of golf balls in the garage, for use as needed.

And if I wanted to practise, I could sneak onto the course after dark. But there are a million more interesting things to be sneaking around doing when you're a teenager, so I rarely took advantage.

Then came the college years, and available money went to necessities like beer and, if there was any left over, food. Summers were spent working to pay for tuition and, if I had a particularly lucrative job, textbooks.

But it wasn't long after I started working at newspapers that I discovered the value of spending an afternoon walking 18 holes -- or, if you're with a bunch of out-of-shape newspaper editors, riding around over 18 holes. There were also the frequent charity tournaments at the Moose Jaw newspaper I used to work for, where I discovered the value of a work-sanctioned Friday afternoon off work.

Trouble was, I wasn't actually enjoying myself. The soothing relaxation that a round of golf ought to provide is hampered when you're staring at that dimpled white ball and silently praying to hit it, if not far, then at least straight, and if not straight, at least easily locatable.

I once managed to really wallop a drive, and it was a worm-burner, shooting straight along the ground, until it hit a rock bordering a water hazard and bounced straight back, onto the cartpath -- and rolled past the teebox, my bemused teammates watching it, until it came to a stop, 30 yards behind us. I'd actually managed a drive of negative-30 yards.

But in that same round -- which was during a best-ball tournament, so fortunately my teammates were able to bail me out, hole after hole -- I also sank a 25-foot putt on the very last hole, saving par. One great shot for an entire afternoon, and I was eager to come back for more.

I started playing more regularly, and hitting the driving range for practice. I grew up playing hockey and basketball, and enjoyed the team aspects of those games, but there's something about golf's solitude that appealed to me. You're really only ever playing against yourself, trying to perform better each time you step out on the links. Even if you play competitively, it's still one of the few sports you can play where what your opponent does has no effect on what you do, apart from affecting your strategy; for example, if he's kicking your can, you might be inclined to take a few more chances like going for the green instead of laying up. But even then, you're the one making the shot. You have to line up the putt. If you have a bad lie, it's because you -- not your opponent -- put your ball there.

In high school, I would shoot baskets in my driveway for hours on a battered rim that had travelled with me from the Yukon to Grande Prairie to Calgary, surviving a snapped crosspiece that I welded in the shop class at F.H. Collins in Whitehorse. I'd shoot jump shots around the horn, work on layups from either side, and shoot countless free throws. It was as relaxing to me as a warm bath -- still is, when I visit my parents' home in Calgary and decide to shoot some hoops, only now the net is so stiff that my first few shots get caught in it, and I have to poke the ball out with a broom handle, much like, I imagine, James Naismith's crew of basketball pioneers did with the peach baskets at the YMCA.

I feel that same calm when I'm standing on the driving range with a fresh bucket of balls, every one a potential 250-yard drive or a dead-eye chip shot to within four feet of a flag. Of course, the majority of my practice shots ain't so perfect, but that's why I'm out there. Just as with my driveway basketball, the time affords me some quiet contemplation about everything going on in my life -- or, if I'm doing it right, puts me into a Zen-like trance wherein I don't think about anything but the ball, spinning towards the clouds, seeming to float for a few moments, and then falling back to earth.

But I'm going to be a father this summer, so my Zen-like trances are soon to become few and far between, I suppose. My wife urges me every day on the weekends lately to go golfing, figuring I should get it out of my system, before parenthood eats away at what used to be free time. Fair enough, I suppose -- as I said, I don't remember my father golfing very much when I was growing up, but he does it constantly now, and kicks my ass by at least 20 strokes whenever we play. I suppose I can put the clubs away for a little while.

Or start hitting the range at lunchtime. Yeah, that works better. Lunchtime, that's it.

Sweet.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Syncrude still a part of the community

2006-05-29T14:06:00.001-06:00

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today May 26, 2006.

Some companies might have backed off. But not Syncrude Canada.

The oilsands giant went ahead with a planned celebration of the completion of its Stage 3/UE-1 project Wednesday night less than a week after it was forced to shut the project down by Alberta Environment.

Environment Minister Guy Boutilier, the politician in charge of the department that ordered the measure, was still on the guest list at the event.

He remarked that the decision to halt production on the equipment causing a bad smell was the right one. And the fact that Syncrude could agree with him, despite losing millions of dollars a day, showed the company's commitment to this region.

No one doubts that Syncrude will find the technical answers to squelching the smell. The company has thousands of skilled workers who have surmounted bigger problems than this one in the past.

And they've come out on top.

Wresting oil from its home in the ground is not easy. Syncrude stands on the shoulders of failures and successes in the past.

The company has contributed a lot to not only the science of the industry, it has helped implement practical solutions that almost every current operation has taken advantage of to streamline the process.

As president Jim Carter pointed out, he and thousands of company employees live here. They're part of the success story, and they're directly affected when something goes wrong.

It's clear they want to get it right -- not only for the company's bottom line, but for them and their families.

The Fort McMurray Factor that pushed up costs at the UE-1 project is a disease that's invading every niche of life here. For individuals seeking home improvements, to the municipality building quality-of-life projects, to the oilsands giant, costs have spiralled higher and higher. It's to Syncrude's credit that its owners pressed ahead in the face of big cash calls; their foresight is being borne out with high oil prices and a clear path to profits in the future.

The success of Syncrude and other oilsands giants is tied directly to Wood Buffalo's success.

At the same time that Syncrude is addressing environmental and business needs, the company isn't forgetting its home. The $2.5-million contribution to the new Timberlea Athletic Park is a big shot in the arm for local residents, whether they work in the industry or not.

While some may take donations like this for granted, we must remember that Syncrude handed over the cash because it wants to, not because it has to.

The UE-1 celebration lasted a few hours. Lots of hard work must still be done.

But it was time well spent, marking another signpost to this region's future as Canada's oilsands capital.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Despite a couple of sloppy missteps, Da Vinci Code is a good thriller

2006-05-26T13:47:00.000-06:00

This movie review appeared in Fort McMurray Today May 24, 2006

By PAULA OGONOSKI

ehT aD icniV edoC si gnillepmoc.

That's to say the least.

But the trick to enjoying the film is ignoring the hype surrounding it and simply enjoying it for being a good thriller.

A murder inside the Louvre sparks a journey that threatens to unlock a religious mystery protected by a secret society for centuries, through the use of codes and symbols in famous art. The truth, if uncovered, could strip the faith of billions of Christians in the world, forcing extremist members of a Catholic sect called Opus Dei to destroy any evidence of the truth, at any cost. But to solve the mystery, a cryptologist with a obscure past, Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), and a Harvard symbologist, Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), have to decide if the truth is worth dying for.

The film, while interesting, does have some plot contradictions.

The story, closely based on Dan Brown's book, is very detailed with one exception.

In the first scene an elderly man has time to write cryptic codes, hide a key, get undressed and design a symbol on his chest using his blood. This in itself is impressive, but considering he did all of these things after getting hit with what became a fatal gunshot to the abdomen, is more than a stretch. This bugged me for the rest of the film, even more so when every other "i" was dotted and "t" crossed. Some movies warrant a little artistic licence with the unreliable parts of the story, a blind acceptance to allow the film to flow but because of the near perfection in the rest of the film, I couldn't simply get past the scene's simple contrivance, especially when there was a simple resolution to the problem. Had there been some kind of reference to some of the cryptic work being done before his being shot, I would have gone along with the setup a little more.

There were also some cheesy moments in the film, including the casting of Jean Reno as the French inspector. Reno, who recently played a French inspector in The Pink Panther, holds the patent on the French cop roles despite being from Morocco. Before seeing the film, I though that an albino monk who works as an assassin might have a little Parmesan sprinkled on it but I'll give actor Paul Bettany props. The normally comedic actor pulled off the creepy role to near perfection.

That being said, the end, without divulging too much, left me a little disappointed, wondering what was the point of the entire story?

The Da Vinci Code

Starring: Tom Hanks

Directed by: Ron Howard

Rating: 14A

* * * (out of four)

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Alberta Environment 1, WBEA 0

2006-05-24T15:29:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today May 19, 2006

There are two ideas that quickly emerge from the rotten smell in the air this week in Fort McMurray.

The first: kudos to the Alberta government.

Environment Minister Guy Boutilier and his department seem to have taken swift, decisive action by ordering Syncrude to shut down a portion of its plant that apparently created the smell.

In the past, it's possible this type of action would not have been taken. There are lots of pressures on management and politicians to keep a plant like Syncrude running. The millions of dollars that will be lost every day will hurt shareholders and the Alberta government in terms of lower royalties.

It's possible that laws in the past would not have had enough teeth to allow a government to shut down a plant for making a stink. It's comforting to know that ideology has not weakened our current regulations.

Boutilier was constantly criticized when he was appointed environment minister in November 2004. As the representative for the Oilsands City, it was thought the MLA would be soft on offenders.

It's not true.

Nine months ago, Boutilier stood on the shores of Wabamun Lake and vowed to hold CN Rail responsible for dumping oil.

He did the same Thursday. Even though Syncrude is arguably the biggest employer in his constituency, the minister didn't pull any punches.

That's why we elected him. To represent the people, not industry, when the two collide.

At the same time that Alberta Environment and the region's MLA were living up to expectations, the Wood Buffalo Environment Association was quietly failing.

The group, a partnership of industry, the municipality and other groups interested in the region's environment, revealed that a fault at one of its monitoring stations resulted in aberrant readings Thursday.

It's a good thing Alberta Environment didn't rely on the WBEA. The government brought in its own sensors.

The WBEA website, where the group promotes its ability to provide live emissions readings from a number of locations, has been down for much of this week. Many citizens seeking answers to the smell that pervaded the region were out of luck.

If it's not functioning at a time like this, what's the point?

WBEA has never really served the interests of the average person in Wood Buffalo who wants to know if the air is safe. While presenting readings on its website and categorizing them with meaningless numbers is a technical accomplishment, it's nothing more.

No press releases where issued during the entire stinky air incident, even to discuss the link between numerical readings and health.

We need context with those numbers; we need to know what this reading or that reading means. We need to hear about how even low readings can make some people sick.

Numbers without intelligent analysis are useless.

While the WBEA may be living up to its mandate by oilsands plants to disclose their emissions, it's not making that information useful.

We need a better WBEA.

2006-05-23T09:21:00.000-06:00

Column: Check Your Head

This column appeared in Fort McMurray Today May 18, 2006

By DAN MACEACHERN
Today staff

Spending a week or so in a bigger city like Calgary, as my wife and I recently did, gives you ample opportunity to experience the advantages and disadvantages of a bigger centre, and they centre around two things that I normally hate doing anyway: driving and shopping.

Actually, it's not driving I hate as much as it is sitting in a car not driving, as in when you're sitting idling bumper to bumper because some idiot rushed a red light and T-boned someone else just trying to clear the intersection. Actual driving -- sun roof open, music playing (or, as Alex and I like to do on long car trips, listening to a comedy CD) -- I quite enjoy, except for those times you pull out to pass someone who suddenly seems to be offended at the affront and increases his speed to keep pace.

And shopping, I guess, I don't mind, depending on what it is I'm buying. CDs and tools I love buying, even if I buy tools I might never use. Come to think of it, no one ever refers to going to Canadian Tire as "shopping" for some reason.

My parents live in Calgary, and we periodically take advantage of free room and board for a week while we hit places and stock up things that are unavailable, or a lot more expensive, here in town. You know that mind-numbingly annoying jingle, that one that burbles, "You! Can! Find it allll ... in Fort McMurrayyyyy!" all hours of the day during Christmas? It always makes me wonder if there isn't some sort of "truth in advertising" law that can't be used to keep that irritating little ditty from polluting the air every year. Can we at least be honest and change it to, "You! Can! Find a lotttt ... in Fort McMurrayyyyy"? or "You! Can! Find some stuffff ... in Fort McMurrayyyyy"? Local merchants shouldn't in any way take this as a slam; many are great and do a terrific job with service and selection, despite the problems with labour shortages we have here, and most places can order stuff for you if you don't need it right away. (All this is my way of asking that angry business owners don't send me hate mail.)

But this was a shopping excursion with a purpose: baby equipment. We needed a stroller, a change table, a dresser, the works, and we wanted a good selection and businesses competing, so Calgary it was, and now we have a stroller that requires a Class 6 driver's licence.

And like I alluded to earlier, I could browse in a record store for hours. There's a great second-hand place by my parents' house, with the requisite staff of black-framed-glasses-wearing hipsters, whose enthusiastic endorsement of your selection makes you feel momentarily cool, or whose converse silence makes you wonder if nobody does actually listen to Fleetwood Mac anymore.

And in a nice bonus, I'd finally stamped nine out of 10 spaces (buy 10, get one free!) on my frequent buyer's card. When I only visit once or twice a year, that sucker takes a while to fill up.

I picked out a CD to buy, as well as the one I wanted free, and took them to the counter, warning the affable hipster just to ring in one, because then I would be using my card for a free one.

He genially told me that he could do that on just one transaction, and that, unlike a big chain, I could pay for the cheaper CD and get the slightly more expensive CD for free. "We're so far from corporate here, man," he explained, and told me about a woman who filled her card, left the store, went to Safeway, and came back an hour later for a more expensive CD. "It was like, 'we don't care, man!'" he told me.

I agreed that they were very far from corporate, man. He rang up my purchase, explaining that I'd get a new frequent buyer's card next time, since the free CD doesn't earn me a stamp. I told him that that sounded kinda corporate to me, man, and he laughed and told me that he does usually award stamps for free CDs "to hot chicks." I used to be a bartender, so I completely understand this sort of retail discrimination.

And after a week or so of enjoying a wider variety of shops and restaurants, Alex and I were lamenting our isolation in Fort McMurray, at least until we ventured a little farther south to Lethbridge to visit Alex's aunt and uncle for a night.

Friday morning, around 6:30, as we had breakfast and prepared to drive back into Calgary, we saw on some inane breakfast television show that an accident late last night on the Deerfoot Trail was tying up traffic. The Deerfoot was on our route back to my parents' place, but given that we wouldn't be hitting it for another two and a half hours, it shouldn't be a problem, right?

Nope. Around nine a.m., there we were, sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on a major thoroughfare. And it took us more than an hour to clear. Not that we don't have traffic tie-ups in Fort McMurray, but I'll wager they don't happen as often as they do in Calgary. And it struck me just how much of our time we had spent that trip -- whether going shopping or going to a restaurant -- in the car. The shopping trips we go on when we're in a big city take a far longer time than they ever do here. So it's a tradeoff. Fort McMurray doesn't have an Ikea, say (although the thought of going to Ikea fills me with some sort of dread that I can't explain, even if I usually enjoy the affordable stuff with crazy Swedish names), but Fort McMurray also doesn't feature 45-minute drives one way to get to an Ikea. I'm willing to sacrifice the shopping if it means I avoid the driving.

With all the construction starting up, 45-minute drives one way might get a little more common around here. I just hope it'll be short-term pain for long-term gain.

Otherwise, the good-natured hipster might be stamping my card a lot more often, and not because I'll be turning into a hot chick.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Upping the housing density

2006-05-17T16:35:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today May 12, 2006.

The approval of a plan by Centron Residential Corp to assemble a community on Timberlea's Parcel D featuring higher densities of homes and apartments than anywhere else in Timberlea is a good step forward.

While it's unknown if the mixture of apartment buildings and homes will set a precedent in Fort McMurray -- there are many other high-density developments here, from the area around River Park Glen (still called the Syncrude towers by many old-timers) to the Longboat Landing neighbourhood to be built at the south end of downtown -- it represents a change from past plans.

With the sheer volume of growth in this region now, those plans are not worth the paper they're printed on.

It's a dream by many -- arguably most -- Canadians to own a single detached home. The residents of Saprae Creek, like many acreage subdivisions in order portions of Alberta, have taken that further, with homes that sit on one or more acres of land.

It's more room than you need to swing a cat. Room to play AC/DC at concert-like volumes. Room to have naked hot tub parties and remain out of eyesight of the neighbours.

Detached homes are the dream. But they're becoming impracticable in today's society.

There's the cost. Large lots drive up the price of homes by thousands of dollars. They eat up concrete and asphalt by the megatonne.

North America's obsession with detached homes is ours alone: the rest of the world seems to get by fine with higher densities, even in small towns.

Much ink has been spilled about how our spread-out subdivisions lead to ill health and hurt the environment. We get in the car or truck to drive a few blocks to the cormer store. Neighbourhoods are constructed with garages as the only visible feature from the street, and sidewalks are grudgingly installed here and there.

Fort McMurray is on the bandwagon. With so many vehicles lining both sides of almost every road in town and few sidewalks for pedestrians, most citizens just give up and jump in a vehicle instead of taking a stroll.

Higher density -- more homes per hectare -- is not only better for the environment, it's better for us.

The question of parking is still a troubling one. Complicated rules are used to determine how many spaces must be built per home or apartment.

Most people, including some regional councillors, agree the standard isn't high enough. Extra cars and trucks, some of them with company names on the side, can't fit into the assigned spaces.

A review is underway on the policy. It can't be wrapped up soon enough.

While developments with higher density are Fort McMurray's future, we need to require more parking spots now.

Otherwise, our descendants will be condemned to a big parking lot instead of a livable city.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Short-term pain for long-term gain

2006-05-15T14:50:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today May 10, 2006

There’s going to be a lot of short-term pain in Fort McMurray, but we’ll reap a big long-term gain.
The work on Highway 63 now underway to help speed some traffic for the short term and for the construction of several overpasses in the longer term is underway. Traffic is already backing up at some points during the day as a result.
MLA Guy Boutilier had his tongue stuck firmly in his cheek when he told Today last week “I’m about as patient as the next person.”
He went on to add, “but for those of us who live here we’re going to have to be patient to see these improvements in the long term.”
Boutilier’s absolutely right.
We all remember the muss and fuss and the sea of mud that accompanied the construction of the King Street overpass that lasted more than 1 1/2 years. The corner was, for those who have moved to the Oilsands City since its completion, a killer. Even on a good day, every bid to head south on the highway from King Street was a series of near-misses.
Today, the overpass performs well. We’re all safer as a result.
Overpasses on Highway 63 at Hardin Street, Morrison Street, Thickwood Boulevard and Confederation Way will all go a long way to not only speeding traffic but enhancing safety for everyone.
But the construction phases will be a royal pain. Tempers will flare. Drivers will attempt to gain the upper hand by cutting in to gain an advantage.
We’ve all got to take it easy.
Then there’s the new bridge across the Athabasca River.
Wherever it’s built — upstream or downstream of the existing structures — it will likely result in few disruptions until it’s linked up to the highway. We can take some small measure of satisfaction in this.
The other big addition to the community — the $118-million improvement to MacDonald Island — will be another big problem for those using the existing facility during the construction phase.
In fact, no one would be surprised if MacIsland reported a big operating loss for the next couple of years as users stayed away in droves during construction.
Shor- term pain, long-term gain.
We’ve all got to keep our focus on the future.
As we report elsewhere in the paper today, the first of the trailers that will be home to workers to build MacIsland are being set up.
Although the subject is being treated as a hot potato by some municipal officials — they flat-out don’t want to talk about the in-town work camp, hoping we won’t write about it — the trailer’s existence is a cold, hard fact.
Some people in Fort McMurray are still bitter about the decision to set the camp up. They’ll have to get over their objections and move forward, however.
The camps are a fact, not an idea. When MacIsland is finished, they’ll be gone.
If not, some local politicians will be gone.
More short-term pain for long-term gain.

Homeless issue a tough one

2006-05-11T18:14:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today May 9, 2006.

Evicting homeless people from various sites around Fort McMurray is fraught with problems.
Municipal bylaw officers, who work in concert with the RCMP, seem to have little choice in the matter. Their job is clear.
When it comes to the law, the action may be a little unclear, however. There is always a question of whose property it is (private, municipal, provincial or federal) and what level of permission they have to be there — perhaps implied.
Some of the homeless people who contacted Today about their plight put forth the argument that the land they’re occupying is either provincial or falls under some ancient regulation that opens it to aboriginal people.
Then there’s the reality that homeless people have squatted on land in this region for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years — long before there was a municipality or regulations to bar them living there.
Add to this spotty enforcement of the rules — many people have been occupying spots near downtown for years, undisturbed.
It would take legal beagles to sort everything out, but unenforced laws could be ruled unworkable, depending on an individual judge’s interpretation. It’s not enough to pass laws or bylaws. Officials must make sure they’re followed.
Police and bylaw officers are given hard and fast rules. They have discretion, too, but it’s clear that camps on the banks of the Clearwater River are unsafe. People are living in a place that could quickly become engulfed in a grass fire. They might become the victims of assaults (it has happened in Fort McMurray, with deadly results), and the lack of cleanliness encourages the spread of disease and illness.
To be clear, however, clearing out every homeless person in Fort McMurray is akin to shutting down prostitution or ending illegal drug abuse: it’s simply not going to happen. Wishes will not make it reality.
Does that mean the authorities should not try? No.
Does that mean any enforcement must be tempered with access to social agencies to give homeless people another option? Yes.
The situation in this region screams with unintended irony. The Centre of Hope was preparing gifts to the homeless to assist them with their struggle against the elements: new material to erect tents. The irony lies in the fact that bylaw enforcers are seizing some tent material and hauling it off to the dump.
The other ironic — or sad — fact is that some of these people may likely be homeless because of the incredibly high cost of living in this region. How do entry-level restaurant and food workers make a go of it in Fort McMurray today?
Some may be taxpayers, too.
It’s easy to not care for homeless people. Some drink to excess, many don’t work or even wash regularly, and they eke out an existence without conforming to society’s norms.
The trouble lies in criminalizing behaviour that doesn’t fit within the accepted mould. It’s behaviour that few have any sympathy for, but it’s also a way of life lived by hundreds of people in Fort McMurray year-round.
Are there absolute answers to homelessness?
No. Otherwise, the situation would be solved long ago.
In the meantime, this situation must be handled with the greatest discretion. Those who live on the riverbank are not criminals, despite their alleged crime of trespass.
They’re society’s castoffs, but they’re still human beings.

The time has come for tax cuts

2006-05-09T16:33:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today May 5, 2006.

Wood Buffalo municipal council is poised to enact a complicated tax scheme next week that, we’re told, will force the oilsands industry to pay more. Regular homeowners to pay less.
Hallejuah.
It’s about time.
Oh, and thank you councillors (assuming they’ll pass the measure unchanged).
The deadly spiral of overspending that politicians have been forced to support in recent years is directly attributable to the industry that brought most of Wood Buffalo’s residents here in the first place.
Oilsands companies are healthy; they’re cashing in record profits. They’re in a fine position to help pay for the insfrastructure needed to support the employees they’re bringing here.
While the largesse of the industry in charitable matters is renowned, more is needed. The way to get it is through taxes.
Although the Alberta and Canadian governments have been on tax cut plans in recent years, it’s easy to make the case that Wood Buffalo is in dire straits without new sources of revenue.
In years past, homeowners were part of the equation. While politicians bravely claimed to hold the line by keeping the tax rate stable, the measure was hoovering cash from wallets at an unprecedented rate, because the value of local homes was on the rise.
Finally, our municipal leaders have seen the error of their ways. They’ve lowered the rate, so much so that Joe and Jane McMurrayite will likely pay less this year.
So we’re told.
The whole process is cloaked in complicated formulas that even today’s bright young math students would be perplexed by.
We’ll have to take their word for it. The truth will come out when homeowners look at their 2006 tax bills and compare them to 2005.
If it’s higher, there are several politicians down at city hall who will wish they’d never run for office.
If it’s lower, they’ve accomplished the task we voted them in for.
One sidebar to the tax debate: rural homeowners, specifically in Saprae Creek, may be opposing the new rates because they will pay more.
We’ve heard this one before.
For years, Saprae Creek got a free ride as citizens of Improvement District 18 — property tax bills were in the hundreds, not thousands of dollars, like their urban cousins.
Much has been made of the difference in services for the people living on acreages near the airport.
But Saprae residents now get many of the same services city residents boast. And they will be welcomed through the doors of the $118 million expanded MacDonald Island recreation complex, as will people from Beacon Hill and Timberlea: the difference is where they’ve chosen to live.
Council has enshrined a two-level property tax system that ensures Saprae residents will always pay less than those in Fort McMurray.
It’s a fair system, and any debate over grievances from the rural area must not be allowed to deny the vast majority of Wood Buffalo homeowners their due: tax relief.
While we haven’t heard from industry yet on this issue, it’s likely their shareholders will object to paying more property taxes. They’d rather see fatter dividends.
Those arguments, like any made by Saprae residents, must not be allowed to block this important change in tax policy.
Shifting the burden further to the the oilsands industry makes sense almost any way you look at it.
The precise way it’s done must be left up to the bean counters of the world. But homeowners, under fire with huge increases in almost every other aspect of modern life, deserve this break.

Is lowering flags too stark a reminder?

2006-05-05T14:23:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today April 26, 2006

Immediately following the terrorists attacks of 9/11, the United States was awash in patriotism; the Stars and Stripes hung from windows, flapped on cars' radio antennas and was emblazoned on T-shirts, posters and bumper stickers. Slogans trumped actual political debate over the nation's response to attacks on its own soil, which isn't to say that some of the rallying cries didn't contain some truth.

"Freedom isn't free" was one of them, a shorter, pithier update on Thomas Jefferson's "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance," even if Jefferson's words spoke more to freedom from an oppressive regime, while the 21st-century version was more about sending soldiers off to war.

In Canada, we as a nation decided not to join the U.S.'s unsanctioned (by the United Nations) invasion of Iraq. However, we have been providing support in Afghanistan, a commitment that has come with its own grim cost, a cost that gets steeper and steeper the longer our soldiers are there. Four more were killed on the weekend, touching off a political debate over whether federal buildings should lower the Maple Leaf to honour those killed in combat.

The longstanding rule in the military has been to leave the flag flying atop the pole as normal, and it's from that policy that new Prime Minister Stephen Harper takes his cue, differing from the recent Liberal government, although under Chretien and Martin it wasn't always clear what the criteria were for lowering the Maple Leaf.

But the federal government is not the military. In the military, a lowered flag wouldn't just be a sign of respect; it's a stark reminder that colleagues and friends have been killed. Soldiers already know what their job is, and that there is always a chance they could get killed doing it; a permanently lowered flag would wreak havoc on morale.

Back in Canada, though, it sometimes seems that we need reminders of the danger that our soldiers face. Harper and his government know full well that the sight of a flag at half mast -- not to mention flag-draped coffins of fallen soldiers -- would erode support for military missions, however necessary.

That underestimates Canadians' intelligence and sense of global responsibility. Putting the flag at half-mast for a combat death -- no matter how long the flag has to stay there -- would do more than just honour the men and women who give their lives; it would remind us of the human cost of our military endeavours, the price of freedom.

The Rocket an intense ride through Richard's life

2006-05-01T16:00:00.000-06:00

Originally published April 25, 2006.

By RENATO GANDIA
Today staff

For hockey enthusiasts in Montreal and across Canada, March 13, 1955, is a date to remember.

In a game between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens, star Canadiens player Maurice (Rocket) Richard broke his stick over the head of Boston Bruin Hal Laycoe. A fight ensued, during which Richard punched a linesman, Cliff Thompson. Eventually Richard was suspended from the remaining three games of the season and the playoffs.

Montreal fans took to the streets and rioted.

The Rocket is a film that explains what the riot meant, what Richard meant and what Quebec meant to Canada.

Richard, played by Roy Dupuis, who assumed the role in two other movies for television, was the essence of Canadian hockey in its golden age. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Richard had eyes that were as black as coal, that blinding speed, that devastating shot, that nasty streak, that passion to vanquish every opponent.

He was known for his end-to-end charges to the net, earning him his famous nickname.

Dupuis displayed an intense performance that evokes the passions of the dark-eyed, indomitable, but uncommunicative hockey player.

With the playoffs going on right now, this film is for every Canadian, hockey fans or not, to see.

It gives a perspective on what passion for the sport meant back more than half a century ago.

The film depicteds how badly players were treated, including Richard, and how athletes had to work during the off-season to make ends meet.

The movie is about Canada's favourite sport, hockey, but it's about more than that.

Screenwriter Ken Scott, (director of Seducing Doctor Lewis and Seraphin: Heart of Stone) underscored some political colouring to the film with the use of a talkative barber, who acted as the agent of exposition.

"We haven't fought in a long time, we've forgotten how to win," the barber told Richard on the eve of the riots.

The barber, who admits he doesn't know anything, is the opposite of Richard's reticence.

He represented the grassroots Quebecers, whose chance at effecting change was by serving as Richard's conscience, a symbol of change and invincibility.

Julie Le Breton plays Lucille, Richard's wife, and Stephen McHattie plays Montreal coach Dick Irvin. The film was directed by Charles Biname.

Starring: Roy Dupuis, Stephen McHattie

Rating: PG

*** (out of four)

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Was the Factor to blame for the street-cleaner soaking?

2006-04-26T14:39:00.000-06:00

Column originally published in Fort McMurray Today April 21, 2006.

By MICHAEL HALL
Today staff

It was the strangest thing.

I was walking home -- I'm back on the self-improvement program after a winter of hibernation -- when I got sprayed.

Not by a car tire splashing a puddle, but by a contractor hired by the municipality.

Crews are currently using equipment to brush sand and dirt off boulevards and medians. A contractor's water truck was spraying water on the grass, presumably to help dislodge the grit -- and it came up behind me and soaked my shoes and ankles with the side spray.

I was shocked.

Did they recognize me? Is it because of recent criticism of our local politicians? Is it sloppiness? Is it the Fort McMurray Factor?

(Although the term is normally applied to cost increases, I've developed an extension to the normal Factor definition: that service levels drop as the Factor increases, as workers find they can do a bad job without fear of retribution from employers.)

I wasn't that wet; it was the shock of it all. Because I was listening to a music player and the water truck came up from behind, I was taken unaware.

I'll give municipal workers and contractors a wide berth from now on.

* * *

This is almost old news, but there's so much I want to get in here, this got bumped from last week's column.

CBC personality Stuart McLean's two shows a couple of weeks ago at Keyano Theatre seemed, to the average audience member, to be totally or nearly sold out. This is after virtually no local publicity -- just mentions on CBC Edmonton.

That's great.

On the Friday night, McLean addressed those in attendance directly and asked for a tour of the oilsands. Fort McMurray Tourism runs regular tours in the summer months, but they haven't started up yet.

By Saturday night, he told the audience that he'd spent part of the day out at an oilsands plant. I understand an official from Syncrude Canada heard the plea the night before. Good going, people.

Regarding my plea for support for an arts facility -- I've heard exactly nothing to far.

Maybe I've misjudged this town, and people are only interested in opportunities to exercise their muscles, not minds.

Mind you, the great turnout for an under-promoted show that some -- including my parents, as it turns out -- are uninterested in, seems to belie that.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today

One fan's plea to the NHL: bring back the playoff beard!

2006-04-26T14:36:00.000-06:00

Column originally published in Fort McMurray Today April 20, 2006 Today.

By DAN MACEACHERN
Today staff

The playoffs are about to start. How come I've yet to see a single one of those stupid Calgary Flames car flags that seemed to have spread to hundreds of cars two years ago like some kind of vehicular rash? Did you bandwagon fans throw them out when the Flames lost to the Lightning? Since the Oilers and the Flames have both made the playoffs for the first time since 1991, are you just waiting to see who goes farther so you know to whom to proclaim your loyalty?

Make your choice now. I'm an Oilers fan. I'm not going to be adding those silly car flags to my vehicle, though. I've got a pair of fuzzy dice hanging from my rearview mirror, and that's enough. My philosophy is that if you weren't flying that flag all winter long, don't put it up now just because the team's in the playoffs and has a shot at the Stanley Cup.

The only thing you're allowed to do differently is grow a playoff beard. I've taken up this tradition myself, as it seems to be one that's almost all but vanished from the NHL.

You used to be able to judge how far a team had made it in the playoffs by the beard growth. Stubble? First round. Grizzly Adams? Stanley Cup champ. In a box under a crawl space somewhere I have a hockey card of Billy Ranford hoisting the Conn Smythe trophy in 1990, and he's got the full-on disgusting neck-beard action going on, too.

But who really does that anymore? It's dying out. Some of the veterans still carry it on -- Ray Bourque I remember in his last season with the Avalanche a few years ago looked like a freakin' lumberjack when he hoisted his first and only Stanley Cup.

The worst offenders in this lost tradition are easily the Dallas Stars from a few years ago. Bunch of punks. Dyed their hair blond, said their wives didn't like the beard thing. Well, new traditions have to start somewhere, and I appreciate a team doing something as a group to promote unity -- my own high school basketball team all got brushcuts from the same barber my senior year -- but you're in a rough and tumble sport like hockey and you let your opponents know that your wife won't let you grow a beard? Why not just slap "please beat the crap out of me" signs to the back of your jerseys for the rest of the series?

I think the blond hair thing is starting to catch on, especially as junior teams get into the tradition, since younger hockey players might not be able to grow them yet. So expect to see this blossom into other hair-related superstitions in the NHL -- mohawks, shaved heads, etc. I think the only other kind of playoff-hair trend I could get behind would be if everyone on the team grew their hair into mullets. Ryan Smyth's already on board with that one. Of course, if everyone in the NHL has mullets -- isn't that how things used to be anyway? Mullets aren't called "hockey hair" for nothing.

I'm too young to get all "back in my day" on you, so please take note that I'm not claiming that hockey was better when I was a kid. Everyone knows that hockey is always best from the time you were six until you were 16 or so. That's the Golden Decade for any sport, for every fan. Just once I'd like to hear some old-timer express the opinion that the game today is far superior to the game played when he wa a a young'un: "Now, that's hockey! Why, back when I was a kid, the game wasn't nearly as good as it is now! Players had a lot less respect for each other back then! Not like players today, who are far more talented than the bums I used to watch stumble around the Forum! Players back then could never compete with today's stars."

I don't think the game changes. I think players are stronger and faster than they used to be, but I think that talent transcends generations. I think if you were to take 1980s Wayne Gretzky and face him off against 1950s Rocket Richard, Gretzky would skate rings around him. But if Richard played three decades later, coming up in the same system Gretzky did? He'd be just as fearsome as the star whose suspension touched off a citywide riot.

What really changes as we get older are our priorities. We don't have the time when we grow up, get jobs, get married and have children to spend as much time watching games, devouring the stats page. Time spent doing that often takes away from actual necessities. The basement needs to be cleaned out, the dog needs to be taken for a walk, the baseboards in the kitchen need to be fixed. Someone told me the other day, "You think you're busy now? Wait until the kid comes." People keep scaring me this way.

Life happens, and it's not like I regret that I have less time to follow the Oilers than I used to. I still like to pull out a jersey to put on when I'm watching the game -- just between you and me, it helps them win. But there's something a little sad about a guy my age whose priorities haven't shifted somewhat.

Having said that, if my wife interrupts Game 1 against the Red Wings tomorrow night, we're getting divorced.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today

Scary Movie franchise wearing thin

2006-04-21T14:33:00.000-06:00

Movie review

Originally published April 19, 2006

By PAULA OGONOSKI
Today staff

It's official: the Wayans brothers have run out of ideas when it comes to their Scary Movie series.

The pair gave up both writing and directing credits, passing the screenwriting torches to Jim Abrahams (the Naked Gun series) and Craig Mazin (Scary Movie 3), and to head honcho David Zucker (also from the Naked Gun series).

This lack of Wayans has made the comedic series more frightening than funny.

Sure, the first three weren't critical masterpieces but they served their purpose: IQ-dropping, giggle-inducing fun entertainment. They were funny parodies of horror movies, but in the latest instalment the puchlines seem to have ran out of steam.

Number four is really quite boring.

I'm embarrassed to admit it, but the Scary Movie films have been a guilty pleasure. They're the flicks you watch after a long week to unwind and giggle in the same way Naked Weapon or Hotshots would make you laugh. But people getting hit in the head is losing its laugh factor.

Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris) trades in her broadcaster's microphone to help the elderly. She becomes a live-in caregiver in a mysterious house that's haunted by a little boy. Meanwhile, an alien invasion, launched by the villainous Jigsaw, threatens to destroy the world. Cindy, along with her new love interest, Tom (Craig Bierko), and best friend Brenda (Regina Hall) -- who makes a surprising return after dying in the last film -- must go to a village to solve the mystery of the boy's death and stop the aliens from taking over.

Watch for parodies of The Grudge, The Village, War of the Worlds, Saw and Million Dollar Baby.

While the film overall is a flop, I did enjoy the parody of Tom Cruise's recent infamous appearance on Oprah Winfrey's talk show. While it took little thought to poke fun at his over-the-top expression of love, it was fun to see Bierko bring that back to life.

A cameo by Dr. Phil also creates some chuckles, but they're short-lived and shared with the world's worst acting athlete, Shaquille O'Neal.

Save yourself a few dollars by watching the trailers, which are filled with all the funny bits, or any of the parodied films, all of which are more entertaining than this mess.

Scary Movie 4

Starring: Anna Faris, Craig Bierko

Directed by: David Zucker

Rating: 14A

*1/2 (out of four)

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today

Sell the truck, buy the compact car

2006-04-21T14:31:00.000-06:00

This editorial orginally appeared in Fort McMurray Today on April 19, 2006

Gas prices have soared again across Canada, reaching as high as $1.10 per litre in Fort McMurray, with an average Canada-wide prices of more than a dollar. The scary thing is we haven't hit the high demand of the summer driving season, so expect things to get a lot worse before they get any better. Oil closed at more than $71 per barrel on Tuesday, and there's no indication that things will slow down any time soon.

What's behind the latest jump? Strife in oil-producing nations like Nigeria, not to mention the nuclear standoff in Iran, the world's No. 2 oil producer. Factor in the ever-growing demand from Asian markets, not to mention the trend towards buying bigger and bigger vehicles, and analysts are saying oil could hit $80 per barrel by this time next year.

So what do we do? Well, unless you enjoy paying $100 or more to fill up your gas tank, reconsider buying the huge truck that you think you need. Are you hauling lumber and bricks? Do you actually need heavy towing capacity? Or do you just want to use the Hummer to drop your children off at soccer practice? If you need a big truck, buy a big truck. If you just want a big truck, well, don't expect anyone to listen to your complaints as you're putting the nozzle in the tank of your gas guzzler.

We don't know if anyone's told you this, but it's your fault. It's not entirely your fault, and there are millions of other people just like you driving unnecessarily huge land yachts, but if everyone drove more efficient vehicles (as well as did other more environmentally friendly things like walking or using public transportation), consumption would go down, and so would price.

We know the irony -- obviously, Fort McMurray wouldn't be experiencing the wealth it's currently raking in if there weren't such a demand for oil. But the cost of living has started to increase faster than our salaries are rising. Is it worth not being able to fill up our cars or heat our homes?

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Don't worry about improving image; fix the roads!

2006-04-18T15:00:00.000-06:00

Column appeared in Fort McMurray Today April 13, 2006.

Gimme Some Grammar

By MICHAEL HALL
Today staff

The roads are in awful shape.

I'm not blaming this one on Wood Buffalo. Well, not all of it.

The weather in this neck of the woods, the freeze-and-thaw cycles, plays havoc with pavement.

There are streets downtown that resemble roller-coasters right now. One example is Manning Avenue, the road that runs behind the Today building. The portion behind Alberta Motor Products and in front of the Greyhound bus building is one step removed from gravel.

Then there's the section of Franklin Avenue between King Street and Home Hardware. It was ripped up late last year to install new underground pipes for future development. It is literally surfaced with gravel.

I've received several complaints about that section, some from people who moved to Fort McMurray during the winter and didn't know about the project.

I'm assuming the powers-that-be are waiting for freezing to leave the ground or warmer weather before they repave the section. I sure hope it's not a lack of money or crews to do the work.

Roads like this help contribute to a negative image when outside reporters visit. Bad roads like these would not be tolerated for so long in downtown Toronto.

This is another reason why I think the proposed $675,000 publicity campaign by the municpality is a kooky idea. Put the money into pavement, instead.

* * *

I'm surprised businesses in the MacKenzie Industrial Park (just south of Gregoire Park) don't march in front of City Hall with placards.

The streets in that area of town are worse than those in some third-world countries.

While roads that councillors drive over on their way to work are pushed up the priority list, the industrial section of town is getting the short shrift, I believe.

I had a short career as a truck driver many moons ago, and I know it's a rougher ride for someone in a big rig than for someone in a car.

The inevitable rejoinder to my beef? Taxes would have to be raised to pave the roads.

I say you can pave it now, or re-build it later. The latter is way more expensive.

* * *

I'll finish off in a place far, far away from the Jubilee Centre -- Ottawa.

News organizations on Parliament Hill are upset at being shepherded away from the corridors that ministers trod on their way in and out of cabinet meetings. They want to be able to talk to our representatives to get an idea of what's going on.

I have some sympathy for them. Every new administration looks for a way to control the flow of information, so it can be polished and spun before we in the media get our hands on it.

I'll be blunt: not all news is favourable, so our elected representatives -- whoever's in power at the time -- want a chance to get their lies up to speed.

By approaching politicians as they dash from one meeting to another, we've seen that it's possible for them to drift off-message -- to accidentally tell the truth.

Stephen Harper, like Paul Martin, Jean Chretien and Brian Mulroney before him, wants his accomplishments recognized and shortcomings buried.

Hence the new controls.

I have sympathy for the reporters being pushed around the Parliament buildings. The corridors do not belong to the politicians; they belong to us. While it's clear some areas should be off-limits for security reasons, these reporters have been vetted and are not a threat. Some areas are no-go because politicians fear they'd be embarrassed. No other reason.

MP Brian Jean, when asked about this issue, first mocked the members of our craft in this paper Tuesday: "Ooh, that must be very trying on them," he said, then challenged reporter Larissa Liepins: "I think your information is inaccurate," and ended with a non sequitur: "I prefer a leader who leads."

Huh?

Brian, you're off-base and wrong. I'll leave your tone for others to judge, but I'm surprised a self-described publisher would react that way.

All that said, this is not an issue that will resonate with the public. Jean's judged that one correctly.

Some people think we're either too close to politicians, don't tell the truth, cover things up or are plain lazy.

All untrue. I can only point to our 31-year record in Fort McMurray. Our integrity plays second fiddle to no one.

Some politicians tell us they keep score on whether the stories we write are positive or negative. We don't do that, but we're aware others do. Today bends over backwards for fairness in deed and even perception. Criticize that, if you must.

But the truth remains paramount. If it leads to negativity, so be it.

If a politician is unhappy about a story or editorial, see the previous paragraph.

In the end, our value to readers is not how we spar with elected officials, but in the truthful information we give them. The process is not the story. The spin is not the story (sorry, P.R. people).

The truth is the story.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Take the Lead has two left feet

2006-04-17T14:27:00.000-06:00

By PAULA OGONOSKI
Today staff

While the dancers in Take the Lead might step their way into the audience's heart, the movie itself is uninspiring and long-winded.

Pierre Dulaine (Antonio Banderas) is a professional ballroom dance teacher who spends most of his time with trust fund snobs. He decides to bring a group of misfit students from the New York City public school to the world of the foxtrot, salsa, waltz and tango. Dulaine has to get the students ready for an annual dance competition, usually reserved for the most prestigious dancers, to prove to the world and the students themselves that they have something to offer. Through the class, the students, who live in a world of gang violence and low expectations, gain confidence and respect. For some, the experience becomes life-altering.

Because this flick is based on the true story of professional dancer Pierre Dulaine, it's compelling, but with tighter editing and better character development it could have also been touching. Alas, it's afflicted with the dreaded disease of dreariness.

If it weren't for the strong dance numbers, which really explode in the last 15 minutes of the movie, it would have been forgettable altogether.

When inspiring true tales such as the recent Glory Road and last year's Coach Carter work, it's because they have something to offer other than the paint-by-numbers tale of a group of outcasts being changed by a strong and determined leader. Unfortunately, this isn't that movie. I certainly don't feel changed by the wannabe inspirational tale, except for wanting to put on my dancing shoes a little more. All in all, it's a mildly entertaining family flick that will make an excellent rental.

Canadian connection: Lauren Collins (Caitlin) plays Paige in Degrassi: The Next Generation.

In the end, there's always Dancing with the Stars.

Take the Lead

-Starring: Antonio Banderas

-Directed by: Liz Friedlander

- Rating: PG

**1/2 (out of four)

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Shopping for land at the dollar store

2006-04-13T11:50:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today April 12, 2006

It makes a heck of a lot of sense.

But, when politics intervene, that's no guarantee.

A big block of land on the south end of Fort McMurray, owned by the Alberta government -- like 99 per cent of all the land in Wood Buffalo, outside the oilsands -- is currently up for grabs.

It seems the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is first in line to own the land. That's just great.

The only issue here is whether the land will be given to Wood Buffalo, or sold.

The former makes a heck of a lot of sense. The latter doesn't, especially when you take a peek at the state of financial affairs of the Alberta government.

They're rolling in dough. It's almost as if they're making oil. It's the next best thing, actually: they're taxing oil producers and cashing in royalty cheques.

Ralph Klein and whoever succeeds him don't need the money from this sale. Wood Buffalo can manage the release of the land to developers, or develop the land itself. The municipality sorely needs the money.

In addition, some parcels will likely be earmarked for low-cost housing. That's something else that's sorely needed here.

The inspiration to ask that the land be handed over for nothing -- well, $1 -- came from Coun. Sheldon Germain. It's a smart move.

While we can't predict what the Alberta government will do with the request, we can hope.

Civil servants stung by bogus NDP allegations of favourtism in the sale of a previous parcel of land are likely gun-shy. They don't want their political masters to be in the spotlight.

But surely the NDP cannot find fault with one level of government giving a parcel of land to another. The move would be akin to socialism, in any event.

But it's what's needed in this region right now.

It's questionable whether the municipality would be able to affect the booming housing market by leveraging this parcel of land. But it's worth a try in an economy where the normal rules are out the window.

It would be a big help if they received the land for nothing.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Higher expectations for MP Jean now

2006-04-12T14:10:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today April 11, 2006.

When Jack Shields represented this region in Parliament, the Progressive Conservative MP helped extend the federal northern residents deduction south to Fort McMurray.

It was a great idea then, and now. Unfortunately, people who live in the Oilsands City get half of the income tax deduction that our cousins in Yellowknife or Whitehorse boast.

Half a loaf was better than none at the time.

But with the inflation hitting everything from a treat at the coffee shop to rents and house prices, we're in the same boat as many of those who call Nunavut, the Northwest Territories or the Yukon home.

The situation is eerily the same when one considers the diamond mines in the N.W.T. and compares them with oilsands operations.

On just about every level, the federal government has failed Fort McMurray. The removal of the coast guard and the dredging of the Athabasca River to Fort Chipewyan was a big blow.

We've seen very little interaction with Ottawa -- apart from elections -- in this region. There is the RCMP, but the boys and girls in blue are paid for by Wood Buffalo and the Alberta government, not the feds.

Maybe we were shunned because of our voting record. There hasn't been a Liberal representing Fort McMurray since the '60s.

Former MP Dave Chatters constantly raised the issue of a better shake for this region's residents from the opposition Reform, then Alliance Party benches. His entreaties fell on deaf Liberal ears.

In his first posting to Ottawa, Conservative Brian Jean tried this issue on, carrying on the groundwork that Chatters laid.

He got nowhere.

Now Jean sits on the government side of the House of Commons. Expectations are higher now.

The allowance was established when a government MP -- Jack Shields was a minister during the Brian Mulroney term -- used his influence and persuaded policymakers to bend the boundaries for us.

If there were ever a time to lobby for further allowances, this is it.

Costs in Fort McMurray are out of control. A recent project tendered by the municipality -- for a facility to supply water to trucks -- is almost double original estimates.

That's fine for Wood Buffalo, where the money can be repaid by charging higher fees or raising taxes. But what about average citizens who don't make huge oilsands wages, and must contend with the inflationary spiral in their own lives?

A break from the federal government, after they cash in on this region to the tunes of billions of dollars a year, is in order.

We're counting on Jean, now that he and the prime minister share the same party affiliation, to do everything he can to make sure we get it.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Fort McMurray Factor claims the volunteer centre

2006-04-10T18:13:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today Friday, April 7, 2006.

As reported in our paper today, Wood Buffalo Regional Council will officially stop funding the Volunteer and Information Centre on Tuesday. The doors have been closed on the centre for more than a month.

The Fort McMurray Factor, the bane of many a budget, has claimed another victim. The centre couldn't keep up with the city's spiralling rent increases; the group's space in the Hardin Street building leapt 300 per cent in just six months. And the centre could not afford to offer more than $25,000 a year to its employees, making them unable to compete even with fast-food franchises in Fort McMurray. With housing as expensive as it is in the Oilsands City, workers had better have additional household income to afford working at the centre. Forget about attracting anyone to Fort McMurray who then has to find housing on that salary.

Unfortunately, the same factors that spelled the demise of the centre were at the same time making it more necessary than ever.

The cost of living is rising faster than even our elevated salaries, so more and more people are getting left behind every day, people who need our help. When people need to work more to keep up, spare time for volunteering goes out the window.

Fortunately, as evidenced by the United Way's most recent campaign, McMurrayites are generous. Now, we need to give time as well as, or instead of, money.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Sheriffs a welcome addition to highway

2006-04-10T18:12:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today Friday, April 7, 2006.

Funny word pictures can be painted with the phrase "new sheriffs in town," but it's a serious matter.

Life and death, even.

The provincial sheriffs who now patrol Highway 63, as Today reported Thursday, making a difference to McMurrayites who choose ground transportation over the air when travelling south.

While we're all looking forward to the twinned highway that will improve safety, it's hoped, travellers are still stuck with two lanes, filled to capacity and more two days of the week.

Regular drivers jockey with trucks hauling everything from heavy equipment parts, logs and industrial trailers. Then there are the oilsands plant pieces, which range from 20 to 50 feet wide, sometimes blocking the entire road.

The sherrifs are sorely needed. Two of them is a good beginning, and hopefully the Alberta government will see its way to putting more rubber on the road.

The RCMP still patrol Highway 63, and local drivers have noticed them in increased numbers recently, as mentioned in the Bricks and Bouquets feature that ran in this space Thursday.

The RCMP are the ideal patrollers, but even with increased numbers, thanks to Wood Buffalo regional council, they're busier than ever dealing with crime.

That's the priority most local citizens want addressed. The sherrifs fill another need.

The cost of trained officers and their cars is much lower than the hundreds of millions needed to fix the roads. It's a step, but not a substitute.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

We need places to exercise our brains as well as our bodies

2006-04-07T12:10:00.000-06:00

Column appeared in Fort McMurray Today April 7, 2006.

Gimme Some Grammar

By MICHAEL HALL
Today staff

I’ve got a ticket to see Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Café Saturday night. I’m really looking forward to the show.
In a story today on Page E1, McLean told reporter Paula Ogonoski he was astounded that someone drove 3 1/2 hours to see his show. I can easily top that — my wife and I drove from Fort McMurray to Kamloops, B.C. a couple of years ago to see the Vinyl Café. I was ticked off when, during the show, McLean asked for hands in the audience from the person who drove the farthest. He ignored my hand and gave a book to a lady from Prince George, B.C.
If he reads this he’ll have a better story to tell.
We were there in Edmonton’s Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium last November, too.
If you don’t have a ticket, call the Keyano box office right now. It’s a family-friendly evening of music, humour and sentimental stories. You’ll leave feeling good about yourself and the world.
This will be the first time the CBC personality will bring his musicians and stories up Highway 63. I hope both Friday and Saturday shows are sold out to show him that we appreciate they made the trip.
I also hope it’s a sellout to help drive home the need for an additional performing arts space in Fort McMurray.
I had high hopes for the Keyano College Sport and Wellness Centre. A big gym is part of that new building, and one original concept was for it to be a multi-purpose room: you could hold large banquets there, and set up a stage for performances, too. The plan, I was told, was that the room would include hardware for lights and sound, and there would be some sort of acoustic treatment so sound wouldn’t reverberate like it does from the walls of Thickwood Arena.
That dream is done. Rising costs are the culprit.
The new, ultra-expensive MacDonald Island expansion? Don’t even think about it. Athletics (and the public library) only.
Well, the topic came up again this week. With the Oilsands Rotary Music Festival back, the lack of performing spaces is acute. Again.
Although I got some heat from the organizers when I previously wrote about this, please hear me out.
My dream is the same as theirs. More spaces.
They want them for the children involved in the festival. I want them for me and all of the other McMurrayites who believe the arts are a key part of quality of life.
Our goal is the same. Our reasons are different.
Work with me, people!
I don’t disparage the need for recreation facilities, too. I think the arts should be given some consideration, that’s all.
It’s clear it will never be equal.
With a couple of high-profile jocks on council — Phil Meagher and Sheldon Germain — I worry about the lack of balance. I see it in the huge dollars being spent on athletics in Fort McMurray — almost $150 million in the next few years.
From where I sit, the total being spent on edifices for the arts is zero.
Council got bogged down into a debate of what culture is Tuesday. Jim Carbery rightly noted that aboriginal culture is different from how others would define the term.
Focus on the arts. All types of culture can easily be accommodated without stereotyping.
Arts is the key. Visual, performing, recorded, live. A big room with seats and a stage will fill the bill.
Should a performing arts space hold a thousand people? Twenty-five hundred? Five thousand? I don’t know.
There’s a study underway right now by municipal officials with its focus on what arts (sad to say, I think they’re focusing on culture) facilities are needed. I am not encouraged.
I’ve seen studies come and go with no change, apart from big cheques being written to consultants.
To paraphrase a line from Jerry Seinfeld, Wood Buffalo knows how to do a study. Officials just don’t know how to implement a study.
Before the 2004 election, there was huge pressure from a limited number of sports groups and all candidates quickly agreed to support a new 52-metre pool.
I don’t condemn them; I’m in awe of their lobbying expertise and the power they wield.
Where is the support for a new arts facility? Am I the only person Fort McMurray who wants to see it?
I wonder sometimes.
Keyano Theatre is good, but small. And it’s constantly booked. The Recital Theatre is booked, too, but it’s too small to support touring artists. Thickwood Amphitheatre is too small. Thickwood Arena is acoustically bad, and it’s an oven in the summer.
In the absence of any public pressure, the study now underway will sit on a shelf, gathering dust.
Like the downtown traffic study, if there is no lobby group, or no champion on council, Fort McMurray will be a utopia for those who sweat, but a wasteland for those who prefer exercising their brains.
Mayor Melissa Blake has boasted the new MacIsland will be the best in Alberta.
Great. What does that do for me?

-- mhall@fortmcmurraytoday.com

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Klein’ triumphs will be remembered

2006-04-07T11:59:00.000-06:00

Editorial apprared in Fort McMurray Today April 5, 2006.

Amid the swirl of controversy surrounding Alberta Premier Ralph Klein's ungraceful push from office, something’s been forgotten.
We're losing sight of why he was so successful and led his party to successive electoral majorities.
Why did average Albertans support the man who asked them to call him Ralph for so long?
Klein’s straightforwardness got him into trouble at times, but most people saw his failings, including a public battle with the bottle, as a sign of his humanity.
While we want our leaders to be superhuman, able to leap tall buildings at a single bound, it’s strangely reassuring that Klein was anything but.
Coming on the heels of the spendthrift Peter Lougheed and Don Getty administrations, Klein faced a formidable task when he took over the reigns of power.
Energy revenues were at a low, along with the price of oil and gas, and spiraling expenses threatened to make Alberta a have-not province,
In Fort McMurray, the oilsands industry was moribund, with talk of layoffs and plant closings.
Two proposed new plants -- the much sought-after third oilsands giant to set up shop here -- were both stillborn.
Klein attacked the expense side of the ledger first, slashing the number of civil servants. He closed hospitals, reduced the number of health regions and school boards, and put new rules in place to force spending away from administrators and into the direct treatment of patients and the schooling of students.
When scandals threatened to erupt — like ministers treating themselves to first-class foreign trips for no good reason, he cracked down with rules that force politicians to not only tell Albertans how much they’re spending, but why.
In this region, Klein will forever be known for helping make the idea of a new royalty regime for the oilsands be adopted. Together with co-operation from the federal government, the new rules have now led to tens of billions of dollars in investment in this region, and a gusher in royalties.
While Lougheed is known for signing the National Energy Policy that idled oil rigs and put thousands of Albertans out of work, Klein will now be remembered for helping light a fire under the oilsands industry with the new rules. The resulting wealth that was created in this region is flowing to every corner of the country, but principally the provincial and federal treasuries.
One of Klein’s last acts — to recognize the will of the members of his party and step aside rather than hang on, as some urged him -- was the correct decision.
All Albertans are looking forward to the next premier, but we’ll never forget Ralph.
Just Ralph.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Meltdown no letdown

2006-04-06T14:33:00.002-06:00

Movie review

Originally published April 4, 2006.

By PAULA OGONOSKI
Today staff

While the critical success from 2002's Ice Age may have melted, Pixar has managed to make a mammoth of an entertaining sequel.

Diego (Denis Leary), Manny (Ray Romano) and Sid (John Leguizamo) are back; this time they're trying to save the animals in the valley from extinction. When they discover the ice walls that surround them are melting, the herd of misfits forge ahead to an awaiting boat on the other side of the valley. Along the way, they meet up with two possums (Seann William Scott and Josh Peck) and their sister, a woolly mammoth (Queen Latifah) who thinks she's a possum. While the world as they know it is coming to an end, Sid tries to play matchmaker for the two mammoths.

Meanwhile, the acorn-possessive Scrat makes a triumphant return from the beach. While his scenes are hysterical, they're also somewhat frustrating. He's losing his appeal among adult fans, because he's too much of a good thing. But if you ask one of the sticky-fingered tikes watching the flick, they'll say an entire movie based on the prehistoric squirrel would be welcome.

The film seemed more like a collection of skits than a full length movie. It's no surprise considering one of the scriptwriters, Gerry Swallow, writes for Saturday Night Live.

While the scenes on their own were hilarious, the plot lacks flow and consistency and the premise is weak.

That being said, these are not things that the target audience seemed to mind. The enormous laughter from the kids said it all.

While the film is rated PG for some adult content, the innuendo is, at times, too blatant for a kid's movie, relatively speaking. Parents may need to do some damage control once the credits roll.

The other thing that prevents the film from being top notch is it leaves a little too much to the imagination. It doesn't seem to start where 2002's previous instalment left off, leaving the audience to wonder what's happened to the characters in the meantime.

But the innovative, compelling characters reign the cartoon world and the animation is still top notch.

Keep your ears open for Tonight Show host Jay Leno, who plays Fast Tony.

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown

Starring: Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo

Directed by: Carlos Saldanha

Rating: PG

* * * (out of four)

-- pogonoski@fortmcmurraytoday.com

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

No target on council, but local politics is our chief concern

2006-04-05T11:16:00.000-06:00

Column: Gimme Some Grammar

Originally published March 31, 2006.

By MICHAEL HALL
Today staff

We give The Regional Municipal of Wood Buffalo a hard time.

It's not like we've got it in for them; it's just the way the cookie crumbles.

Local government is the most important form of politics to most of us.

Who supplies the water to your kitchen tap, and where does the stuff go when you flush your toilet? Who clears the snow from the road, paves the potholes and takes the garbage away?

Who controls zoning, saying yes or no to that application for a welding shop next door to your house?

Municipal government.

When you're out at the grocery store, you may run into a municipal councillor. When you're tightening your child's skates to go out on the ice, a municipal employee may next to you.

Local matters most.

Famed U.S. congressman Tip O'Neill once said "all politics is local," from his perch helping to run the United States. He's right. But local still matters most.

We send politicians to Edmonton and Ottawa, but we also realize that most of what goes on those places has nothing to do with us.

We're little fish in a big ocean.

But not for Mayor Melissa Blake, regional councillors and the hundreds of municipal staffl we are their No. 1 concern.

If you look at it the other way around, they're our No. 1 concern, too.

That results in criticism from time to time.

Everyone is an expert, sure. Everyone has an opinion.

The board meetings of Syncrude Canada, Suncor Energy or Shell Canada are not broadcast on the local TV and reported on the radio and front page of the paper.

Municipalities are under more scrutiny than any corporation.

That's because we give them money and they spend it. The only cash Syncrude gets from me is if it fill my gas tank at one of its owner's stations.

Because they have a finite amount of money (carefully ignoring the municipality's ability to raise cash by raising taxes), nothing Wood Buffalo ever does is good enough. The potholes are never filled and the snow is never cleared fast enough.

Recreation facilities are never built quickly enough. It costs too much for the various permits to add a garage. Taxes (note to municipal staff -- I DID NOT say the "tax rate") keep rising. Streets are cleaned, but they're dirty again within a week.

It's the opposite of Guy Boutilier's words of wisdom -- it's a lose-lose proposition.

I have some sympathy. My wife is a former small-town administrator. When we moved within the town, the people on the new street rubbed their hands with glee: "oh, boy, we're finally going to get snowplows through here quickly," they told me.

It didn't happen.

But I'm wandering off-topic.

My goal in these pages is fairness. Criticism or praise, it must be deserved. There may be some people at city hall -- although they haven't told me -- who believe they have a target on their backs and we have a rifle trained on them.

There's no question that we go over what they say and what they do with a fine-tooth comb.

The recent urban camps issue is one example. Some readers alleged we were covering just one side of the debate (when in truth, those in favour were tough to find). I'm satisfied that overall, we not only covered both sides, we did so in an accurate and fair manner. We're not perfect, but I'll match our accuracy against that of anyone, including municipal officials.

Down at city hall, those who held a different opinion from the prevailing attitude in favour of the camps were either confused themselves or lashed out, saying others didn't have the correct information.

There's a difference between plain wrong and opposing views. One is unfortunate. The other is part of a healthy society.

Then there was the dirty pool.

Callers I spoke with attacked the motives of individual politicians and municipal workers on the camps issue. Crazy stuff.

Their complaints didn't pass my smell test. If there believed an illegal conflict of interest to exist, there's a procedure to follow.

To date, nothing has happened other than harsh words that accomplished nothing.

If you believe someone is in conflict, put up or shut up.

Our society today is focused on winners and losers like never before.

Sports metaphors abound. We learn that second place might as well be last place. A win is the only acceptable result. Only losers lose.

What happens when one side "wins," but everyone loses?

I believe that's happening right here, right now.

If you believe someone is in conflict, put up or shut up.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Attack root cause of vandalism: parents

2006-04-03T17:38:00.000-06:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today March 31, 2006

Should Wood Buffalo follow our sister municipality, Strathcona County, down the road to a night curfew on youth?

On the surface, it seems like a good idea. We've all seen graffiti and smashed bus shelters proliferating in recent years.

There's been talk of surveillance cameras to address random destruction.

A curfew is such a good idea that it's already been done. A bylaw exists to prohibit youth under 16 out and about after 10 p.m. in the summer and 9 p.m. the rest of the year.

The problem is that officials don't believe the existing bylaw is enforceable.

Some believe the Strathcona bylaw will fail under legal pressure, too.

There would be clear support for a curfew among the general population, but it's less certain the move would be legal, or effective.

Statistics provided by the Fort McMurray RCMP show that relatively few vandalism incidents result in the convictions of youth. Adults are more likely to be charged for these crimes, it seems.

The way things work in Fort McMurray is unlike the rest of the province, including Sherwood Park. The incredible affluence here, taken together with the long hours many parents are working to pay for the high cost of housing, leaves many youths at loose ends. They have money in their pockets, too.

Does that automatically mean they're trashing bus shelters and spray-painting the Steinhauer Bridge?

No.

While there are always a few bad apples, the vast majority of teens here are law-abiding.

Coun. Phil Meagher, who's not only a father of five but a high school principal, points out "kids like to have boundaries."

He also makes the compelling point that a curfew would give police another tool to deal with the bad apples.

The bottom line is that there's no real reason for a 15-year-old to be roaming Franklin Avenue or Thickwood Boulevard at 2 a.m.

But laws will never fix this problem. Parents are where responsibility must begin and end.

The question raised is: "how do we force parents to accept the responsibility of raising their children the right way?"

It will take more than politicians to solve this one.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Liberals poised to make gains in province

2006-03-31T13:39:00.000-07:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today March 29, 2006

Fort McMurray has been seeing an awful lot of the provincial Liberals lately.

Labour critic Dan Backs and Transport critic Harry Chase were here in January, speaking to residents about infrastructure problems. Leader Kevin Taft was here just over a month ago, drumming up support for his party and speaking of the lack of planning the government has for the region.

And the caucus was back this week for a fundraising dinner. Beforehand, the Grits were pressing the flesh down Franklin Avenue and met with Today's editorial board, where Taft spoke of the need for "good, old-fashioned political hard work" if his party is to make gains.

If there were ever a time the Liberals needed some good, hard work, it's now, with the Tories currently focused on a drawn-out leadership transition. Assuming Premier Ralph Klein passes his leadership review this weekend, the Tory leader plans to stay on until 2008. Lyle Oberg, until recently the Infrastructure Minister, doesn't think that stringing out the transfer will be good for the party. For his (admittedly poorly worded) comments, he's been turfed.

McMurrayites are growing increasingly frustrated with a seeming lack of support from the government with regards to the strain our rapidly growing city is experiencing. Councillors are seriously pondering putting stricter restrictions on future oilsands projects, to address needs in health care and education.

This riding was, not all that long ago, a Liberal one. With the strain on the city only expected to worsen, the Liberals might find people here willing to listen to what they have to say.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Five days of bachelor hell with my wife gone

2006-03-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

Column: Check Your Head

By DAN MACEACHERN
Today staff

Originally published March 30, 2006

I used to be able to live alone. I even used to prefer it. But sometime in the past few years, I somehow lost that ability to be, like Neil Diamond, a solitary man.

I can't pinpoint exactly when. I do know that it was sometime after I met my future wife and before I married her. If I'm being honest, I still preferred living alone after Alex and I moved in together, for all intents and purposes; I had an apartment in Moose Jaw, she had an apartment 40 minutes away in Regina, but she was paying rent on a place where she stayed only a couple of nights a week.

I like to think that I always had my introverted and extroverted tendencies perfectly balanced. My parents would note that one moment they'd look outside and see me playing street hockey with my friends; an hour later, I wouldn't be there, and they'd find me up in my room reading comic books. An hour later, I'd be back out playing hockey.

This would continue into adulthood, which is when I suppose it's natural to start preferring a room of one's own. I went from living with 23 other guys in a Halifax residence to a house with four other guys to a house with two other guys. It's a good progression, I think, because as you get further into your studies, you start shifting some time allotted for going out to the bar to time that you need to study.

And then, you graduate, and you rent your own place, and then you are the sole authority on what channel to watch. You always get to read whatever section of the newspaper you want and not find out that Ian took the sports into the bathroom and got it all wet. You don't go to the cupboard and find out that a roommate ate your last cookie (actually, that was usually me who did that. Sorry, guys).

And I started to enjoy it. I enjoyed the independence that comes with adulthood. I enjoyed not having to pick up wet towels off the bathroom floor if I didn't feel like it.

Meeting the love of your life tends to change things. At least, it should. And it did, for me, eventually. It took some doing, and my wife is probably a better person to ask about what a make-work project I was (and I'm still a work-in-progress, I know). I can tell you (it's a story she loves to tell herself) that the first weekend she came to visit, I bought new towels instead of washing the ones I had.

OK -- so now I'm domesticated, and as a homeowner, there is the very beginning of a handyman streak, being nurtured steadily and patiently by my father-in-law. I have a table saw, and I do intend to use it, or at the very least take it out of the box. I have installed two light fixtures in my home, and having learned some lessons after installing the first one, I managed not to start any electrical fires installing the second one.

And now my wife's work takes her out of town from time to time. Usually it's just for a day or two, but she was gone for five days this most recent trip. I thought things would work out great -- the NCAA basketball tournament was down to the sweet sixteen, so I could watch uninterrupted basketball all weekend, rent some movies that I know she wouldn't be interested in seeing. I wasn't prepared for my five-day breakdown that would follow.

Day 1 -- Saturday.

In the morning, drop Alex off at airport. Go home, move PlayStation2 up from downstairs den to living room with big television and surround sound. Appreciate no one rolling her eyes because I'm 30 years old and have a PS2. Sack out on the couch with my dog to watch basketball all day. Briefly consider opening a beer, but it's not even noon yet, and I don't need to regress that far back into my bachelorhood. For supper, frozen pizza.

Day 2 -- Sunday

Sleep in. After getting up, take the dog for a walk. Wonder if I have socks and underwear for the week ahead at work. Make a mental note to check into that, and do laundry if I need to (this never occurs). More basketball. For dinner: leftover frozen pizza. Tidy up the place a bit, because mother-in-law is coming over to watch The Sopranos. The living room is presentable, but somehow the kitchen is filled with dirty dishes, so I turn off the kitchen light. The place is really empty, and my excitement at having the house to myself has evaporated completely.

Day 3 -- I think it's Monday

Wake up, shower, get dressed for work, fortunately finding clean socks and underwear. Do my best to remember which ties go with which shirts. Forget to make sure I don't have shaving cream still on my ears when I go in to work. For supper: I order chicken fingers from the restaurant across the street. I know how to cook, but don't like cooking for one anymore. Feel sorry for myself when I go to sleep in an empty bed, although my dog and two cats keep me company, curled up and sleeping with me, at least until the dog attempts to eat one of the cats. I make a mental note to make sure to feed the pets in the morning (this never occurs).

Day 4 -- Tuesday? Or is it Wednesday?

I think the dog is gone. I let her out back to do her business, and then I forgot she was out there and when I finally remembered to check, she wasn't there anymore. I make a mental note to go look for her, but I also have Season 1 of Miami Vice on DVD (so this never occurs). She's probably just under the laundry pile. I'm revisiting my theory, which I first articulated in college, that you can actually clean socks by turning them inside out and wearing them like that. I try cooking chicken breasts for supper. The box says I'm supposed to cook the chicken from the thawed state, but I'm hungry now, so I turn up the heat and cook the frozen breasts longer. The resulting burnt-on-the-outside, rubber-on-the-inside chicken is not very appetizing, so I give up. I figure I can handle cooking a can of Zoodles, and then have to eat it out of the pot when I realize there are no clean dishes. I suppose I could wash one, but since all the dishes in the kitchen are precariously balanced on top of each other, I'm afraid to try to pull one out, and send the whole thing toppling like a big game of stoneware Jenga.

Day 5 -- ? (have lost all sense of time)

The Zoodles ran out hours ago, and I've also found out that having cereal for supper wouldn't be so bad if I at least checked the expiration date on the milk cartoon. The dog hasn't come back. There are strange noises coming from the kitchen, but with the dog gone, I'm scared to go look. There may be squatters in the basement. I'm pretty sure the upstairs bathroom is on fire, but I'm not too concerned, because I also have a bathroom on the first floor.

- - -

Alex is home. The kitchen is clean, the dog is back, the bathroom fire is out, and I have clean socks and underwear right now. She negotiated a reasonable rent with the basement squatters.

I am now unlike Neil Diamond, in that I am no longer a solitary man. I'm sure there are other ways I differ from him, but I don't actually know him very well.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Tories moving towards accountability

2006-03-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today March 28, 2006

The new Conservative government is still in its honeymoon period -- with the boxing ring, that is. With Parliament yet to ring the bell, there's been little to judge Stephen Harper's leadership so far.

It will be an interesting time, with the Tories holding a slimmer minority position than the Liberals before them. While the Grits, obviously, don't want to go back to the polls yet, the NDP and Bloc Quebecois have no similar limits on their actions.

During last year's election campaign, many issues were debated and stands taken. From the military to abortion, child care to unity, a wide range of topics was hashed and rehashed.

One Conservative platform that didn't receive a lot of talk was their proposed federal accountability act.

After years of Liberal sleaze, it stands as a set of proposals that could put the faith of Canadians back in their elected officials, if it's adopted.

So that's what must happen.

Here's some of the items contained in that campaign promise, a measure Harper has promised will be one of his first legislative priorities.

(The entire document is online at www.conservative.ca/media/20051104-Policy-Accountability3.pdf.)

* End the influence of money in politics

* Toughen legislation that governs lobbyists

* Ban secret political donations

* Clean up government polling and advertising

* Clean up government procurement

* Protect whistleblowers

* Ensure truth in budgeting

* Strengthen the auditor general

* Strengthen the ethics commissioner

* Strengthen access to information

From the vantage point of the average citizen, more is needed.

To start, how about a law that would ban politicians crossing the floor from one political party to another from sitting in cabinet until they were confirmed by voters under the new banner? If that means an immediate byelection, so be it.

But the Tory proposal is a great start.

Harper's commitment to passing it probably garnered him and his candidates a lot of votes from people unhappy with the current state of affairs.

All of the proposals make sense, so there's no reason this bill can't be supported by all MPs, including the Liberals, who are looking to put the Chretien/Martin era behind them.

Political corruption is endemic around the world. Many countries, including the United States, regularly see the outcomes of elections contested because the will of the people in the ballot box is altered.

We don't see that here, thankfully.

Once they've elected their representatives to office, however, many Canadians simply don't trust those who, with poor election turnout, so few voted into power.

Without that trust, disregard for the laws they pass is a natural consequence.

We cannot go farther down that road.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Film on the Inside Track

2006-03-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

Movie review appeared in Fort McMurray Today March 28, 2006

By PAULA OGONOSKI
Today staff

After a stint of unimaginative mediocre movies, an innovative, twisting, captivating film has graced the silver screen in Fort McMurray: Inside Man.

From beginning to end, the plot keeps your attention and reminds audiences why these Hollywood heavyweights take the title and their paycheques.

The Inside Man is not your average bank robbery film.

Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) and his gang of thugs plan to execute the perfect bank robbery, from the capture of hostages to the getaway. Lead negotiator Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington), realizes there's more to this robbery than meets the eye, when a power broker, played by Jodie Foster, with a hidden agenda is thrown into the mix. Her task: to protect her clients' assets at any costs.

Foster, a multipleAcademy Award winner, has been very selective about her films and picked another memorable plot.

This film has more twists than licorice and leaves you amazed and wanting more.

There hasn't been a better caper movie since 2001's Ocean's Eleven and 2003's The Italian Job, except the Inside Man is an original script by first-time writer Russell Gewirtz and deals with more serious subject matter.

There were so many subplots going through this film it was hard to know up from down but in the end it all comes together in a nicely wrapped package complete with blue ribbon.

From the musical score, to the heist itself, to putting Willem Dafoe, who usually plays the bad guy, in a good-guy role, to Foster as a raving, amoral snob -- everything is original but believable.

Director Spike Lee extracts some of the best performances of this ensemble cast, including Toronto-born actor Christopher Plummer.

Lee shows his vast experience behind the lens through his attention to detail in the film, from the demeanour of the characters to the interesting camera angles.

This film warrants at least a second watch to fully appreciate its levels, before it goes to video.

If I gave thumbs up, I'd give this flick two and a toe.

Inside Man

Starring: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster

Directed by: Spike Lee

Rating: 14A

* * * 1/2 (out of four)

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Fast Eddie would make a good choice for Conservative leader

2006-03-28T11:48:00.000-07:00

Fast Eddie would make a good choice for Conservative leader

Column: Gimme Some Grammar
originally published March 24, 2006

By MICHAEL HALL

We heard this week that a provincial cabinet minister stepped down, paving the way for his run at the top Tory job whenever Ralph Klein moves aside.

It may be in a month, it may be in a year or two. But the race is on.

I'm not a Progressive Conservative. I have never been a card-carrying member of any provincial or federal political party.

I vote, of course. I cast a ballot every time I'm able.

Over the years, I've marked my X beside names that represent most of the mainstream political parties. Some were in protest. Some were because I supported the party. Most of them were because I liked the candidate and his or her policies on a personal level.

All of this is a prelude to my recommendation to those of you reading this who will choose the next leader of the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party.

Vote for Ed Stelmach.

I first met the former Alberta Intergovernmental Affairs minister 19 years ago.

The Lamont County mixed farmer was a newly elected member of county council, representing the Andrew area.

Over the years, I saw him move up to reeve, deal with many contentious issues, like a bid by a private company to dump all of Edmonton's garbage on a quarter-section of pasture land in the county, and finally run for the legislature when boundaries were shifted.

I've been to Ed's farm and his church. I've spent several days criss-crossing the county with Ed, his super-nice wife Marie, his children (and other politicians and their families) in a bus, visiting farm family award winners.

I called him Fast Eddie a few times. He laughed.

I sat through hundreds of hours of council and other meetings, watching him and his colleagues deal with the issues of the day.

Stelmach is a good guy.

I'm not sure I agree with all of his ideas, but I know he's a listener and a consensus-builder.

He's the kind of person who, when a group was entering the council chambers, would spring out from behind the fancy curved table to fetch chairs for visitors.

He's the kind of guy who, when the Edmonton media were descending on him like a swarm of locusts, would make them cool their heels while he talked to the local newspaper reporter.

He always has a twinkle in his eye, and a smile on his face. And his skin's not too thin.

Stelmach got in a bit of hot water in the early days of his time in cabinet with an idea to ensure traffic flowed better; he floated the concept that the province could OK or even encourage passing on the right on multi-lane highways.

We have this now on Highway 63, only it's idiots passing on the shoulder. But that's not Stelmach's fault.

His idea flopped.

He was also slow to recognize that teenagers should be barred from riding in the back of a pickup truck. I understood how he was reluctant to forbid the practice, considering his formative years on the farm, but he finally came around to the sensible choice on this matter.

There are numerous candidates for Ralph Klein's job. I've met Jim Dinning, too, and Mark Norris once, briefly. They're OK.

If Guy Boutilier's not running -- I'm pretty sure he isn't -- my vote would be for Stelmach.

Stelmach is a smart guy. I like smart people managing the public purse and making public policy. He's on the right wing of the provincial Tories, but he's a pragmatist, too. Like Klein, he knows most people are in the middle.

We journalists aren't supposed to get involved in partisan politics. I'm not doing that here, because I can't vote in the leadership selection.

While we will certainly run stories on the process, they won't be chosen with Stelmach in mind. The news is supposed to get all the facts to you, the reader. You can make up your mind.

But my opinion is in this space, and I'm coming out for a decent, smart guy who has some new ideas, and who won't run government in the top-down mode we see now.

We only have a couple of years to wait to see who wins.

* * *

We're trying an experiment.

We've set up a so-called "weblog" (a concatenation of "web," as in Internet, and "log," a record of things). They're hot online. Everyone from teeny-boppers on up have them, confiding their innermost thoughts to a web page that everyone can see.

That's not what you'll get with the Today weblog. You'll get editorials, reviews and columns that don't make it to the website. Maybe more. We're not sure yet. Should we put letters to the editor there? I don't know.

And no, there won't be an archive, It will be a few entries and no more.

It's an experiment. We may call an end to it.

The entries will only be added a couple of days after they hit the paper.

If you're interested, head over to fortmcmurraytoday.blogspot.com.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Our own house needs fixing, not spin

2006-03-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

Our own house needs fixing, not spin

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray March 24, 2006

"No matter what we spend, the media will write what they want and what they see. You always see the Boomtown Casino sign (in media reports) and the lights of the Oil Can. That's what we have to work on."

Regional Coun. Phil Meagher hit the nail on the head this week when discussing Wood Buffalo's proposed community image campaign.

The money proposed -- $400,000, plus another $275,000 from industry that hasn't been committed yet -- seems astronomical, but it's not that much for a campaign like the one proposed, officials told council.

Yikes! It's possible municipal officials are still a little shell-shocked after approving a couple of $100-million projects in a short time -- the sewage treatment plant and the expanded MacIsland project -- but this is serious coin, folks.

All in aid of image?

There's no question that Fort McMurray has a negative impression in many minds, both inside and outside the Oilsands City.

That incorrect portrait goes back decades, when oilsands projects were being built in the '60s and '70s, and workers were rumoured to roam the Lower Townsite searching for alcohol, drugs and fisticuffs.

The reality may not have lived up to the legend, but we're stuck with it.

Regular folk who live in Fort McMurray and don't participate in the illicit drug scene know it's a great place to live.

Those who commute back and forth help carry the fiction of a dirty rotten city onwards, because it helps justify their driving time. "Who'd want to live there?" they ask.

The myth is wrong, but they make it their truth.

Advertising campaigns can affect impressions. By presenting the truth, a bit tarted-up and wearing a new dress, people can be led to see the reality in Wood Buffalo.

Fort McMurray's prime location in the midst of the boreal forest is the envy of just about everywhere else. People come here for their vacations, after all.

The unparalleled recreation opportunities outside our doors are something that many big-city residents can only dream about.

The economic opportunities are in the same league. This is where the action is.

But it's no bowl of roses. Look at the divisive debate that split local residents over the issue of urban work camps. Look at the bitter carping by councillors, including Meagher, at the same meeting over seemingly petty issues like parking and a neighbour starting diesel trucks up at an early hour, rousing sleeping people with the loud engine noise.

These quality of life issues must be tackled before an image campaign starts.

We can't sell ourselves to others until we start believing the message.

All external media has to do is drop by, ask a few well-placed questions to the right people, and $400,000 worth of image advertising could be undone in an instant with a crabby quote from a local ne'er do well.

We need to fix our own house first before embarking on this expensive and dubious exercise in spin control.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today.

Council must break chains with industry

2006-03-23T17:03:00.000-07:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today March 22, 2006

It's shocking talk.

After hearing from the Northern Lights Health region last week that oilsands employees flooding into the community are straining hospital resources and leading to record emergency room visits, Coun. Jim Carbery's had enough.

He talked tough about future expansion of the industry Tuesday night, about requiring future plants to ante up a lot more before their projects can go ahead.

It was left unsaid, but the mood of council seems to be leaning toward taking the ultimate action -- stopping a new project in its tracks, unless they do more for the community.

It's an action that would likely see a lot of support from McMurrayites.

Not the camp workers. Not those who clog Highway 63 on Thursdays and Sundays. And not those who fly in and fly out.

Real McMurrayites, those who have moved themselves and their families to the Oilsands City, who experience the good with the bad, and are here to grab hold of the rough ride that growth is giving us with the goal of a better life for all, want their fair share.

Those outside Fort McMurray want our oil, nothing else. They want profits. They don't care that quality of life here has measurably suffered.

Residents of this region are the sharp end of the stick. And we're getting worn down.

It's unknown at this point whether regional council has the ability to block a future oilsands development. What's becoming more clear is that there's the will to do it.

With huge profits in the offing, it's clear the industry -- both existing and new players -- will have to step up to the plate.

While cash is what's needed, Carbery's suggestion that the plants be told to recruit doctors is an excellent idea, too.

Carbery went on to say that past discussions with the industry have resulted in no action. That can't continue.

With billions being dug out of the ground and pushed down pipelines to the south, the oilsands industry must do more than pay to have a name of a company on the side of a building.

Corporate masters and shareholders may not like it, but more of those profits must come back north and be spent on everything that makes this community a better place to live.

For their own employees and the rest of the community.

Wood Buffalo has approached senior levels of government with its so-called "business case" study, seeking $1.2 billion in infrastructure cash. While the feds are still on the sidelines, the Alberta government has put up hundreds of millions of dollars so far.

The key mistake made by Wood Buffalo was to ally with industry for the study.

The chains must be broken. The oilsands are part of the problem, and must be part of the solution, too.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today

There will be more camps after MacIsland

2006-03-21T13:38:00.000-07:00

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Was it the correct decision? Was a colossal mistake made?

We'll likely never know.

But regional council's resolve to go ahead with the terribly overpriced expansion at MacDonald Island is the only call they could have made.

In Fort McMurray's out-of-control economy, $100 million seems like peanuts. Local residents will be paying for this project for decades to come, but that's not really important right now.

What's important is keeping up with the expressed needs of the community. That includes a recreation complex.

The big mistake, some would say, is in communication.

Wood Buffalo officials must not have anticipated any concern over an idea to help lower the cost of the recreation complex by OK'ing urban work camps. If they had, it's likely McMurrayites would have debated this issue last November or December, not February and March.

Even the term they use -- "project accommodation" -- while technically accurate, is misleading.

Hindsight is 20/20.

We're in the here and now.

To most of those at the council meeting Tuesday night, the OK for work camps is a bigger story than the MacDonald Island project that is promised to be the envy of Albertans in every corner of Wild Rose Country.

That's because it's not just one camp; they will sprout up next to numerous developments across town. Any developer who doesn't take advantage of this ability to shave costs off the bottom line is insane or a spendthrift.

While there remain concerns about the conduct of camp workers, it's up to those who are concerned and see anything untoward to report it.

The bigger impact on all of us is the tens of millions of dollars in spending that won't come in the form of a government grant, or through fundraising. The money will come out of local property taxes.

If, as promised, changes to tax calculations result in oilsands plants paying a bigger share of the bill, Joe and Jane McMurrayite might be OK.

If not, the huge tax bills that will land on local doorsteps will crush those homeowners already overextended because of the high cost of their houses in the first place.

Another important question has been entirely overlooked in this whole process: what will the new rec centre's annual revenues add up to?

Will it make enough through fees to pay for the electric and natural gas bills and the staff inside?

Or will there be an annual subsidy, and how much?

A few years ago, MacIsland spent almost $1 million more than it took in. Will we see this again?

Quality of life is the goal. Huge property tax bills will take it away.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.

Spring officially arrives next week, lifting spirits and the water level

2006-03-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

Column: Gimme Some Grammar originally published March 17, 2006

BY MICHAEL HALL

This column contains no mentions of work camps, recreation centres, or Jim Carbery.

Oops.

- - -

I yearn for spring.

It "officially" arrives next Tuesday, but its effect is known only in more southern latitudes on this date.

For those new to town, April will be pretty nice, but it's not the end of winter. Even after the ice breaks in the first few weeks of the month, Mother Nature has been known to blow back with a dump of snow afterwards. Or two.

But the longer sunlight hours, something we're noticing already, are an encouragement. I don't suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder), but I'm like most people in that my spirits are buoyed by the return of sunny days.

We went though an overcast winter, it seemed. The limited daylight hours were cut back further by the clouds.

We're not out of the woods; there is the river breakup that must be monitored carefully, in case the water backs up and floods the Lower Townsite, and the wildfires that could follow if there's not enough rain.

Let's keep our fingers crossed it will be an uneventful season. There's lots of other news to keep us busy here at the paper.

- - -

Speaking of news, I've been astounded at the interest other media had in -- er, certain issues -- at the municipal level lately.

There's been a CBC Radio reporter in town all month, there was a CBC TV reporter here a few weeks ago, and other cameras and reporters have been floating around. News has turned into a job opportunity for at least one local person, who's done some work on contract for an Edmonton news outlet.

The Edmonton Journal sent a reporter and photographer here Tuesday. The following day, the newsroom here got calls from CBC Newsworld and the As It Happens radio show in Toronto, all asking about -- well, I promised not to mention it.

When I told one producer looking for names and numbers that her corporation already had a reporter here, she expressed surprise and dismay. She said she didn't know the reporters on the radio side. When I gave her the reporter's name, she actually asked me to spell it.

The CBC does some fine shows. But their arrogance and -- sorry to say this -- ignorance know no bounds.

It's such a big company that the left hand doesn't know what the right one is doing.

They also have no regard for the subjects of their stories.

It's also sad to listen to radio hosts in Edmonton chuckle when discussing the issues we struggle with here.

I really don't see the humour. Maybe I'm too close to the situation.

- - -

At the chamber of commerce open house two weeks ago, a couple of people came up to me and asked why they never heard back after e-mailing a letter to the editor.

I gulped.

To be clear: We accept all letters, no matter their opinion, and no matter their low opinion of us (or anyone else). The only limiting factors are libel, grammar and length.

Some letter writers are frequent. Think Wayne Madden and Iris Kirschner. God bless 'em.

We do no favours for either one: their letters arrive and we print 'em. I've never had coffee with either one, athough I've talked to both at public events.

The only thing I can figure out is that the e-mailed letters we never received got caught in a spam filter, or were lost in the hundreds of spam messages (that get through the filters) we receive daily. A staff member was off recently, and I was the person in charge of dealing with our main e-mail address (today@fortmcmurraytoday.com).

It was disheartening. There are upwards of 250 messages a day flooding into that account.

Because I have other tasks to perform around here, it's possible in my rush to delete ads for erectile dysfunction and body part enlargement that I trashed a good message, too.

If so, I apologize.

I've asked our staff to double-check to make sure they don't throw out the bad with the good.

If you want to ensure we get a letter, fax it after e-mailing it. That way you get our attention, and we don't have to retype it.

And please allow several days for publication, if you're trying to time your message to a current event. We must verify letters by telephone, and the people we call at their "daytime" numbers are not always available.

© Copyright 2006, Fort McMurray Today Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.