Slave Lake Recovery

Mayor’s Blog

 Town of Slave Lake Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee 

March 7, 2012

As our community forges ahead with the rebuilding, we know that there is much more than the bricks and mortar of our recovery but also the emotional healing. Our community has experienced one of the largest disasters in Canadian history – everyone was impacted. It is normal and expected for us to experience a great deal of stress.

We have heard that some of the triggers causing stress may be high winds, sirens of emergency vehicles, the smell of smoke from controlled burns, knowing that the fire season is a month earlier or that our one year anniversary is fast approaching. The triggers may be different for each person and everyone responds and copes in their own way.

While some degree of stress can be helpful in motivating us to meet difficult situations, it can also work against us, resulting in a variety of responses. Common feelings may include being angry, sad, overwhelmed, disinterested, numbness, anxiety or despair. Some thoughts may also include self-blame, confusion, forgetfulness, difficulty in making decisions or concentrating. Crying spells, substance abuse, acting out, irritability, withdrawal, argumentative, school and work problems are also some behaviours. Fatigue, agitation, weakness, sleep difficulties or nightmares may be common. If you are experiencing any of these, know that you are not alone and this does not suggest you have a mental illness. It’s important to talk about how you’re feeling with family and friends and also, listen as well. One way to feel supported is to provide support.

If you don’t have a support network, please ask for help. You can contact any of our local resources posted on our website www.slavelakerecovery.com or call the Canadian Red Cross at 780-805-8470. You can make a phone call privately and be assured that the information you share will be kept confidential.

While we each have our own ways of responding to stress, our resilience will help us work through it and we will eventually, get back to some sense of normalcy. As we work towards building Slave Lake’s psychological resilience, I encourage you to participate in the many helpful, fun and free programs such as the mini sessions on understanding children and anxiety, learning how to build resiliency, understanding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or check out our family fun nights: St. Patrick’s Day Irish Dinner; New Beginnings: Signs of Growth or the Family Easter Egg-Stravaganza. Attend our next speaker series on understanding and implementing the “FireSmart” principle. Look forward to more information on our Wellness Conference in May. The Canadian Red Cross is also offering a training session on How to Help Your Neighbors Recover from the Fires. Details can be found on our website www.slavelakerecovery.com.

As I learn about ways to build resilience, I would encourage others to 1. Make connections with others; 2. Avoid seeing crisis as insurmountable problems; 3. Maintain a hopeful outlook and 4. Take care of yourself.

Slave Lake is a strong, caring community pulling together – we are not victims, we are survivors.

February 24, 2012

Watching the new construction in Slave Lake is incredibly inspiring and uplifting. I commend our residents, businesses and contractors for their incredible perseverance and fortitude for moving ahead with the re-build. When you hear the number of developments that are underway – Wow! This is tremendous considering many thought we wouldn’t be able to start rebuilding till this spring and to date, more than a third of the homes are already under construction.

Here are some exciting stats: In 2011, we issued 164 permits and so far in 2012, an additional 8. From these permits, 160 are under construction. We have also heard that all apartment owners are intending to re-build and construction costs will determine their start dates. Two apartment owners have already submitted their permits, Pine Manor in the S.E.will be replacing their 24 condo units and Slave Lake Manor in the S.E.will be rebuilding one complex with 58 units (8 more units than before).  It’s also exciting to see the demolition underway for the Sundance Apartments.

For businesses, we lost a total of 10 and hats off to the Allarie Family for rebuilding in the N.W. a mixed residential and commercial building. It’s great to see Tags East under construction as well. Thankfully, many of the remaining businesses found alternate locations to continue operating.

We also lost 3 churches and they have made partnerships with others to continue to worship and bring together their faith community.

In addition to re-building, we have new developments underway. The Nova apartment complex behind the Holiday Inn Express Hotel consists of 116 apartments. Pincherry Park Place with12 apartments in the S.W. will be up and running in 6 months with a possible expansion of another 8 apartments. As well, congratulations to the Dodge team for opening their new dealership across the highway. 

As for rebuilding the Government Centre and Library, we started construction last year in August and we anticipate some provincial offices moving in around May and final completion in 2013. Also, a big thank you to the Canadian Red Cross for helping fund the renovations and rent for the temporary library location in the Lakeland Centre.

To help support those rebuilding, Council waived approximately $76 thousand dollars in development permit fees which is not only the right thing to do but will hopefully, ease some financial burden for residents. As for the total construction investments as of December, 2011, we approved approximately $79 million for residential developments, approx. $4.9 million for commercial, $638 thousand for institutional and $2.2 million for industrial.

As spring approaches, we look forward to beautiful blue skies and warm days but on a deeper level, it signifies rebirth, renewal and hope. As more homes and businesses bloom in our beautiful town, our healing progresses and we find strength and encouragement that Slave Lake will rebuild stronger and better than ever.

Mayor’s New Year’s Message

Last week, at our final Council meeting of the year, we dealt with the business of the day and then, as good friends do, we looked back at the events of 2011 reflecting on how our community pulled together and survived one of Canada's largest disasters.

It is hard to believe that as we enter 2012, the anniversary of the May wildfires is closer than the fires themselves.  That one weekend changed everything for us, and for the foreseeable future, we will measure and recount our lives as “before the fire” and “after”. 

But while the fires were the pivotal moment, the last seven months have been incredibly eventful, from the return of evacuees, to the lifting of the State of Local Emergency(s) to our series of home fairs and open town meetings.  I remember the first tentative plans to begin demolition of destroyed parts of Town and the task of issuing of development permits to replaced lost dwellings and the exhilaration of the move in to the first rebuilt home this fall.  And who can forget the hundreds of people from across Alberta and Canada who came here to help us rebuild, the thousands of Canadians who sent us money and goods, and the people here at home who rallied to organize the concerts, community events, parades, and dinners to keep the community spirit up.

I want to salute the Councils of the Town, the MD and the FN.  Our terms of reference changed dramatically with the fire and, while none of us foresaw these events and the work involved when we ran for office, I am proud of how we came together to form the Tri-Council to work closely with our partners in the Alberta Government to develop plans for Recovery.  We have a history of working closely with our neighbours, but the Recovery program has called for a collective vision, versatility and flexibility, and my hat is off to our region’s elected officials.

Similarly, our municipal/FN staffs have risen to the challenge.  Many worked through the evacuation, and others pitched in immediately upon their return.  And the working conditions were far from ideal with Town staff working out of classrooms in the College until mid-August.  Nevertheless, we were able to continue operations thanks to the tremendous generosity of Northern Lakes College. I’m not sure our citizens fully realize how strong the Town and MD staff were, or how they came to work each day, especially in the summer when uncertainty and tempers were high, and not only did their jobs, but took on additional duties as part of Recovery operations.  I am inspired by our municipal staffs.

And then there were our high profile guests, including the Royal Couple, the Prime Minister, the Premier(s), and many cabinet ministers and government staff.  We sure are well versed on protocol and giving tours now!

As well, Paul Brandt generously raised funds and delivered an intimate concert, Jordan Eberle, Haley Wickenheiser, CCS bringing the Stanley Cup and Jim Cuddy with ET Canada all lifted our spirits - who would have ever thought so many stars would visit and brighten our small town.

I am also overwhelmed that media attention continues to be focused on our region.  In the early days, it was important to get the message out that we were still standing and would rebuild.  In short order that transformed to reacting to floods that came on the heels of fire in June, and over time, to watching our progress getting everyone who lost homes into interim housing.  We have been under the microscope, and almost any story or rumour seemed worthy of coverage, especially on the first and sixth month anniversaries, and of course, as Christmas neared.  I still field calls from the media on an almost daily, and certainly weekly basis. It’s great that the world is still watching, but sometimes I find it amusing when reporters try to make a story where there isn’t one.  And when I am disappointed with a news story focusing on the negatives, along come one or two more that recognize the spirit of our community and the tremendous progress we have made.

While we still have a big task ahead of us to rebuild our town, at times like this, the advent of a New Year, it is appropriate to celebrate all that we have been through (and survived) and all we have accomplished.  The demolition and removal of debris seemed an endless task, but we finished it.  The clearing and servicing of land and accessing over 200 trailers for interim housing was supposed to be at least a 12 month job, but we completed it in four.  Our efforts to rebuild appeared slow at first and then blossomed this fall into about 150 building permits, and major construction underway throughout the MD and a various rebuild areas in Town.

When I visit friends in the interim housing I am thankful we have our families housed in our community but I know it's tough and a daily struggle for some. I hope 2012 brings brighter, optimistic days for them all.  What keeps me going is focusing on the positives – it is interim housing, to be replaced in time with rebuilt homes – and knowing that we will rebuild stronger and better than ever before. 

I know it's not all going to be smooth sailing.  For example, just as we were winning the interim housing battle, issues arose in our medical services that consumed the attention of Tri-Council and our provincial government counterparts.  Our region was understaffed for health services before the fire, but recruiting and retaining doctors, nurses and medical staff took over as job one as the last of the interim houses were moved in.  Working closely with local physicians, Alberta Health Services, and Health & Wellness Minister Fred Horne, we are moving towards many creative solutions, including Premier Redford’s vision of family wellness centres – with Slave Lake providing a demonstration and evaluation project for the vision.  Announcements over the past few weeks are very promising that we will see innovative and practical solutions regarding medical services in early 2012.

As we say farewell to 2011, we have also had to say goodbye to a few longstanding citizens who have ended their journey with us. We will always cherish our memories of them. My sincere condolences to their families and friends.

Finally, I must speak briefly about recent vandalism of new homes in two different reconstruction areas in Slave Lake. These incidents do not reflect either the spirit of our community, nor the spirit of the season.  Extra lighting is being installed, and the RCMP and Town peace officers are keeping watch, but I would ask everyone to alert the police if they see or hear any vandalism underway.  The people building these homes have been through enough, and I can’t believe anyone would be so cruel to inflict more damage.

But that is not the note I want to end 2011 on.  Instead, I remain proud of our community and what we have achieved.  I am reinforced by the collaboration between our partners on the Tri-Council and the efforts of our staffs.  I am thankful for the support we have received and continue to receive from the Government of Alberta and people throughout this province.  And I am inspired to aim high in 2012.  Last year, we learned that the unimaginable can happen in our community: natural disasters that threatened and damaged our town and way of life, offset by unpredictable generosity, tremendous new friends, strong local character, and rebuilding.  I hope we have many more unimaginable events (all good) in the years to come.

With all my heart, I wish you all a very happy, healthy, safe, and spiritually fulfilling New Year!

Karina

January 1, 2012

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Life just never slows down in Slave Lake, as we tackle our recovery program on so many levels to ensure our region comes back from the May wildfires stronger and more vibrant than ever.

While a lot has occurred since my last blog, I want to address the "big issue" that has been high on the Tri-Council agenda since last week, and kept me busy interviewing with many media outlets over the past few days: the pending loss of many of our doctors.

As you all have seen on Facebook and heard on the news, we learned last week that five of our local doctors have relocated or plan to move in the near future. It’s important to recognize that the doctors are leaving for several reasons, not just because of the fires. One is leaving to join her husband who was transferred; another couple (both doctors) had decided to relocate before the fire occurred, and another physician couple lost their home here, but own another house in Edmonton. As I told the media, when 11 of 13 physicians lose their homes, and a third of the townsfolk do too, stress levels and workload go up. Like everyone else, our doctors are looking for some sort of work-life balance and quality of life. They’re not abandoning us, they are embracing opportunities to "get life back to normal" and none of us would fault them for that.

In any case, this is a big issue for our region and the quality of life of our people. We are taking it very seriously at a TOSL and Tri-Council level. We are aggressively reviewing and pursuing options with the remaining medical community and with our partners in the Government of Alberta. And, as tough as it sounds, this is just another challenge, and we will address it and overcome it.

This issue was so important, it was discussed in the Alberta Legislature yesterday, and Dr. Kevin Worry, the Alberta Health Services northern medical director is already involved to ensure we receive interim coverage through locums (when doctors temporarily move to small communities to cover for other doctors who have to be absent for business or vacations). Our departing anesthesiologist has agreed to "commute" to attend scheduled surgeries until a replacement can be placed here. And we are meeting with our remaining medical personnel to discuss creative recruitment and retention options.

And, between meetings and interviews, I am working with TOSL Council to develop a comprehensive business case to address our medical service needs, most of which pre-date the fires. Without making light of the current "issue", the departure of medical staff has underlined a need for a long term strategy for the region that provides stability, predictability and appropriate staffing levels and facilities. The lack of a comprehensive plan to address the all the medical requirements (i.e. OBGYN) and associated needs (i.e. physio and rehab) for a hub serving upwards of 30,000 Albertans has existed for too long. Like many other things we are dealing with, today’s issue provides an opportunity to discuss our long-term "big picture" vision for the region, and the loss of doctors today should actually translate into a stronger, more viable situation in the future. This will be high on the agenda of the Tri-Council, Alberta Health Services, the Alberta Medical Association and the government until a long-term solution is achieved.

In almost every instance, as illustrated in the Legislature yesterday, the Government is our friend, ally and partner. Even during the transition to a new Premier and Cabinet, the GOA commitment never wavered or lost sight of the regional recovery project. Last week, only a week of being named to Cabinet as the Minister of Municipal Affairs, responsible for co-ordinating the Disaster Recovery Program, Minister Doug Griffiths flew up to tour the region and meet with Tri-Council. His commitment, on behalf of the Premier and Cabinet colleagues was as forceful as any heard before. Premier Alison Redford will also be visiting Slave Lake to meet with Tri-Council and see firsthand all we have accomplished to date. Our Government has not missed a beat, despite the exciting events since Premier Redford was elected less than four weeks ago. Council and I can sympathize with their schedules!

I have set aside the blog I planned to address this high impact topic today. As is the case every week, there are many more important meetings planned for the next few days, and we’ll talk about them in my next blog.

Thanks again for your support and participation in our recovery. It really helps.

Karina.

Friday, October 14, 2011

What a week! The traditional Thanksgiving holiday reminded me of what a great place Slave Lake is and how friends and family make a community, not just bricks and mortar.  While Thanksgiving brings many warm feelings, we were all thoughtful of all still needing to be housed.  The Housing and Infrastructure teams continue to work at installations, and we expect every family with children to be in interim housing this week, and all others by month-end.  As one newly-housed resident told the Leader, “It’s what you make of it.  You can dwell on the negatives but it’s a tough situation. The government didn’t have to do it, so we’re grateful for the homes.”  Speaking for Town Council, we grateful for the perseverance and spirit of our people, and for the help we continue to receive from the Alberta Government and our many new friends across the country.

As of yesterday, the new Sunset Place (Lot 78) interim subdivision has 54 trailers placed. 28 units of those units are occupied with another three awaiting family walk-through appointments.  In Phoenix Heights (Lot 88), there are 56 trailers placed. 39 of those units are ready for occupancy and 31 units are already occupied. Eight families are scheduled for walk-through appointments and will be housed within a week.  As the team keeps reminding me, these numbers change daily depending on trailer deliveries, availability of plumbers and others to service them, how many residents we can contact, and how many can be ready for their walk through.

I’d really like to thank the nine church groups who prepared about 300 “Welcome Boxes” for families moving into interim housing.  This generous donation of time and creativity resulted in a heart-warming treat for folks transitioning to life in one of the many interim trailers in the Town and MD.

We also want to welcome our new librarian, Anne Moore. Anne left her Edmonton birthplace at age 2 but returned to Alberta this month after an exciting life of world travel, librarian studies, and volunteer work, for which she received an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) from Queen Elizabeth.  Further proof that many roads lead to Slave Lake!

Yesterday, Town staff celebrated the efforts of our Planning and Development department, who have officially issued 100 development permits in the Recovery Zone.  As they cut the cake, they told us it was actually 101 with many more in the system.  This is really amazing when you remember we were still demolishing in September.  A quick tour shows you how many houses are underway.  It won’t be long until the Nichols – who took possession of their rebuilt home on Sept 30 – will be joined by many more as our community continues to rebuild.

It has been a very busy time since I last sat down to blog.  

Town Council spent an intense few days at the end of September attending the annual meeting of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association where, in addition to business sessions and productive meetings with the RCMP and Ministers from various provincial ministries, we were constantly reminded that the people of the Slave Lake Region are still very much in the thoughts of Albertans.  What was also great was the overwhelming support from numerous municipalities who contributed funds as “something to help the TOSL staff.”  There were several really emotional moments, but it was rewarding to see that Albertans are still watching and want to help with our rebuild.  This was just one of the many speaking engagements, special events, and donation receptions Council and staff have attended recently.

People have been asking “Where is all the donated money going?” and I want to address that now.  There has been a huge amount of money donated to help the Slave Lake Regional Recovery.  It has been collected by many organizations with varying mandates, including the Red Cross, The Rotary Foundation, the Salvation Army, the Grande Prairie and Edmonton Community Funds, the Firefighters Society and the Town directly.  I am sure there are more.  We are also talking regularly with companies and groups that would like to donate to specific community projects.  All of this is a bit overwhelming, as we’ve never had to deal with something like this before. We all recognize there has to be strict accountability, both to the donors, who gave from their hearts, and to the people in the region, on whose behalf the money’s coming in.  Each charitable organization has its own terms of reference and mandate from the Canadian Revenue Agency that grants charitable status.  I urge you to visit those organizations’ websites to see what they can and cannot do with donated funds.  The Community Wellness Team meets monthly to discuss opportunities and needs, which have been very helpful for the charitable organizations and the Town, MD, and FN staff.

The tri-regional council (officials from the MD of Lesser Slave River, The Sawridge First Nation, and the Town of Slave Lake, supported by the Regional Recovery Co-ordination Group), has two initiatives underway to co-ordinate the collection and disbursement of what could become a very large community fund.  We are creating and providing a clear mandate for a Community Fund Committee, made up of representatives of a cross section of our people in the region; to date we have more than 25 applicants, and the list is being reviewed to create a short list for the tri-regional council’s consideration.  As well, the three councils are trying to briefly set aside the day-to-day decision-and-regulation tasks of our jurisdictions to think about and discuss big picture, multi-year (even multi-decade) plans and dreams for our region.  We are imagining the potential for our region in the future and determining the prudent steps required to provide a foundation for growth.  We hope to identify projects that will benefit all residents, and make the Slave Lake Region stronger and an attractive place to live, work and raise families. A clear count of funds raised and disbursement will be required. We will be diligent on your behalf.

Thank you for your support.  We have a lot to be thankful for.

Saturday, September 24, 2011 

Members of the tri-regional council, firefighters and West Fraser celebrate the generous donation of this fire truck to regional firefighters.

Like many of you, I have been thinking a lot lately about what makes some towns stand out as great places to live, and what we should try to capture as we rebuild Slave Lake over the next few years.

No doubt our landscape and access to nature gives us a leg up on many urban centres. As well, the people and the entrepreneurial spirit we have are very positive.  But what I’ve learned since May 15 is that it is how people interact and work together after a disaster that defines the character of a place, and shapes its identity.  While the past four months have tested our resolve and provided a rollercoaster of emotions, the fact remains that local people have come together with those who “came from away” to accomplish remarkable things in a very short time.

The outpouring of support from old friends and friends we didn’t know before has been outstanding.  The list is very long –too long for a blog – but Paul Brandt’s extraordinary generosity and friendship, the partnership with RGO Office Products that got town staff working with real desks and office equipment, the well-attended Heroes Dinner and golf tournament, and this past week’s incredible donation of a fire truck from West Fraser are recent examples.  I also enjoyed participating in a hockey shoot-out with students from E.G. Wahlstrom and CCS CEO John Gibson to celebrate CCS’s substantial donation and partnership in helping us complete the hockey arena and rec centre. On Saturday, we cheered on Cleo Carifelle as she entered Slave Lake completing her multi-marathon run to all the communities who helped our residents. Inspiring people and companies, and a whirlwind of good will.

It was all around a feel-good week, as the Lesser Slave Lake Regional Housing Authority officially opened the expansion of the Vanderwell Lodge. Minister Jablonski and our MLA Pearl were in attendance along with many seniors who strongly advocated for this beautiful facility.  Congratulations to all!

Similarly, the Housing and Infrastructure teams formed in July to complete the mega-project interim housing project have been inspiring.  In June, we were overwhelmed by the task of housing the families who lost their residences to the wildfires.  We made the bold commitment to somehow get housing in place for September.  Some thought that was too slow, but many others told us we were crazy.  The task was too big, the timetable too short, the dream too big.  They were right, but this is Slave Lake.  Development of the slow pitch and the sites which have come to be known as Fournier Place, Phoenix Heights and Sunset Place was by all “normal” estimates a 12-18 month project.  We said 70 days, and the two teams (those finding trailers and those preparing sites) challenged each other to be first to get their job done.  This week, families will begin moving into phase one at each site. Last week, families toured the units that will be their homes while they rebuild.  It was an exciting moment, and the families seemed pleased by what they saw – particularly the singing skipping twins and their sister and friend who charmed the team who toured with them!  We didn’t hit the ambitious target of “everyone in by September” but the team is confident our last resident on the housing list will be housed by October 20.  This is a remarkable accomplishment for all of us.

But the character of a town is not built on the here and now.  We are getting our spirit back as the immediate issues of the fire are addressed, but full “recovery” needs a long term vision, strong leadership and co-operation, patience, and partnerships.  On September 21st, the tri-regional council (officials from the MD of Lesser Slave River, The Sawridge First Nation and the Town of Slave Lake and the Regional Recovery Co-ordination Group) met to discuss the governance and vision of the Regional Recovery Program.  This is a tremendous partnership that has always worked together well, but now it is truly “forged in fire” and continues to be augmented by experts from our partners in the provincial government.

Slave Lake has a very high profile these days, but we want to convert that energy into a reputation as a great place to live, work, play and raise families.  We can only achieve the goal of rebuilding and being better than ever by building on the partnerships that have surfaced this summer, and by working together as citizens of a strong, resilient region with a can-do attitude.

I thank you all for your support.  We celebrate the interim housing project – an outstanding effort that looked impossible, the Recovery Zones demolition project – again, completed far ahead of original estimates, and the people of Slave Lake and region who have demonstrated they can rebuild from the ashes.  And we celebrate our partners and new and old friends for coming together to help make Slave Lake be better than ever.  This will take time, but the first four months are evidence of what we can accomplish.

 -- Karina

Thursday September 8/2011

School’s back!  While it’s unofficial, it appears that attendance at our schools is on track with May estimates made before the fires devastated our Town in May.  There has been a lot of speculation regarding enrolment levels, and seeing is believing.  I’d like to issue a very special “Welcome back” to our students and teachers who start a new school year, picking up from last year which was shortened due to the evacuation and disruption this springt.

It is exciting to see how quickly the demolition process has gone this summer.  Residents have noted that the website has no new “released for development” addresses lately.  We got used to almost daily updates when the insurance contractors were working on Zones 1, 2, and 3, but Zone 4 demolition is a different process, which will only see one or two “bulk releases” of properties between now and the September 30 target date for completion.  Approximately 100 lots have been completed and area awaiting ATCO hook-ups before they are released.  The remaining 71 properties are in various stages of demolition and the contractor is confident they will be complete and cleared for development by the end of the month.

Everyone is watching the interim housing project take shape in Phoenix Heights (Lot 88), Sunset Place (Lot 78) and Fournier Place (Slowpitch).  There has been a lot of activity preparing those sites, and construction traffic has increased in Town.  People are getting used to the new 30 kph construction zones, and it is important that drivers and pedestrians are extra careful in these areas.  Trailers are arriving almost daily to meet the total 280-unit need.  I’m told there are 74 units now “on the ground” and, 29 of the 60 installed are occupied with the rest awaiting hook-ups.  There are 14 units in the NorAlta staging area west of town, and we expect about 20 more to arrive this week.  This is really going to ramp up as Phoenix and Sunset are ready to receive – hopefully in the next two weeks.

There was a busy Council agenda Tuesday night as we returned from our late-summer break to public hearings regarding amendments to land use bylaws and Town plans.  Council heard particular concern from citizens regarding the potential rezoning of a 7 St NE lot from R2 to High Density Residential and, as a result, defeated the motion.

We need volunteers for a new Citizen Advisory Donation Committee that has been created to advise the Town and MD Councils regarding community-based projects proposed for our Recovery Program.  This is an important committee that will help us rebuild our region and plan wisely for the future.

People have expressed concerns about water bills that went out recently.  To some extent, the bills are large because of extenuating events during the fire and they are based on metered use. Council has authorized administration to use their discretion in discussing large bills with residents with specific fire-related concerns and issues.

Council has voted to eliminate fluoridation from the TOSL water supply effective October 1, 2011.  This decision follows considerable research and discussion, and follows the lead of other municipalities in Alberta, including Calgary. 

And finally, we voted to honour Jean-Luc Deba, the helicopter pilot who died fighting the May wildfires by making him an Honorary Citizen of the Town of Slave Lake.  We have remained in touch with his family, and will be forever grateful for his sacrifice in the fight to save our Town and Region.

I will be in Edmonton this Friday, helping Premier Stelmach recognize the contributions of Government of Alberta employees to support Slave Lake during and after the May wildfires.  The Premier presides over the Premier’s Award of Excellence annually.

I am heartened by the pace of Recovery efforts and seeing the new homes which have begun to spring up in our community.  I am particularly impressed by the resiliency of our townspeople who I encounter every day.  .  It has been a difficult but inspiring summer, but we are seeing the signs of recovery, and we will be back better than ever. 

Thank you for your support and patience.