A year after councillors voted to allow work camps within Fort McMurray's city limits, fears that transient workers would increase crime and strain health services seem to have dissolved.

Business owner Francis Jean, who works near a new recreation centre under construction, worried the nearby work camp for the construction workers would mean more drunken hooligans and broken windows on the city's main street.

While she still is against work camps, she said it isn't as bad as she had feared.

"There is lots of space outside the city where we can have work camps and I don't think we need them within the city, but I don't think we've had the problems many of us anticipated, and I'm thankful for that."

Construction firms fought for camps

Last February, construction firms argued that temporary accommodation was needed to prevent a labour shortage that would slow the pace of construction.

But residents and businesses with longtime roots in the city of 64,441 opposed the creation of temporary housing near the downtown core.

The recreation complex was at the centre of the debate because parents feared male workers living in a work camp would harass girls as they entered an existing recreation centre.

Others who don't work or live downtown feared work camps would be built throughout the city, at any construction site. That hasn't happened.

There were also concerns the workers would overwhelm the city's health care system.

The health region's CEO, Bernie Blais, said demand has gone up, but he can't pinpoint any reason.

"What we see, maybe, is a few hundred workers at the most, but nothing more than that at this point. I guess maybe we are more fearful than factual."

Councillors with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo who voted to allow the camps, in part because the government itself had a tough time finding people to build a long list of projects, said they feel vindicated.