No work camps in Fort McMurray, for now
Last Updated: Wednesday, March 1, 2006 | 12:37 PM ET
CBC News
Municipal councillors in the boom town decided Tuesday night to collect further input from the public before going ahead with the idea. A meeting to gather opinions has been set for March 13.
Some residents fear that setting up work camps in and around Fort McMurray to accommodate a burgeoning population of oilpatch employees will lead to a rise in crime.
- FROM FEB. 28, 2006: Booming Alberta city debates temporary housing
Paul Walzack, a spokesman for the Alberta Building Trades Council, said he's optimistic that residents will approve of the idea once they've been consulted.
"The council is trying to do a very measured and calculated solution to what is in essence a very well-known housing crunch in the entire Wood Buffalo region," he added.
Rampant development in Alberta's oilsands has created severe infrastructure pressures in Fort McMurray, including a scarcity of housing.
The rental vacancy rate is less than one per cent. Apartments are often jammed with numerous workers sharing tight spaces, and hotel vacancies are rare.
In December, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. found rents in Fort McMurray were the highest in Canada, up 20 per cent over 2004. A two-bedroom apartment rents now for an average of $1,478 a month.
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