In two days’ time, the number of Fort McMurray evacuees staying at the Bold Center full-time dropped by over 250 people.
In two days’ time, the number of Fort McMurray evacuees staying at the Bold Center full-time dropped by over 250 people.
Last Tuesday morning, Regional Fire Chief John Kokotilo reported to local councillors that 269 displaced people were sleeping on cots at the multiplex’ s evacuation centre. By Thursday afternoon, when the POST spoke to Mayor Omer Moghrabi outside the Bold Center, that number had dwindled to just five people. Now it's zero.
Some went to Bonnyville, others elsewhere, but many remained in the Lac La Biche area, taking whatever local accommodations were available.
“We used our resources here within the community, whatever empty hotels and motels there were,” Moghrabi said. “A lot of people wanted to stay in the community.”
At one point, lodgings in the local area were hard to come by as evacuees fleeing a raging wildfire in Wood Buffalo streamed south. Hotels and campgrounds started to fill, and the number of registered evacuees at the Bold Center soared.
As of last Tuesday, the multiplex had processed 4,730 registrations-but Kokotilo was speculating the actual number of evacuees in Lac La Biche County was above 5,000.
Finding longer-term accommodations for the hundreds who remained at the Bold Center was a tall order, but Kokotilo said a search for available space elsewhere was conducted three times per shift. Eventually, the time came to officially re-house people-with a promise of help from Edmonton.
“We have confirmation already that will be covered by the government,” said Kokotilo.
The mayor thinks that some of the displaced people might want to take up residency in the Lac La Biche area on a permanent basis, even after the city of Fort McMurray is declared safe to return to.
A local housing developer is hoping that turns out to be true-and based on what he’ s heard from the evacuees he’ s spoken to, there are people who are just now learning what the Lac La Biche community has to offer them and they like what they see.
“They just can’ t believe how nice this little community is,” said Rik Nikoniuk, one of the lead developers behind the Diamond Ridge residential subdivision east of Lac La Biche. “We had a lot of people come here because they had to, but now we’ re going to have people stay here because they want to.”
Once it’ s finished, Diamond Ridge will be the largest residential development in the county’ s history, adding hundreds of homes to a plot of land overlooking Alexander Hamilton Park. This year, though, the developers are only expecting to build 20.
“Next year...gosh, we could easily do 100,” Nikoniuk said, adding that he’ s aware the influx of evacuees from the north is likely going to create pressure in the local housing market. “There was a strong pent-up demand and it’ s only getting stronger. I think, once this thing starts, it will take on a life of its own.”
One crimp in the plan is the possibility of prices for lumber and other construction necessities rising as the rebuilding of Fort McMurray begins in the next several months. Nikoniuk said he and the others driving Diamond Ridge forward have committed to building affordable housing no matter what, so they’ re prepared to see their profit margins tighten.
“Common sense would dictate there will be a squeeze,” he said. “We started this with a vision and we’ re going to see it through. We’ re not going to sell out on our morals.”
While Diamond Ridge is a work in progress, the first of two 48-units apartment buildings is under construction at the south end of Nipewon Road, within shouting distance of the evacuation centre down the hill.
While new accommodations are preparing to enter the market and the number of displaced people relying on the Bold Center for a roof over their heads has fallen to none, the mayor said the county can’ t rule out the possibility of further waves of evacuees as the wildfire that ravaged parts of Fort McMurray continues to burn. The multiplex is expected to start reopening to the public soon.
There are also the many other people in campgrounds, resorts and other temporary lodgings that might look around for something more permanent.
“Remember, we’ ve got people in Kikino, in Buffalo Lake, in Boyle, in Beaver Lake,” Moghrabi said. “Those people will also start looking.”
