Fort McMurray will be iconic; once developments in the Parsons Creek and Saline Creek Plateau areas are complete.

That's according to Mayor Melissa Blake, who was with Premier Ed Stelmach in our city Saturday, for the announcement of 241-million dollars to be invested in the expansion of these areas.

Mayor Blake says it'll put Fort McMurray on the map.

Developments are expected to be complete in five years.

Highway 63 has been reopened following a fatal collision this afternoon.

The name of the male victim has not been released and police won't comment on the cause.

(Photo courtesy of Mix listener Colin Clarkson.)

Both Boyle and Fort McMurray RCMP are currently on the scene of a fatal collision on Highway 63.

Around 12:20 pm a Ford Taurus crashed into a semi-trailer south of Mariana Lake near kilometer 113.

The lone male occupant of the Ford died as a result of his injuries while the driver of the semi was not hurt.

North and south bound lanes of 63 are currently closed and motorists are being asked to use Highway 881 instead.

The cause of the crash is unknown at this time, Mix News will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

There will be lots of pressure on the Prime Minister today.

Stephen Harper is expected to deliver the latest economic update in Saint John, New Brunswick.

This is all part of the Liberals' condition on the Tories to deliver economic report, in order to win approval for it's economic stimulus plan in the House of Commons.

Harper is expected to discuss the state of the economy and possible infrastructure projects both ongoing and upcoming.

Soon after Stelmach's announcement, our local MLA Guy Boutilier is weighing in on Stelmach's visit.

Boutilier says this announcement isn't new and Stelmach doesn't have his priorities straight in how the money should be spent.

Boutilier says long term care facilities should be a top priority, and says 35-million dollars should go towards helping senior citizens in new long term care facilities in Fort McMurray and the rest to housing and infrastructure.

Boutilier also says the Premier did not meet with him during Saturday's visit.

241-million dollars from the province will be put towards new developments in Fort McMurray.

Premier Ed Stelmach, was in Fort Mcmurray's Council Chambers Saturday to make the announcement.

Stelmach says the health care facilities will incorporate plans for housing of our local seniors.

166-million dollars from the 241-million will go towards residential development in Parsons Creek.

While the remaining 75-million will be put towards utilities and roads to the Saline Creek Plateau area.   

Stelmach says this development will support future expansion of the oil sands industry.

Whether you're looking to do some early Christmas shopping or just looking for something to buy yourself.

The Fort McMurray Tourism Fall Trade show is sure to have a little something for everyone.

The doors open at the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre this afternoon at 4:00 pm and close Sunday at 5:00 pm

Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and youth and children six and under are free.

Fore more info, visit www.fortmcmurraytourism.com

Fort McMurray RCMP have identified the male victim from Wednesday's homicide.

Police won't relase his name until next of kin are notified, but say he was 20-years old and a resident of Ontario.

This incident does not appear to be a random act of violence and the victim is said to be known to police.

The victim told police she was walking home alone early and the next thing she recalled was waking up in a dark vehicle with a man on top of her.

The victim fought off the man and escaped the vehicle.

She phoned police from her friends house and described the man as having dark features, dark eyes, a round face, short dark hair and stocky build.

The vehicle is described as a dark SUV possibly with tinted windows and a broken passenger window.

Anyone with information is asked to call 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers.

Fort McMurray police are looking for the public's assistance in locating a missing person.
24-year old Brent Anthony Cardinal of Fort McMurray was reported missing by his family and has not been seen or heard from since August 24, 2009.
Cardinal is a homeless man with a history of drug and alcohol abuse.
He's described as approximately 6 feet tall, 190 pounds with brown eyes and black hair.
Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of Cardinal is asked to call police at 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers.

Alberta Health Services is hosting a public board meeting at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre this afternoon.

The meeting's agenda has yet to be posted on the AHS website.

The meeting is scheduled for 1:15 in the corporate boardroom.

A oilsands worker remains in an Edmonton hospital after being critically injured Tuesday afternoon.
The man, in his 50's, was hit by debris sent flying when a tire on a heavy hauler exploded at Syncrude's north mine.
The incident comes less than a month after Michael Shannahan, a Cow Harbour employee , was killed when a heavy hauler tire exploded at Suncor's Millenium Project.

Around 3:00 am, this morning, the Fort McMurray RCMP responded to a disturbance at Syncrude Tower II located 13221 MacDonald Drive in Fort McMurray, AB.

Upon arrival, a male, located inside the building, was found deceased.
Police immediately set up containment of the area and with the assistance of the Police Dog Service.
With the assistance of the Plain Clothes Unit, Forensic Identification Unit and Edmonton Serious Crimes Branch, police are actively investigating this incident which is being treated as a Homicide.
The deceased male has not yet been identified and no charges have been laid at this time.
No other information can be released at this time as the investigation is still in its preliminary stages and RCMP must ensure information is protected to safeguard the integrity of the investigation.
The RCMP is asking anyone who may have any information concerning the incident, to contact the Fort McMurray RCMP at (780) 788-4000, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.crimestoppers.ab.ca

Coldwell Banker has released it's annual list of the most expensive and affordable housing markets.

To no real suprise, Fort McMurray surpassed both Calgary and Edmonton as Alberta's priciest place to live.

An average 2,200 square foot , four bedroom, two 1/2 bathroom home came in at $ 638,000, compared to $535,525 in Calgary and $432,250 in the provincial capital.

If you're looking for something cheaper, Charlottetown, PEI remains the nations most affortable market at $147,560.

If job safety is high on your list while searching for employment, try these eight local companies:

Tridon Communications, Demeres Contracting, Industrial Electrical, Metalcare Inspection, Neegan Technical, Norcan Electric and USW Surveys FM, as they've all received a Best Safety Performer Award for 2008 from the Alberta Government.

The eight recipients double Fort McMurray's total from 2007.

Local RCMP have identified a suspect related to an August assault.

Police are now looking for 18 year-old Bernard Ingraham and have issued a warrant for his arrest.

Police say the teen left two young males seriously injured following a fight near the Podollan Inn last month.

He was spotted on Tuesday in Thickwood and fled when approached by police, leading officers on a foot chase through nearby neighbourhoods.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers.

Ingraham is described as:

- Caucasian male
- 5'11"

- 174 lbs

- Thin build
- Short blond hair
- Blue eyes

Heavy Item Registration for Fort McMurray is coming to an end.

Residents have until tomorrow to arrange for the RMWB to pick up their heavy items such as old furniture and appliances.

Construction, yard or household material will not be accepted and there is a limit of four items per household.

To arrange for pick up, call 780-788-4377 or visit www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca.

The service will extend to other Wood Buffalo communities over the next few weeks.

Alberta Health Services is hosting the free session at the Stonebridge Hotel.

Local Medical Officer of Health Dr. Brent Freisen says the morning session will give an overview of information on the H1N1 virus and the afternoon will focus on taking a proactive approach to prevention.

Today is the deadline to register, if you want be involved, call 780-838-2853 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Alberta Arts Days kicks off in Fort McMurray today.

The two day completely free event features theatre, art and music at Keyano College.

Tonight at 8:00, "Highway 63" the Fort Mac Show hits the stage.

On Saturday an art gallery and in-studio demonstrations take place from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and it all concludes with a great line up of music beginning at 7:30 Saturday night.

For more information visit www.eventswoodbuffalo.com

An investigation into the disappearance of a Fort McMurray woman more than two years ago continues.

Local RCMP say they are diligently looking for 41-year old Shirley Ann Waquan.

The timeless golf phrase "Drive for Show, Putt for Dough" rang true Wednesday.

A record $150,000 was raised at the 2nd RBC Tournament FORE Health hosted by the Fort McMurray Golf Club.

The funds will purchase a new anesthesia machine for the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre.

The tournament was just the beginning, as it teed off the year long "Operation Miracle" campaign.

The threat of over 900 lab workers going on strike looks to be over as a tentative labour deal has been reached.

Dynalife DX employees were set to walk off the job back in August, before the province implemented a Disputes Inquiry Board to prevent a standstill of medical testing in central and northern Alberta.

On Tuesday the union and Dynalife DX agreed on a deal that will be voted on at a later date.

Close to 40 Dynalife workers are based in Fort McMurray.

A Greenpeace protest ended peacefully at Shell's Muskeg River Mine Wednesday.

After 30 hours, Shell officials and activists negotiated an end to the demonstration, which included protesters chaining themselves to heavy machinery and rolling out a giant banner that read, "Tar Sands: Climate Crime"

There were no arrests, but police did collect the names of the more than 20 activists that had entered the site Tuesday morning, just prior to a meeting between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama.

It was a big day yesterday at Albian Sands Site.

Greenpeace activists reportedly blocked a heavy haulter at Albian Sands site by chaining together pick up trucks, and chaining themselves to them.

The protests were in light of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's visit with President Barack Obama today to discuss the oil sands and their "Buy American" strategy.

Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaigner Mike Hudema told Mix News yesterday that it's not just Canadians that are joining in on the fight; they had campaigners from as far away as France.

The United States has also been protesting; Mix News learned yesterday that some citizens erected a 70 foot banner over Niagra Falls yesterday.

The banner read "clean energy future" with an arrow pointing in one direction, and the words "tar sands oil" with an arrow pointing the opposite direction.

We need to get the homeless off the streets and into homes.

That's what RMWB Homelessness Initiative rep Kim Snow said in a presentation yesterday at their open house.

The event invited local agencies and members of the community to brainstorm ideas on how they can develop a 10-year plan to end homelessness in the city.

Snow says the majority of the homeless want to have a home and can be housed.

Snow says the current methods to help the homeless are only meeting their immediate needs, and that we need to do more than just feed or shelter the homeless for one night at a time.

Four local RCMP members who were enroute to their Regimental Ball on Saturday had quite the scene on their hands.

Just before 6 o clock, a Ford and a GMC truck collided at the intersection of highway 63 and Mackenzie Boulevard.

The four officers, who were dressed in their ceremonial red surge uniforms, ran to the scene of the crash to help.

While two of them were attempting to free one of the drivers, a fire caught underneath of the hood of the truck.

The officers continued to free the driver, and got him through the drivers' door window before the vehicle became fully engulfed in flames.

Two people involved in the crash were sent to hospital for non life threatening injuries, and were later released.

The crash is still under investigation.

The oil sands giant charged in connection to the deaths of hundreds of waterfowl pleaded not guilty in court yesterday.

Syncrude Canada was charged back in February after 1600 ducks were killed in their tailings pond north of Fort McMurray.

The incident happened in April of 2008.

Syncrude is facing charges from both the province and the federal government in connection to the incident.

Another Oil Sands player was in court yesterday as well.

CNRL is facing charges after two workers from China were killed on site.

Back in April of 2007, the pair were killed after a roof collapsed in a large oil tank where they were working.

CNRL; along with SSEC Canada and Sinopec Shanghai Engineering, is facing a total of 53 charges in connection to the incident.

The case was held over until November 4th.

Canadian business and environmental journalist, Andrew Nikifourk says Canada's is not a leader in environmental issues.

Nikifourk released a reported yesterday, outlining the scale and pace of the oil sands contribution to climate change and the natural gas consumption in the tar sands.

Nikifourk says the rapid development of the projects undermines any climate change policies in Canada.

He also says the production of unconventional oil produces two to three times more CO2 emmissions than light oil, and the world's climate just can't sustain it.

Four locals will be on the run next year to raise money for sporting equipment in Fort Chipewyan.

Impossible to Possible is the name of the event, which will run in March of 2010.

Councillor Phil Meagher, Blake Crossley, Alex Middleton and Brenda Erskine will take on the task.

They'll start on Highway 63 and run up through the winter road, all the way to Fort Chipewyan.

The Second Fall edition of the Fort McMurray Women's Show has been deemed a huge success.

Owner and Organizer Ronda Bertram told Mix News local women flocked to the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre to check it out over the weekend; by two o clock on Saturday, more women had come through the doors than the entire show last year.

One fieldhouse of the Centre was packed with vendors and presenters alike, along with four fashion shows.

The show partnered with the local Unity House Women's Shelter, giving a portion of the door proceeds to the organizaiton.

The oil sands giant charged in connection to the deaths of hundreds of waterfowl is appearing in court today.

Syncrude Canada was charged back in February after 1600 ducks were killed in their tailings pond north of Fort McMurray.

The incident happened in April of 2008.

Syncrude is facing charges from both the province and the federal government in connection to the incident.

A new report gives the oil sands two thumbs down on greenhouse gas emissions.

The report is called "Dirty: How the Tarsands are fuelling Global Climate Change", and says the oil sands produces more green house gas emissions than some European Countries right now.

The report goes on to say the oil sands will produce more emissions than all of the world's volcanoes in just 11 years.

The report was written by Canadian Author Andrew Nikiforuk, a business and environmental writer.

Local hockey and skating buffs have been waiting a long time for today.

The ice surfaces at MacDonald Island are on schedule.

Mix News spoke to Chief Operating Officer, Tim Reid last week, who told us both ice surfaces will be ready for this morning.

Reid also says they will be conducting a tour today.

The ice surfaces is part of the MacDonald Island Redevelopment project.

For more information, give them a call at 780-791-0070.

With the Northern Alberta Premier's Dinner coming on the heels of provincial deficits and budget cuts, some local residents are outraged.

Wood Buffalo health care advocate Jean Jensen is speaking out, and says Premier Ed Stelmach shouldn't be coming to our residents looking for party fundraising dollars unless he's willing to address our concerns.

She's planning a rally to be held the evening of October 1st, the same night of the Premier's Dinner, to be held outside the hotel he will be dining at.

Jensen also told Mix News she's also concerned about our MLA being outsted from the Conservative party for speaking out about his community.

She's now looking to the public to form a Health Coalition to address concerns such as this, and to rally outside the Premiers Dinner on October 1st.

For more information, or to inquire about becoming a part of the Wood Buffalo Health Coalition, contact Jean Jensen at 780-748-4206 or email her at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Mix News told you yesterday that residents were reporting a bear sighting in the Wood Buffalo residential area.

Fish and Wildlife Officer Tyler Murphy told Mix News the bear was tracked by an RCMP Constable yesterday around 2 pm, until they were able to get on the scene near Woodward Lane shortly afterwards.

Murphy says they were then able to get the bear to go up a tree where they then immobilized it, trapped it and relocated it south of the city.

He said that was the best option considering the circumstances, because the bear hadn't gotten into residential garbage and was just looking for natural foods around the greenbelt.

For more information on tips to protect yourself from bears, check out http://srd.alberta.ca/fishwildlife/livingwith/bearfacts/bearsmart.aspx

Ladies in Wood Buffalo looking for a great place to shop can look no further.

The Fort McMurray Women's Show kicks off this evening at the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre.

Show Owner and Organizer Ronda Bertram told Mix News their shows have been a great success for both vendors and shoppers in the past.

One seminar is focused on "Fashion Feng Shui", put on by Joanne Ward; another is based on relationships and the third is based on "Facebook Etiquette", done by Michelle Gabriel.

For more information on the Fort McMurray Womens Show, check out www.fortmcmurraywomensshow.com

It's still in the early stages for the Riverfront Master Plan.

Members of the community were invited to and open house Thursday evening, and encouraged to give feedback on potential concepts for the Riverfront.

Stations displayed ideas for the Snye, Clearwater and Riverside park, along with MacDonald Island.

Long time Resident, Jim Rogers says he wishes there was more community involvement at the beginning of the process.

Long Range Planning and Policy, Wendy Koo says they are looking at creating a Riverfront that is accessible and sustainable for residents in Fort McMurray.

A Bear was spotted on Woodward lane in Wood Buffalo yesterday.

Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, Josline Matthews says this isn't the first time they received a call about a bear in the area.

Matthews says they've set up a trap and will continue to monitor the area.

Since the announcement that Greyhound will be shutting down services in Manitoba and Ontario.

An organization for the vision impaired are now speaking out.

Greyhound will be reviewing services here in Alberta, and CNIB's Director of Communications Elly Shoester says shutting down services in Alberta will be tough blow for the blind.

Especially since the employment rate is low.

Alberta's Transport Minister Luke Ouellette, plans to meet with Greyhound reps this month.

To see what they can do to keep services operational.

Local RCMP say they are recieving an abundance of 911 hang up calls.

Police say these calls take away focus from actual emergencies, and say even if you call the number by mistake, you should stay on the line and let the operator know there is no emergency.

Police also say if you family members do not speak english, you should teach them to say the name of the language they do speak and that they need a translator.

Children should also be reminded that the 911 line is not a toy and should only be used in case of emergencies.

The Fort McMurray United Way announced their fall campaign goal at their pancake breakfast this morning.

The goal is to raise 5-million dollars with the help of local residents and businesses.

Officials say the need of the community is actually 6-million dollars.

Last year, the campaign goal sat at 3.25-million, the United Way was able to raise 4.5-million dollars.

The Fort McMurray Catholic and Public School Boards were in Edmonton Tuesday to discuss with the Ministry of Education about education cuts.

The focus of the meeting was to set up a process of collaboration on how the government will make more cuts, if the economy doesn't change.

Catholic School Superintendent Kim Jenkins says they are looking at four areas where reductions will be made in this year's 80 million dollar cut.

Jenkins says one of the things they lost was 3.25 per cent of last year's operating budget.

He did stress the Catholic Board is more worried about next year; if the economic climate doesn't change, province is anticipating another 300-million dollars in cuts for 2010.

Jenkins says their next meeting is set next month.

A local cab driver is in court Wednesday, in connection to a June assault.

45-year old Ahmed Ashkir was arrested back on June 12th, after allegedly attacking two teenagers following an argument over change from their fare.

The 15-year old girls say the taxi driver became angry, and instead of dropping them off, he drove away from the Abasand destination, stopped at the Y junction of Abasand and Greyling Terrace and attacked them with a chisel.

An incident in Fort Chipewyan has left Police looking for answers from the public.

Back on the evening of August 19th, culprits boarded a boat called "The Atha" which was docked at the Federal Fisheries Dock, and broke a window in order to get inside a room.

Once inside, a red and black portable stereo and a bair of Tasco binoculars were stolen.

Fort Chip RCMP say this is not the first time vandals have made their mark on boats and vehicles in the area.

If you have any information on this, call the Fort Chip RCMP at 780-697-3931 or call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

It has been an interesting visit to the UK for George Portois, member of the Mikisew Cree First Nations.

Two weeks ago, Portois, and other First Nations representatives , including Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation members, went to Britain, to protest against Britian's involvement in Canada's tar sands.

Portois says it was very successful, and a lot of feedback was given.

Portois also says the high rates of cancer in Fort Chip was the top concerns at the protest.

The Catholic and Public School boards are in Edmonton Tuesday to meet with Alberta's Ministry of Education.

At the top of the list, will be the cuts to this years education budget.

The Alberta government announced last week, they will be slashing the budget by about 80 million dollars, to help make up for the 6.9 billion dollar deficit.

Education Minister Dave Hancock, also said more cuts will be made throughout the year.

Both school boards are hoping to get more clarity on the cuts at today's meeting.

More than 52-thousand cities and towns were put on the map this week for their literacy.

The Canadian Council on Learning Prose Literacy map has measured average adult literacy scores for Canadians.

In Alberta, it was important to note that the high school drop out rate was slightly higher than average;

While the post-secondary participation and university attainment was significantly lower than the Canadian average.

In the Wood Buffalo region, the council reported exposure to libraries, museams and galleries was significantly lower as well.

To view the map yourself, check out http://maps.ccl-cca.ca/cli09/carto.php?&lang2=en

Fort McMurray RCMP are reporting several vehicles driving at a high rate of speed over the long weekend.

On Saturday on highway 63, two vehicles were found racing at speeds of 169 kilometers an hour.

The lone female drivers of both vehicles were pulled over and marihuana and other drug paraphernalia was found in one of the vehicles as well.

Also on Saturday on highway 63, police found a Lexus driving at 155 kilometers an hour.

And on Sunday, on Thickwood Boulevard, a Corvette was found doing 142 kilometers an hour in a 60 zone.

In addition to these arrests, Traffic Services also issued 37 tickets for speeding.

There has been some debate on whether a possible fall election will bring even less voters than the last election.

Michael Ignatieff announced last week, his party will no longer support Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his goverment.

Fort McMurray - Athabasca MP Brian Jean says Canadians, especially in Fort McMurray will likely not want to vote again, as we had a historically low voter turnout at the last election.

Ignatieff also announced a Liberal government would get rid of the 52 billion dollar deficit, without raising taxes.

The Liberals will have their first chance to present a motion of no-confidence next month.

Mackenzie Boulevard south bound at the intersection of MacDonald and Mackay Crescent was blocked for a few hours, as police investigated a fatal collision in the area Friday night.

Police say the crash involved a motorcycle and and a semi truck.

It appeared the motorcyclist was traveling south on Mackenzie and the semi truck was coming east on Macdonald Crescent, when the two collided.

The Motorcyclist died on scene.

The name of the Motorcyclist has not yet been released.

Police continue to investigate the collision.  

Mix Listeners have been calling in this morning, letting us know of a smell throughout the city.

Wood Buffalo Environmental Association has confirmed to Mix News there are sulpher compound smells from from north of Fort McMurray.

After a call of the WBEA hotline, Syncrude Communications has reported an investigation of their site where no sources of the smell have been found.

Suncor Communications say they are currently investigating their site and will provide an update later today.

Mix News will keep you updated as the information comes in.

Efficiency targets are on track according to Suncor Energy.

Suncor made the announcement yesterday, saying they will meet or exceed operating and capital efficiency targets after merging with Petro Canada in March.

The two companies estimated the merger will make about 300 million dollar reductions in operating expenditures, and one billion in capital expenditures.

Suncor is expecting layoffs, retirements and discontinuation of contract positions.

About one thousand people is expected to leave the company by mid October.

A missing local teen has made contact with police. 

Police have announced that 16 year old KristaLynne Ulm contacted RCMP in Lac La Biche to let them know she is ok.

Local police talked to Ulm on Monday, advising she show up at a police dispatch closest to her to confirm her safety.

Ulm had been considered missing since last Tuesday.

Residents travelling in the area of King Street yesterday may have noticed a strange odor.

Sources to Mix News say a gas line was damaged and leaked.

During a routine water main repair at the intersection of Centennial Drive and King Street where ATCO Gas crews are working.

Despite the smell, no risk to public safety was ever reported and and the line has now been repaired.

Family members have confirmed to Mix News the name of the man tragically killed at Suncor last week.

45-year old Michael Shannahan was killed at site while repairing a tire from a heavy hauler on Friday.

Occupational Health and Safety told us he was in the process of inflating the tire when the steel components came detatched from the tire, and struck him.

Cow Harbour still has a stop work order in place specifically on the servicing of tires.

Occupational Health and Safety is still investigating the incident.

The Greyhound operations in Alberta is up for review.

After the company announced a halt to services in Manitoba and northwestern Ontario yesterday.

Greyhound is giving the Manitoba Highway Traffic Board 30 days to honour tickets sold to date.

And 90 days for Ontario.

Reports say the bus company is blaming the government for their financial upset.

Greyhound will also be reviewing operations in Saskatchewan , B.C, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

So far, Fort McMurray seems to be safe from the so called norway rat invasion.

The southwest Saskatchewan city of Swift Current has been overrun with the rats.

And now there are reports of them crossing the Alberta border, which is said to be rat free, and they've been popping up in Calgary, Taber and Airdrie.

Mix News contacted Poulin's Pest Control which services the Wood Buffalo region.

Techinician Chris Gratten told us they've been known to hitch a ride into the province on semi trucks and personal vehicles.

Gratten says if you do see a rat, you should kill or trap it, and then report it to the Province's rat control program.

To report a rat... call 310-FARM.

If you want to be front and centre when the Olympic torch rolls through the region on November 6th; the municipality is giving you your chance.

The RMWB announced today they are looking for volunteers an vendors to help out at the event for things like set up, tear down, and security.

They are also looking for people to man the welcome tent and be general assistance for the festivities.

The RMWB says it's a great way to get involved in the historical event in the region.

For more info, check out http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/residents/events+festivals/otr/index.asp?subnav=311&subsubnav=55

Police and family members are looking for your for help after a local man has gone missing.

37-year old Robert John Allen MacDonald was reported missing by his family.

He's been missing for about a week and a half.

He is described as about 6 foot 5, 260 pounds, with blue eyes and bushy black hair.

If you know the whereabouts of Robert MacDonald, give local police a call at 780-788-4000.

Roughly 14-hundred Fort McMurray Telus customers were unable to make phone calls or surf the net yesterday afternoon.

A Telus spokesman says a cable was cut by a contractor shortly after 12 O'clock.

The cable was repaired and service was back up an running around 2:14.

A Fort McMurray man charged with robbing his ex-girlfriend has been named.

Police arrested 44-year old Kevin Williams on Sunday after allegedly attacking his ex while she sat in her car.

Williams then stole her purse and took off on foot; he will remain in custody and is awaiting a court appearance today.

The leader of the federal opposition has announced his party will no longer support the minority Conservative government.

Speaking in Ontario, Michael Ignatieff addressed Prime Minister Stephen Harper, warning him that quote, "your time is up".

The lack of support could trigger a fall election, as both the NDP and Bloc Quebecois have previously said they would vote against the Conservatives in a confidence vote.

The Liberals have their first chance to present a motion of non-confidence in early October.

A Janvier man will spend the next 120 days behind bars.

40-year old David Cardinal plead guilty to two charges of failure to comply with conditions relating to a domestic violence charge.

Cardinal had been released on cash bail in June with strict conditions.

He breached those conditions twice in late August by contacting the victim and was arrested.

Cardinal was sentenced yesterday.

Police say suspect in connection to a murder in Boyle over the weekend was found last night.

25-year old Jesse James Larose was found in Edmonton and was arrested without incident.

This, after 49-year old Michael Joseph McCarthy was found badly beaten at the Boyle Co-Op Store on Friday.

McCarthy was found unconcious and was taken to hospital with severe head injuries, and died just before noon on Sunday.

A Calgary man has contracted Alberta's first case of the West Nile Virus this year.

The man had travelled to Saskatchewan in early August, but health officials believe he was bitten in Alberta.

West Nile commonly causes fever, chills, nausea, fatigue, headache and possibly skin rash or swollen glands, but serious symptoms include convulsions, paralysis and even coma.

Fort McMurray's Summer's End Festival is being deemed a huge success by organizers.

Claude Giroux, Executive Director for Events Wood Buffalo told Mix News they've been blessed with everything, including the weather.

The event brought in thousands of visitors throughout the day and evening.

Organizers are planning for the Summer's End Festival to be an annual event including a midway, to be held at MacDonald Island Park.

The warm weather that residents enjoyed this weekend has also increased our risk of forest fires.

Wildfire Information has set the hazard as high to very high, as this weeks forecast calls for continued sun and tempetures in the mid 20's.

There are currently no active wildfires in our area, while seven blazes are burning across the province.

A Fort McMurray woman is shaken up but unscathed after a downtown robbery.

Around 8:30 pm, the woman was sitting in her vehicle near the snye and was approached by her ex-boyfriend for some money.

When she refused, he stole her purse and took off on foot.

The police were called and the man was located and arrested for robbery.

He appeared before a Justice of the Peace on Monday, and Police say he will be released at that time.

Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in a fatal collision on Tower Road Friday.

Police and Emergency Crews responded to a single vehicle rollover around 4:45 pm.

The driver was ejected from the vehicle and taken to hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

The two passengers suffered minor injuries and were treated on the scene.

The victim's name has not been released.

Athabasca Oil Sands has sold a majority stake in two of it's projects to a Chinese energy giant.

PetroChina will acquire 60 per cent interest in the Mackay River and Dover oilsands projects for $1.9 billion.

The blockbuster deal is the largest undertaking by China in the Canadian oilsands.

A new chapter in Fort McMurray sports history was written in Edmonton Saturday as the Fort McMurray Knights dethroned the Grand Prairie Centaurs as the Edmonton Rugby Union Division II champions.
The Knights stormed back from a 17 point halftime deficit to defeat the Centaurs 24-17.

Fort McMurray will now try for the provincial championship when they play Banff in the Lor-Ann Cup on Semtember 12, 2009.

Occupational Health and Safety is investigating a death at Suncor's Millenium Project.

A Cow Harbour employee was killed when the heavy hauler tire he was changing, apparently exploded.

OH & S has issued a stop worker order.

The victim's name and age has not been released.

Members of the Athabasca Chipewyan and Mikisew Cree First Nations have joined oil sands activists in London, England.

The group is in the United Kingdom to protest British involvement in oilsands development.

Residents of Fort Chipewyan have become highly concerned with types of cancers in their communities, that they fell are caused by nearby industry operations.

Around 1500 people from across the UK are camping out until next week and holding workshops on topics such as climate science, carbon trading and activist tactics.

An employee of Cow Harbour Construction was killed at a Suncor oil sands site yesterday.

Few details have been released at this time but both Suncor and Cow Harbour have confirmed there was a fatality early Friday afternoon.

Both companies are working with RCMP and Workplace Health and Safety to complete a full investigation of the tragic incident.

The victim's name has not been released pending notification of next of kin.

Breaking news this hour as Mix News has learned of a death at a Suncor site.

Spokesman Brad Bellows confirmed there was a fatality but was unable to provide any further details.

Mix News will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

One person was arrested and three people were charged after RCMP Traffic Services held an enforcement initiative this week.

Police stuck to Highway 63 between Boyle and Fort McMurray and pulled over 350 vehicles.

235 drivers were ticketed for speeding while 17 more were charged with traffic safety offences.

Drugs also made an appearance on the highway, as 3 people were charged under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

Another person was also arrested on eight outstanding warrants.

A repeat drug offender was sentenced to two years behind bars this week.

25-year old Ahmed Dawed-Baker was arrested twice by local police in a span of four days in July.

Both times, the Calgary native was in possession of cocaine and was driving without a licence.

A drop in natural gas prices has helped balloon Alberta's deficit to nearly seven billion dollars.

Finance Minister Iris Evans delivered the province's first quarter fiscal update today, unveiling a short fall increase of more than two billion from her budget forecast in April.

Fort McMurray - Wood Buffalo MLA Guy Boutilier says the government isn't doing enough to help Albertans, and this is the time they should be investing money in our province and the Wood Buffalo region.

The update does not include the 1.1 billion dollar deficit Alberta Health Services is facing.

In an attempt to shed over 300 million dollars in debt, Alberta Health Services is encouraging staff to retire.

President Stephen Duckett says 70 per cent of spending goes to salaries.

The voluntary early-retirement program will take effect in the next few weeks and will involve mainly non-clinical employees.

 Fort McMurray RCMP are seeking the public's help in locating a teenage girl.
16-year old Kristalynne Ulm was reported missing by her family yesterday and has not been seen or heard from since.
Ulm's parents believe she ran away early Tuesday morning after they found a note from their daughter.
Kristalynne Ulm is described as a Metis female, 5'1" with short bleached blonde hair.
Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Ulm is asked to call 780-788-4000.

The Regional Airport Commission held an open house Tuesday to discuss Fort McMurray's Airport expansion.

The Commission met with the municipality and the architects at the Merit hotel to finalize design plans for the airport.

Manager of Capital Projects Bill Newell says they are hoping construction will be done on the project in about 2 years.

The Airport Commission approved the detail design, and the architects will now continue on to the tender documents.

Construction is set to begin early Spring.

Council came together in their first meeting since summer recess last night.

Many by-law motions were put forward to council, including the Utility Rates By-law and the Highway 69/Clearwater River Valley Structure Plan By-Law.

Both by-laws were defeated as councillors were concerned with the publics best interest.

An Audit summery's of the municipalities spending last year was also presented by KPMG, showing the government did well with last year's budget.

However, it also advises the RMWB not get into deeper debt, as there's less room in the books to take out anymore loans.

Those travelling on highway 63 in the city should expect delays for the rest of the day.

The Province has confirmed chip seal construction began back on Saturday; and due to the cooler temperatures and rain, the timelines for the job have been extended.

Areas affected are south of hospital street to the Athabasca River bridge. Traffic is reduced to one lane only and speed is reduced to 50 kilometers an hour.

The work is expected to be finished sometime today.

The Northern Canada Collective Society of Writers launched Northword, a new literary magazine earlier in the summer, and since it's launch , it's been doing quite well.

NCCSW President, Jennifer Hemstock says she's really proud about how the mag turned out the great feedback its been getting.

Hemstock says they're currently getting ready for its second issue set for November, and are looking for contributors.

The articles could be anything from essays, poetry, fiction and non-fiction stories, and even artworks.

The deadline for submission is September 30th.

Northword Magazine can be picked up at the Keyano Bookstore.

To submit to the second issue of Northword, click here: http://northerncanadacollective.shawwebspace.ca/pages/view/submission_guidelines_for_the_2n/

Safety crews were working hard at a Suncor refinery yesterday afternoon after what's being called a rotten egg smell was released.

Suncor officials say there was a hydro carbon release at their Strathcona Refinery around 4 pm.

They say it wasn't long before the situation was taken care of by safety workers, however, the sound of the pressure release may have made the incident sound like an explosion or a fire.

Emergency crews are still monitoring the situation.

If you're hungry for some fresh fish...

Fort McMurray Tourism is holding their annual Fish Fry event at Summer's End Festival this weekend.

From 5 to 7 pm on Saturday, residents from the Fort Chipeywan Fisheries will have fresh fish to eat at the event.

Tickets have to be purchased in advance at the tourism office.

For more info call them at 780-791-4336 or check them out online at www.fortmcmurraytourism.com

As filming for "Zombie Amazon Women from Mars" is coming to an end...

Director and Producer Eric Janvier is getting ready to put it all together.

Janvier says there's just a few more scenes left to film and hopes to get it ready for an October showcase.

Janvier says he's having a great time filming.

Janvier is looking to enter his movie at film festivals across the country and internationally .

Check them out online at www.brokentreeproductions.com

Provincial firefighters have their work cut out for them in BC.

140 firefighters are heading west, where there is currently an extreme hazard for more wildfires.

It was just a few weeks ago that almost 150 firefighters were deployed to help.

Wildfire information says Alberta's current wildfire hazard is low enough to be able to send the firefighters.

There are currently 13 fires in the province, which are all deemed to be under control.

Two men facing a list of serious charges will appear in Fort McMurray court today.

29-year old Bernard Corrigan faces four charges, including attempted murder after leaving a man nearly dead following an attack on July 12th.

19-year old Justin Key is also back in court.

Key was charged with 13 offenses relating to a June 21st armed robbery.

Members and non-members of the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre will be able to register at the click of a button.

The centre is starting online registration for non members today, while members could register as of Friday.

Marketing and Events Manager Michelle Dolmont says some people may have to swing by the centre first in order to create their online profiles.

Check them out on the world wide web at www.keyano.ca/sswc

Residents who frequently use our local transit service will be getting further these days.

On Monday, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo are kicking off their brand new transit schedule.

The major changes will see bus service to Mac Island every half hour from 6 am until midnight.

Transit service will also be available to and from the Snye Park and the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre.

For more information, check out: http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/residents/getting_around/pdf%20+%20images/transit_map_2009.pdf

Give your self some extra time if driving through Fort McMurray this weekend.

Road work on Highway 63 between the King Street Interchange and the Athabasca Bridge will begin Saturday and run until Monday.

Work will take place between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm and effect both north and south bound lanes.

What's being called the "crown jewel of Fort McMurray" will soon be ready for play.

The RMWB held a media open house of the brand new MacDonald Island Park yesterday, which is slated to be completely operational; minus the aquatic center, in late october.

They also unveiled their new brand and logo, which includes the new name; "The Suncor Community Leisure Centre at MacDonald Island Park".

Chief Operating Officer Tim Reed said Suncor was a great partner in the branding initiative, and the two partners worked together on finding a brand that kept MacDonald Island's heritage, and focused on enhancing quality of life in the region.

Arena operations will start up on September 14th, the front entrance will be completed on October 1st.

The aquatic centre is slated to be complete in spring of next year.

Fort McMurray RCMP are investigating a three vehicle collision of Confederation Way last night.

Police say around 7:20 pm a red Pontiac Grand AM rear ended a white Ford Explorer, which was then pushed into a grey Pontiac Grand Prix.

The driver of the Grand AM, described as a male between 20 and 25 years old with a shaved head and tattoos on his right arm, then fled the scene.

No one involved was injured, but all three vehicles suffered damage.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call police at 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Police have released the name of an accused drug dealer arrested on Tuesday night.

23-year old Tina Davis was taken into custody after police seized over half a kilogram of cocaine and small amounts of marijuana from a room at the Ridgewood Inn.

Davis has been charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of marijuana.

She was released on $10,000 nail and will appear in court August 25, 2009.

Guests of the Radisson Hotel should check their credit card statements carefully after a security breach of the company's computer systems.

Hotels in Canada and in the United States are said to be affected after computer systems which stored guests names and info, like credit card numbers; were illegally accessed from November 2008 to May 2009.

The company says it can not confirm which hotels specifically are affected, but the company does say social insurance numbers were not stored in the database.

The Radisson first learned of the breach by the credit card companies used by the hotels, such as Visa and Mastercard.

For more information, check out http://www.radisson.com/openletter/

An oil sands project approved five years ago may be given new life.

Imperial Oil is looking at dusting off it's Nabiye project and resubmitting an updated application.

The new plans include a 170-megawatt co-generation plant, sulphur recovery facilities and a drilling plan that reduces the number of well pads.

The three phases of Nabiye (Na-bee-a) will potentially increase production by 30-thousand barrels per day at Imperial's Cold Lake operations.

One of Fort McMurray's Human Resources employees will be honoured at a gala in October.

Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce and Gailforce Resources are hosting the Human Resources Leadership Awards.

Gailforce President Kathline Holmes says, the award recognizes contributions in all areas of HR.

They are now accepting applications.

Winners will be announced at the Sawridge Inn on October 19.

Meanwhile, Gailforce is also working with the Chamber of Commerce to create a "Best Place To Work" Award for next year.

They will be going over the process of selecting winners from the small, medium and large businesses in town.

Local police have scored a major victory in their fight against drugs.

Last night RCMP seized over 500 grams of cocaine and small amounts of marijuana after they raided a room at the Ridgewood Inn on Parent Way.

One female was inside the room and was arrested, she will be formally charged later today.

Constable Sean Sexsmith says the bust will greatly disrupt drug trafficking within our region.

Fort McMurray RCMP have confirmed Highway 63 south of Fort McMurray has been reopened to traffic.

The road had been closed following a head on collision between a semi truck and a Jeep.

The lone occupant of the Jeep was taken to hospital with serious injuries, police were unable to provide on update on the victim.

Fort McMurray RCMP, Alberta Sheriffs and Emergency Services are currently responding to a head on collision on Highway 63 involving a Semi Truck and a Jeep that occurred at approximately 12:20 PM this afternoon.

A third Semi obtained minor damages as well.

The Highway is currently blocked due to this collision.
The collision occurred South of Fort McMurray between the highway 881 turnoff and Stony Mountain road.

The location of the collision is not on the two lane highway and therefore both North and Southbound lanes are blocked at this time.
The lone male occupant of the Jeep has been transported to the hospital
for serious injuries.

The drivers of the Semi's are not injured.
This cause of this collision is still under investigation. At this
time, RCMP do not believe alcohol to be a factor. Highway 63 is
currently blocked due to this collision. It is advised that persons who are traveling South take Highway 881. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.
The Fort McMurray RCMP is still investigating this matter. RCMP are asking that if anyone has any information concerning this collision to call the Fort McMurray RCMP at (780) 788-4000, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), www.crimestoppers.ab.ca

Fort McMurray RCMP have arrested a third male in connection to an August 2008 robbery.

The youth charged will make his first court appearance September 1, 2009.

Last year roughly $177,000 worth of electronics was stolen from a downtown business.

Police say tips from the public has helped in their investigation.

Six people were arrested Sunday night at a home on Kennedy Crescent.

RCMP seized two ounces of cocaine, small amounts of ecstasy and marijuana and over $11,000 cash.

As a result, 30-year old Ryan Chudley and 21-year old Gary Biggs both face drug charges.

While 23-year old Tyler Janzen was arrested for outstanding warrants.

Both Chudley and Biggs will return to court August 25, 2009.

The Sobey's Liquor store downtown was the scene of a robbery yesterday afternoon.

Around 2:00 pm, a man entered the store and took a bottle of vodka, on his way out of the store he flashed a knife to the clerk.

Video surveillance led local Police to 39-year old Nicholas Tolos of Fort McMurray, who has now been charged with one count of robbery and appears in court today.

Thousands of dollars worth of damage was caused after heavy equipment was stolen in Beacon Hill early this morning.

Police say a Caterpillar 330 Hydraulic Excavator was taken from a work since on the green belt behind Beaverglen Close and driven down a walking path causing damage to the path, a skidoo trailer, fence and shed.

The machine was returned to the site where further damage occurred.

A nearby John Deere 450 Dozer was also taken from a site near Good Sheppard Community School and driver through a fence before damaging tress in a park.

Police believe the events are linked and are asking anyone with information about the crimes to call 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers.

Twelve black bears were shot and killed by fish and wildlife officers in Conklin earlier this week.

Alberta Sustainable Resource Development says the cull was necessary after reports that residents were regularly bringing their children to the local landfill to watch, photograph and even feed the animals.

Councillor Gordon Janvier, who represents Conklin believes the situation could have been avoided by simply removing the animals.

ASRD says relocation wasn't an option as the bears would come back to the area or cause a similar problem elsewhere.

Wildlife officers will now monitor the dump to ensure people don't visit the bears.

While the RMWB has confirmed that an application to close the dump was filed, prior to Tuesday's incident.

One local man was airlifted to Edmonton following a two vehicle crash yesterday morning in Gregoire.

Two pickups collided just before 7:00 am at the intersection of MacKenzie Boulevard and Gregoire Drive.

The dodge pickup truck rolled onto it's side and the female driver was taken to the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre.

The male driver of the GMC truck involved was airlifted to Edmonton.

Local police are still investigating the cause of the crash and are looking for eyewitnesses.

If you have any information call police 780-788-4000.

(Photos courtesy of the Fort McMurray RCMP.)

A new study shows an increase in oilsands workers reaching first for the bottle and then for help.

Workplace health firm Shepell - fgi is reporting a 481 % climb in industry workers contacting their employee-assistance programs and other outside counselling services between 2006 and 2008.

In the past two years, oil and gas workers have turned to EAP's for help 40 % more than the average Canadian worker.

Isolation, long hours and separation from family are being blamed for the high levels of substance abuse.

More details have been made public surrounding Alberta's latest swine flu associated death.

An elderly Edmonton area man has become the province's seventh fatality and the first male.

It is believed the victim did not suffer previous medical issues prior his death.

Wildfire information is reporting two new fires were sparked in the past 24 hours.

Lightning caused one, while the second is still under investigation.

Only one is still active and is burning at 2.4 hectares.

Our region is currently sitting at a moderate risk for further fires.

So far this summer 76 blazes have scorched 30,502 hectares of land in the Waterways Management area.

Interplay finished with a thundering bang.

Showers plundered Franklin Avenue yesterday, and stopped Petro Canada's Home Grown Talent Search as the third competitor was on stage.

Events Wood Buffalo Executive Director, Claude Giroux says they have enough material to judge all the contestants, despite stopping the show early.

The winners will be announced live on the Fort McMurray Matters Show on Mix 103.7 today at noon.

Bernard Corrigan appears in court today to face an attempted murder charge.

Corrigan allegedly assaulted a man at the Riedel Trailer Park last month.

The victim went to hospital with serious injuries.

Police arrested Corrigan July 18.

He also faces three counts of assault.

Two other people will appear in court today as well.

19-year-old Justin Key is charged with drug related offenses; police picked Key up in Dauphin, Manitoba, after an armed robbery in June.

Alsi, Sheena Antoine faces one count of aggravated assault.

She was arrested back in June, for allegedly assaulting a woman in the parking lot of the McMurray Gospel Assembly.

The Passport Canada Mobile Passport Unit, will be in town this Wednesday and Thursday .

They will review and accept your completed passport applications.

It will run from noon until 8pm at the Quality Hotel in Gregoire.

Cash and debits payments will not be accepted, so be sure you have your certified cheque, money order or credit card handy.

For more information you can call 1-800-567-6868, or visit their website: www.passportcanada.gc.ca.

A man leaving his home was badly beaten and robbed on Sunday.

The victim was attacked by two men in the lobby of his apartment building on Ross Haven Drive around 1:00 am on August 2, 2009.

One of the suspects allegedly restrained the man while the other assaulted him until he lost consciousness.

The victim suffered facial injuries and was treated in hospital, he has since been released.

The suspects made off with cash.

The two suspects are described as follows:

Suspect #1

- Caucasian
- Tall and thin with dark complexion
- 20-23 years of age
- Wearing dark shoes and dark jeans described as skater clothes

- A black shirt with a logo of a band on the front

Suspect #2

- Caucasian and shorter than the first suspect

- 17-20 years of age

- Short hair wearing a baseball cap

- Wearing a coloured shirt and blue jeans (possibly American Eagle)

- White shoes

The Persons Crime Section are actively investigating this matter. RCMP are asking that if anyone has any information concerning this crime to call the Fort McMurray RCMP at 780-788-4000, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Fort McMurray RCMP have released surveillance photos of a male who allegedly bear sprayed an employee at Uncle Bill's in Thickwood.
The suspect, believed to be in his early 20's entered the store around 5:00 am on July 31, 2009 to buy a sandwich.
He became upset, saying the sandwich was too hard and threw it towards a garbage.
When he was asked to leave, he told the employee he would return.
He did, roughly 20 minutes later, this time with a black mask covering his face and a can of bear spray.
He sprayed the employee then fled on foot.

Police continue to investigate this assault and are asking nyone who may have witnessed the incident or has any information concerning the incident or identity of the suspect is asked to contact the Fort McMurray RCMP at 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Rain has been coming down hard in the Wood Buffalo region this morning.

So hard, in fact, that Mix Listeners have called into let us know of some massive flooding in the Gregoire area.

Reports say there are massive floods on Gregoire Drive near McDonalds, and also on MacKenzie Boulevard near the SPCA.

Mix Listeners say anyone with a small vehicle will have little to no chance of getting their car through the water in that area.

At last update, RCMP and RMWB crews were on the scene.

Photo courtesy of Paul Jones, Radisson Hotel in Fort McMurray.

Police have issued witness warrants for a pair of females believed to be living here in Fort McMurray.

23-year old Sabah Adad and 24-year old Sabah Warsame have been avoiding subpoena service, in relation to an August 2008 homicide investigation at the River Cree Casino in Edmonton.

Police say neither female is considered to be dangerous, but are asking the public that anyone with information regarding their whereabouts, call 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers.

An altercation at Uncle Bill's in Thickwood didn't end well for an employee of the store.

5 am this morning, a man went into the store to purchase a sandwich.

He was upset, saying the sandwich was too hard and threw it at a garbage can.

When he was asked to leave, the man said he would return, and did so 20 minutes later with bear spray and a black mask on.

He sprayed the stunned employee, and then took off on foot.

Police are now looking for a a man with the following description:

- Caucasian

- 5 foot 7 inches

- 21 to 22 years old

- short brown hair

- blue jeans and a white hooded sweater

If you have any information on this, please call police at 780-788-4000 or call crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Just one day after we told you Petro Canada's second quarter profits were less than impressive.

Imperial Oil is reporting a similar situation.

The energy giant said they made 209-million from April to June, or 25 cents a share.

The same time period last year they made almost 1.2-billion or one dollar and 28 cents a share.

That's a fall of 82 per cent.

An issue that has generated a lot of recent attention in Fort McMurray will be front and centre today.

As Friends of Medicare, along with local resident Jean Jensen, is holding a rally to protest the provincial government's decision to defer the construction of a $35-million, 48 bed long term care facility for local seniors.

Friends of Medicare Executive Director, David Eggen says thanks in part to our local MLA taking a stand against his own government, they were able to start two new chapters.

Boutilier was dismissed from the Tory Caucus two weeks ago today, for criticising his party and supporting the centre.

The rally will begin at noon on the steps of the municipal building.

Wood Buffalo residents have set a new recycling record.

Over the first six months of 2009 more than 496 tonnes of material was diverted from the local landfill; that's an increase of 39 per cent over the same time period of last year.

Mayor Melissa Blake called the achievement truly remarkable, encouraging residents to continue breaking our own records.

A Fort McMurray man wanted by both police and his family has turned himself in.

21 year old Stephen Mark King was arrested by Ste Rose du Lac RCMP in Manitoba late last night and is now at the Dauphin Correctional Centre awaiting transportation back to Alberta.

King was wanted for warrants issued in relation to a June 21, 2009 armed robbery at a residence on Hall Crescent.

He failed to show up for court on July 6, 2009 and was reported missing by his family five days later.

Upon his return to Fort McMurray, a new court date will be scheduled.

A second suspect in the robbery, 19 year old Justin Key, was arrested in Manitoba last week.

A major drug bust could mean a lengthily prison sentence for two young Fort McMurray men.

Some Petro Canada and Suncor execs will be looking for a new gig.

Layoff notices were handed out to some senior Vice Presidents.

Officials say it has nothing to do with the state of the job market, but to do with streamling operations for the upcoming merger.

The deal is expected to close August 1st, and that's when the layoffs take effect.

After that date, all staff will find out their own fates within six weeks.

A man from Lacombe is reported to have been killed in a tragic incident at the Athabasca University this week.

37-year old Darryl Binder leaves behind his wife and five children.

He is originally from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and worked for Chandos Construction.

The company was contracted out to work on the University building.

Binder was climbing a 16-foot wall when he fell off, and landed on some rebar below.

Occupational Health and Safety are now investigating the incident.

They have up to two years to make a decision as to whether charges will be laid.

Fort McMurray RCMP are still looking for 21-year-old Stephen Mark King.

He failed to appear in court July 6, and is wanted on outstanding firearm and robbery charges.

King's Family have also reported him missing two weeks ago; they say they have not seen or heard from King since June 27.

Police say he may be in Manitoba.

King is described as caucasian, about 5 foot 10, blonde hair, blue eyes and two tattoos.

If you have any information about where King may be, police are asking you call them at 780-788-4000 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

One local teenager and another man have been charged, after showing a little too much of their personality on July 11th.

The twosome were allegedly drinking outside an Abasand Pub around 1 am, and attempted to enter.

When asked for ID, one of the males exposed himself to the staff member, and then the pair took off in a blue Ford Ranger.

Police were waiting when they came back to the area later, and a 16-year old who can not be named and 19-year old Justin Lindsay were arrested.

The youth faces six charges including commiting an indecent act, while Lindsay faces one count of obstructing a peace officer.

The court will be busy this afternoon.

23 year-old Bryan Ethier and  20 year-old Zekaria Abdi are facing drug and firearm related charges.

Both have plead not guilty.

Police arrested Either and Abdi back in May after finding drugs, cash, vehicles and a gun from a home on Beardsley Crescent.

Calgary's Ahmed Dawed-Baker faces 12 drug related charges after police arrested him twice for drug possession in the beginning of July.

Christine Harper and Bradley Garrett are also in court today.

Both face drug and firearm related charges.

Police arrested Harper and Garret after finding marijuana, a rifle and drug paraphernalia at a house on Signal Road a few weeks ago.

Students and staff have been left speechless after a fatal fall at the Athabasca University yesterday.

Occupational Health and Safety says a worker fell from a 16-foot high wall, and landed on rebar around 9:30 am.

The name of the victim has been been released at this point.

O-H&S are on the scene to investigate the incident.

A local First Nations group is speaking out in response to a report outlining five threats to the oil sands.

The report was written by Canadian Professor Tom Flanagan, and is entitled "Resource Industries and Security Issues in Northern Alberta".

It targeted First Nations as a possible source of violence against industry.

Pat Marcel, an elder with the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation says the allegations are outrageous, and that Flanagan needed to do more research, and that any issues First Nations groups have with industry have been and will be dealt with in a legal way.

To view the report online, check out  this link: http://www.cdfai.org/PDF/Resource%20Industries%20and%20Security%20Issues%20in%20Northern%20Alberta.pdf

Communities in Bloom judges have come and gone.

They were touring the city from Tuesday to Saturday of last week.

Karen Puga with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo told Mix News the visit was very positive, but that the judges typically gave no hints as to how Wood Buffalo compared to other areas in Canada, keeping very tight lipped.

Puga says she was proud, however, to show the judges the innovative and creative things we do in the region.

Wood Buffalo residents will find out how they stack up against the other cities in October, during the Communities in Bloom National Conference.

The risk for new wildfires in the region has jumped.

Wildfire Information says the risk is now high due to dry conditions over the weekend.

Wildfire Information Officer Megan Steistol told Mix News there are currently no fires burning in the region but 21 across the province.

Steistol added that since there is no lightning forecasted; the biggest risk for new starts would be human related fires.

Wildfire Information asks that campers properly extinguish all fires and OHV riders make sure that debris is kept off their vehicles to prevent fires.

Steistol says if there are new starts over the next few days; they are ready for them.

Despite the warmer tempetures, our regions forest fire hazard remains low today.

More good news, as there are no active wildfires burning at this time.

To date 71 fires have scorched more than 30,000 thousand hectares of land in the Waterways Management Area.

More than eight months after a body was found burning in a remote wooded area north of Lac La Biche, police still have very few answers.

Hunters discover the victim in November, which a medical examiner later determined was that of a male between 25 ad 55 years old.

His identity and the circumstances surrounding his death remain unknown.

Investigators have released a photograph of a remnant that is believed to be from a blanket or some form of cloth that was recovered from the scene.

Tips can be passed along to Lac La Biche RCMP at 780-623-4012 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800- 222-8477 (TIPS).

The public is being asked to assist the Fort McMurray RCMP in their search for a wanted criminal.

Daniel Milligan, who also goes by the names Randall Milligan or Daniel MacPhee, is originally from Nova Scotia, but is believed to be residing in Fort McMurray.

The 26 year old has a history of domestic violence and is wanted on multiple warrants, including assault, theft and impersonation, which were issued by local police as well as RCMP in Morinville and Boyle.

He's described as:

- Caucasian male
- Approximately 5'11"

- Between 180-200 lbs

- Brown hair

- Hazel eyes

- Several tattoos including: "outlaw" written on his back - between his shoulders, "mom" written on one of his upper arms, a picture of a skull with "dead rat" written over top on his right bicep, a picture of a skull wearing a cowboy hat on his left upper shoulder and three other tattoos of words written on his neck and right and left forearm.

Anyone with information on Milligan is asked to call police at 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

The Fort McMurray Fire Department believes arson was behind a rash of fires that destroyed four trailers last week.

The blazes began on Monday at the former Clearwater Trailer Park on Riedel Street.

Fire fighters were called back to the site Thursday and again Friday.

Tany Yao, Assistant Deputy Chief with the Fort McMurray Fire Department says the suspicion of the abandoned trailers being ignited in a small area in such a short time gives them reason to believe they were purposely set.

The park has been vacant since it's occupants were evicted on June 30th, as the site is set to be redeveloped into high density residential units.

Two Fort McMurray residents will make their first court appearance on July 28, 2009 aafter being charged in relation to a search warrant that was executed on July 17th, 2009.

Christine Leanne Harper, 26 years old and Bradley Jake Garrett, 21 years old have both been charged with four offences:

- 2 counts of Possession of Cannabis Marijuana
- 1 count of Possession of Cocaine for the purpose of Trafficking
- 1 count of Possession of Proceeds of Crime under $5000.00

Harper was released on $5000.00 cash bail Recognizance and Garrett was release on $2500.00 cash bail Recognizance.
A second 21 year old male was released from police custody on process.
However, until his charges have been formalized, his name can not be released.
The RCMP encourages the public to report any suspicious activities related to the drug subculture. This can be done by contacting the RCMP directly at (780) 788-4000 or through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

An investigation is underway into the assault of a 21 year old man.

The victim was left with serious injuries after police received reports of men fighting in the parking lot of the Mac's store downtown early Sunday morning.

The victim was taken to hospital before being air lifted to Edmonton.

After 12 years of serving as a member of the Tory Caucus, Fort McMurray - Wood Buffalo MLA Guy Boutilier was kicked out Friday.
Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach notified Boutilier of his dismissal over the phone.
The news came just days after the MLA criticized his own party for putting off the construction of a $35 million long term care facility that had been promised 18 months ago.
Emails between Boutilier and a constituent were also made public, in which the Boutilier stated Health Minister Ron Liepert was, "talking gibberish", when he said there was no urgent need for the centre in Fort McMurray.
Mix News spoke to Boutilier Saturday morning, where he expressed shock over his firing, "It's a sad day for Alberta and I will continue to fight for senior citizens and for the constituents that elected me democratically," said Boutilier.

The veteran Conservative also says during his conversation with Stelmach, his request for a face-to-face meeting with the Premier was denied, as was an appearance before the caucus.

Boutilier was also removed from the Treasury Board and will now serve his riding as an independent MLA.

Local firefighters are currently battling two small blazes northwest of Fort McMurray.

After days of no fires burning in our area, five were sparked over the last 24 hours, three quickly extinguished.

the current forest fire hazard sits at moderate but rain in the forecast could drop it to low over the weekend.

Over 70 fires have destroyed more than 30,000 hectares of land so far this year.

Weeks after it's occupants were evicted, a fire broke out at the former Clearwater Trailer Park this morning.
Fire crews arrived at Unit 35 - 31 Riedel Street around 5:30, where a trailer was fully engulfed in flames.
It took nearly 20 fire fighters two hours to extinguish the blaze.
No one was injured and an investigation into the cause is now underway.
At this point, arson has not been ruled out.
This is the second fire at the site this week, both have been labelled suspicious.
The park will soon be cleared for higher density residential developments, in accordance with the Lower Townsite Redevelopment Plan.

The latest episode of Fort McMurray's dumbest criminals was played out yesterday.

As an alleged drug dealer was arrested just four days after posting bail.

25-year-old Ahmed Dawed-Baker of Calgary was nabbed on Friday and slapped with six offenses, including trafficking cocaine.

Yesterday, he was placed in custody again after RCMP pulled him over, knowing he didn't have his driver's licence.

Police also found roughly 16 grams of what is believed to be cocaine.

Dawed-Baker will remain in police custody until his July 21, 2009 court appearance.

Those of you who drive on the Poplar Creek Bridge, to get to and from work, should expect a slow down today and tomorrow.

Road surface repaires will reduce Highway 63's southbound lanes to one lane.

Commuters are asked to obey all signs and note that fines for speeding are doubled during construction.

The current economic downtown has provided a perfect time for Alberta's oilsands to slow it's growth.

That's according to former premier Peter Lougheed, who says a decrease in development would reduce costs throughout the province.

Don Thompson, President of the Oil Sands Developers Group, says it's unfair to point out one particular sector.

Lougheed feels the government should allow only one surface mining project at a time, but that the lower-cost underground bitumen recovery projects could proceed at a higher pace.

It's a 30-year anniversary for Fort McMurray Tourism... and they're having a party.

From 11 to 2, Fort McMurray Tourism staff and volunteers will be serving up hot dogs, hamburgers and birthday cake.

But it's not very often that on your own birthday, that you have to serve the food.

Tourism's Gina Davis said they just wanted to thank the community for being so supportive of them for 30 years.

The event is happening at the tourism office on highway 63 south of the city, everyone is invited to attend.

Local movie maker Eric Janvier is looking for the next Captain Duke Gordon.

Janvier is the writer, producer and director of Zombie Amazon Women from Mars.

A movie which is to be casted and filmed right here in Fort McMurray.

Janvier says he had the lead role of Duke Gordon casted, but the actor backed out due to time restraints.

Janvier says the character is a likeable guy; the typical hero-type you would see in a movie.

If you think you've got the talent, drop eric a line at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The trial of an Alberta man arrested last August... will begin this August.

Douglas Charland, of Cold Lake, is accused of threatening to behead two Greyhound bus passengers, travelling from Fort McMurray to Edmonton.
Brothers Josh and Andrew MacDougall claim the accused was talking erratically before taking out a knife and stabbing a seat.
They notified the driver who called police, who subdued Charland with pepper spray.

He faces multiple charges including assault and uttering threats and has pled not guilty.

The public will still have input when it comes to health care in the province.

It was announced today that twelve new health advisory councils will be established.

In order to replace the 59 groups which operated under the former health regions.

Each new council will represent a new geographical area, and will consist of ten to fifteen members, including a chairperson.

Five alleged drug dealers will appear in court today.

23 year olds Kevin White and Kathryn Thomas, along with 22 year old Chad Ackerman were all charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking back in March.
That's after police seized crack cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana and cash from a home in Timberlea; while 27 year old Neil Coates and 29 year old Jessica White will make their first court appearance.

The two were arrested in June after police executed a search warrant at 493 Harpe Way and they found roughly 35 grams of cocaine and 17 grams of magic mushrooms.

Fort McMurray RCMP are investigating an assault that sent one man to hospital with serious injuries.

Police located the victim in a parking lot across from the Riedel Trailer Park at around 12:40 am Sunday.

The man was taken to hospital with critical injuries but his condition has since improved to stable.

RCMP have no one in custody but are actively searching for a male suspect described as :

- Caucasian male

- 5'7" to 6' tall

- 200 lbs

- Approximately 25 years of age

- short light hair

- Large build

- Tattoo of a rose and vines on left arm as well as a tattoo on one left or right calf

Anyone with information is asked to call 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers.

Fort McMurray RCMP have taken more drugs off our streets.
On Friday police made two arrests and seized over $4700 in cash plus one ounce of crack cocaine.
Police also found a stolen LG Flat Screen TV from one of the vehicles involved in the takedown.
25-year old Ahmed Dawed-Baker from Calgary and 40-year old Dwayne Frederick Ralph from Fort McMurray have been charged in connection to the matter.

Two more males and a female were arrested in a drug bust Sunday.
This time involving 7.5 pounds of Marijuana, 4.1 pounds of hash and 17 grams of hash oil found at 144 Beaumont Crescent in Beacon Hill
40-year old Andrew Waddell, 21-year old Amanda Simmonds and 43-year old James Hanney are now facing charges in connection to the crime.

A local teenager continued his run from the law yesterday.

A week after fleeing police on Thickwood Boulevard, 19 year old Shane Thomas was a no show in court.

Last Thursday RCMP had attempted to pull Thomas over because of an expired registration on his vehicle.

He then ran into oncoming traffic and was hit by a flatbed truck.

Thomas received minor injuries and was later released into police custody.

He did show up in court Monday facing one count of Obstruct a Peace Officer and one count of Fail to Appear, but skipped out on yesterday's proceedings relating to two Traffic Safety Act Violations.

An warrant for his arrest has now been issued.

Sinopec Shanghai Engineering says they can prove they don't own money to oil sands workers.

The Province says three million dollars is owed to more than 130 foreign former CNRL workers, but Sinopec now says they have legal documents that say Yun-Gang agreed to contribute part of his wages, to social welfare and insurance funds in China.

A local man is left scratching his head after a possible incident of internet fraud.

Greg Simmons of Fort McMurray says he got an email from BMW automoble company stating he won a car, and it would be sent from the UK to Canada for him free of charge.

Mix News researched the company name and information in the letter, and discovered write ups stating it was fraud.

If you think you may be a victim of fraud... check out www.phonebusters.com

For Anzac residences the wait is now over.

The RMWB have just put up a new welcome sign at the entrance of the community.

Anzac is the first sign to be put up as part of an initiative to give Wood Buffalo a needed face lift.

Councillor Mike Allen told Mix News he was happy to be part of a committment to give the region a more user friendly environment .

Allan also says the news signs are a symbol of identity for all residences.

The next year or so, the municipality plans to put new signs for all the rural communities in the region.

RMWB will be launching a synthetic ice pilot project today.

The project will be at the Syncrude Timberlea Athletic Park and run for 10 days.

Manager of Parks, Recreation and Culture, Glen Smith told Mix News they want people to try out the ice and give them their opinion.

Smith also says from 7:30 to 10 pm, there will be an open skate for anyone that wants to come out.

If you tried to bring some new items down to the local thrift store over the past few days, you may have been turned away.

Mix News spoke with the local Salvation Army; who advised us their store was overwhelmed with items and had some fire code issues to address before they could take more stuff in.

The issue was fixed today, and the store is now taking in new items.

Captain Randy Hale says business hours are 10 am until 4:30, and donations need to be dropped off at the back door during those times.

Construction on new homes last month more than tripled compared to June of 2008.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is reporting 317 new homes were started in the Wood Buffalo Region, up from 92 last year.

The biggest difference came in the building of apartments, which rose from 54 units, to 294 year-over-year.

Overall however, 2009 has not been the best year for home builders, as construction is down nearly 16 per cent in the first six months of 2009 compared to the same time period of 2008.

If you have purchased a playpen with the Kolcraft brand name, you may want to think twice before putting your child in it.

The company is recalling almost one million of their portable playpen cribs, which were sold in Canada at Toys R Us stores and Wal-Mart.

Apparently the recall order said a side rail may fail to latch properly, and could collapse if a child pushes on it.

For more details on the recall... check out this link: www.cpsc.gov

Fort McMurray RCMP are still looking into a Motorhome fire incident that happened early last month.

Police initially got a report of gun shots at the Ravine Park in Athabasca Avenue, but found that it was the tires of the Motorhome that exploded.

Police later found that other Motorhomes had been damaged in previous incidents.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact police at 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Local RCMP are clarifying some details in a story written in Tuesday's edition of the Fort McMurray Today.

The article, entitled "RCMP shifting focus to gangs" talked about our local department shifting it's focus from the drug unit, to a larger gang enforcement unit.

In a release, the police want to make clear that their drug section is not being disbanded, but that the detatchment is working with the province and the municipality to establish a gang unit in Fort McMurray.

This will be in addition to the current drug section.

Local RCMP have reported a crash on Franklin Avenue Wednesday morning.

The incident happened around 11 am near the Tamarack Village.

The driver in the incident was allegedly turning right.

When she crashed a 14-year old boy on a bicycle, who received minor injuries to his left hand.

Police say no charges will be laid at this time.

More than 11-thousand individuals are being warned.

After a computer virus made it's way into the Edmonton Alberta Health Services network.

Personal information may have been obtained from back in May.

However, officials say it is unlikely that the info will be used for unauthorized purposes.

The virus has since been removed, and AHS is now going through a review of their IT security measures.

June production numbers from Suncor Energy have been announced.

The company says they averaged 306-thousand barrels per day, just a smidge over their yearly target.

Suncor is targetting 300-thousand barrels per day for 2009.

The oil sands giant reported last week they sent out letters to shareholders.

Filling them in on what to do with their share certificates if the merger closes.

The highway 63 twinning project south of the city appears to the average person to be at a stand still.

However, according to Alberta Transportation and Infrastructure, that's not the case at all.

Communiations Rep Heather Kazuba says the federal environmental studies for the upcoming section have been completed.

The next step is the prepare the tender, but no word on specifics like when or how much of the section.

Kazuba says the province will issue an advisory when more details become available.

An incident from over a year ago will mean one year probation and a two year firearms ban for one local youth.

The 16-year old male can not be named under the youth criminal justice act.

But was charged with five criminal code offences, in relation to a home invasion robbery with the use of firearms.

The victims in the case were bound by masked gunmen, who robbed the home owner of drugs and money.

The youth will serve one year probation and a two year firearms ban for his participation in the act.

The co-accused in the matter; Scott Brown, remains in Police Custody and his preliminary hearing begins in August.

OXFAM says a new report entitled Suffering the Science is their proof that climate change will lead to world hunger.

The report was released this week, which has top climate scientists discussing the latest scientific reports on climate change in about 100 countries around the world.

The report says floods and other natural disasters prevent a lot of crop growth in developing countries.

Local OXFAM rep Blake Crossley says climate change is slowly becoming a global issue, not just for the poor countries but for places like Canada as well.

Crossley says today, OXFAM will be at the G8 summit in Italy.

To pressure the rich nations to come up with an aid plan for the developing countries.

Check out the report here: http://www.oxfam.org/en/policy/bp130-suffering-the-science

20-year-old Sheena Antoine will appear in court July 13.

Antoine was arrested and charged for assaulting another woman in the McMurray Gospel Assembly parking lot.

This will be Antoine's sixth court appearence.

Meanwhile, today 45-year-old Ahmed Ashkir will be in court.

Ashkir is charged with assault and forcible confinement.

Two 15-year-old girl got into an argument with Ashkir when he would not return the change from the fare.

Ashkir got angry and attacked the girls with a chisel in his cab at the bottom of Abasand hill.

Layoffs are now being felt in Saskatchewan due to cut backs on projects in Wood Buffalo.

Modus Inc, a modular structure manufacturing plant based in Swift Current, has laid off most of it's employees.

Officials say it's largely the result of the suspension of the Suncor Voyager upgrader.

A project in which Modus held a 54-million dollar contract, to build 15-hundred portable accomodation units for the workers.

40 employees were given layoffs with the company, narrowing them down to 20 employees total.

At peak employment back in November, the plant operated with about 130 workers.

The summer is here and so are the summer camps in Fort McMurray.

The Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre is one of the organizations that launched their summer program yesterday.

Camp Mocikan, which is Cree for "It Is Fun", will be running from July 6 to Aug 28.

SSWC's Michelle Dolmont told Mix News the kids are having lots of fun, and that there is still time to register.

Meanwhile the YMCA and Girls INC have their own summer program going on as well.

45 year old Luc Girard will make his first appearance in court Monday.

Police arrested the accused Monday morning after allegedly stabbing a 53 year old man in the right thigh on Marshall Street.

The man went to hospital but had non life threatening injuries.

Girard faces assault related charges including, assault with a weapon, uttering threats and failing to comply with the conditions of an undertaking.

Court dates have been set for two local men.

Shane Thomas was charged last week after being pulled over on Thickwood Boulevard for expired plates.

He tried to run from police and was hit by an oncoming vehicle.

Thomas will be back Thursday morning for plea.

Christopher Smith will appear for a set date Monday morning

Smith was arrested and charged a couple of weeks ago, for allegedly hitting a parking car in Waterways while impaired.

An assault took place on Marshall Street Monday morning, and local Police are now investigating.

A 53-year old man received non life threatening injuries when he was stabbed in the right thigh early this morning.

The victim was taken to hospital, has been treated and since been released.

Police now have a 45-year old male in custody, and say more details will be released when they become available.

An Edmonton woman has died from the H1N1 virus last week.

Officials say the woman had pre existing medical conditions, but it's not clear what role the virus played in her death.

She passed away on June 30th.

No more details will be released due to privacy concerns.

This marks the second death in Alberta liked to Swine Flu.

Three people were taken to hospital with undetermined injuries, after a crash on highway 63 Sunday night.

Around suppertime, Police say a silverado was headed south bound, when he crossed the centre line and hit a north bound van, sending it rolling into the ditch.

The driver and passenger of the truck were not seriously injuried, but there were seven passengers in the van, and two of them had to be extracted from the vehicle.

Police say no charges have been laid at this time, but the investigation continues.

Despite the wildfire risk being downgraded, local firefighters have been working diligently in the region.

Over the weekend, three wildfires have been extinguished, we now have four fires currently burning in our area.

That's compared to seven reported on Friday.

Almost 22-thousand hectares of land has been charred since the beginning of the wildfire season this year.

An oil sands project which was the victim of the recession, is coming back to life.

The Algar oil sands project by Connacher Oil and Gas is expected to start up in the next few weeks.

Due to being able to raise the necessary funding, and stabilizing oil prices.

Production is expected to begin in the next few weeks, with a staff of about 260 people.

Three people will be appearing in Fort McMurray Court Monday morning.

30-year old Christopher Smith allegedly hit a parked car in waterways while impaired on June 17th.

Also, 20-year old Sheena Antoine will make her fifth appearance; after police say she assaulted another woman in the McMurray Gospel Assembly parking lot.

Meanwhile, 19-year old Shane Thomas will make his first appearance.

Thomas was the driver pulled over on Thickwood Boulevard last week for expired plates, when he attempted to run from police and was hit by an oncoming vehicle.

The man who fled from his vehicle into oncoming traffic on Thickwood Boulevard yesterday has been named.

Police say 19-year old Shane Clyde Thomas was being pulled over for having expired plates, and got out of his vehicle.

When he was hit by a flatbed truck around 10 am.

Police later found Thomas had an outstanding warrant for an assault.

He now has four charges against him, including obstructing a peace officer, and failing to appear.

He makes his first court appearance on Monday.

The Swine Flu has taken another life in Canada.

A Quebec woman in her 60's is the latest victim, making 31 Canadian deaths from the Swine Flu.

Meanwhile, across the province there are now over one thousand cases of the virus.

Northern Alberta has seen 56 total cases; Edmonton has seen almost 6-hundred.

Shareholders of Suncor Energy and Petro Canada will be expecting mail in the next little while.

The plan to merge the two companies has been in the works since March and is anticipated to close sometime between July to October.

The mail will include instructions in what do to with their share certificates if the merger closes.

Mac Island's face lift in the fall won't be complete without the construction to widen the road leading to it.

RMWB announced the construction is currently underway and will finish by September for the reopening of the island.

Project Engineer Hassan Lashari says commuters will not find any problems getting to the island while construction is underway.

But Lasari says commuters should pay attention to marked roadways and crew members and drive according to the conditions of the road.

The cooler, wet weather in the region has had a major impact on wildfires.

There are currently seven fires burning, with no new starts, and the risk for more is still sitting at low.

More than 21-thousand hectares of land has been charred by wildfires so far this season.

Wildfire Information is asking all local residents to completely extinguish all campfires, and always get a fire permit before they burn.

A routine stop by local RCMP resulted in injuries on Thickwood Boulevard Thursday morning.

RCMP pulled over a black dodge ram headed down Thickwood Boulevard.

The driver attempted to get out of his truck, and when he did so, he was struck by an oncoming vehicle.

Police say the man appeared to be conscious when he was taken to hospital, but there's no update on his injuries or condition at this time.

The east and westbound lanes of Thickwood Boulevard were closed down, holding traffic up for about one hour while crews worked on the scene.

Thickwood residents will get a little more active.

Canada's largest outdoor gym is ready to go.

The gym is along the asphalt trail in Thickwood and will have 50 pieces of equipment placed at four stations.

The green, black and brown equipment blends in with the surrounding trees to give the gym more of a nature look.

The gym project cost the municipality 250-thousand dollars to build.

Mix News has your complete Canada Day celebrations schedule.

To view it visit http://woodbuffalo.ab.ca/residents/events+festivals/canadaday/canadaday.asp?subnav=311&subsubnav=55

Happy 142nd birthday Canada!

In response to a public demand for more information regarding Alberta's oil sands industry, the Oil Sands Developers Group has launched a new web site.

The site includes interactive maps and comprehensive facts surrounding the industry.

The OSDG represents multiple mining and in-situ companies and collects information regarding development.

The site can be found at www.oilsandsdevelopers.ca

It seems the wildfire scare across our region is over.

No new fires have started over the past 24 hours and there are now seven active wildfires, down from ten last Friday.

In total, there have been 64 blazes in our this season and a total of 21,797 hectares of land have been destroyed so far.

A Fort McMurray man recently on trial for several sexual assault charges was sentenced to one month behind bars Friday.

The former tattoo artist, who cannot be named due to a publication ban, was found not guilty on 11 of 13 charges filed against him, including five counts of sexual assault and one count of counselling to commit murder.

A judge did however find him guilty of obstruction of justice and one count of assault.

A local man and woman were arrested Thursday after police seized drugs, cash and ammunition from a Timberlea home.

27 year old Neil Coates and 29 year old Jessica White now face four charges including possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Police executed a search warrant at 493 Harpe Way where they found roughly 35 grams of cocaine and 17 grams of magic mushrooms.

A large amount of cash and restricted ammo was also seized.

The pair were released on $2500 bail and will appear in court July 14, 2009

Two new wildfires have started in our region in the last 24 hours.

10 blazes are now currently buring in the Waterways Management Area, three listed as being held, seven under control.

The fire hazard remains at moderate.

A trial date has been set for 41 year old Lorraine Cardinal.

Cardinal faces several firearm related charges including including two counts of pointing of a firearm, one count unauthorized possession of a firearm and uttering threats against a person.

Police arrested Cardinal back in May after received reports of a woman barricading herself  in a shack armed with a rifle near a residence on Draper Road.

Her trial is set for August 13, 2009.

A Timberlea Street was put on lock down yesterday after a report of a man armed with a firearm was called into police.
RCMP set up a containment on Harpe Way and searched the area for nearly two hours.
However, no suspect was located and police cleared the area at roughly 6:00 pm.
The male can only be described as dark skinned, possibly black and wearing jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 780-788-4000.

Users of the Birchwood Trails will notice construction taking place beginning Monday.

Work is being done on several aspects of the trails including repairing and replacing bridges, improving drainage and upgrading paths from dirt to gravel.

Residents will still be able to enjoy the trails throughout the summer, but are advised to watch for signage and follow instructions.

Sirens and helicopters were seen in the Snye Park area yesterday afternoon.

RCMP say they received a report from a concerned citizen saying four people were in the Snye waving for attention.

Police were unsure if it was a call for help or if the people in the Snye were simply waiving hello.

Constable Karolina Malik told Mix News the four people were safely located.

Fort McMurray RCMP is investigating an armed robbery, which occurred at approximately 5:00 PM on June 21, 2009 at a residence located on Hall Crescent.
RCMP responded to the residence and were advised that two male victims were walking in the area of Harpe Way when they were approached by two male suspects.

One of the suspects showed what was believed to be a hand gun tucked into the front of his belt, and allegedly threatened the victims.

The two suspects and two victims walked to the residence on Hall crescent where the suspects then demanded money from the victims.
The suspects made away with an undisclosed amount of cash and a cell phone and were then seen leaving in a vehicle with a third male inside.
On June 22, 2009 a Search Warrant was executed on a residence located on Macdonald Drive.

The search of the residence resulted in the seizure of a loaded 9mm handgun believed to be related to the robbery, aloaded sawed off semi automatic shotgun and small amounts of substances believed to be marijuana and ecstasy.

A 17 year old male youth and 21 year old Stephen Mark King both from Fort McMurray have each been charged as follows:

- 1 count of Uttering Threats
- 1 count of Robbery with a Firearm
- 1 count of Carrying a concealed weapon
- 1 count of Possession of a Weapon for Dangerous Purpose
- 1 count of Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm
- 1 count of Possession of a Firearm when Knowing Unauthorized

- 1 count of Possession of a Firearm in a motor vehicle
- 1 count of Using a Firearm in the commission of an Offence

In addition to the above 8 charges, KING has also been charged with:
- 5 counts of Failure to Comply with Conditions of Recognizance by a Justice

In addition to the above 8 charges, the youth has also been charged
with:
- 1 count of failure to comply with a disposition by the Youth Court

- 1 count of Disobeying a Court Order

King will make his first court appearance on July 6, 2009.

The teen has been remanded in police custody, his first court appearance is set for June 29, 2009.

RCMP are also looking for a third male identified as 19 year old Justin Stewart Key of Fort McMurray.

A warrant for his arrest has been issued in relation to this incident, he is considered by police to be dangerous.

Anyone who has any information concerning this crime or KEY's whereabouts is asked to call the Fort McMurray RCMP at (780) 788-4000, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), www.crimestoppers.ab.ca

A 67 year old Fort McMurray man was arrested last Wednesday after allegedly attacking another man with a knife.

The 32 year old victim was travelling along Manning Avenue on his motorcycle, when Mohamed Hased began driving closely behind him.

The man stopped to confront the driver and an argument ensued before Hased allegedly swung a utility knife, striking the victim in the right side of his face, causing non-life threatening injuries.

The victim was treated in hospital while Hased was charged with three offenses including assault with a weapon and will appear in court Tuesday.

Claude Giroux was introduced as Executive Director for Events Wood Buffalo today.

The Canadian born theatre expert will be responsible for planning and executing numerous community events within the region.

Giroux, who has previous experience as an artistic director and producer, will also focus on helping other groups create events.

A fallen tree knocked out power to an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 thousand homes this morning.

Atco Electric confirmed the tree struck a power line on Woodland Drive around 8:30 am.

Crews then shutdown power at 10:40 am in order to safely repair the damage, that effected homes in Thickwood, Wood Buffalo, Dickensfield and Timberlea.

A employee with Atco told Mix News electricity is expected to be fully restored by 11:30 this morning.

Crews from all over Canada and Mexico continue to work on wildfires in the region and across the province.

In our area, we have sixteen wildfires still burning, there were nineteen of them yesterday.

Four of the fires are considered out of control, the largest is still fire 24, which is the same one that shut down highway 63 earlier in the week.

That fire is burning at more than 11-thousand hectares today.

Boaters are also advised they can now use Gregoire Lake.

The Lake had previously been closed as firefighters were using it as a water source.

It's could be a scary situation for anyone who's been inked at Zipp's Tattoo and Museum recently.

Alberta Health Services says if you've been tattooed there anytime between Jan 09 and now you need to be tested for Hep B or C and HIV.

The parlour was closed this month due to infringing on health regulations.

Such as reusing instruments that had not been properly sanitized, not cleaning surfaces properly...

And even tattooing animals in the studio.

The Fort McMurray airport will be less one airline booth.

Corporate Express laid off employees and suspended it's Canadian Transportation license yesterday.

Officials with the company say they just aren't making enough money to make ends meet.

Useage since January has fallen as low as 20 per cent capacity.

The airline had been flying once a day to Fort McMurray;  that's down from their previous two scheduled flights daily.

A lack of visibility on highway 63 due to wildfires this week didn't hold speeders back.

From Monday to Wednesday, Boyle Police focused their attention on highway 63.

They pulled over 340 vehicles, and laid 142 charges for speeding.

41 charges were also laid for other violations like lack of seatbelts.

The worst offence was probably on Tuesday, when a 55-year old man was caught doing 202 kilometers an hour.

Following a two week trial, a verdict in the case of a former Fort McMurray tattoo artist is expected this afternoon.

A publication ban issued on the trial prevents the release of the names of the accused, the victim and the witnesses.

The accused faces 12 sexual assault charges along with one count of counselling to commit murder and an additional charge of obstruction of justice.

During the trial, the female victim, the defendant's wife and the accused all took the stand.

A female passenger was taken to an Edmonton hospital following a two vehicle crash in Waterways late last night.

Around 11:00 pm RCMP responded to Bulyea Avenue where a Chevrolet Cavalier had hit a parked Chevy Avalanche.

The female was one of four passengers in the Cavalier, no one else was injured.

An investigation led police to discover the license plate on the cavalier had been reported stolen in May and that 30 year old Christopher Smith of Red Deer was the driver and was impaired by alcohol.

Smith, who was also wanted on 14 outstanding warrants from Red Deer, faces an additional 11 charges and will be in court Monday.

Both major routes south of Fort McMurray remain open today despite the forest fire that closed down Highway 63 on Monday, growing to nearly 12,000 hectares.

Fire 24 is one of 19 currently burning in the region, five of those classified as out of control.

Just one new blaze began over the past 24 hours, while 57 fires are active across Alberta.

Officials are also reminding residents that boating is not permitted on Gregoire Lake as it is being used as a water station for wildfire operations.

A Fort McMurray cab driver has been charged after an assault on two local girls.
Police say 45-year old Ahmed Ashkir was charged with four criminal code offences, including assault with a weapon and forcible confinement.
The two 15-year old victims say they were taking a taxi to a residence in Abasand and got into an argument with the driver after he would not return their change from the fare.
He then drove away from the residence without dropping the girls off and assaulted them with a chisel at the bottom of Abasand Hill, causing minor injuries to both teens.

Ashkir made his second court appearance today.

Highway 63 has been reopened this afternoon, but motorists are still being advised to use Highway 881.

The road opened at 3:15 pm after forest fires forced it's closure yesterday.
Crews have been battling the blaze and visibility has improved enough for Alberta Transportation to reopen the highway, but say it could be closed again at anytime, as the fire is still listed as out of control.
The fire adjacent to Highway 881 is also still burning but visibility on that road is clear at the moment.

24 wildfires are currently buring in our region, including Fire 24 which has shutdown Highway 63.

Below is a map of forest fires burning close to Fort McMurray.

At approximately 5:30 am this morning, the Fort McMurray RCMP were contacted by Search and Rescue advising that they had located the body of a male in the Clearwater River by the Snye.

 RCMP have identified the body as being that of 19 year old Adam Roth, who was reported missing on May 31st, 2009 after the canoe he was in capsized on the Clearwater River.
Since then, search efforts included the Clearwater leading into the Athabasca River, its shorelines and airspace over the river.

Search and Rescue; Sustainable Resource Development; Suncor and Syncrude Fire and Rescue, Willbros Canada; Phoenix Helicopter and Civil Air Search and Rescue all assisted with the search.

A 2,000 hectare wildfire has closed down Highway 63 this afternoon.

The blaze is burning roughly 50 kilometres south of Fort McMurray and all traffic is being rerouted to Highway 881.

Winds are pushing the fire towards the highway and smoke is visible in the area, but no residences are in danger.

Full resources including air tankers, helicopters and ground-based firefighters are battling the blaze.

The duration of the highway closure is unknown and Mix News will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Local police have identified 20 year old Dennis MacPherson, from Fort McMurray, as the male who died in Friday evening's fatal collision involving a motorcycle and pick up truck carrying a trailer.
Both vehicles were driving west bound up Thickwood Blvd when the driver of the truck was proceeding to change lanes to the right lane.

The motorcycle was closing in on the truck at a high rate of speed when it collided with the truck and trailer.
Charges will not be laid as a result of this collision.

Wood Buffalo residents may have seen smoke billowing in the distance while travelling this weekend.

Wildfire Information has advised we have 11 remaining fires burning in the Slave Lake, Lac La Biche and Fort McMurray areas.

About 300 Firefighters are working hard to put out the fires, however none of these are actually threatening any of the nearby communities.

The fires are said to have been caused by the lightning and hot weather we experienced over the weekend.

Just as a student get's his or her report card every semester, Alberta also received it's own report card today.  

The Fraser Institute's Annual Report Card analyzed relevant data to rate and rank 283 public, private, separate, and charter high schools province wide.

The report shows the schools overall rating out of 10. The higher the rate the higher the rank of the school.

Fort McMurray's Westwood puplic high school rated 7 out of 10.

Father Patrick Mercredi high school rated 5.4 and Fort McMurray Composite rated 4.6.

To view the report and its results, visit www.fraserinstitute.org

Police say no charges will be laid in the fatal crash which happened on Thickwood Boulevard Friday evening.

A motorcycle and a pick up truck with a trailer attached were travelling west bound up Thickwood boulevard, when the driver of the truck was attempting to change lanes from the middle to the right lane.

Police say the motorcycle was closing in on the truck at a high rate of speed and crashed into the back of the truck and trailer.

The man on the motorcycle was taken to Northern Lights Regional Hospital where he died as a result of his injuries.

The driver of the truck was not hurt in the incident.

At approximately 11:00 am the Fort McMurray RCMP were contacted by Suncor Emergency Services advising that they had located one of the missing canoeists in the Clearwater River.

Suncor Emergency Services was assisting Search and Rescue and located the body just off shore between King Street and Marshall Street in the Clearwater River.
RCMP have identified the body as being that of 19 year old Devon Rock, who was reported missing on May 31st, 2009 after the canoe he was in capsized on the Clearwater River.
Meanwhile, the second male who was reported missing, 19 year old Adam Roth, has not been located.

Search and Rescue will continue to search the Clearwater and Athabasca River by boat and by plane.
Fort McMurray RCMP and Search and Rescue urges anyone in the area who comes across anything that could relate to the disappearance of Adam Roth to contact Fort McMurray RCMP at 780-788-4000 immediately.

An argument outside of the McMurray Gospel Assembly resulted in a female being seriously injured this morning.

The victim was taken to the Northern Lights Regional Hospital before being airlifted to Edmonton.

An investigation involving police, the RCMP Forensic Identification Unit and Plain Clothes officers is now underway.

Anyone who witnessed the assault or has any information is asked to call 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers.

Clip it. Bag it. Curb it. is the new slogan for RMWB's curbside garden waste pickup program.

Starting June 22, citizens will be able to bag garden and yard waste for pickup by the municipality.

Deputy Mayor Sharon Clarkson says its a great initiative to divert the waste from the landfill and put it to better use.

Clarkson also says it's important to make sure that the waste is put in clear bags that's marked as compostable and biodegradable.

Suncor, Rona Home Center and The Fort McMurray 4-H club all support of the initiative.

For more information on the program visit www.recycle-more.ca.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo announced yesterday that the boil water advisory in Fort Chipewyan has been lifted.

Alberta Health Services lifted the advisory at 1:39 Thursday afternoon, after samples taken from the community's water treatment plant on June 5, June 7 and June 9 all came back negative for bacteria.

Apartment vacancies were up, while rent went down within the Wood Buffalo Region between April of last year compared to April 2009.

The April vacancy rate increased from just 0.1 % in '08 to 6.9 % in the same month of this year.

With more vacancies, the average two-bedroom rent in the region declined from $2,350 last April to $2,165 this year.
The total overall average rent, including bachelor, one, two and three bedroom apartments dropped by $105.

The boil water advisory in Fort Chipewyan could be lifted soon.

Alberta Health Services will make the call, likely Tuesday, if a sample taken from the hamlet's water treatment plant on June 7, 2009, comes back negative for bacteria.

Another sample, taken June 5, 2009, has already tested negative and two consecutive daily water samples are needed before an advisory can be lifted.

A Fort McMurray man with a long list of sexual assault charges will stand trial beginning Monday.

43 year old Percy Lemaigre, AKA Percy Dene Gunn, is also accused of planning to contract a hitman to dispose of the victim relating to the charges.

Lemaigre was initially charged with 13 offences on March 9, 2007 and was released on ten-thousand dollars cash bail.

He was then arrested and charged with counselling to commit murder last November.

Three companies will make their first appearance in Fort McMurray court on Monday.

CNRL, Sinopec Shanghai Engineering Company and SSEC Canada, face 53 charges relating to the death of two Chinese workers in April  2007.

The charges were laid following an investigation into the collapse of a roof structure that was being constructed at the Horizon project and include failing to ensure the health and safety of workers.

Each charge carries a  maximum fine of 500-thousand dollars.

Wood Buffalo is getting quite a boost of funding for recreation.

MP Brian Jean's office has announced one million dollars for recreational infrastructure.

The money will go to fund portable roof structures for four rural outdoor rinks in Anzac, Conklin, Janvier, and Saprae Creek.

The money will also go to fund recreational maintenance with the region.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has issued a boil water advisory for Fort Chipewyan.

A water sample has been taken at the Fort Chip water treatment plant back on June 2nd, and it tested positive for bacteria.

On the same day, however, two more tests were taken, which tested negative for bacteria.

The boil water advisory has been put in place as a precaution while more tests are being done.

A Fort McMurray man has been chosen to represent Fort McMurray on the province's Strategic Tourism Marketing Council.
Paul Jones has more than 22 years of hospitality industry experience and is currently General Manager of Pacrim Hospitality Services for Radisson Hotel & Suites.
Jones was a charter member of the Fort McMurray Hotel Association and has been a member of Fort McMurray Tourism for four years.

Suncor shareholders approved the 22.2 billion dollar deal to merge with Petro-Canada today.

Creating Canada's largest energy company.

On Thursday, June 4th, Petro Can investors voted 96 per cent in favour of the merger.

The deal also sparked optimism on the markers with Suncor stock jumping $1.76 while Petro-Canada rose $2.15.

The deal now needs to be approved by regulators and reviewed by the Competition Bureau.

The man accused of assaulting a sales person then robbing Julie's Jewels appeared in court this week.

43 year old Kenneth O'Neill was arrested Saturday after making off with roughly $27,000 in jewels.

He is scheduled to make his third court appearance on June 15th.

57 year old Jacey Bennett was also in court Wednesday.
He's facing 17 firearms violations after guns and ammo were seized from a home in Dickensfield.
He'll be back in court June 24th.

Syncrude Canada has stepped up to the plate and partnered with Fort McMurray Minor Baseball.

The oil sands operator has committed to providing to organization with 50-thousand dollars over the next three years.

In return for their funding, Syncrude will receive naming rights of the press box and canteen located at Ron Morgan Park.

Although shareholder approval won't guarantee the merger between Suncor and Petro Canada, it will mark a major milestone.

Both companies are set to vote on the deal on Wednesday, June 3rd at their Annual General Meetings held in Calgary.

If supported, the merger will then be reviewed by the Competition Bureau and receive regulatory approval. 

So far, only one shareholder, Montreal based Letko Brosseau and Associates, which owns two per cent of Petro Can, has publicly stated it will vote down the merger.

One more part of the Mac Island Project is set to be completed in November.

Drilling will begin as part of the Contract C portion of the Sanitary Sewer Force Main upgrade project at MacDonald Island.

The new sewer line will run from the northwest tip of the island, underneath the Athabasca river, to the opposite side.

The public should be aware, the drilling is expected to create a consistant loud humming noise for the first few days.

A 43-year old Fort McMurray man is in jail after allegedly robbing Julie's Jewels.

Kenneth O'Neill is accused of assaulting a salesperson and taking off with approximately  $27,000 in jewelry on Saturday night.

Security witnessed O'Neill enter a vehicle and were able to get a licence plate number.

Police later located the suspect vehicle in the Riedel Trailer Park where they arrested O'Neill, who had since shaved his head and face.

O'Neill was in court Monday and will make his next court appearance today.

It was a pretty scary situation out at one of the Syncrude plants on Monday night.

Officials have told Mix News about an explosion in the extraction area which blew out one wall of the building.

Syncrude Communications Rep Cheryl Robb told Mix News they have no idea regarding the cause just yet.

One male worker was taken to hospital with non life threatening burns and is still being treated.

While three more have been taken to hospital with shock and have since been released.

Occupational Health and Safety are on scene to investigate.

The Fort McMurray RCMP with assistance from Search and Rescue, Suncor Fire and Rescue and Syncrude Fire and Rescue are currently searching for two missing canoeists.

At around 6:30 pm on Sunday May 31, 2009, RCMP received a call for assistance after a canoe with four occupants had capsized at the Snye Park / Waterways area.

Two canoeists made it back to the shore safely, while the other two, both 19-year-old men remain missing.

Neither were wearing life jackets.

They are described are wearing:

Canoeist #1:
-Reds sweater
-Black baseball shoes
-Yellow Rain suit
-White ball cap

Canoeist #2:
-Yellow rain pants
-Bandana Suit
-Jeans
-White skater type shoes

Phoenix Helicopter has been contacted to assist with the aerial survey. At this time, the search continues. A command center has been established at the Snye Park for police and rescue personnel.

RCMP are asking the public to refrain from traveling in the area of Harding Street and Morimoto Drive to ensure rescue vehicles have access to the area.

It's a boy!

Mayor Melissa Blake gave birth to her second child late Saturday night.

Jason Jurak entered the world shortly after 11:00 pm.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo met with members of the Justin Slade Youth Foundation to discuss the future of the Dugout last night.

Jennifer Poskus, Chair of the Dugout Task Force said both sides agreed the Dugout will remain open and that there was a disconnect while the two parties meet seperately. She added that one scenairo would be for the JSYF to request additional funding from council to continue operating the centre.

Back on Wednesday , the foundation announced it would close the Dugout's doors on May 31, 2009 while the RMWB said it would continue running services come June 1, 2009.

At this point, all that is known is that Fort McMurray youth, will still have a place to call their own.

Canadian Church leaders from the Kairos organization will be getting a full view of the region this weekend.
The group arrived in Fort McMurray today and will first meet with local First Nations before attending a private meeting with local church ministers tonight.
Tomorrow Kairos will fly to Fort Chip, getting a birds eye view of Suncor and Syncrude on the way.

A meeting between Kairos and Mayor Melissa Blake is scheduled for Monday.

Fort McMurray RCMP are investigating an alleged armed robbery that pook place around 10:30 am on Saturday in the parking lot of the Mac's store on King Street.
The adult male victim alleges he was parked at the Mac's store delivering groceries and cigarettes when an unknown male entered the trailer.

The suspect male allegedly pointed what looked like a firearm at the victim.

The suspect male then threw boxes of cigarettes to the back of the trailer while continuing to point the firearm at the victim.

A second male suspect was at the back of the trailer and allegedly took the boxes around to the back side of the store.

The male suspect inside the trailer then jumped out and ran to the back of the store.

The victim later saw a black four door Ford pickup truck speed off near the rear of the store westbound on King Street.

It is unclear if the male suspects were in the Ford pickup truck as the victim did not see the suspects enter the truck and could not provide a description of the people inside the truck.

The victim was not injured in the incident.

Description of Suspect #1:
-Caucasian
-30 - 40 years old
-Long, shoulder length brown hair
-Green eyes
-Blue jeans
-Green summer jacket
-Wearing a ball cap

Description of Suspect #2:
-Caucasian
-30 - 40 years old
-Black jacket


Anyone who has any information concerning this crime or the identity of the suspects involved is asked to call the Fort McMurray RCMP at (780) 788-4000, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477),
www.crimestoppers.ab.ca

An arrest warrant has been issued for Michael Ryan Deir, age 27 of Fort McMurray after RCMP responded to a report of an assault at a residence in the downtown area.

The incident occurred shortly after 4:30 pm on May 11th, 2009.

The victim involved received non life threatening injuries.
General Duty and Plain Clothes members continue to use all resources to locate Deir.

He is considered by police to be armed and dangerous as it is believed that he may have a handgun in his possession.
If you see Michael Ryan Deir, do not approach him and contact police immediately.
Anyone who has any information concerning this crime or Deir's whereabouts is asked to call the Fort McMurray RCMP at (780) 788-4000, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), www.crimestoppers.ab.ca

An investigation is underway after a man allegedly tried to rob the Petro Canada Gas Station in Thickwood.
Around 11:30 Sunday morning the male suspect, armed with a tire iron, went behind the counter and demanded money.
After the employee advised there was no money, the suspect unsuccessfully tried to open the cash register, before smashing the front counter and leaving the store.
The male was then seen getting into the passenger seat of a dark blue Ford F 350 driven by a female.
The truck, which had been reported stolen in Edmonton a few days prior was later located in the alley of Simcoe Way.

The Fort McMurray Police Dog Service was called in but a track of the suspects was unsuccessful.

The suspects are described as:

Suspect # 1

- Male, possibly native

- Approximately 5'6"

- 150 lbs

- Wearing a dark jacket with a bella clava over his face

Suspect # 2

- Native female

- Dark shoulder length hair

Anyone with information is asked to call 780-780-4000 or Crime Stoppers.

A successfully executed search warrant in Beacon Hill has taken a large quantity of illegal drugs off local streets.
23 year old Bryan Ethier and 20 year old Zekaria Abdi were arrested at 108 Beardsley Crescent after police discovered what they believe to be 700 tablets of ecstasy, 30 grams of marijuana and 10 grams of cocaine. 
$40,000 cash was also seized, along with four vehicles with an approximate value of $200,000.
Both men have been charged with eight related offenses.

- One count of Possession of Cocaine for the Purpose of Trafficking - Section 5(2) CDSA

- One count of Possession of Ecstacy for the Purpose of Trafficking - Section 5(2) CDSA

- One count of Possession of a Controlled Substance - Section 4(1) CDSA

- One count of Possession of Property Obtained by Crime over $5000.00 - Section 355(a) CC

- One count of Unsafe Storage of a Firearm - Section 86 (1) CC

- One count of Possession of a Restricted Weapon - Section 91(2) CC

- One count of Possession of a Loaded Restricted Firearm - Section 95(a) CC

- One count of Possession of a Weapon Obtained Crime - Section 96 (1) CC

At this point no court dates have been set.

 (Drugs and cash seized by RCMP from 108 Beardsley Crescent.)

Local First Nations from both Fort McMurray and Fort Chipewyan will meet with a Federal Environmental Committee today.
The focus of the discussions will be on the impact that the oil sands industry is having on down stream communities.
Local MP Brian Jean says the First Nations will release a new report they have completed on the region.
Jean also says following this weeks meetings a report will be written by the Federal committee and presented to the House and the Prime Minister.

Further meetings will take place in Edmonton tomorrow and Calgary on Wednesday.

Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health confirmed a woman from Northern Alberta is Canada's first death associated with the H1N1 flu virus.
At this point it is still unknown exactly what role the strain played in the woman's death, which occurred April 28, 2009, as she suffered from chronic pre-existing medical conditions.
A full report is expected sometime next week.
Dr. Andre Corriveau confirmed nine new cases in Alberta, including the deceased, bringing the total to 42.

As with all cases of flu, Albertans are encouraged to stay home if they are feeling sick, and if they not recovering, call Healthlink Alberta at 1-866-408-5465 for further medical advice.

Three additional cases of H1N1 Influenza have been confirmed in Alberta, brining the total to 33 across the province.

The most recent cases were discovered in two young boys from central Alberta with no travel history and an adult female from the Edmonton area who had recently returned from Mexico.

All three are reportedly mild cases.

Controlled hazard reduction burns are roughly 50 % complete in the Fort McMurray area.

Pat Dube, Assistant Deputy Chief of Operations with the Regional Emergency Services says if Mother Nature cooperates, burning should be finished in just over a week.

The controlled burns began in late April and are performed to remove potentially flammable fuels, such as dry grass, reducing the risk of wildfires in the region.

An adult female is in police custody after barricading herself inside a shack on Draper Road, armed with a rifle

Shortly after 8:00 pm Tuesday night, police received a report that an intoxicated female had entered a residence armed with a long barreled rifle.s hen left the home and entered a nearby shack.

Police made several attempts to contact the woman via loud haler, instructing her to come out

At approximately 9:40 pm the female exited the shack and was arrested, while a loaded rifle was located inside.

Charges against the woman are now pending.

Firefighters reportedly have the upper hand on a 120 hectare wildfire burning beside Bone Lake near Janvier.

The blaze is classified as being "held" and does not pose any serious risk to homes or structures.

Approximately fourty firefighters, including some from Fort McMurray are currently battling the blaze on the ground, while planes and helicopters were called in today to assist in the fight.

Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Andre Corriveau confirmed four new cases of Swine Flu in the province this morning.

The cases involve three young men and a young woman who recently returned from a trip to Mexico together.

The cases were described as mild and the four were treated at home and are now recovering.

The total number of cases in Alberta now stands at six, including a young boy, across Canada 23 people have been diagnosed as having the illness.

The Fort McMurray RCMP are looking for the public's help in identifying a man who attempted to steal from Canadian Tire.

Around 4:00 pm, Wednesday, April 29 2009, an employee from Canadian Tire witness a man walking out of the store with merchandise in a shopping cart.

When the employee approached the man in the parking lot and asked to see a receipt he produced a knife.

The employee was not hurt and the suspect fled in the direction of the Sobey's and AMA.

The suspect is described as:

- Caucasian

- 5'4"

- 160 lbs

- Short brown hair

- Wearing rimmed eye glasses, jeans, white shoes, dark shirt and a dark baseball cap with a "C" on the front.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call police at 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Municipal Council had a look into the future of the region this week.

The long-awaited Fiscal Impact Model was presented by Darryl Howery from Applications Management Consulting.

The Model was created as a way to determine the change in costs, revenues and taxes in the region in the long term.

The draft results showed the population at just under 250-thousand in the year 2026.

It also showed the region would be over 140 per cent of the debt load in the next few years to cope with our regional growth.

To view the results yourself, check out this link:

http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/municipal_government/agendas+minutes/pdf_2009/apr28/2%20-%20Presentation-Darryl%20Howery.pdf

Things are finally looking up when it comes to the Mac Island Redevelopment Project.

The facility is coming in on track of it's 170-million dollar budget.

And the Library is slated to be opened this June.

The ice rinks and curling sheets, along with the field houses and fitness centre is expected to be opened this fall.

The Water Park is expected to be opened in early 2010.

A first reading was given by Municipal Council last night for the 2009 Tax Rate Bylaw.

Rural Non-Residental Taxpayers, mostly including oil industry businesses, will see a large jump of 20 per cent...

In the meantime, there will be no tax increase to municipal residential taxes, both rural and urban.

It's the fourth year in a row that municipal taxes have not increase for this taxation class.

However, residential properties will see a 4.5 per cent education tax increase which translates into about 27 dollars per property.

The Lower Townsite Area Redevelopment Plan was given it's first reading at Municipal Council last night.

The plan will now go before a public hearing the end of the month.

The plan proposes to increase the density in the downtown core to improve and create more residential and commercial properties.

It also proposes a population of 24-thousand people, which is double the existing number.

To have a look at the plan, log on to http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/municipal_government/LowerTownsiteAreaRedevelopmentPlan.pdf

The city of Fort McMurray has once again been acknowledged as the most caring community in Canada.

For the third straight year, our city has been recognized for having the highest per capita contributions to the United Way Campaign, anywhere in the country.

In 2008 the community raised 4.4 million dollars that will help fund 23 non-profit agencies.

The Alberta Government has announced two confirmed cases of Swine Flu have been detected in the province.

The cases have been detected in both Northern Alberta and Calgary.

Both individuals are male and have experienced a mild form of the virus, but were not hospitalized.

As well both men contracted the illness during a recent trip to Mexico.

The announcement brings the total of confirmed Canadian cases to eight.

In Mexico, at least 152 people are suspected to have died from Swine Flu.

More details to come.

Work place fatalities rose by over 7 per cent across Alberta last year.

In total, 165 workers were killed on the job in 2008, up from 154 in 2007.

The largest number of deaths came from the Construction and Trades sector with 59, while the Mining and Petroleum Development industry saw the loss of 15 workers.

Overall the number of workplace injuries did decline.

Today is the Day of Mourning; a day set aside to remember those who've been killed on the job site.

Local services will be held at 11 am, and at 8 pm this evening at Howard Pew Park.

Highway 63 was the scene of a two car collision Sunday night.

Police responded to the intersection of 63 and Morrison Street following an accident between a Toyota Tacoma and a cab.

An investigation found that the Toyota was travelling north bound when it struck the cab while attempting to turn left onto the highway.

A pair of Fort McMurray youths have been charged in connection to multiple break and enters.

A 14 year old male now faces charges of Break and Enter with intent to commit theft and obstructing a police officer stemming from an incident at the downtown Boston Pizza on April 17th.
A 13 year old youth has also been charged in connection to the same crime, as well as two other alleged break and enters at Boston Pizza and Mrs. B's Family Restaurant.

He will make his first court appearance on May 5th.

Anyone with information on the other breaks ins is asked to call police at 780-788-4000.

The local RCMP are investigating a reported suspicious trailer fire down in Conlkin.

The owner discovered his trailer on fire early Sunday Morning and and contacted the Conklin Volunteer Fire Department.

The trailer was extinguished but not before it suffered significant structural damage.

No injuries have been reported, as the trailer was unoccupied.

Anyone with information is asked to call Fort McMurray RCMP or Crimestoppers.

Canadians are watching as the Swine Flu outbreak seems to spread across the world.

Spain is now reporting one confirmed case and 17 suspected cases.

The confirmed case is of a young man who recently returned from Mexico.

More than 103 people in Mexico have been killed from the outbreak... and cases have been confirmed in the U-S and in Canada.

Alberta's Health Minister has put the province on alert for the virus.

Some symptoms include Fever, Cough, Sore Throat, Muscle and Joint pain and shortness of breath.

The Alberta and Federal Governments have announced they will work together to better roads in Fort McMurray.

53-million dollars has been made available through the Building Canada Fund to construct new interchanges along Highway 63 at the intersections of both Thickwood Boulevard and Confederation Way; as well as widening the highway from four to six lanes from Morrison Street to the Athabasca River Bridge.

An autopsy has been performed on a man found dead at Carlson's Landing back on April 8th.

Roy Martin's body was found inside a tent near the Peace River.

His death has been determined to have been caused by natural causes, and is not considered as suspicious.

Back in March. Boyle RCMP charged a 21 year old man after he was caught driving 50 kilometers above the speeding limit.

But it was also discovered that an 18 month old infant was sitting unsecured in the front seat.

The driver will now appear in provincial court for the first time today.

RCMP along with Alberta Child and Youth Services have worked together to investigate the incident.

The man's name will not be released in order to protect the identity of the infant.

__________________

Brian White also faces charges of assault with a weapon and uttering threats which relate to an incident at a local grocery store.

Lee Todd Laviolette, a high risk sex offender, allegedly failed to comply with conditions of his probation. 

And David and Michael Boucher face charges after allegedly crashing a stolen truck into a Police Cruiser.

Today will also mark the first court appearance for James Bennett.

The 25 year old faces three charges including possession of a weapon for dangerous purposes after an incident in Dickensfield last monday.

The Fort McMurray RCMP are asking for the public's help in their investigation into a robbery that occured in August 2008. Over $117,000 worth of electronics was stolen. If you information on the men in the pictures, please call police at 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS 

The Keyano College Board of Governors approved a $74.9  million dollar budget at last night's public meeting.
The 2009-2010 budget is titled "Optimize Resources and Opportunities for Future Growth" and reflects both the uncertainty and potential that surrounds the current economic situation.

"In a period when governments and organizations are faced with unprecedented deficit budgets, our budget managers have been able to find the right balance between planned expenditures and revenue projections," said Keyano College President Jim Foote.
Thanks in part to a six per cent grant increase from the Alberta Government, the budget grew by seven per cent over last year's.

The board also approved a $1.1 million dollar capital budget funded by the Access to the Future endowment fund.

Suncor Energy has posted it's second straight quarterly loss.
The oil sands giant announced a net loss of $189 million dollars, first quarter figures from last year showed a profit of $708 million.
Over the first three months of the year, the price of oil averaged $43.31 cents a barrel , down 56 % from 2008.

Suncor's production is also below targets, as between January and March the company averaged 278,000 barrels per day, the yearly outlook is 300,000 bpd.

A Fort McMurray man is behind bars after allegedly pointing a gun at a vehicle in Dickensfield.

25 year old Jason Bennett was arrested in relation to an incident Monday April 20, 2009 around 8:30 pm.

Police received a report that a male near the residence of 129 Kennedy Crescent had taken out a firearm and pointed it at the occupants of a vehicle near the home.

RCMP arrived on scene and secured the area before arresting four people.

A search of the home resulted in police findind multiple firearms and ammunition.

On Tuesday April 21, 2009 RCMP executes a search warrant of the home and seized the weapons.

James Bennet now faces three Criminal Code Offences:

- One count of Possession of Weapon for Dangerous Purpose

- One count of Pointing a Firearm

- One count of Using an Imitation Firearm in the Commission of an Offence.

He remains in prison and will make his first court appearance on April 27, 2009.

As well 57 year old Jacey Bennett, also of Fort McMurray faces a total of 17 charges:

- Nine counts of Unsafe Storage of a Firearm

- Eght counts of Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm.

He has been released from police custody and will appear in court April 29, 2009.

Quite a night at Municipal Council last night.

The largest and most debated item on the agenda was the EMS transition to Alberta Health Services.

The transition would have allowed the municipality to operate EMS services as they have in the past, with provincial dollars to help fund it; and then after a two year period, the province would take over operations and run it how they see fit.

Local residents and industry members came out and packed the meeting to urge council to vote against this proposal.

After much debate, Council voted to continue running EMS Services the way they are, and lobby the province to keep it that way.

General Motors is recalling more than a million vehicles because of potential engine fires.

The majority of the vehicles affected include those with a 3 point 8 litre, V6 engine.

Drops of oil could end up in the exhaust system and start a fire.

Officials from GM say none of the recalled vehicles have actually caught fire, but the potential problem was discovered as part of an internal investigation.

The recalled models are:

1997 - 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix,

1997 - 2003 Buick Regal,

1998 - 1999 Chevrolet Lumina,

1998 - 1999 Oldsmobile Intrigue,

1998 - 2003 Chevrolet Monte Carlo

2000 - 2003 Chevrolet Impala.

If you own one of these vehicles, contact your local GM dealer.

Police in Fort Chipewyan haven't ruled out foul play after the body of a man was found near the Peace River last week.

A Wood Buffalo National Park warden discovered the body of a middle aged man in Carlson's Landing, a roughly 90 minute drive from the community.

The body of the man, believed to have been from Fort Chip, has been sent to Edmonton for an autopsy and RCMP have not yet released a name.

Fort McMurray RCMP have confirmed to Mix News that three local businesses were the targets of break and enters last weekend.

Constable Leigh Drinkwater says the incidents took place between 4:00 am and 5:00 am Sunday morning at Montana's, Moxie's and Booster Juice.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

The RMWB council will meet for the first time in April tonight.

The meeting's agenda includes multiple Public Hearing and Bylaws relating to Land Use Bylaw Amendment, reports on Emergency Medical Services, Capital Budget Amendment's to the Timberlea High School Site and outdoor rinks in Anzac, Conklin, Janvier and Saprae Creek, as well as a funding request for the Olympic Torch Relay coming up in November.

New information has been released in connection to this weekend's fatality on highway 63.

The driver of the pickup truck, 55-year old Norman Bailey from Carstairs, has been charged with Impaired Driving causing death and Criminal Negligence causing death.

On Thursday evening, shortly after 9 o clock, Boyle RCMP say three vehicles collided between Atmore and Grassland; a mini van, a pick up truck and a police crusier.

The driver of the mini van was pronounced dead at the scene.

Bailey will stand before a judge in Boyle Provincial Court on April 28th.

If you spend a lot of time travelling on highway 63; take note.

 Police are coming down hard on speeders.

From Wednesday to Friday, Alberta RCMP and Provincial Sheriffs partnered together to address speed and other issues from Boyle to Marianna Lake.

600 vehicles were checked and 263 charges were laid for speeding.

Three people were charged for impaired driving and two people were slapped with 24 hour driving suspensions.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning the public to stay away from certain food products containing pistachios.

Some of the foods are producted by the company Nanak; while the agency are also asking the public to stay away from some foods made by the company Setton Farms.

The foods contain pistachios which may be subject to a major recall due to salmonella contamination.

For a full list of the recalled foods, check out this link: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/recaltoce.shtml

The products may have been distributed across the country; but no illnesses have been reported so far.

One person is dead following a three car collision on highway 63 Thursday night.

Boyle RCMP say a mini van, a pick up and police cruiser were all involved in the crash between Atmore and Grassland.

The driver of the mini van was pronounced dead on the scene while the truck driver suffered minor injuries and the driver of the police cruiser was unharmed.

RCMP say alcohol consumpion may have been a factor...charges are pending against the pick up driver.

The name of the deceased won't be released until next of kin are notified.

A housekeeper working at the Podollan Rez downtown got quite a scare this morning.

Shortly after 11 am... she came across a homeless man sleeping in the hallway on the fourth floor.

She asked the man to leave... who pulled out a knife with a black handle and a three inch blade and threatened her with it.

He is reported as saying, "...get out of he way, or I will go through you," and then fled the building, and left the housekeeper unharmed.

The man is described as:

- Causasian Male

- Early twenties

- Black Jacket (no hood)

- Blue Jeans

- Black baseball hat

- White Shoes

- Unshaven

- Average build

If you have any info, please call local police at 780-788-4000, or call crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

210 tickets were handed out by Fort McMurray RCMP, Alberta Sheriffs and local Peace Officers during a two day crack down on speeding this week.

The joint force operation was part of a province wide speed enforcement campaign.

Constable Leigh Drinkwater says the better weather seems to bring out bad driving habits and more speeders.

The top speed recorded was a motorcyclist who was clocked at 171 kilometres an hour in a 70 zone on Highway 63.

The 24 year old driver was charged with dangerous driving and will appear in court in May.

A man charged in connection to a drug seizure five months ago will not be able to own firearms for ten years.

21-year old Alireza Saghafi appeared in Fort McMurray court March 27th, where a judge sentanced him to a 10-year firearms ban.

The other man charged in connection to the incident, 20-year old Christopher Claridge, will have his pre-trial conference on August 13th.

The incident happened in November, when RCMP say 4500 dollars in cash and 17 grams of illegal drugs were discovered.

The Federal Government and Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board has been asked to review approvals for a pair of Shell operations.

The Pembina Institute made the request after they say Shell abandoned its written agreement to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

According to Pembina, the commitments would reduce emissions by an estimated 900 thousand tonnes annually.

They say Shell made the committment to the Oil Sands Environmental Coalitions as part of approval requests in 2004 and 2006.

The request to reconsider was the first in Pembina's history.

Those waiting for the trial of a local man charged with sexual assault will have to wait until June.

43-year old Percy Lemaigre is facing 13 sexual assualt related charges including compelling bestiality.

He had his trial adjourned on Monday, but he'll be back in Fort McMurray court on June 8th.

Lemaigre; who also goes by the name Percy Dene-Gunn, ran a tattooing business in the city.

He was charged more than two years ago.

In the month of March alone, housing starts in the Wood Buffalo Region dropped by nearly 80 per cent compared to last year.

New statistics from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation show housing starts in the region have declined by over 63 per cent in the first three months of 2009, compared with 2008.

Production numbers for Suncor Energy for this past March are looking above average.

The oil sands giant produced about 297-thousand barrels per day.

Current year to date numbers are around 278-thousand.

Targets for the company sit at 300-thousand barrels per day.

Nearly 8.9-billion dollars in defecits have been forecasted by the Alberta government for the next three years.

Finance Minister Iris Evans released the 2009 budget Tuesday afternoon and revealed a record breaking defecit of 4.7-billion this year alone.

Despite the weakened economy, capital spending for infrastructure projects will increase to 23.2-billion.

468-million will also be spent the next three years to build 11-thousand affordable housing units across the province.

French based Total Energy say they plan to wait before making a decision on whether to proceed or delay its Joslyn Oil Sands Project.

The 9-billion dollar project's fate will now be decided sometime next year.

Spokesman Kevin Church says the delay is a result of talking to contractors about costs.

If approved, the Joslyn Oil Sands project is planned to produce roughly 100,000 barrels of bitumen daily.

THE RMWB announced yesterday that measures are in place to monitor the upcoming river break up.

Rene Wells, Director of Emergency Management with the RMBW wants to ensure every resident is aware and ready for the worst case scenairo.

Information brochures have been mailed to all residents and businesses within the lower town site and will provide up-to-date status on the break up, including a web cam, at www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca.

Wells also advises all residents prepare a 72-hour emergency kit for their homes.

On average, river break up occurs on April 19th.

Fort McMurray RCMP continue to investigate two serarate shootings that occurred over the weekend.

The first took place Friday morning around 1:30 at a residence in the Waterways District.

Police responded to a complaint of a possible break and enter and upon further investigation discovered a firearm had been discharged.

No one was hurt but RCMP believe it was not a random act of violence.

The second shooting occurred around 4:00 am of Saturday April 4, 2009 in Timberlea.

Police responded to a complaint of multiple gunshots heard at an apartment complex near Confederation Way and Loutit Drive.

One person suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to Northern Lights Regional Health Centre before being transferred to Edmonton via air ambulance.

Anyone with information on either incident is asked to call RCMP at 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

The RMWB announced today that Spring road bans are in effect as of noon.

All motorists are to follow the bans, 75% of legal load limit on the following roads:

- All roads within the hamlet of Fort MacKay

- Thickwood Tower Road

- All roads within Saprae Creek Estates

- All roads within the hamlet of Anzac

- Anzac Crossover Road from Highway 63 east to SH881

- All roads within Gregoire Lake Estates

- All roads within the hamlet of Janvier

- All roads within the hamlet of Conklin

- East/West Road (Conklin)

- Draper Road (50% of legal load limit)

Weight restrictions help preserve the life span of roads within the RMWB.

For more information call 780-743-7859 or toll free at 1-866-743-7859,

Suncor Energy plead guilty to three environmental charges stemming from two seperate incidents in a Fort McMurray court today.

The oil sands giant was fined $175,000 for failing to properly supervise its camp operator Compass Group, who was fined $225,000 fpr failing to report violations by R&D McCabe, a sub-contractor hired to manage a wastewater facility.

All charges relate to the dumping off undertreated waste water into the Athabasca River.

R&D McCabe had previously pled guilty to falsifying information and mismanaging both the Millennium Lodge facilty and another facility and will be sentenced May 22, 2009.

Suncor was also penalized $675,000 for failing to install pollution control equipment and failing to provide information to Alberta Environment regarding it's Firebag facility. The fine includes funding for two creative sentencing projects. A regulatory Compliance Project at the University of Calgary will examine organizational failures that resulted in these offenses and will receive $315,000. Keyano College will receive $75,000 to establish a scholarship for local youth in Environmental and Conservation Science.

In a press conferences held in Edmonton and fort McMurray  yesterday, Syncrude Canada President and CEO Tom Katinas announced an internal investigation showed the total number of ducks that died in a tailings pond last April to be 1,606, not 500 as previously reported.

The conferences were held to release the results of the company's investigation into the incident that gained worldwide attention nearly a year ago.

Syncrude also revealed their new bird deterrents measures, they can be found at the link below.

http://www.syncrude.ca/users/folder.asp?FolderID=7250#

Several Mix 103.7 FM listeners called in to report sightings of a possible meteor this morning.

The fireball was also reported being seen as far south as Lethbridge, AB.

Fort McMurray RCMP arrested two adults and one young offender Saturday night as they attempted to steal vehicles in Gregoire.
18 year old Nicholas Brown and 20 year old Albert Laboucan have both been charged with theft over $5,000.

The young offender can not be named due to the youth criminal act, but has also been charged with theft over $5,000.

No injuries are being reported after a house fire on Kennedy Crescent in Dickinsfield yesterday morning.

Firefighters and EMS arrived on scene shorty after 2 am where they found the home fully engulfed in flames.

A second home and three vehicles were also damaged.

The investigation continues.

Residents of Fort Chipewyan can now reap the benefits of cell phone service in their community.

Councillor David Blair called Mix 103.7 as soon as he found out yesterday to announce the good news.

Even though there had been no service in the town, many residents already had their cell phones.

He now says keeping in touch with Council and Administration instantly will make his job a lot easier.

The brand new Red Poll Centre is up and running after it's Grand Opening Wednesday evening.

Mix News was there, and caught up with one of it's newest residents, the Fort McMurray Multicultural Association.

Executive Director, Linda Ghobad says the best thing about the centre is that it's convenient.

Interplay will also be operating out of the Red Poll Centre, and President Russell Thomas says he's in awe of the people who took the time to make this possible.

The Red Poll Centre is located across from Campbells Music on Franklin Avenue.

The local United Way and six other non profit groups held a grand opening celebration last night at their brand new shared office.

The Red Poll Centre opening was made even more special once MLA Guy Boutiler passed along a message saying they would receive funding for a special chair lift.

United Way Executive Director Diane Shannon says the news was a great surprise for everyone.

Joining the United Way at the Red Poll Centre are Safe Communities Wood Buffalo, and the Supportive Transitional Housing Team.

Syncrude Canada made their first appearance in Fort McMurray court today.

The oil sands operator faces charges from both the provincial and federal charges after 500 ducks died in a tailings pond last April.

The charges fall under the Federal Migratory Birds Convention Act, which prohibits the deposit of harmful substance in an area frequented by birds and the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act.

The combined charges bring a maximum penalty of $800,000.

Both sides agreed to adjourn to prepare their cases further and Prosecution and Defense Lawyers will meet in court again June 10, 2009

Lawyers for Syncrude did not enter a plea at today's proceedings.

The identity of a man in the middle of a suspicious death investigation has been released.

Police say 19 year old Christopher Cardinal was found unconscious at 6:30 am Saturday in Waterways, he died in hospital later that night.

Cardinal was from Edmonton and had just recently arrived in Fort McMurray.

RCMP are now seeking the public's assistance in locating a black or dark blue duffel bag belonging to Cardinal.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 780-788-4000

Syncrude Canada will be in court today facing charges from both the provincial and federal governments.

The oil sands giant was charged last month after 500 ducks died last April after landing on a tailings pond at their Aurora North Site.

They are accused of violating the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act.

Meanwhile, the federal charges fall under the Migratory Birds Convention Act.

Municipal Council held their final meeting of March last night.

Funding approval for eight capital works projects created the most debate among councillors.

A lack of information appeared to cause the most stress as funding was held back for two of the projects until more details can be provided.

The agenda also included president of the Oil Sands Developer's Group Don Thompson, who gave an update on the region's oil industry.

Council also agreed to discuss adjusting this year's capital budget to complete an upgrade at Saprae Creek's outdoor hockey rink.

Dr. Carl Nqumayo is now in police custody after today's sentencing hearing.

The former Fort McMurray gynecologist was sentenced to 54 months in jail after being convicted of 4 counts of sexual assault against his former patients.

Due to time previously spent in jail before the trial and other factors, Justice Sanderson gave credit for 18 months already being served, meaning Nqumayo will spend three years in prison.

Both Crown Prosecutors and Nqumayo's defense declined to comment following today's proceedings.

Two of Canada's biggest oil and gas companies announced they have merged this morning.

Oil sands giant Suncor has bought Petro Canada for around $18 billion dollars.

The new company will operate and trade under the Suncor name, while the Petro Canada brand while remain for refined products.

Once the transaction is complete Suncor stakeholders will own 60 % of the new company, Petro Canada shareholders will hold 40 %.

The merged company will hold an estimated market value of $43.3 billion dollars.

The 22nd Annual CBS Spring Fling Gala held Saturday raised $110,00 for the Northern Lights Regional Health Foundation.

Over 440 supporters and 67 sponsers took part in the annual gala event which raises money for important medical equipment.

This year's event bring the cumulative total of money raised from the Spring Fling Gaga to just over $1,000,000.

The Wood Buffalo Communities in Bloom Committee has decided on the Zinnia as the 2009 Flower of the Year.

The national organization judges communities on civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification.

Over the past three years Wood Buffalo has received a five out of five bloom rating.

This year judges will tour the region on July 23 and 24.

Two young oil workers were injured on Wednesday.

A man in his mid-twenties lost part of his arm after it got stuck in a polishing rod at a Devon Oilfield site northwest of Bonnyville.

While a 22 year old man was transported to an Edmonton hospital after suffering injuries to his arm, shoulder and internal organs.

The man, employed by Big Country Drilling was working at a Suncor site, no other details are available.

The three men charged in the first murder of last year will make a ninth court appearance.
Michael McFatridge, Bernard White and Paul McDermid are all charged in relation to the shooting death of Robert Monti in a Timberlea home last January.
McFatridge and White are charged with second degree murder, while McDermid is charged with being an accessory to murder.

Their case was held over once again earlier this week andthe three are now expected to enter their pleas April 16, 2007.

A local bishop has heard enough negativity about Alberta's oil sands.

John Clarke, Arch Bishop of Athabasca has come to the defence of the industry, saying it greatly benefits the region's population.

Earlier this year, Roman Catholic Bishop Luc Bouchard called the oil sands a serious moral problem. Bishop Clarke has called for balance within the industry.

Three men charged in relation to the first homicide of 2008 are expected to enter pleas in Fort McMurray court today.

Highway 881 will be blocked for the afternoon as a wideload gets pulled from the ditch.

RCMP say the blockage is 5 kilometers south of Anazac at Kilometre Marker 253.

The road is expected to be opened by 5 o'clock. 

Opti Canada's President and Chief Executive Officer is set to step down next month.

Sid Dykstra will leave the oil company to pursue new opportunities.

His replacement will be Christopher Slubicki who has been on the Opti Canada board since 2007.

Opti owns a 35% stake in the Long Lake Project south of Fort McMurray.

Along with environmental groups, Wood Buffalo's aboriginal population were upset with the provincial government last week.

Consulting Co-ordinator of the Mikisew Cree First Nation George Poitras says they received very little information in regards to the Suncor Charges, and what they did receive was mostly from the media.

Alberta Environment has now announced that all charges laid against companies will now be made public knowledge.

Poitras says it's a step in the right direction.

Syncrude Canada has announced one of it's main processing units will undergo planned maintenance.

Coker 8-3, which turns tar-like crude from the oil sands into refinery ready light oil will be offline for two months.

Syncrude, the world's largest producer of synthetic oil has two other cokers up and running.

The RMWB has announced a reduction to weight limit on the Fort Chipewyan Winter Road.

Starting Friday morning at 8 am, the weight limit will be dropped to 30,000 kilograms.

The roads closure date has also been extended, a new closure date will depend on weather and road conditions.

The Fort McMurray RCMP are investigating a robbery at the Gregoire Food Store.

At around 11:00 pm Monday night a man allegedly entered the store and demanded money, cigarettes and lighters.

The clerk claims the suspect then threatened him, indicating he had a weapon, however no weapon was ever produced.

The suspecy made of with cash, two packs of cigarettes and two lighters, the clerk was not injured.

The suspect is described as:

- 5'6' - 5'10"

- 200 lbs

- Wearing a black ski mask, grey or dark blue and orange lumber jacket, dark coloured track pants and blue gloves with yellow reflective stripes on the knuckles.

Anyone with information concerning this crime or the identity of the suspecy involved is asked to call police at 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Two long time Fort McMurray residents have been appointed to the Keyano College Board of Governors.

John Rhind and Jeff Pardee will begin their three year terms immediately.
Rhind is the Chief Operating Officer of Shell Albian Sands and used to sit on the Keyano Foundation's Board of Directors.
Pardee is the General Manager of Sorge's Welding and holds the position of Director and Treasurer of the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce.

The Grant MacEwan Griffins soared above the rest of Canada at the Coldwell Banker Fort McMurray 2009 CCAA Men's National Volleyball Championship.

The tournament's second seed team out of Edmonton upset the top ranked Cegep Limoilou Titans from Quebec in four sets (25-17, 14-25, 25-23 and 25-21) Saturday night to win Gold.

In the Bronze Medal game the Camoson Chargers topped the Algonquin Thunder in four sets (25-19, 25-19, 14-25 and 25-21).

Host Keyano College was eliminated from the medals following a straight set loss to Algonquin (14-25, 20-25 and 20-25).

Griffins Captain Chris Womack was named Player of the Tournament, the 3rd Year Left Side had 49 kills 5, blocks, 7 aces and 10 digs.

Keyano Husky star Alwyn Piche was named to a Second Team All-Star, the 2009 CCAA Volleyball Player of the Year had 50 kills, 3 blocks, 5 aces and 9 digs.

(The Grant MacEwan Griffins celebrate their first Men's Volleyball Championship in school history.)

Darryl Wightman, the long time CEO of the Fort McMurray Regional Airport commission has passed away.

Wightman died in Edmonton yesterday after a short illness.

Wightman had directed the Fort McMurray Airport since 1999 when it was transferred from the federal government to the Municipality of Wood Buffalo in 1999.

Funeral arrangements will be announced shortly.

The Fort McMurray RCMP are asking for the public's help in locating a possible missing person.

48 year old James Poirier of Fort McMurray was reported missing on March 11, 2009.

He was last seen by a family member leaving his residence wearing his work boots, jacket and jeans on March 10, 2009.

A police investigation confirmed Poirier was last seen leaving the Padollon Inn around 4:00 am on March 11, 2009 in a white truck.

It is not clear whether Poirier is missing but RCMP would like him to contact them or his family.

Poirier is described as:

- 6'0" tall

- 170 lbs

- Black hair

- Brown eyes

Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of James Poirier is asked to call police at 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Police are still on the hunt for two men allegedly responsible for an armed robbery near the downtown Scotia Bank last week.

Last Monday, March 2nd; Police say a man was threatened with a firearm for money by two suspects.

When the victim's money was taken, the two suspects took off towards the Tamarack Village.

Police have now released a composite sketch of one of the men who is believed to be involved.

The first suspect is described as:

- Native male

- Over six feet tall

- Skinny build

- Long black hair

- Late 20's

- Wearing a red sweater or jacket

Second suspect is described as:

- Native male

- About 5'8"

- Stocky build

- Early 20's

- Short black hair

- Wearing a black zip up jacket and a black ball cap

If you have any information on this incident, please call local police at 780-788-4000, or call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Wood Buffalo residents made good use of their vehicle extension cords over the past few nights.

The region was under a windchill warning yesterday, and this morning, local residents were experiencing temperatures around minus 40, despite the warmer weather over the past few weeks.

Environment Canada's Dan Kulak says the yo-yo-ing of temperatures is normal for this time of year because spring is on it's way.

As of today, a high of plus 5 is expected for Friday.

Fort McMurray RCMP are investigating a two vehcile collision in Timberlea Monday morning.

A man charged with break and enter appeared in court on Monday.

41 year old Norman Koe of Yellowknife was arrested after police responded to an alarm at Mark's Work Warehouse downtown on Saturday.

Koe, who was also wanted on a warrant for arrest, had his case held over and will remain in police custody until March 23.

A woman who escaped from the local RCMP is still on the run today.

Back on February 12th, Shelly Ann Robertson escaped custody at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre.

She had been in on charges of assault and was awaiting a medical examination.

Investigators do not believe she poses a risk to the public, but they are still looking for her.

Here is a photo of Robertson:

If you have any information, give police at call at 780-788-4000 or call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Three Fort McMurray residents are facing charges today after RCMP executed a search warrant in Timberlea back on Tuesday.

23-year old Kevin White and Kathryn Thomas have been charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of proceeds of crime over $5000.

22-year old Chad Ackerman has been charged with trafficking cocaine and possession of marijuana.

All three have been released on bail with conditions, and will be making their first court appearance on Monday.

It was almost one year ago that local Police say they saw a vehicle fail to stop at a stop sign at the corner of Franklin and King; and now, 29-year old Jeremy McNevin has been found guilty of Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle over 80 milligrams last week.

He'll be headed off to jail for 30 days, and when he's out he'll be faced with a three year driving suspension.

After that, he'll be forced to a 6-month term of the interlock device.

A 16-year old youth charged in connection to a drive-by shooting in Timberlea has been found guilty.

Local Police say the incident happened last July, and the youth was charged with assault and firearms offences, as well as uttering threats.

Back in January, 21-year old Christopher Ryan James pleaded guilty to unauthorized possession of a firearm in a motor vehicle in relation to the incident.

The youth remains in custody, and is currently being sentanced.

Fort McMurray RCMP are investigating an armed robbery that occurred late Monday night.

Police believe the male victim was waved over by two males suspects near the Scotia Bank downtown at approximately 11:30 pm.

When the victim approached them, one of the suspects allegedly pulled out what the victim thought was a firearm and pointed it at him demanding money.

The victim handed over his wallet, the suspects took money and fled in the direction of MacDonalds's.

The victim was not injured in this incident.

Suspect one is described as:

- Native male

- Over 6 feet tall

- Skinny build

- Long black hair

- Late 20's

- Wearing a red sweater or jacket

Suspect two is described as:

- Native Male

- 5'8"

- Stockey build

- Early 20's

- Short black hair

- Wearing a black zip up jacket and black call cap

Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call Fort McMurray RCMP at 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

An Academy Award nominated documentary showcasing the effects of the oil sands industry on Fort Chipewyan will be premiered in the aboriginal community this Friday.
Leslie Iwerks, writer and director of "Downstream" will be flying in from Los Angeles to attend the premier.
The screening will he held this Friday, March 6, at 1:00 PM at the Mamawi Community Hall.

For more information on the film visit www.downstreamdoc.com

Anyone looking for work, should get in contact with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.
The municipality is currently looking to fill more than 500 positions during a national recruitment drive.
Rapid population growth has increased the demand for workers within the region and according toLeslie Robertson, Acting General Manager of Human Resources, "While many employers struggle through challenging economic times, new jobs with our local government are providing concerned Canadians with stable employment solutions."

For more information go to www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca

A high risk sex offender was back in a Fort McMurray courtroom this afternoon.
41 year old Lee Todd Laviolette allegedly failed to comply with conditions of his probation and was arrested in early February.
Laviolette has his case held over until March 23, 2009, the same day as Dr. Carl Nqumayo will be sentenced on four counts of sexual assault.

Laviolette has a history of sexually assaulting women in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

There was more than just bragging rights on the line this past weekend during the second annual Shootout on the Snye.

Of the 200 plus players that took part in the 4 on 4 pond hockey tournament, only the best will have their names displayed on the solid oak replica Stanley Cup Trophy that will be displayed in the Municipal building downtown.

In the Pee-Wee Division it was Shake and Bake who were victorious, the BK Whoppers took home the Novice Championship, Da Bears were the winners in the Atom Division and Triple A hoisted the cup in the Open Division.

Overall, the event was amazing and will only grow bigger and better every year.

(Triple A defeated the Ketek Roughnecks 12-11 in a close battle to win the Open Division.)

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo turned to local residents to give feedback on the work of the local RCMP.

Of one thousand residents who completed the phone survey, 80 percent said they were satsified with the work that has been done.

More than 70 percent felt elementary schools are safe or very safe, while the high school rating was much lower at 53.

RCMP Superintendent Kirke Hopkins says the RCMP and Bylaw enforcement are pleased with the information and will use it to help develop policing priorities.

To see the complete results of the survey, visit  http://www.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/2008CitizenSurvey.pdf

More than 50 teams of all ages are set to hit the ice as part of Shootout on the Snye this weekend.

The 4 on 4 Pond Hockey tourament runs all weekend beginning at 6:00 pm tonight.

Each game will consist of two 15-minute periods with a five minute intermission and there will be no goalies.

All with great hockey action, there is lots to offer off the ice including refreshments and live entertainment Saturday night.

(A zamboni cleans on of nine rinks that will play host to Fort McMurray's version of the Winter Classic.)

Another Winter themed event will also be taking place over the weekend for its second time.

The Syncrude Winterplay Festival will take place all weekend long at the Sport and Wellness Centre as well as parts of Keyano College.

Events include a One Act Play Festival, a singing competition, and a variety of street performers inside the Alberta Building Trades Field.

More information on the event is available here at http://www.interplay.ca/winterplay.htm

The Fort McMurray RCMP are looking for the public's help in locating a missing person.
49 year old Diane McPhee was reported missing by her family February 20, 2009 after not being seen or heard from since January 18, 2009.
McPhee, who also goes by the first name Lorrie is described as:

- Caucasian female

- Approximately 5'7"

- Slender build

- Brown hair

- Brown eyes

- Tattoo of a tiger on the back of her right hip.

Anyone with information as to the whereabouts of Diane McPhee is asked to call police at 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

Oil sands giant Syncrude is cashing in on a deal made 12 years ago.

In 1997, the oil sands giant was given the option to elect to pay royalties on lower valued bitumen rather than synthetic crude.

They exercised that option on January 1st and now stand to earn an extra 18.5 billion dollars over the life of it's operations.

Liberal MLA and energy critic Kevin Taft calls the deal lousy for Alberta's citizens.

Anyone who uses the pool or hot tub at the Westwood YMCA will have to look elsewhere temporarily.

Inconsistent chemical levels in the pool has forced its immediate closure.

The problem is being blamed on the facility's filtration system.

The pool is expected to re-opened in a few days once they receive a positive report from the health inspector.

YMCA officials say they want to assure their pool and hot tub users there is no reason for concern.

Pending the approval of the provincial government, a local Airport Authority will soon take over for the Fort McMurray Airport Commission.

As part of the change, the new board will no longer be directly connnected to the municipal government.

But Councillor John Vyboh says he believes the positives out weigh the negatives, and says the formation of an Airport Authority would move the expansion along much quicker.

Vyboh added the authority will likely be made up of a few members of the existing commission, as well as different business leaders within the region.

Phase Two of the Long Lake Project will be delayed until at least the summer of next year.

Opti Canada, which owns a 35 per cent stake in the project, located 40 kilometres south of Fort McMurray, made the announcement this week.

The organization cited the global economic crisis of one of the reasons behind the decision.

The Long Lake project is quite unique, as it uses vast amount of steam to loosen deep deposits of underground bitumen.

Deputy Mayor Mike Allen took control at last night's council meeting as Mayor Melissa Blake was reportedly enjoying some much deserved time off.

A list of eight approved public works projects passed the first step in receiving funding.

Council also agreed to accept a strategy that could eventually have an Airport Authority take over the existing Airport Commission.

At the request of Councillor Sonny Flett, a minute of silence was also observed to honour those who died in the recent crash on the Fort Chipewyan Winter Road.

An upcoming article featured in National Geographic describes Alberta's oil sands as "dark satanic mills".

The article, which will be featured in the magazines March issue, also includes several pictures of oil sands operations.

Greenpeace's Mike Hudema says information in the article about the oil sands and the environment  may raise some eyebrows among readers.

Despite the negative comments, Alberta Energy is calling the article "fair", as it includes praise for the province's work on carbon emissions.

The article also includes comments from Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach.

Following just one preliminary court appearence, a man from Fishing Lake already knows when he'll be standing trial in Fort McMurray.

47 year old David Boucher faces a number of charges related to crashing into a police crusier with a stolen vehicle; his trial will begin on April 29th.

A pair of local court cases were also held over on Monday.

41 year old Lee Todd Laviolette was arrested without incident after allegedly failing to comply with probation orders; he'll be back in court next Monday, March 2nd.

And 29 year old  Brian White faces charges of assault with a weapon and uttering threats stemming from an incident at a local grocery store; he'll return to court on March 16th.

An investigation is underway following a collision between a police car and a minivan.
The accident occurred last night at the intersection of Real Martin Drive and Thickwood Boulevard around 8:40 pm.
The police vehicle was en route to an emergency call with its lights and sirens activated, while the minivan was travelling south through the intersection.

All four of the minivan's passengers were transported to the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre and later released.
The police officer was not injured in the crash.

Today marks the first day of work for the Wood Buffalo Region's new RCMP Superintendent.

Kirke Hopkins, originally from Newfoundland has served in close to 12 different detachments across Canada, as well as working with the UN in Bosnia.

His last position was Inspector in Charge of Operations in Prince George, BC.

Hopkins says his goal is to build on the excellent work that is being done by all detachment employees and identify policing priorities for this year and beyond.

Today is deadline day for registration for the Shootout on the Snye.
The annual pond hockey tournament will stop taking registrations for teams today.

More than 50 teams have already signed up for their spot in the event.
Tournament co-ordinator Mark Hameniuk says they're still looking for volunteers.

For more information visit http://internetapps.woodbuffalo.ab.ca/PondHockey/

Court proceedings will oficially begin and could possibly come to a close today for a man charged with possessing molotov cocktail explosives.

Police arrested Kentucky resident Velizar Zonjic last July after he fled from Police after they attempted to pull him over for a traffic violation.

It was later discovered he had explosives in his trunk and carried a knife in one of his pockets.

Zonjic faces two counts of possessing an explosive substance, failing to stop for police, assaulting a peace officer, and numerous probation violations.

President Barack Obama is up to speed and prepared for his first visit to Canada tomorrow.

The trip is Obama's first foreign visit and while brief, local MLA Guy Boutilier believes important issues will be addressed and says it's better to have a short meeting that is productive, rather than a long one that doesn't accomplish anything.

Obama's visit while last roughly six hours.

The global economy, the war in Afghanistan, trade and border security are among items expected to be discussed.

The small community of Fort Chipewyan is mourning following the loss of three of it's residents.

56 year old Maggie Simpson and her 29 year old daughter Trish, along with 29 year old Jocelyn Bourque died Saturday, after their van crashed into a Semi truck on the Fort Chipewyan Winter Road.

Initial investigations show Bourque, a mother of three, was driving the van when it lost control and collided with the truck.

Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam says while it is tough to face, the community is behind the families affected and are doing all they can to help.

RCMP continue to investigate the crash.

Police are still looking for a woman who escaped their custody late last week.

Shelly Ann Robertson was in a secure area of the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre Thursday, when she walked out of the facility, unescorted.

Police say she was awaiting a medical examination.

Constable Karolina Malik says they are looking for the help of the public at this point.

Robertson is described as a caucasian female about 5"4, with long brown hair and green eyes.

She weighs about 125 pounds, and was in on charges of assault.

If you know where she is, please call Police at 780-788-4000 or call Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

If you were travelling on highway 63 over the weekend; you might have noticed a ton of flashing lights.

Local RCMP conducted another check stop at the Highway 63 and King Street intersection.

As a result, police found three suspected impaired drivers, and handed out three 24 hour suspensions.

They also conducted one drug investigation and gave out seven warnings.

Over the entire weekend, 25 people were caught for speeding, and 15 more were caught failing to stop at a stop sign.

March 15th will be a special night for a special gorup of residents in Fort McMurray. The local tourism board has announced their nominees for the annual Gold Star Awards. 

The entire Wood Buffalo and Athabasca region was front and centre of a new 20 year vision plan by the provincial government.

The minister responsible for the Oil Sands Sustainable Development Secretariat, Lloyd Snelgrove presented the plan with Guy Boutiler.

Reducing the environmental impact of the oilsands, growing the economy and quality of life for residents are listed as the major goals for the program.

If you'd like to check out the full report; log on here http://www.treasuryboard.alberta.ca/ResponsibleActions.cfm

After almost 2 years of consultation with both the industry and government.

Alberta Treasury Board President Lloyd Snelgrove will present a 20 year oil sands strategy this morning.

Aboriginal and environmental groups met with concerned citizens and members of the Keepers of the Athabasca Watershed Council last weekend.

The council is calling on both the provincial and federal governments to protect watersheds affected by oil sands operations.

Co-Chair of the Keepers of the Athabasca Watershed Council Cleo Reece says the group is concerned that communities along the Athabasca River are not fully informed of oil spills or environmental accidents.

The municipality has made some changes to traffic signals within Fort McMurray.

To improve safety and prevent congestion, new pedestrian-activated signals have been added to the intersections of Millennium Drive and Dominion Drive/Parsons Creek Drive at St. Martha's school.
A new set of traffic signals will be installed at the intersection of Franklin Avenue and King Street by Keyano College.
They will be operating by March.

A high risk sex offender was arrested without incident on Monday; after allegedly failing to comply with conditions of his probation.

41-year old Lee Todd Laviolette is currently in police custody and will appear in court once again February 23.

Laviolette is alleged to have failed to report to an assessment or treatment as directed by probation.

He has a history of sexually assaulting women in Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

Prior to the Alberta and Federal governments laying charges against Syncrude for allowing 500 ducks to drown in a tailings pond last April.

An Alberta resident took measures into his own hands.

With the backing of several environmental groups, Jeh Custer launched a private prosecution against oil sands producer back in January.

Those charges will now be thrown out; and the new ones carry a maximum fine of $800,000 and possible imprisonment; as under the principal of law, a defendant can't be charged twice for the same offence under the same provision.

On Monday the oil sands operator was charged by both the provincial and federal governments for not taking measures to deter wildfowl from landing in tailings ponds...

Syncrude lawyers will appear in a Fort McMurray courtroom March 25th.

A light schedule kept last night's council meeting short and sweet.

Syncrude Canada has responded to charges filed against the oil sands operator by both the Alberta and Federal governments.

Spokesman Alain Moore says the charges are being reviewed by the company's legal team and that lawyers will appear in court on behalf of the company on March 25, 2009.

Moore also says everyone involved in the company is working to prevent a repeat incident, "When this occurred on our site last spring everyone that I know at Syncrude felt horrible it occurred. There is a tremendous resolve and focus within our organization to put the right steps in place to help prevent it from happening again."

Syncrude has been charged with failing to have appropriate deterrents in place to keep birds from landing on tailings ponds.
Last April 500 ducks died after landing on a pond at the Aurora North Site.

Six people were arrested and two have been charged thanks to the Report a Drug House Program.

After a search of 14-31 Riedel Street, 15 grams of cocaine was seized, along with an undisclosed amount of cash.

39-year old Jason Genge has been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking and breach of previous court conditions.

Also arrested was 28-year old Jennifer Porteous who was found to have seven outstanding warrants.

Genge will make his first court appearance this afternoon.

A local 18 year old mixed martial arts fighter is lucky to be alive.

Dean Lewis collapsed in the ring after suffering a shattered nose, internal bleeding and brain swelling during a fight in Winnipeg on Friday.

Lewis was taken to hospital and was up and walking within 12 hours.

His coach Sandy Bowman says the young fighter is eager to get back training, and was proud of his bout.

Lewis lost the fight in a split decision but Bowman says his fighter should have been the winner.

Lewis will undergo further tests today.

To inspire ideas within the Wood Buffalo Region, the municipality has partnered with the University of Calgary's Faculty of Environmental Design.
Last night five groups of students presented their plans at a ceremony called Big Spirit Projects:09
The themes of the projects were:

- Eco-Industrial Park Design in Fort McMurray

- Net-Zero Housing and Community Design Concepts in Anzac

- Regional New Town Coccept: Egg Lake

- Fort Chipewyan: A Vision for the Waterfront

- Community Design Between the Horse and Hangingstone Rivers

This was the second year of the partnership and students worked alongside members of the Municipality's Planning & Development Department.

Earlier this afternoon Judge Sanderson read the verdicts of six sexual assault charges versus a former Fort McMurray gynecologist.

Dr. Carl Nqumayo was found guilty in four of the six charges, all of the accused were former patients is.

Nqumayo will not be remanded and will return to court on March 23, 2009 where he will be sentenced.

RCMP are reporting a happy ending to the story of a missing Fort McMurray teenager.

14 year old Jenna Lewis, who was reported missing this morning, has returned home safe and sound.

Nearly 350,000 litres of grease and oil spilled into the Athabasca River earlier this week.

The liquid came from a cooling pond at one of the Suncor facilities that regularly releases water into the river.

Alberta Environment spokesman Jason Cobb says the government was notified after excess amounts of allowable oil and grease were discovered in the water.
The spill occurred after a valve that releases water got stuck and couldn't be shut down.

The incident happened Tuesday around 12:30 am.

An armed robbery is under investigation by Fort McMurray RCMP.

Around 7:30 pm Wednesday night two victims were allegedly approached behind the Thickwood Lube Center near Sitka Drive by two male suspects who demanded money.

The suspects were both armed with knives and one of the victims handed over their wallet.

Neither of the victims were injured and the suspects fled the area in the direction of Sitka Drive.

Fort McMurray Police Dog Service was called in to assist but locating the suspects was unsuccessful.

The suspects are described as:

Suspect #1:
- Caucasian male
- 19-20 years old
- Approximately 6'2"
- Slim build
- Wearing a grey patterned winter jacket with a hood
- Wearing large sunglasses

Suspect #2:
- Caucasian male
- 5' 10"
- 120lbs
- Black dyed hair
- Black winter jacket with black fur around the hood

Anyone with information regarding this crime is asked to call police at 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers.

Fort McMurray RCMP are reporting a missing 14 year old female.

Jenna Lewis was reported missing this morning and was last seen yesterday morning leaving for school, however she did not attend.

Her family is concerned as she has Type 1 diabetes and is insulin dependant and currently does not have her medication with her.

Jenna Lewis is described as:

- 5'7"

- 135 pounds

- Long blonde hair

- Blue eyes

Anyone with information as to the where abouts of 14 year old Jenna Lewis is asked to call police at 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers.

The verdict in the case of a former Fort McMurray gynecologist charged with multiple counts of sexual assault is scheduled to be read this morning.

Dr. Carl Nqumayo has been charged with sexually assaulting six of his former patients.

His trial lasted four weeks and after a two month recess, Nqumayo will learn his fate this morning.

This was Nqumayo's second trial, as the original guilty verdict from 2007 was overturned and a new trial was granted.

A 35 year old man from Wetaskiwin is dead following a single vehicle crash north on Canterra Road north of Fort McMurray.
Early Tuesday morning, Curtis Thomas Wood allegedly lost control of his 2008 Chevy Silverado on crashed into a tree.

When police arrived on scene they were informed the driver of the vehicle had fled into the bush after learning police had been called.
RCMP discovered his body later in the day with help from search and rescue and the police dog service.

A 29 year old male passengerm who had been left behind in the behicle was taken to hospital and later released.
RCMP believe alcohol played a role in the crash.

The Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board has developed a directive for managing oil sands tailings ponds.
The new regulations require all oil sands producers to prepare tailings plans, report on tailings ponds annually and reduce the accumulation of fluid tailings and specify dates for construction, use and closure of the ponds by September 30, 2009.

Stephen Smith, executive manager for ERCB Fort McMurray, says the regulations will require companies to return land occupied by tailings ponds to a trafficable landscape within five years after the ponds closure.

Oer the last four decades oil sands companies have operated without reclaiming a single tailings pond.

A new form of transportation for oil sands workers will begin testing this week.

A pilot project launched by the Northern Transportation Company will carry employees via hovercraft.
Municipal Manger of Land Services Ed Salmon says if all goes well, this could become a permament mode of transportation.

The Snye will be used as a test drop point for the project.

A 23 year old Fort Mackay woman is back in court today.

Erin Faichney faces one count of aggravated assault.

Faichney allegedly stabbed her boyfriend in the neck late last year.

Faichney's four previous court appearances have been held over.

Fort McMurray RCMP are looking for witnesses of a hit and run in Abasand.

The incident occurred last night around 11 o clock in front of the Abasand Esso.

An investigation revealed that a 2008 Jeep Wrangler traveling south bound on Athabasca Avenue was struck by a vehicle exiting the Esso parking lot.
The suspect vehicle then fled the scene.

No injuries were reported but the Jeep suffered significant front end damage.

Anyone with information is asked to call 780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Fort McMurray RCMP are on the look out for a young female who allegedly assaulted and robbed an elderly woman.

The 79 year old victim says she was assaulted and had her purse stolen after leaving the tower one store on Saturday afternoon.

The suspect is described as a native female, in her 20's, approximately five foot seven with a slim build, wearing a blue hoodie with light blue stripes down the sleeves and blue jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to call  780-788-4000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

The oldest first nation settlement in Alberta will meet the provincial government in court today.

A judicial review and trial date is expected to be announced, as the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation want to force the government to change they way they approve oil sands developments.

Chief Allan Adam says the provincial government has too often sold land rights to oil companies without consulting the community.

The First Nation says the lack of consultation is a breach of the provinces' legal obligations.

It seems all the groundhogs across North America are in sync today.

In Canada, a crowd gathered in Wiarton, Ontario in order to get the forecast from Wiarton Willie.

In the meantime, it was a simiar scene in the Nova Scotia town of Shubenacadie to find out what Sam is forecasting.

Both Groundhogs saw their shadow; which means six more weeks of winter.

Down in Pennsylvania, Punxsutawney Phil also forecasted the same fate for Americans this morning.

From NHL stars to the best of baseball.

The elite of Fort McMurray's sports can be found at the Wood Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.

The hall, which had it's grand opening ceremony last night is located within the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Center; and according to John Wilson, Keyano College Chairman of the Board, that's exactly where it belongs as a hub of the sporting community.

There are currently eight inductees in the hall of fame, and four more will be added annually.

Excitement is building for local organizers of the Coldwell Banker Fort McMurray 2009 CCAA Men's National Volleyball Championships.

Tickets are set to oficially go on sale at 5 o'clock today.

From March 11th through the 14th, eight teams will gather from across the country to dig, set and spike their way to a national title.

Right now, the Keyano Huskies sit in third place in the ACAC conference.

They will be guaranteed a spot in the national tournament as the host team.

Last year, temperatures dropped below minus forty when a group of quad riders travelled from Fort McMurray all the way to Fort Smith.

With a daytime high of minus 8 on Thursday, conditions were near perfect for the trio as they raise awareness for the Centre of Hope.  

Followed by a truck, the three riders traveled today across the Fort Chip Winter Trail and through the Wood Buffalo National Park.

A fundraising goal of 25 thousand dollars has been set to raise funds for the shelter.

Wednesday was one of the most deadly days we've seen on highway 63 in quite some time.

A 36-year old male and a 25-year old woman were killed when the stolen truck there were driving rolled near the highway 881 turnoff.

Then, around noon, a Ford Escort turning off the highway near Grassland was hit from behind by a tractor trailer.

The driver of the car was killed, while the passengers and the semi driver were taken to hospital.

Three hours later near Thorhild, a Ford F-150 was also hit from behind by a Grain Truck, pushing it into the way of a logging truck.

Two of the passengers were killed instantly, while the third was airlifted to Edmonton.

As expected, Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced the country will face a deficit of 33.7 billion dollars in the upcoming fiscal year.

Flaherty made the announcement during the federal government's budget presentation this afternoon.

Total deficits are expected to run to nearly 85 billion dollars by 2013, before returning to a surplus of 700 million the following year.

Other budget highlights include...

- 12 billion in infrastructure spending over the next two years.

- 8.5 billion for job training.

- 7.8 billion for social housing and private home renovation.

The NDP and Bloc leaders have already experessed their displeasure with the budget, while Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says he will look over the budget and decide whether to support or reject it tomorrow morning.

Up to date maps of the region will only be a click away starting on Thursday.

That's when the Geographic Information Systems department of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo launches their new Map Wood Buffalo service.

The program consists of an internet-based mapping service, plus a series of paper maps for sale at the GIS office for a small fee.

Ingrid Aldridge, GIS Branch Manager says that day, they are holding an open house to explain further.

The open house is being held on Thursday, in the lower level of the Hardin Street building downtown from 2 to 6 pm.

No one was injured Tuesday when a mobile home went up in flames.

208 Grenoble Crescent in Gregoire was the scene of a fire around 8 am Tuesday morning.

No one was home at the time of the blaze, however the mobile home is considered to be a total loss.

Fort McMurray Fire Officials say the cause of the incident is still under investigation.

A local business is cleaning up after it's store was hit twice by vandals.

Campbell's Computers on Timberline Drive had it's front doors smashed twice in a 24 hour span.

The first incident occurred Sunday at approximately 2 PM, the second on Monday at roughly 4 AM.

In both cases nothing was reported stolen and police are asking anyone with information, to call 780-788-4000.

Police were out on highway 63 over the weekend, targetting high risk driving behaviour...

But had no idea they would find all this.

280 vehicles were pulled over, and 255 provincial tickets were issued.

For offences like speeding, driving while suspended and consuming liquor in a vehicle.

Two Fort McMurray residents with criminal records were also discovered with a loaded handgun in the vehicle.

The 19 and 23 year olds are now facing firearms and drug charges in connection.

Another stop resulted in the finding of $20,000.

Police believe the money is the proceeds of crime and an investigation is ongoing.

An Edmonton man has been slapped with some hefty charges after an arrest on Timberline Drive in Thickwood.

25-year old Mazen Hajar was pulled over in his 2008 Jeep Compass and arrested Wednesday evening around 10:30.

After his arrest, Police found 15 grams of cocaine and $710 in cash.

Hajar has now been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of property obtained by crime.

He's also been charged with driving while suspended.

Majar will make his first court appearance on February 10th.

A 7000 unit housing development will be getting some extra guidance in the coming months.

A seven member board has been recently appointed to help in the planning and development of the Parsons Creek parcel of land.

The board will be made up of community stakeholders, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and the Province.

The Parsons Creek development is 1000 acres and is expected to house 20,000 residents.

Mix News is asking listeners to be on the lookout for a stolen storage trailer.

The D'Laundromant - Coverall store had it's trailer stolen from the Fort McMurray Newfoundlander's Club parking lot on Tuesday.

It is an 8x20 tow behind white trailer with Coverall decals on all side.

The companies owners are offering a substantially reward for information leading to locating the trailer.

Anyone with information is asked to call 780-792-5206.

RCMP are issuing a public wide warning regarding the release of a high risk adult sex offender.

40 year old Lee todd Laviolette, who has a history of sexually abusing adult females in Alberta and the Northwest Territories, has been released.

Here is a photo of Laviolette: