What will it take to get the people of Fort McMurray back on their feet?
Posted May 14, 2016 8:03 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – There’s been a lot of talk of major oil and gas companies recovering in northern Alberta, but what about the thousands of smaller businesses in Fort McMurray?
There’s still no timeline for when businesses like banks and daycares will re-open in Fort McMurray.
Jeremy Stone with Recovery and Relief Services says typically things linked with emergency personnel like construction and hotels are the first to bounce back. “Interestingly after [Hurricane] Katrina, which was also a massive evacuation situation, you did have small business coming back before large business. That was primarily because large businesses require so many employees that just weren’t there.”
Stone notes there’s a catch-22 in Fort Mac, with local shops needing labourers to get up and running, while workers need the shops to help rebuild their lives. “Daycare, food access and other services are really vital but if you can’t get the economy going, you can’t get the residents back and if you can’t get the residents to work at those businesses, you can’t get the economy going.”
He adds what worked after Katrina was a “Buy Local” push to help out the smaller shops, which he hopes local government and chambers of commerce support in Alberta.
