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YOUR MUNICIPAL NEWS & UPDATES • WE’RE WORKING TOGETHER FOR YOU ISSUE 13 • SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015 Decorating for donations On the inside 2 Mayor’s Message 3 Budget 2016: Sustaining our Future in Dynamic Times 4 Together on Pathways to Change 5 Award-winning Work Behind the 2016 Budget 6 Bittersweet Season for RMWB Bird Lovers 7 Building an Age-friendly Community for All 8 Paul Jen: An Eye for Persuasion 9 The RMWB Gives Big 10 2015 Summer Games: Gateway to Sport Tourism 11 Medevac Services: Funding Model Still up in the Air Celebrating the spirit of giving, the Northern Lights Health Foundation’s annual Festival of Trees, presented Nov. 20-22 by Syncrude Canada, raised more than $550,000 — the largest amount in the event’s 26-year history. The auction of decorated trees contributed $409,000. Shown amid some of the sparkle and colour at the Northern Lights Health Foundation’s annual Festival of Trees is Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo employee Helena Drew, decorating a tree entitled “Santa’s Book Club.”

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Page 1: Wood Buffalo @ Work - Issue 13, Dec. 5, 2015 | Regional

YOUR MUNICIPAL NEWS & UPDATES • WE’RE WORKING TOGETHER FOR YOU

ISSUE 13 • SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

Decoratingfor

donations

On the inside2 Mayor’s Message3 Budget 2016: Sustaining our Future inDynamic Times

4 Together on Pathways to Change5 Award-winning Work Behind the 2016Budget

6 Bittersweet Season for RMWB Bird Lovers7 Building an Age-friendly Communityfor All

8 Paul Jen: An Eye for Persuasion9 The RMWB Gives Big10 2015 Summer Games: Gateway to Sport

Tourism11 Medevac Services: Funding Model Still

up in the Air

Celebrating the spirit of giving,the Northern Lights HealthFoundation’s annual Festivalof Trees, presented Nov. 20-22

by Syncrude Canada, raised morethan $550,000 — the largest amount

in the event’s 26-year history.The auction of decorated trees

contributed $409,000.

Shown amid some of the sparkle and colour at the Northern Lights Health Foundation’s annual Festival of Trees is RegionalMunicipality of Wood Buffalo employee Helena Drew, decorating a tree entitled “Santa’s Book Club.”

Page 2: Wood Buffalo @ Work - Issue 13, Dec. 5, 2015 | Regional

Welcome to the latest edition of Wood Buffalo @ Work. In the pagesahead, you’ll learn more about the Regional Municipality of Wood

Buffalo and meet some of the incredible people who make this a great placeto work and a wonderful community to call home.

In this issue, you’ll find insightful pieces on the Advisory Committee on Agingand on this year’s record-setting contribution by municipal staff to the United Waycampaign. You’ll learn the latest from the fourth annual Diversity Summit, whichincluded discussions about how we can make our region even better as a place ofdiversity, inclusion and equality. The outstanding impact of the 2015 WesternCanada Summer Games lives on and you’ll read about its ongoing legacy, both inlocal sports infrastructure and in a strong financial balance sheet.

You’ll get to know talented employee Paul Jen, a design and multimediaadvisor with Creative Solutions in the Communications and Stakeholder RelationsDepartment. You’ll also meet the RMWB’s resident birdman, Ted Jaeger, who hastaken his love and compassion for winged animals to new heights!

This issue will introduce you to the upcoming 2016 budget, with an overviewfrom Chief Administrative Officer Marcel Ulliac and a look at the accomplishmentsof the Finance team, which crunches the numbers so that Council has all theinformation it needs to make the best budget decisions for our region.

As always, there’s so much to discover here! On behalf of Regional Council, I’dlike to take this opportunity to wish all residents of Wood Buffalo a very MerryChristmas and a happy and prosperous new year. As 2015 comes to a close, wereflect on a year that showcased the resilience and generosity of our people andthe growth and success of our communities. We look ahead to 2016 withaspirations for hope and renewal.

Mayor Melissa Blake,Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo

MAYOR’S MESSAGE2 Wood Buffalo @ Work • Saturday, December 5, 2015

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Page 3: Wood Buffalo @ Work - Issue 13, Dec. 5, 2015 | Regional

A Message from Marcel Ulliac, Chief Administrative Officer for the RegionalMunicipality of Wood Buffalo.

As the end of 2015 approaches and our organization prepares for a newyear, we are ready to implement a new budget and to translate Council’s

deliberations and decisions on this year’s proposed budget into publicservices for the taxpayers of our region.

To develop an annual budget takes dedication from everyone in ouradministration as we work together with Mayor and Council to ensure that wemeet the public service and infrastructure needs of the residents of Wood Buffalo.

My role as Chief Administrative Officer serves as a link between Council andmunicipal administration. My role is to ensure that the directions of Council onthe delivery of programs and services are followed, and I work closely with theleadership team to ensure alignment with Council’s priorities.

Along with a number of successes shared by our region, the past year has beenchallenging, due to the economic uncertainty that has affected all of ourneighbours, families, friends and fellow taxpayers here in Wood Buffalo.

The current economic climate definitely has had an impact on thebudget. Capital projects that were required to serve a projected growingpopulation have been reconsidered and placed on hold until updated populationprojections are completed. 

Service levels will not be impacted, but discretionary spending continues to bescrutinized. Like many residents who are forced to deal with the economicdownturn, the municipality is also revisiting all avenues to reduce costs. The keyto identifying additional savings and efficiencies lies in engaging employees at alllevels to bring forward ideas throughout the year — not just at budget time.

We are hopeful that residents will be pleased that there is no inflationaryproperty tax increase and that existing service levels will be maintained. 

With 87 per cent of budget funding coming from taxpayers, it is important thatthe budget reflects best value. As stewards of public funds, it is essential that we

make decisions that are reflective of the realities Wood Buffalo faces, whilecontinuing to improve the way we work together and how we involve taxpayers.

The budget is our road map, and we will continue to make changes andimprovements without compromising our integrity.

Together we will build a sustainable future for our region.

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Chief Administrative Officer Marcel Ulliac.

BUDGET 2016: SUSTAINING OUR FUTURE IN DYNAMIC TIMESWood Buffalo @ Work • Saturday, December 5, 2015 3

Happy Holidays!From our Diversi²ed family to yours!

Page 4: Wood Buffalo @ Work - Issue 13, Dec. 5, 2015 | Regional

More than 110 participants representingalmost every sector in our region —

including social profit, industry, education,health and First nations — collaborated on anew beginning for a more-inclusive communityat the fourth annual Diversity summit this fall.

“The work completed here today isoutstanding, but it is only just the beginning,”said Linda Thompson-Brown, a member of themunicipality’s Interdepartmental Committee onInclusion, Diversity and Equality.

“We are continuing towards developing a planthat addresses diversity, inclusion and equality.Today’s activities are about inspiring others tobring awareness to this important work and tolearn from one another what more can be done.”

The full-day event on Oct. 29 was packed withthought-provoking presentations and dialogue.Keynote speaker Laurel Vespi brought energyand enthusiasm with her inspirational speech,“The Power of One.” She described how just oneperson can make a difference and how just oneaction can make a change.

As the summit continued, participants movedaround the room, exploring various topics atbreakout stations. Participants were also askedthree key questions: Who is missing from thisconversation? How do we connect the dots?How do we go from good to better? Largedisplay boards were flooded with multi-coloured

Post-it notes that captured thoughts and ideasto propel the region forward as a diversecommunity.

A key component of the workshop was toreview the four goals of the Diversity Plan,assessing how far the community has come andto determine what more needs to be done inorder to:

• Foster a sense of home and belonging.• Support and promote a vibrant culture.• Work together for co-ordinated service

delivery.• Ensure accountability and compliance.In the afternoon, participants joined in a

performance of the Northwind Dancers, acultural dance group from Fort McKay.Drumming and singing filled the room as thegroup demonstrated traditional dances, followedby the entire crowd joining hands andparticipating in a round dance to the beat of thedrum.

As the summit came to a close, small groupsworked to further explore and define diversityand inclusion and identify gaps that exist in thecommunity.

Community members interested in providingfeedback about the summit, the plan, and workbeing done in the region to promote diversitycan email [email protected].

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together on pathways to change4 Wood Buffalo @ Work • Saturday, December 5, 2015

Mayor Melissa Blake addresses the fourth annual Diversity Summit.

Page 5: Wood Buffalo @ Work - Issue 13, Dec. 5, 2015 | Regional

the regional Municipality of wood buffalo’s2016 budget and the 2017-2018 Financial

Plan will be presented to Council for finalconsideration and approval on dec. 8.

On approval, it will be a truly publicdocument and a detailed financial road mapfor the year ahead. There was a 35-dayengagement period by Council and the publicbetween Nov. 3, when the proposed 2016budget was presented to Council, and Dec. 8,when the final proposed budget —incorporating the changes directed by Council— returns for approval.

The anticipated approval of the 2016budget follows an intense review of theoperating and capital budget presentationsheld during public workshops Nov. 4, 5, 6 and9. Each of the daily workshops began with theopportunity for residents to bring questionsand concerns directly to Council. During theworkshops, many community organizationsmade funding requests and many municipalmanagers presented and explained theirdepartmental budgets, providing Councillorswith the information necessary to make theirdecisions.

In light of the effort made by Council,administration and municipal staff to ensurethat the budget process has been responsible,transparent and accountable to ratepayers, it’s

likely that Wood Buffalo’s 2016 budget willonce again be evaluated as an award winner.This year’s budget deliberations followed theannouncement that the municipality receivedthe Government Financial OfficersAssociation’s Distinguished BudgetPresentation Award for last year’s budgetdocument. It was the fifth consecutive year thatthe Regional Municipality has received theaward from the association of Canadian andU.S. government finance officials.

According to Elsie Hutton, Wood Buffalo’sChief Financial Officer, the awards are recognitionof every Wood Buffalo employee, becausewithout their input, the Finance Departmentcould not meet the GFOA’s high standards.

The GFOA established the DistinguishedBudget Presentation Award program toencourage and assist governments inpreparing budget documents of the highestquality, reflecting guidelines established by theNational Advisory Council on State and LocalBudgeting and the GFOA’s own best practices.

Documents submitted for an award arereviewed by the GFOA professional staff andby outside experts in public-sector budgeting.After thorough evaluation according to 14criteria, the budgets ranked as proficient byevery reviewer receive Distinguished BudgetPresentation Awards.

award-winning work behind the 2016 budgetWood Buffalo @ Work • Saturday, December 5, 2015 5

The Government Financial Officers Association’s Distinguished BudgetPresentation Award.

The Wood Buffalo Housing & DevelopmentThe Wood Buffalo HouCorporation wishesCorporation wishesCorporation wishes

HHaappy HHoolliiddaayssto all its tenants, friends and neighbourss –– past, presentto all its tenaand future

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nts, friends and neighboanna– on behalf of its Board

ours phbodd and staff

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WBHDC providess quality affordable housing optionss in Canada’s most expensiveWBHDC providescommunity. Since

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put down roots in Forthas helped mit011,

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alal Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

Page 6: Wood Buffalo @ Work - Issue 13, Dec. 5, 2015 | Regional

Their pets are the parrots Phoenix and Nero. The one with the black head is the female. The

male has an orange head and, at the home ofSharleen and Ted Jager, both employees of theRegional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, thefeathered pair bring smiles to visitors’ faces as theyperform tricks.

The Jagers’ love of birds extends beyond the frontdoor of their Beacon Hill house. This summer, theJagers developed an acquaintance with two wildravens, a mated male and female that were alwaystogether.

One week, the male raven, which Sharleen hadnamed Schwarz (German for black), went missing fora few days and then was spotted on the ground,walking in circles. “I could see that he’d broken hisright wing,” Ted said.

Ted caught Schwarz in his neighbour’s garden andgave him a good feed of frozen chicken hearts. TheJagers contacted Fish and Wildlife, whichrecommended the bird be released into the wild, butTed knew that would be a death sentence.

Sharleen contacted the Medicine River WildlifeCentre west of Innisfail, Alta., which provides sanctuaryto 2,000 injured and orphaned animals annually.

Determined to give Schwarz a chance for recovery,arrangements for delivery were made. Ted bought aFort McMurray-Edmonton return airplane ticket andobtained a big plastic box for the raven’s comfortduring the flight. Taking time off from work, Ted flewto Edmonton, where a staff member from the MRWCtook possession of the large raven with the brokenwing.

Feedings of frozen chicken hearts by the Jagerscontinued for Schwarz’s mate. Prospects were goodthat, once the raven’s wing healed, the two would bereunited, wild and free.

But that happy ending was not to be. In the firstweek of October, someone snuck into the cage thatheld the crows and ravens at the sanctuary, shootingthem with what was thought to be a pellet gun.

Carol Kelly, the executive director with MRWC, toldCBC Edmonton: "It would have had to have beensomeone sneaking around behind the building, intothe cage and then, using a flashlight, finding eachone of the birds and systematically shooting them."

“These are birds that people had brought to usbecause they found them and they cared and theywanted something done with them," she said. "It’s aterrible thing."

Ted agrees. "I hate to think that all that effort wasa waste of time," he said. "The guy from the wildlifecentre drove 60 kilometres to pick up the raven fromthe airport and we of course donated $1,500 to thecentre for all its effort and the care it was to give toSchwarz."

“His mate is still here," Ted said. "We’re going tocontinue watching out for her and feeding her."

By now, Sharleen has probably given the femaleraven a name and the Jagers are waiting to see if it'strue that ravens do mate for life.

As devoted bird lovers, the Jagers are hoping fora good turn of events for the female raven. Ted Jager with Nero, left, and Phoenix.

BITTERSWEET SEASON FOR RMWB BIRD LOVERS6 Wood Buffalo @ Work • Saturday, December 5, 2015

Page 7: Wood Buffalo @ Work - Issue 13, Dec. 5, 2015 | Regional

When the Alberta government announced on Nov. 20 that it would movea seniors care facility to Willow Square from Parsons Creek, the

reaction in the media from Mayor Melissa Blake, Councillors Tyran Ault andKeith McGrath, local MLAs, and proponents of the Willow Square site wereresoundingly positive.

While the issue of a seniors care facility may have been one of the catalyststhat led to Council’s creation of the Advisory Committee on Aging in 2014, thecommittee has much more on its plate.

In May, the ACOA applied to the World Health Organization to begin worktowards the inclusion of Wood Buffalo in WHO’s network of Age-FriendlyCommunities.

The municipality has provided resources to the committee to help it meet itsexpanded goals and objectives, according to Linda Mywaart, ACOA Chair andDeputy Chair of the Fort McMurray Public Schools Board of Trustees.

“Administration has been very supportive of the ACOA,” Mywaart said. “Wehave Steve Andrejiw from Neighbourhood and Community Development as ourproject lead full time and he’s absolutely the right fit. The right person in that roleis a key factor (to success).”

In 2006, the WHO developed the Global Age-Friendly Cities and CommunitiesProject to gather information from seniors, seniors care providers and othergroups.

As a result, eight key areas of living are highlighted as the benchmarks of age-friendly cities and communities: outdoor spaces and buildings, transportation,housing, social participation, respect and social inclusion, civic participation andemployment, communication and information, and community support andhealth services. In addition, there are principles and actions that must be presentfor an age-friendly designation, including:

• Recognition that seniors have abilities and skills;• Respect for the decisions and lifestyle choices of seniors;• Understand and meet the age-related needs of seniors;• Protection for vulnerable seniors;• Recognition that it’s important to include seniors in all areas of community

life.Mywaart sees the ACOA’s role as one of recommending and promoting age-

friendly initiatives in Wood Buffalo.“Our focus is seniors and the task and the goal at hand is to engage with our

rural and urban populations about our commitment to becoming an age-friendlycommunity,” she explained. “When seniors lead healthy and active lives and stayengaged with family, friends and the larger community, we shall have aging withdignity in Wood Buffalo.

“When we build curb cuts and ensure sidewalks are well lit, for example, andour buildings have door openers and elevators, everyone benefits, not just ourseniors.”

Mywaart also noted that the ACOA’s first public outreach, a survey askingquestions about the perceived needs of seniors, targeted both the urban areaand the rural communities. And in the coming months, the committee will bepresenting the survey results and recommendations to Council.

“This survey is just the beginning of the committee’s work,” Mywaart said.“The survey and our engagement with the citizens of Wood Buffalo is not a one-shot deal.”

“Our vision statement is aging with dignity, and we as a community have toprovide services and social structures and the support systems that enable seniorsto stay — and want to stay,” she said.

“We are looking forward to better informing citizens about what an age-friendly community looks like, in that it not only supports seniors, but allresidents.”

For more information on the Advisory Committee on Aging, go online tormwb.ca/ACOA.

Linda Mywaart, ACOA Chair and Deputy Chair of the Fort McMurray Public Schools Board of Trustees.

Our focus is seniors and the task andthe goal at hand is to engage with

our rural and urban populations about ourcommitment to becoming an age-friendlycommunity. When seniors lead healthy andactive lives and stay engaged with family,friends and the larger community, we shallhave aging with dignity in Wood Buffalo.”Linda Mywaart, Advisory Committee on Aging Chair and Deputy Chairof the Fort McMurray Public Schools Board of Trustees

BUILDING AN AGE-FRIENDLY COMMUNITY FOR ALLWood Buffalo @ Work • Saturday, December 5, 2015 7

Page 8: Wood Buffalo @ Work - Issue 13, Dec. 5, 2015 | Regional

There are four talented Design & Multimedia advisorsin the municipality’s Creative Solutions branch. As ateam, they plan, perfect and produce the visualcomponents of messages destined for internal andexternal audiences. Whether it’s Santa’s sleighspeeding through the star-lit sky, video recordings ofevents or media presentations in the McMurrayExperience, it is the Creative Solutions branch thatprovides the captivating visual results. Meet Paul Jen,one of those team members.

Paul Jen is an expert in visual rhetoric.“Essentially, I eat sandwiches and draw pictures all

day,” Paul Jen quipped when asked to describe hisrole in the Creative Solutions branch of the RegionalMunicipality of Wood Buffalo’s Communications andStakeholder Relations Department.

On a more serious note, Jen explained: “Some ofour branding and publication standards are reallyhigh, whether they’re for a graphic or a poster with ashelf life of a few weeks, or a print publication such asthe Municipal Development Plan, which is a documentdesigned to last a decade or longer. For example, Ihave 400,000 digital assets, graphic files, videos,photos and graphs in my own little Outlook inbox.That’s what I have created since 2010, and they areeach building blocks of the visual library of the municipality. I don’t write content,but the thing I do — what we do on our team — is transfer written content and itscontext into the right visual landscape and context.”

Jen moved from Toronto in April 2010, but he hadstarted his research on Fort McMurray and theoilsands in 2008.

“I heard about Fort McMurray in the news and thenI did extensive research on Alberta’s economy throughBloomberg Business Week, the Harvard BusinessReview, The Economist and other sources,” Jenexplains. “When a job came up, I applied and I got acall back. I was working for myself at the time doingvery similar style work in Toronto.”

“I’ve learned a lot in the last five years being herewith the municipality. It was an easy transition and itoffered me an opportunity for a different leverage.The scales of the projects are bigger and theresources are extensive.”

Jen has no immediate plans to leave Wood Buffalo.“I was the lead on the creative look and feel of both

the Municipal Development Plan and the McMurrayExperience, where the processes were quite lengthyand required a great deal of teamwork,” he said. “Itwas a eureka moment where I realized I can make adifference through what I do.”

Jen sees lots more opportunity as an RMWBemployee, despite the challenging economic climateof today.

“There are new working relationships to forge inintergovernmental affairs and bridges of

communications within our organization,” he said. “I have elaborate plans in myhead, so I’d like to stay here and be on the forefront of the administrative teamone day.”

PAUL JEN: AN EYE FOR PERSUASION8 Wood Buffalo @ Work • Saturday, December 5, 2015

Paul Jen is a member of the Creative Solutions branch of theRegional Municipality of Wood Buffalo’s Communications andStakeholder Relations Department.

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Page 9: Wood Buffalo @ Work - Issue 13, Dec. 5, 2015 | Regional

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo set a new record for generosityin this year’s United Way campaign.

Each year, the municipality’s corporate campaign is led by a differentdepartment. For 2015, it was the 12-member Bylaw and RCMP Support Servicesgroup that organized all of the efforts to meet this year’s goal of $50,000, andthen surpassed that goal by more than $14,000.

At a thank-you meeting for the campaign committee, hosted by Mayor MelissaBlake in November, she noted that Wood Buffalo is often referred to as one ofthe most generous communities in Canada.

“It’s results like these that illustrate it’s the collaboration of our residents thatmake us proud to call this region home,” she said.

Dale Bendfeld, the United Way Campaign Chair, took the opportunity at themeeting to express gratitude for the generosity of municipal staff and thedetermined efforts of his committee members.

“We are proud to announce that the RMWB campaign raised a grand total of$64,113, which represents 128 per cent of our $50,000 objective,” Bendfeld said.“Considering this year’s economic climate, the campaign was a resoundingsuccess.

“The exceptional total this year was likely due to a number of factors. For thefirst time, the pledge form was available online and made it easy for all staff tocontribute. Funds from two new events this year — the Jail and Bail and the SilentAuction — together accounted for nearly 20 per cent of the goal.”

In the spirit of the 2015 Wood Buffalo Summer Games, the top threedepartments were recognized for raising nearly 60 per cent of the final total.Those departments were: Bylaw and RCMP Support Services ($17,272),Community Services ($12,717) and Timberlea Landing ($8,524).

Some of the details of the 2015 United Way campaign are:• There was a 112-per-cent increase in participation over the 2014 campaign.• In 2012, 2013 and 2014, the respective grand totals were $55,454, $50,420

and $51, 781.

• 51 per cent of the 2015 total amount raised came from payroll deductions.• Top events hosted by the municipality’s United Way committee included the

Jail and Bail, which raised $6,816, and the Silent Auction, which raised $2,875.Next year, a different municipal department will head up the RMWB United

Way Campaign and it will have a record level of generosity to match.

THE RMWB GIVES BIGWood Buffalo @ Work • Saturday, December 5, 2015 9

Wood Buffalo RCMP Superintendent Rob McCloy, in robes and wig at right, “holds court” during Jailand Bail at the Timberlea Detachment.

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Page 10: Wood Buffalo @ Work - Issue 13, Dec. 5, 2015 | Regional

With the municipality submitting bids for the 2017Alberta 55-Plus Games and 2018 Alberta WinterGames, it’s the achievement in hosting the 2015Western Canada Summer Games that has increasedconfidence in furthering Wood Buffalo’s sporttourism.

Wood Buffalo exuded “Game On!” spirit forthe 2015 Western Canada Summer Games,

the largest multi-sport event to come to theregion. From Aug. 7 to 16, Wood Buffalowelcomed 2,500 of Western and NorthernCanada’s best youth athletes and thousands ofvisitors. Its success was the result of many factors,including the region’s vast resources, stunningsporting infrastructure, lucrative sponsorships,community support and the outstandingvolunteer workforce of more than 3,000passionate residents.

Although the audited financial statements andfinal report of the 2015 WCSG are not scheduled forpublic presentation until early 2016, preliminaryprojections foresee a surplus, which WCSG GeneralManager Kim Rizzi said will be invested back into thecommunity.

“The final presentation will include an economicimpact report,” Rizzi said. “All sectors of our regioninvested in the Games; their dedication and supportmade it all possible, so I’m thrilled to relay thesepositive forecasts.”

Over the years, the municipality has hosted majorsporting events, pioneered innovative sportinginfrastructure, and supported local recreationalinitiatives, making the community a go-to destinationfor the athletically inclined and a new leader in sporttourism.

Wood Buffalo boasts more than 130 kilometres ofthe exceptional Birchwood Trails, Canada’s largestoutdoor gym, baseball diamonds, a public bike park

designed for off-road cycling, tennis courts,numerous parks, including Snye Point Park, whichhouses beach volleyball courts, a boat launch andgreen space perfect for play of all sorts. And theSnye River has now been used for competitiverowing, kayaking and canoeing.

The region is also home to North America’slargest recreation centre, MacDonald Island Park,Shell Place, Vista Ridge All Seasons Park, which hostsa ski hill and Wild Play Elements Park, and manymore advanced recreational facilities.

Monica Lance, Manager, Community Strategies,and a 2015 WCSG director, attributes the high levelof confidence about the two newly submitted gamesbids to the positive experience of August 2015.

“It’s evident that Wood Buffalo has the physicalmaterials and space necessary to host games- anddo a great job of it,” Lance said. “However, withoutvolunteers to showcase the spirit of the region andput plans into fruition, success would merely be adream.”

Michelle Farrow, Community Strategies Co-ordinator, who was the Volunteer Co-ordinator for2015 WCSG, believes the volunteers were the heartof the Games.

“It was astounding to hear visitors andparticipants talk about the kindness, friendliness andcommitment our volunteers demonstrated,” Farrowsays. “My hope is that we can keep this momentumgoing through the bid process and beyond.”

2015 Western Canada Summer Games General Manager Kim Rizzi.

2015 SUMMER GAMES: GATEWAY TO SPORT TOURISM10 Wood Buffalo @ Work • Saturday, December 5, 2015

Page 11: Wood Buffalo @ Work - Issue 13, Dec. 5, 2015 | Regional

the owners of phoenix heli-flight areawaiting three significant approvals in

order to continue providing the medevacservices that residents and the oilindustry of Wood Buffalo can count on.

First, Paul Spring, President andOperations Manager, and AndreaMontgomery Spring, Director ofStakeholder and Community Relations forthe Local Helicopter Emergency ResponseOrganization (HERO) Foundation, areawaiting approval of their request for amunicipal grant of $1.5 million.

The Springs appeared before Council ata 2016 Budget Workshop on Nov. 4 seekingthe municipal grant to help meet theservice’s annual expenses of more than $3.3million. To the question, “What happens ifthere is no funding?” posed by Coun.Lance Bussieres, Paul Spring responded,“We shut it down.”

Secondly, the Springs and supporters areawaiting approval by the CanadianRevenue Agency of registered charitystatus for the Local HERO Foundation,allowing additional fundraising programsfor the medevac service to begin. Therequest for registered charity status hasbeen waiting in the queue forapproximately five months.

Thirdly, Phoenix Heli-Flight is awaitingapproval of a tripartite agreement amongthe province, industry and the municipalityas a new, ongoing funding model.

As Paul Spring explained at the budgetworkshop, through such an agreement,each partner would commit to one-third ofthe annual costs. Currently, the AlbertaHealth Services (AHS) contributes on a fee-for-service basis and funding from industryis determined through ongoing fundingrequests and negotiation.

A tripartite would provide consistency inmeeting expenses. And it could see themunicipality’s share of the funding drop to$1 million a year from the current $1.5million request.

Darby Allen, Regional Fire Chief, toldCouncil that a tripartite funding modelinvolving the Regional Municipality, AHSand the Oil Sands Community Alliancecould be entered into once the Local HEROFoundation becomes a registered charity.

“Negotiations have been going well,”Allen informed Council. “AHS is very willingto come forward with the funding model.I’m pretty confident that once we receivethe charitable designation status, they’llcome forward with the full tripartite status.”

“We’re getting really close.” Andrea Montgomery Spring and Paul Spring are owners of Phoenix Heli-Flight.

medevac services: funding model still up in the airWood Buffalo @ Work • Saturday, December 5, 2015 11

Page 12: Wood Buffalo @ Work - Issue 13, Dec. 5, 2015 | Regional

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Includes WaterparkPasses for Two

$259(Valid seven days a week.Value: $388 to $428)

12 Wood Buffalo @ Work • Saturday, December 5, 2015