Some residents of downtown Fort McMurray want in on municipal buyout

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is looking at buying out houses in Fort McMurray's flood zone and some residents in the downtown area, not included in the proposal, are hoping to be considered.

At a virtual town hall meeting on Monday night, Wood Buffalo residents called in and asked questions about the administration's proposed flood mitigation plan. The plan includes buying out more than 260 homes from three neighbourhoods — Waterways, Draper and Ptarmigan Park. 

Fort McMurray's downtown is not included in the buyout proposal. Instead, administration is recommending flood mitigation such as berms and limiting development below the 250-metre elevation.

There were 2,753 buildings impacted by the April flooding in the downtown area, according to a report from administration. The cost to buy out all the private property below the 250-metre elevation in downtown was estimated at $1.2 billion. 

Some living in the area called into the town hall to say they wanted to be considered for a buyout. 

• Fort McMurray residents wary of plan to buy out homes in 3 flood-prone neighbourhoods
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Dale, who identified himself only by his first name during the town hall, said he lives in a downtown condo next to the river. He was dismayed to see that none of downtown was considered in the buyout. 

"We all want to have a nice, safe place to live and raise our kids and not have to worry about this," he said.

Administration asked Dale if he and his neighbours wanted to be bought out. 

"One hundred per cent," he said. "We are concerned that we're not approved for flood insurance due to our proximity to the river."

Mayor Don Scott said one of his big considerations is residents' difficulty to obtain reasonably priced insurance. 

"We're seeing shifts with condominiums in particular but it could expand in the future," he said.

Other residents called in to say that they wanted to see their area of downtown considered for a buyout, frequently citing the Longboat Landing area. 

Deputy CAO Matthew Hough said because of the feedback from council and residents, administration would now consider Longboat Landing as a separate area from downtown. 

He said administration is putting together recommendations, including the information gathered from public input, for a council meeting on July 28. 

"Your opinion is going to drive the final decision," Hough said.

Some not ready to move

While some were interested in having their homes added to the list of potential buyouts, other in Ptarmigan Court called to say that they don't want to move. 

Michelle, who identified herself only by her first name during the town hall, lives in the area and wanted to know if the municipality would be forcing people to move. 

"We want to stay here. We bought down here for a reason," she said. "We never even had water come onto our lot when the flood happened."

Michelle said although she could understand why some of her neighbours wanted to move, she and others do not want to go.

Administration said the buyout is still being explored and no decisions have been made yet. 

The municipality will host a Facebook live discussion of the proposal on Thursday at 2 p.m.