Housing Info:
LOOKING FOR HOUSING OPTIONS?
Here’s some resources for you to access: (**Last Updated June 4, 2016)
Property Managers & Apartment Buildings
Agents Referrals International 888-866-8848
Alberta Property Management 780-715-7270
Alberta Condo Review 780-750-9951
Alcor Facilities Management 780-743-1343
Aurelia Developments Ltd. 780-743-3417
Birchwood Manor 780-790-2970
Boardwalk Rental Communities 1-800-310-9255
Chanteclair Apartments 780-790-2970
Dc Property Management 780-598-2381
East Village First Suites 780-750-0846
Edelweiss Terrace 780-790-2970
Fort Management Ltd. 780-791-3948
Fort Mcmurray Housing Inc. 780-791-1988
Fraser Court Estates 780-791-1293
Gannet Place 780-790-0384
Gato Property Management 780-743-6380
Gordon Enterprises Inc. 780-713-6321
Hansen Manor 780-799-6749
Hearthstone Manor 780-743-6200
Heatherton Apartments 780-790-2970
Hillside Manor Apartments 780-790-2970
Kirchner Family Corporation 780-972-7735
Krista Court 780-791-6885
Laidley Management Ltd. 780-743-4478
Laird’s Landing 780-748-7126
Lakewood Apartments 780-748-7519
Liam Properties 780-750-0846
Lunar Apartments 780-790-0384
Magnum York Property Management 403-294-0411
Mallard Arms Apartments 780-790-2970
Mcmurray Manor 780-790-2970
Meyers Management Consulting 780-748-2500
Millennium Village 780-748-8368
Nelson Ridge Estates 780-748-7519
Mckay Metis Property 780-828-4581
Northern Property R.E.I.T. 780-790-0806
Oaksey Investments Inc. 780–972-7368
On-site Solutions Inc. 780-790-2077
Parkland Apartments 780-790-0384
Parson Landing 780-748-7126
Penney Property Management 780-881-9561
Real Canadian Property Management 780-838-8418
Sawchuk Services 780-880-6675
Shelter Canadian 780-748-4355
Signature Homes Inc. 780-838-0472
Simsur Asset Management 587-276-2753
Skyview Apartments 780-790-0384
Snowbird Manor 780-790-0384
Sturge Family Corporation 780-799-1816
Tamaku Services Ltd. 587-644-3478
Three H Investments Ltd. 780-743-0555
Whimbrel Terrace 780-790-0384
Willow Lake Landing 780-799-5561
Wood Buffalo Housing and
Development Corporation 780-743-4140
Woodland Park 780-748-8368
Rental Listings
Rentcafe.com/canada/fortmcmurraywildfires
4Rent.ca
bigspiritrentals.ca
classifieds.fortmcmurraytoday.com
fortmcmurrayonline.com
ftmcmurray.craigslist.ca
gottarent.com
Kijiji.ca
RentBoard.ca
Airbnb.ca
Usedfortmcmurray.ca
LOOKING FOR HOUSING OPTIONS?
Here’s some resources for you to access:
Hotels
Ace Inn 1-866-745-2219
BCM Inn (Downtown) 1-888-700-2264
BCM Inn (Rustys) 1-888-700-2264
Best Western 1-888-729-7343
Bridgeport 1-888-747-0074
Clearwater 1-866-650-3678
Franklin Suite Hotel 1-866-650-3678
Merit Hotel 1-866-650-3678
Nomad 1-866-650-3678
Other Resources
Alberta Government Information Line for evacuees 310-4455
Alberta Government—Residential Tenancy Questions 1-877-427-4088
Alberta Real Estate Association / MLS 1-800-661-0231
ATCO Electric 1-800-668-2248
ATCO Gas 1-888-511-7550
Bell Cable 1-866-897-4117
Bell Mobility 1-866-301-1942
Billy Graham Rapid Response Team 1-877-247-2426
Insurance Bureau of Canada 1-844-227-5422
PULSE 780-743-7000
Red Cross 1-888-350-6070
Samaritan’s Purse International Relief 1-800-663-6500
Shaw Cable 1-888-472-2222
Telus Cable 1-888-811-2323
Telus Mobility 1-866-558-2273
Wildfire Evacuee Transitional Accommodation Benefit 780-310-4455
Wood Buffalo Housing and Development (Home page of website has information for current tenants)
FAQ (Last updated June 6, 2016)
Information on this website is frequently updated in response to new information provided by the Government of Alberta and other agencies. Our first priority is to ensure that all tenants have a safe place to return to when they are permitted to do so. Please check back often to stay current.
This page contains much new information, including updates on the unit re-occupation schedule, cleaning and insurance claims. Please read all material below to prepare for your return to Fort McMurray.
When can I return to my rental unit?
Not until WBHDC has contacted you to tell you it is ready to be re-occupied. Neither will you be able to enter the building or townhouse until the clean-up is complete.
The ash and smoke distributed across Fort McMurray by the wildfire contains environmental contaminants that may be hazardous to human health. Susceptibility to those compounds will vary by individual; however, children under seven, the aged, and those with respiratory illnesses, such as asthma and cardiopulmonary disease, or compromised immune systems are more likely to be at risk. As your landlord and the owner of your building, WBHDC is also responsible to clean all rental units and to remove and replace refrigerators that may have been ruined by food spoilage. Those responsibilities are specified under thePublic Health Actand theResidential Tenancies Act.
Our insurer, adjusters and environmental experts continue their inspection of WBHDC’s buildings and willbe finished June 3. Our insurance company has taken charge of the clean-up and has hired experienced personnel who are expert at post-fire clean-up.
WBHDC’s clean-up will begin with common areas and vacant units. This includes all surfaces – walls, ceilings and carpets – HVAC systems and air scrubbing, and replacement of insulation in buildings where it is required. When common areas are clean, the clean-up of rental units can begin.
Cleaning of the units of tenants who have agreed through their adjustor to let WBHDC’s contractors clean both the unit, which is WBHDC’s responsibility, and the tenants’ contents will begin immediately. This will include walls, ceilings, carpets, countertops and bathrooms among WBHDC’s responsibilities, and furniture, area rugs, window coverings,etc. among the tenant’s responsibilities.
Tenants who opt for independent cleaning will have access to their units to begin the claims adjustment process once the common areas are clean. Both the unit and the tenant’s contents will have to be cleaned before the tenant can return.WBHDC and its insurers are working on adding additional resources to accelerate tenant re-entry as much as possible.
Building / Totalunits / Vacant units / Adjustor access for independent unit clean-up / Tentative tenant
re-entry date for
first cleaned units
Araubasca House (Seniors) / 18 / 4 / n/a / June 17
Beacon Hill / 10 / 1 / Locked down by the Province
Centennial Drive Fourplex / 4 / 0 / June 20 / June 22
Centennial House / 7 / 4 / June 11 / June 13
Edgewater Court A & C / 149 / 43 / June 11 / June 13
Heritage Glen, Dickens Dr / 5 / 1 / Damaged by Fire
Horizon View / 129 / 19 / June 13 / June 15
Legion Manor (Seniors) / 12 / 0 / June 20 / June 22
Marshall House / 26 / 16 / June 16 / June 18
McConachie Crescent / 1 / 0 / Damaged by Fire
Meadow Creek Village – Breakwater A & B / 105 / 14 / June 15 / June 17
Meadow Creek Village – Cascades / 40 / 24 / June 15 / June 17
Meadow Creek Village – Creekside / 36 / 13 / June 20 / June 22
Meadow Creek Village – Delta / 57 / 12 / June 20 / June 22
Prospect View / 90 / 31 / June 14 / June 16
Rotary House Lodge (Seniors) / 39 / 2 / June 15 / June 17
Sandpiper Cove / 171 / 34 / June 15 / June 17
The Shores / 38 / 9 / June 15 / June 17
Siltstone Ridge A & B / 156 / 124 / June 13 / June 15
Siltstone Townhouses / 19 / 14 / Damaged by Fire
Stony Mountain Plaza / 125 / 47 / June 12 / June 14
Venture Terrace / 40 / 8 / June 15 / June 17
Clean-up crews will photograph all kitchen countertop areas before cleaning. WBHDC will clean allunit-related surfaces– such as walls, floors, carpets and countertops – and dispose of perishable food items and garbage left behind.
WBHDC’s adjustor, Crawford Canada, has committed to working with tenants’ insurers and adjustors to coordinate the cleaning of rental units and personal contents at the same time, which will quicken the clean-up and enable tenants to return home sooner. Personal contents include such things as furniture, tabletops, area rugs, window coverings,etc. Cleanerswill notopen closets or drawers, clean beneath beds, or otherwise disturb tenants’ personal belongings.
Tenants may call 780-743-4140, extension 3, to provide WBHDC with your insurance information. We require the name of your insurance company, your adjustor, the adjustor’s phone number, and your claim number, if applicable. WBHDC’s adjustor, Crawford Canada, will coordinate the comprehensive clean-up of your unit with your adjustor.
Uninsured tenants should call the same number, 780-743-4140, extension 3, and WBHDC will work with Crawford Canada to coordinate the cleaning of your unit.
We are working hard to get your homes cleaned so that you can return to a safe environment as soon as possible. We appreciate your support in this matter.
Clean-up crews have removed all refrigerators, begun cleaning up common areas to facilitate the cleaning of rental units and claims adjustment process, and are installing new insulation where required.
For more information about the removal and replacement of refrigerators, please see below.
The Government of Alberta has issued atip sheet for landlords and tenantsthat may answer additional questions.
What about my refrigerator and/or freezer?
All refrigerators and freezers have been removed. WBHDC has placed an order for replacement refrigerators but cannot advise how long it will take for the refrigerators to be transported to Fort McMurray and installed. It is possible that you may re-occupy your unit before the replacement refrigerator is available.
Please remember, personal items that were in your refrigerator can be replaced by your insurance company.
If you have a concern over the disposal of your refrigerator, use the Contact page of this website to register that concern with “Refrigerator” in the subject line.
Because a freezer is a personal possession, its replacement is the responsibility of tenants, either through insurance coverage or other means. WBHDC will photograph all freezers found in rental units before they are removed.
What if I don’t want you to clean my unit – I’ll clean it myself. Can I return more quickly?
That is not your decision to make. As stated above, WBHDC is your landlord and the owner of your building. We have legal obligations to clean your unit before it is re-occupied. Tenants in the building during clean-up will disrupt that clean-up and delay everyone’s return.
You may choose, as above, to have WBHDC do a coordinated clean-up of both your rental unit – walls, ceiling, floor, countertops and bathroom – and your contents – furniture, area rugs, window coverings,etc. Or, you may arrange for an independent cleaning of your contents through your insurance adjustor, which is likely to take longer.
Please call 780-746-4140, extension 3 to discuss the cleaning of your unit.
Don’t you need my permission to enter my unit?
The wildfire is an emergency situation. WBHDC does not require a tenant’s permission to enter your unit to protect public health and safety. WBHDC has removed spoiled food and refrigerators from all units before beginning the clean-up of each building.
WBHDC staff will contact you through your alternate or emergency contact information to discuss how best to coordinate the complete clean-up of your unit with your insurer/adjustor.
What if I just want to collect some personal belongings and take pictures for insurance purposes?
WBHDC appreciates your anxiety about your personal belongings but we cannot, for the reasons above, permit access to any of our buildings until the common area clean-up is complete. Allowing even temporary access will delay the return for all our tenants and increase the likelihood of cross-contamination. Our buildings are secure: WBHDC has hired security guards who are on-site 24 hours a day.
If your building is not one of those listed above to have been destroyed or severely damaged by the wildfire, it is unlikely that your personal belongings have sustained substantial damage.
However, we hope you will contact your insurer and authorize the clean-up of your personal items – furniture, area rugs, window coverings,etc. – at the same time we are cleaning your unit. Please call 780-743-4140, extension 3 to discuss the cleaning of your unit. If you wish to pursue an independent cleaning of your unit, your adjustor may obtain access to your building according to the table above.
If I am not allowed to return to my unit until the clean-up is complete, why has the Province said evacuated Fort McMurray residents may voluntarily return beginning June 1?
It is important to appreciate that the State of Emergency remains in effect until June 15, with a possibility that it may be extended. The voluntary re-entry program is not necessarily an invitation to return home, and certainly not a suggestion that things have been restored to normal. The clean-up process will be ongoing for several months.
A boil water advisory is in place at least until June 15. Persons with a wide variety of medical conditions have been askednotto return prior to June 15.
The fundamental distinction between WBHDC tenants and private homeowners is that the latter may make their own decisions with respect to whether or not they return to their homes and are responsible with their own insurers to address such matters as the clean-up of their homes. WBHDC’s legal obligation to its tenants under theProvincial Health Actand theResidential Tenancies Actputs that responsibility on WBHDC. To be clear, you will not be permitted to access your unit until the clean-up is complete and you have been notified by WBHDC that it is safe to return.
My apartment building or townhouse has been destroyed by the wildfire. What do I do now?
If your unit has been destroyed or significantly damaged by either fire or firefighting efforts, you will be housed on a priority basis in a WBHDC unit that was vacant before the wildfire, either temporarily or permanently as required. We will do the best can we can with our existing inventory to provide you with a unit that meets your needs,i.e., one, two or three bedrooms, apartment or townhouse,etc. WBHDC staff will contact you directly to help you secure new accommodations.
Learning that your home has been significantly damaged may be traumatic – Alberta Health Services mental health professionals are available 24 hours per day at 780-370-0182 or 780-792-6378.
I left behind one or more vehicles. When may I retrieve it/them?
You may return to Fort McMurray according to the voluntary re-entry schedule posted by the Province on its emergency updates website and collect any belongings that are not in your rental unit or building. However, you will not be able to access your building until it is clean-up is complete and notice provided above.
It is possible that your vehicle was collected by authorities during the evacuation. Call 310-4455 to determine if your vehicle was impounded for safety purposes – this is especially likely if it was abandoned on a roadway or highway – and, if so, where it is being stored and to arrange access. To claim your vehicle, you will need to provide your driver’s license and show that the vehicle registration information matches the information on your driver’s license.