2011 Slave Lake wildfire
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Slave Lake wildfire was a large fire that burned through the Town of Slave Lake
, Alberta
, Canada
and its surrounding area from Saturday, May 14, 2011 through Monday, May 16, 2011. The conflagration, which originated 15 kilometres (9 mi) outside of town as a forest fire, was quickly pushed past fire barriers designed to protect the town by 100 kilometres per hour (62.1 mph) winds. The fire forced the complete evacuation of Slave Lake's 7,000 residents—considered the largest such displacement in the province's history—to the nearby towns of Athabasca
and Westlock
, as well as the provincial capital of Edmonton
. No casualties were reported amongst the town's population, but a pilot was killed when his helicopter crashed while he was battling the fires around the community.
The fire destroyed roughly one-third of Slave Lake; 374 properties were destroyed and 52 damaged in the town, and another 59 were destroyed and 32 damaged in the surrounding Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124, leaving 732 residents homeless. The town hall was completely gutted by the fire, as was the library and radio station. The hospital, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) station and schools remained standing, however. Insurable damage was estimated at C$
700 million, making it the second costliest insured disaster in the country's history, while total damages reached $1.8 billion. A local developer suggested it would be months before the community could even begin to rebuild.
The disaster prompted an outpouring of support from across the province, and across Canada. The Canadian Red Cross
and disaster relief agencies in Edmonton were inundated with donations—enough that they asked people to no longer make donations directly at the evacuation centres. ATB Financial
offered to defer mortgage and loan payments for affected residents, while a Calgary-based rental company offered rental suites in Edmonton to displaced residents free of charge for three months. The provincial government promised $50 million in immediate aid to the town.
in 2001. The Slave Lake area has been threatened by fires in the past. Communities on the eastern outskirts of town were evacuated in 2001 by an approaching fire, while the town was saved from destruction by change in the winds in 1968.
The province faced unusually dry conditions and high winds throughout the spring, leading to extreme risk of fire across much of the province. By mid-May, over 100 wildfires were burning across the province, including 23 that were considered out of control. Over 105000 hectares (259,460.4 acre) had been burned, and the majority of the fires were in the Lesser Slave Lake
area, where 15 fires were burning out of control. Nearly 1100 firefighters were battling the blazes across the country. As a consequence of the fire conditions, the provincial government enacted a complete fire ban across the entire province ahead of the Victoria Day
long weekend; it was only the second time in history the government had issued such an order.
The fire that struck Slave Lake started 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) east of town around 1:30 pm on Saturday, May 14, and grew to 500 hectares (1,235.5 acre) within three hours. An evacuation order was issued for 250 people who lived in the area, while a second fire burning west of Slave Lake, near the hamlet of Wagner
, prompted provincial officials to order the evacuation of 800–900 people from that area. Displaced residents were sent to Slave Lake, where the town's fire chief initially expressed confidence that the town itself was not in serious danger, though Slave Lake declared a local state of emergency on Saturday night.
, provided continuous updates to the community as the fires approached town. Officials remained hopeful that Slave Lake would be spared; by mid-afternoon, they felt they were gaining control of the fires. However, a change in the winds, gusting to up to 100 kilometres per hour (62.1 mph), pushed the conflagrations past fire breaks and into town a short time later.
Residents began to evacuate Slave Lake in the late afternoon as provincial officials re-opened Highway 2 eastbound to allow residents to leave. Efforts to encourage residents to leave were slowed by power failures that knocked Lake FM off the air. By 9:30 pm, the province declared a level four emergency—the highest on its scale, and the first such declaration since 2005—and a half an hour later, a mandatory evacuation was ordered for all residents of Slave Lake. Over 7,000 people fled east and south to the neighbouring towns of Athabasca
and Westlock
, as well as the provincial capital of Edmonton
, 250 kilometres (155.3 mi) south. It was said to be the largest such displacement in Alberta's history.
By morning on May 17, officials announced that 95% of the town's residents had been evacuated and that RCMP officers were conducting searches for any residents who stayed behind. Only essential staff and firefighters remained in the community. The RCMP dispatched personnel from neighbouring detachments to bolster Slave Lake's usual 20 officer contingent while additional firefighters were sent to Slave Lake from across the province to support the 120 already battling the blazes in the town. Among the deployments was 100 firefighters, nine trucks and a heavy urban search and rescue team from Calgary
.
Some residents questioned whether town officials acted fast enough to evacuate the town, noting that the order to leave was made after people had already begun to flee. Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee defended the actions of officials, noting that "this is a first-time experience for us. I think it's an unusual situation. We had fires on either end of the community. What I'm thankful for at this point is we have no loss of life."
The fire ravaged the southeast part of town, destroying 50% of the buildings in the area, while a second fire also struck the northwest part of Slave Lake. The incident commander described it as a firestorm, stating that "the nature of which is unprecedented. The speed it was moving, the heat it was generating, the devastation, is second to none." He praised the efforts of firefighters who chose to demolish some homes in advance of the fire, a decision he said saved many homes in the town.
In addition to hundreds of houses, the town hall, library, radio station and a mall were destroyed, as were at least two churches. However the hospital, RCMP station and schools remained standing. In total, the fire destroyed roughly one-third of Slave Lake; 374 properties were destroyed and 52 damaged in the town proper, and another 59 were destroyed and 32 damaged in the surrounding area. 732 people were left homeless as a result.
Insurable damage caused by the fire was estimated at over C$
700 million. It was the second costliest disaster in Canadian history, topped only by the North American ice storm of 1998
which caused $1.8 billion in damages, adjusted for inflation to 2011 dollars.
No casualties were reported amongst Slave Lake residents as a result of the fire, but a pilot was killed when his helicopter crashed while battling the blaze. Jean-Luc Deba, an experienced pilot from Montreal, died in the crash at Canyon Creek
, 24 kilometres (14.9 mi) west of Slave Lake.
A week after the fire ravaged the town, provincial officials organized buses from the evacuation centres to allow residents to tour the damage. Few residents took advantage of the opportunity, but those that did felt the tour offered a sense of closure.
Ten days after the town was evacuated, the first residents were allowed to return as part of a four-phase plan. Approximately 100 workers in essential service areas, along with their families, were allowed to return on May 25. Their return followed the restoration of critical infrastructure including power, water supply, telephone, police and fire services. It was expected the town's remaining residents would begin to return within days, and while some residents expressed no plans on returning to their former homes, many looked forward to doing their part to help rebuild their community.
A local developer suggested it would be months before the community could even begin to rebuild homes lost in the fire, Local home builders were expected to be overwhelmed by the task, while Slave Lake's remote location posed additional challenges to the rebuild process, including questions of where workers brought in to help rebuild the town would be housed.
By early July, drought conditions in northern Alberta changed to a series of floods that prompted further evacuations of at least 65 residents.
Stephen Harper
and Premier
Ed Stelmach
toured the town via helicopter and met with front-line firefighters a week after the fire. Following the tour, Harper promised additional aid would be forthcoming from the federal government.
Albertans responded to the disaster with material and financial support. The Canadian Red Cross
and disaster relief agencies in Edmonton were inundated with material donations—enough that they asked people to no longer make material donations directly at the evacuation centres. Communities across the province launched support drives to collect necessary supplies for evacuees. Grade school students organized fundraising drives, and community groups and businesses were overwhelmed by the public response.
Businesses across the province also stepped forward to help. Among them, ATB Financial
offered to defer mortgage and loan payments for affected residents, while a Calgary-based rental company offered 50 rental suites in Edmonton to displaced residents free of charge for three months. Athabasca University
made space available for limited school classes to resume for evacuated students, Insurance companies quickly set up operations near evacuation centres to assist residents with any questions or concerns.
A benefit concert held in Edmonton and televised by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
in mid June raised $150,000 for the Red Cross. Performers included Tom Jackson
, George Canyon
, and Johnny Reid
. A second benefit held over the Canada Day
long weekend in Slave Lake itself hoped to raise an additional $100,000. The three-day event, which averaged 3,000–5,000 fans per day, was headlined by Ashley MacIsaac
, Dwight Yoakam
, and The Stampeders
and offered the community's residents an opportunity to relax in the midst of rebuilding efforts. On July 6, Prince William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, visited the town to offer encouragement to residents and rebuilding efforts.
Slave Lake residents expressed gratitude towards those who offered support to the community, even as it continued to struggle through the aftermath and rebuilding efforts weeks later.
On August 3, the Government of Alberta announced an additional $189 million in funding for rebuilding and disaster response in the Slave Lake area. The funding was allocated to: a regional wildfire recovery plan; a disaster recovery program for the town, the municipal district, the Hamlet of Red Earth Creek
, the Gift Lake Métis Settlement
, and numerous nearby First Nations reserves; and an interim housing project to accommodate 350 interim homes for displaced residents and families of the town and the municipal district.
On September 14, a second benefit concert, headlined by Paul Brandt
and featuring Hill Valley among others to be announced, will be held at the Winspear Centre
in Edmonton. Proceeds from the concert will go to a future project that will address needs of the community.
Slave Lake, Alberta
Slave Lake is a town in northern Alberta, Canada, in the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124. It is located on the southeast shore of Lesser Slave Lake at the junction of Highway 2 and Highway 88....
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and its surrounding area from Saturday, May 14, 2011 through Monday, May 16, 2011. The conflagration, which originated 15 kilometres (9 mi) outside of town as a forest fire, was quickly pushed past fire barriers designed to protect the town by 100 kilometres per hour (62.1 mph) winds. The fire forced the complete evacuation of Slave Lake's 7,000 residents—considered the largest such displacement in the province's history—to the nearby towns of Athabasca
Athabasca, Alberta
Athabasca is a town in northern Alberta, Canada. It lies north of Edmonton on Highway 2, on the banks of the Athabasca River. It is the centre of Athabasca County. Until 1913 it was known as Athabasca Landing.- History :...
and Westlock
Westlock, Alberta
Westlock is a town in central Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1913, the town is primarily an agricultural, business, and government administration centre serving communities and rural areas within surrounding Westlock County.- Geography :...
, as well as the provincial capital of Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
. No casualties were reported amongst the town's population, but a pilot was killed when his helicopter crashed while he was battling the fires around the community.
The fire destroyed roughly one-third of Slave Lake; 374 properties were destroyed and 52 damaged in the town, and another 59 were destroyed and 32 damaged in the surrounding Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124, leaving 732 residents homeless. The town hall was completely gutted by the fire, as was the library and radio station. The hospital, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) station and schools remained standing, however. Insurable damage was estimated at C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
700 million, making it the second costliest insured disaster in the country's history, while total damages reached $1.8 billion. A local developer suggested it would be months before the community could even begin to rebuild.
The disaster prompted an outpouring of support from across the province, and across Canada. The Canadian Red Cross
Canadian Red Cross
The Canadian Red Cross Society is a Canadian humanitarian charitable organization and one of 186 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies....
and disaster relief agencies in Edmonton were inundated with donations—enough that they asked people to no longer make donations directly at the evacuation centres. ATB Financial
ATB Financial
Alberta Treasury Branches, doing business as ATB Financial, is a financial institution and crown corporation owned by the Province of Alberta. ATB operates in Alberta only, providing financial services to 680,000 Albertans and Alberta-based businesses. ATB has 167 branches and 130 agencies, serving...
offered to defer mortgage and loan payments for affected residents, while a Calgary-based rental company offered rental suites in Edmonton to displaced residents free of charge for three months. The provincial government promised $50 million in immediate aid to the town.
2011 fire season
Wildfires are common in Canada. Nearly 9,000 such fires occur every year across the country, and collectively burn two million hectares of land. Such fires in Alberta usually occur in remote areas and rarely threaten populated settlements. The last fire to seriously affect a community in Alberta destroyed 59 buildings in the hamlet of ChisholmChisholm, Alberta
Chisholm, also known as Chisholm Mills, is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124. It is located east of the Athabasca River, approximately southeast of the Town of Slave Lake...
in 2001. The Slave Lake area has been threatened by fires in the past. Communities on the eastern outskirts of town were evacuated in 2001 by an approaching fire, while the town was saved from destruction by change in the winds in 1968.
The province faced unusually dry conditions and high winds throughout the spring, leading to extreme risk of fire across much of the province. By mid-May, over 100 wildfires were burning across the province, including 23 that were considered out of control. Over 105000 hectares (259,460.4 acre) had been burned, and the majority of the fires were in the Lesser Slave Lake
Lesser Slave Lake
Lesser Slave Lake is a lake located in central Alberta, Canada, northwest of Edmonton. It is the second largest lake entirely within Alberta boundaries , covering and measuring over long and at its widest point. Lesser Slave Lake averages in depth and is at its deepest...
area, where 15 fires were burning out of control. Nearly 1100 firefighters were battling the blazes across the country. As a consequence of the fire conditions, the provincial government enacted a complete fire ban across the entire province ahead of the Victoria Day
Victoria Day
Victoria Day is a federal Canadian public holiday celebrated on the last Monday before May 25, in honour of Queen Victoria's birthday. The date is also, simultaneously, that on which the current reigning Canadian sovereign's official birthday is recognized...
long weekend; it was only the second time in history the government had issued such an order.
The fire that struck Slave Lake started 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) east of town around 1:30 pm on Saturday, May 14, and grew to 500 hectares (1,235.5 acre) within three hours. An evacuation order was issued for 250 people who lived in the area, while a second fire burning west of Slave Lake, near the hamlet of Wagner
Wagner, Alberta
Wagner is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada within the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124. It is located north of Highway 2, approximately northwest of Edmonton.- References :...
, prompted provincial officials to order the evacuation of 800–900 people from that area. Displaced residents were sent to Slave Lake, where the town's fire chief initially expressed confidence that the town itself was not in serious danger, though Slave Lake declared a local state of emergency on Saturday night.
Evacuation
By 2:00 pm on May 15, the province had declared the fire situation around Slave Lake to be a level three emergency, and announced that states of emergency existed in both the town, and the surrounding Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124. The local radio station, Lake-FMCHSL-FM
CHSL-FM is a classic hits radio station in Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada. It started out as an AM oldies station. The station's ownership would change countless times over the years. Some of the station's owners included OK Radio Group, Nornet, OSG, and Telemedia...
, provided continuous updates to the community as the fires approached town. Officials remained hopeful that Slave Lake would be spared; by mid-afternoon, they felt they were gaining control of the fires. However, a change in the winds, gusting to up to 100 kilometres per hour (62.1 mph), pushed the conflagrations past fire breaks and into town a short time later.
Residents began to evacuate Slave Lake in the late afternoon as provincial officials re-opened Highway 2 eastbound to allow residents to leave. Efforts to encourage residents to leave were slowed by power failures that knocked Lake FM off the air. By 9:30 pm, the province declared a level four emergency—the highest on its scale, and the first such declaration since 2005—and a half an hour later, a mandatory evacuation was ordered for all residents of Slave Lake. Over 7,000 people fled east and south to the neighbouring towns of Athabasca
Athabasca, Alberta
Athabasca is a town in northern Alberta, Canada. It lies north of Edmonton on Highway 2, on the banks of the Athabasca River. It is the centre of Athabasca County. Until 1913 it was known as Athabasca Landing.- History :...
and Westlock
Westlock, Alberta
Westlock is a town in central Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1913, the town is primarily an agricultural, business, and government administration centre serving communities and rural areas within surrounding Westlock County.- Geography :...
, as well as the provincial capital of Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, 250 kilometres (155.3 mi) south. It was said to be the largest such displacement in Alberta's history.
By morning on May 17, officials announced that 95% of the town's residents had been evacuated and that RCMP officers were conducting searches for any residents who stayed behind. Only essential staff and firefighters remained in the community. The RCMP dispatched personnel from neighbouring detachments to bolster Slave Lake's usual 20 officer contingent while additional firefighters were sent to Slave Lake from across the province to support the 120 already battling the blazes in the town. Among the deployments was 100 firefighters, nine trucks and a heavy urban search and rescue team from Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
.
Some residents questioned whether town officials acted fast enough to evacuate the town, noting that the order to leave was made after people had already begun to flee. Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee defended the actions of officials, noting that "this is a first-time experience for us. I think it's an unusual situation. We had fires on either end of the community. What I'm thankful for at this point is we have no loss of life."
Damage
As residents fled Slave Lake, the winds sent burning embers overhead which ignited homes and businesses. Evacuees described the horizon as being "nothing but red", noting that thick smoke had already engulfed the town as they left town. One resident said "it looked like hell". Firefighters attempted a "last stand" in the east part of town, but were quickly overwhelmed by the heat and burning embers thrown forward by the blaze.The fire ravaged the southeast part of town, destroying 50% of the buildings in the area, while a second fire also struck the northwest part of Slave Lake. The incident commander described it as a firestorm, stating that "the nature of which is unprecedented. The speed it was moving, the heat it was generating, the devastation, is second to none." He praised the efforts of firefighters who chose to demolish some homes in advance of the fire, a decision he said saved many homes in the town.
In addition to hundreds of houses, the town hall, library, radio station and a mall were destroyed, as were at least two churches. However the hospital, RCMP station and schools remained standing. In total, the fire destroyed roughly one-third of Slave Lake; 374 properties were destroyed and 52 damaged in the town proper, and another 59 were destroyed and 32 damaged in the surrounding area. 732 people were left homeless as a result.
Insurable damage caused by the fire was estimated at over C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
700 million. It was the second costliest disaster in Canadian history, topped only by the North American ice storm of 1998
North American ice storm of 1998
The North American ice storm of 1998 was a massive combination of five smaller successive ice storms which combined to strike a relatively narrow swath of land from eastern Ontario to southern Quebec to Nova Scotia in Canada, and bordering areas from northern New York to central Maine in the...
which caused $1.8 billion in damages, adjusted for inflation to 2011 dollars.
No casualties were reported amongst Slave Lake residents as a result of the fire, but a pilot was killed when his helicopter crashed while battling the blaze. Jean-Luc Deba, an experienced pilot from Montreal, died in the crash at Canyon Creek
Canyon Creek, Alberta
Canyon Creek is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada within the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124. It is located on Highway 2, approximately east of Grande Prairie.- References :...
, 24 kilometres (14.9 mi) west of Slave Lake.
Aftermath
Several days after the fire, residents had little idea of whether their homes and businesses still stood. By May 19, Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee met with evacuees, informing them that recovery efforts had begun, but that residents would not be able to return to Slave Lake until power, gas, phone service and access to drinkable water was restored. By May 20, a map of damaged areas was released.A week after the fire ravaged the town, provincial officials organized buses from the evacuation centres to allow residents to tour the damage. Few residents took advantage of the opportunity, but those that did felt the tour offered a sense of closure.
Ten days after the town was evacuated, the first residents were allowed to return as part of a four-phase plan. Approximately 100 workers in essential service areas, along with their families, were allowed to return on May 25. Their return followed the restoration of critical infrastructure including power, water supply, telephone, police and fire services. It was expected the town's remaining residents would begin to return within days, and while some residents expressed no plans on returning to their former homes, many looked forward to doing their part to help rebuild their community.
A local developer suggested it would be months before the community could even begin to rebuild homes lost in the fire, Local home builders were expected to be overwhelmed by the task, while Slave Lake's remote location posed additional challenges to the rebuild process, including questions of where workers brought in to help rebuild the town would be housed.
By early July, drought conditions in northern Alberta changed to a series of floods that prompted further evacuations of at least 65 residents.
Response
Immediately following the fire, the Alberta government promised $50 million in aid to the town. Half of that was provided as immediate relief for residents, including $9 million to pay for costs incurred during the evacuation. Another $15 million was set aside for residents without adequate insurance coverage or with limited financial capability, and would cover all housing costs for such people until August. Prime MinisterPrime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
and Premier
Premier of Alberta
The Premier of Alberta is the first minister for the Canadian province of Alberta. He or she is the province's head of government and de facto chief executive. The current Premier of Alberta is Alison Redford. She became Premier by winning the Progressive Conservative leadership elections on...
Ed Stelmach
Ed Stelmach
Edward Michael "Ed" Stelmach, MLA is a Canadian politician and served as the 13th Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 2006 to 2011. The grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, Stelmach was born and raised on a farm near Lamont and speaks fluent Ukrainian. He spent his entire pre-political adult life as a...
toured the town via helicopter and met with front-line firefighters a week after the fire. Following the tour, Harper promised additional aid would be forthcoming from the federal government.
Albertans responded to the disaster with material and financial support. The Canadian Red Cross
Canadian Red Cross
The Canadian Red Cross Society is a Canadian humanitarian charitable organization and one of 186 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies....
and disaster relief agencies in Edmonton were inundated with material donations—enough that they asked people to no longer make material donations directly at the evacuation centres. Communities across the province launched support drives to collect necessary supplies for evacuees. Grade school students organized fundraising drives, and community groups and businesses were overwhelmed by the public response.
Businesses across the province also stepped forward to help. Among them, ATB Financial
ATB Financial
Alberta Treasury Branches, doing business as ATB Financial, is a financial institution and crown corporation owned by the Province of Alberta. ATB operates in Alberta only, providing financial services to 680,000 Albertans and Alberta-based businesses. ATB has 167 branches and 130 agencies, serving...
offered to defer mortgage and loan payments for affected residents, while a Calgary-based rental company offered 50 rental suites in Edmonton to displaced residents free of charge for three months. Athabasca University
Athabasca University
Athabasca University is a Canadian university in Athabasca, Alberta. It is an accredited research institution which also offers distance education courses and programs. Courses are offered primarily in English with some French offerings. Each year, 32,000 students attend the university. It offers...
made space available for limited school classes to resume for evacuated students, Insurance companies quickly set up operations near evacuation centres to assist residents with any questions or concerns.
A benefit concert held in Edmonton and televised by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
in mid June raised $150,000 for the Red Cross. Performers included Tom Jackson
Tom Jackson (actor)
Thomas Dale Jackson, OC , is a Canadian born Métis actor and singer perhaps best known for the annual series of Christmas concerts, called the Huron Carole, which he created and starred in for 17 years...
, George Canyon
George Canyon
George Canyon is a Canadian country music singer. He was runner up Nashville Star 2 in 2004. He grew up in Fox Brook, Pictou County, Nova Scotia and later lived in Hopewell, Nova Scotia before he moved west. He currently lives in High River, Alberta...
, and Johnny Reid
Johnny Reid
Johnny Reid is a country music artist who has charted several hit singles in Canada. Reid moved to Canada in July, 1988 when he was 13. His father, a diesel mechanic, wanted to give Reid and his brother opportunities he did not think they would have in Scotland...
. A second benefit held over the Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
long weekend in Slave Lake itself hoped to raise an additional $100,000. The three-day event, which averaged 3,000–5,000 fans per day, was headlined by Ashley MacIsaac
Ashley MacIsaac
Ashley Dwayne MacIsaac is a Canadian professional fiddler from Cape Breton Island.His album Hi™ How Are You Today?, featuring the hit single "Sleepy Maggie", with vocals in Scottish Gaelic by Mary Jane Lamond was released in 1995...
, Dwight Yoakam
Dwight Yoakam
Dwight David Yoakam is an American singer-songwriter, actor and film director, most famous for his pioneering country music...
, and The Stampeders
The Stampeders
The Stampeders are a Canadian rock trio, consisting of Rich Dodson, Ronnie King, and Kim Berly.-Career:The band formed in Calgary, Alberta in 1964 as The Rebounds....
and offered the community's residents an opportunity to relax in the midst of rebuilding efforts. On July 6, Prince William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, visited the town to offer encouragement to residents and rebuilding efforts.
Slave Lake residents expressed gratitude towards those who offered support to the community, even as it continued to struggle through the aftermath and rebuilding efforts weeks later.
On August 3, the Government of Alberta announced an additional $189 million in funding for rebuilding and disaster response in the Slave Lake area. The funding was allocated to: a regional wildfire recovery plan; a disaster recovery program for the town, the municipal district, the Hamlet of Red Earth Creek
Red Earth Creek, Alberta
Red Earth Creek is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within the Municipal District of Opportunity No. 17. It is located east of Highway 88, between the Town of Slave Lake and the Hamlet of Fort Vermilion, and has an elevation of ....
, the Gift Lake Métis Settlement
Gift Lake Metis Settlement, Alberta
Gift Lake Métis Settlement is a Métis settlement in northern Alberta, Canada within the Municipal District of Big Lakes. It is located along Highway 750, approximately northeast of Grande Prairie.- Demographics :...
, and numerous nearby First Nations reserves; and an interim housing project to accommodate 350 interim homes for displaced residents and families of the town and the municipal district.
On September 14, a second benefit concert, headlined by Paul Brandt
Paul Brandt
Paul Rennée Belobersycky is a Canadian country music artist, known professionally as Paul Brandt. Growing up in Calgary, he was a pediatric RN at the time of his big break...
and featuring Hill Valley among others to be announced, will be held at the Winspear Centre
Francis Winspear Centre for Music
The Francis Winspear Centre for Music is a performing arts centre located in downtown Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.Built in 1997, it is the home of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. The center is named after Dr. Francis G. Winspear, who donated $6 million to the construction of the facility - the...
in Edmonton. Proceeds from the concert will go to a future project that will address needs of the community.