Last of the Fort McMurray families prepare to leave Calgary
CBC News | Posted: June 25, 2016 10:19 PM | Last Updated: June 25, 2016
The shelter at the University of Calgary closes on July 3
The last of the families from Fort McMurray who've been staying at the University of Calgary are preparing to leave as the shelter closes on July 3.
Most of the families who were staying there have already returned home or found alternate accommodation, but there are still some who haven't found a new place to live.
"We feel that people call us evacuees but we feel more like refugees," said Arabia Umar, who fled the flames with her husband and three children.
Umar's house in Fort McMurray is still habitable — with smoke and ash damage — but they don't want to return. They are hoping to find a place to live in Edmonton.
"If I don't feel safe I will not go back," she said. "And I'm not going back."
'I will miss them'
Francesco Vender is with Save the Children, and flew in from Italy to help kids from Fort McMurray cope.
"We're trying to give them all the information that can be useful to them, in terms of finding any kind of summer camp, summer activities in order to give them the opportunity [for] the real summer time that they should have," he said.
It's a bittersweet time for Vender.
"I will miss them but I'm happy for them. This is the most important thing."
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