Fort McMurray man rebuilds a home and sense of community

Every day at 7 a.m., Steve Menard puts on his tool belt and gets to work rebuilding the home the Fort McMurray wildfire took from him.

"It's still pretty much a ghost town," Menard says about his neighbourhood in the subdivision of Abasand.

• 6 months after wildfire, Fort McMurray faces long road to recovery
• Fort McMurray residents claim 'nightmare' dealing with insurance

Since starting construction in November, Menard has only taken Christmas and a birthday off. He has hammered and sawed through – 40 wind chill, despite extreme weather warnings.

He's lost about 42 lbs from the work. But now, a two-storey plywood frame and concrete basement are shaping into a home for his wife and grandchildren.

He's one of the lucky 470 homeowners who've been approved for rebuild permits out of over 2,400 homes lost during May's wildfire.

The wildfire leveled entire streets and is considered Canada's costliest insured disaster, at over $3.6 billion.

'I come up here fighting tears'

Menard is rebuilding what was lost, but he still battles dark, overwhelming thoughts that leave him anxious, catching his breath and wiping his eyes.

Hardly the image of the "Fort Mac Strong" home builder who will "get 'er done," he says.

"There are days I come up here fighting tears, because I look at the devastation and all the hurt these people are going through," Menard said.

Lately, Menard's neighbours and strangers are bonding through the tragic circumstances of losing their homes.

Many show up to Menard's half-built home uninvited and just walk in. These group therapy sessions happen with coffee at a foldable table in a room that will someday be Menard's kitchen.

"I've had constant visitors come by. 'How are you doing it? Who are you doing it with?'" he says they ask.

He tells them he's in the same boat as them, maybe worse — he's rebuilding his home himself. 

He's never built a house.

Menard said he uses his skills as a minor hockey coach to turn the complaint sessions into pep talks.

"Within 20 minutes, I've got them turned around and excited," Menard said. "They're looking forward to what they have to build."

Menard could hire a builder such as his step-son, but says he won't.

Instead, he registered himself with nothing but a couple summers worth of experience plumbing and doing some electrical work.

Still, he's quick to say he receives help and advice from his step-son and his friends.

He's taking this on himself because he knows rebuilding his own home is healing — most days, anyway.

He admits he experiences the same frustrations many in the city have run into as strict building codes are enforced. His concrete foundation failed its first inspection.

But each plywood panel or notch in a plank becomes his measure of progress he's made rebuilding his home from the ashes.

"I want to get rid of that dark feeling of what I lost," Menard said. "I want to move on to what I have."

Looking up

Around Fort McMurray, homeowners who are rebuilding often complain about the Wood Buffalo permitting and inspection process claiming it's too slow, too strict or staff are incompetent.

Menard said he's gotten more done by pausing when he feels the urge to lash out. 

In those moments, he takes a cigarette break and tries to understand the issue. He'll ask question after question about what went wrong.

He said his advice to his neighbours is to avoid falling into the culture of complaining and instead look tirelessly for the solutions to their problems. 

"I could sit there and say, 'This is B.S.' and 'Fort Mac Strong my ass'," Menard said. "I could have gone down that road.

"But as soon as you take that approach, you've lost the battle."

Follow David Thurton, CBC's Fort McMurray correspondent, on Facebook, Twitter or contact him via email.