Fort McMurray family in Antigonish to stagger return to fire-ravaged city
The MacDonalds, a family of four, plus a dog, lost their Beacon Hill home in the wildfire
A Fort McMurray family staying in Antigonish says they'll have to stagger their return home after losing everything in the wildfire.
The husband will be the first to go back so he can return to work, then the wife, and after the school year ends, their two daughters will join them. The MacDonalds are now looking for rental properties.
"It's a little tough for us because I'd like nothing better than to be back in Fort McMurray. I miss working, I miss the life that we had there. It's lovely here in Nova Scotia but this isn't what my life has been like for the last 20 years," said Maryellen MacDonald.
Looking for rentals
The MacDonalds own a cottage in Antigonish and that's where they've been staying. The plan is for Maryellen's husband, Danny, to go back to Fort McMurray in a week so he can get back to work.
"I've been making phone calls and there are places to rent but they don't know what kind of shape their house is in to actually say yes," said Danny MacDonald.
"Houses are going to be very far and few between because there are so many families that are going to be looking for accommodations up there."
'I'm happy for them'
MacDonald, a shovel electrician at Syncrude Canada, said he'll likely be staying in a camp at the job site. The job is seven days on and seven days off. He said he will likely have to go to Edmonton and commute back and forth to Fort McMurray.
"The people that go back and have a place to stay, they're very lucky. I'm happy for them to tell you the truth. I'm glad that they have a place to go back to and one day I'll have a place to go back to too," he said.
Once everyone is together, the family wants to rebuild the house they lost in the fire — something their insurance covers.
Strong community
The MacDonalds have been speaking to friends who are making their way back to Fort McMurray, to get a better sense of the damage. Maryellen said the videos and pictures are "tough to see," but she feels encouraged by the municipality's vow to move forward.
"Those welcoming back signs you know hopefully will give people strength as they go back to know that the municipality is there for them and that we are a community," she said.
With files from Sabrina Fabian