Wildfire evacuees inspire Edmonton couple to vacation in Fort McMurray
David Thurton | CBC News | Posted: August 7, 2018 12:00 PM | Last Updated: August 7, 2018
"I met lots of people from Fort McMurray and I thought, 'Wow. Kinda neat to go see where they live' "
Fort McMurray isn't on many bucket lists when it comes to vacation.
But when Ron and Maggie Nichol won a $500 travel voucher to fly anywhere WestJet flies, they chose the oilsands capital.
Even the couple's travel agent was taken a back.
"There was bit of pause when I said, 'We would like to go to Fort McMurray,' " Ron Nichol said.
Nichol became fascinated with Fort McMurray after working at Fort Edmonton Park and learning about the importance of the region to the fur trade.
But it was meeting the thousands of residents who fled the 2016 wildfire that drew him north.
"It was a great joy of mine to be part of the disaster services team that supported Fort McMurray evacuees from the fire," Nichol said. "I met lots of people from Fort McMurray and I thought, 'Wow. Kinda neat to go see where they live.' "
His interest increased as he listened to stories about why the evacuees had moved to the northern community in the first place and how invested they were in making it a place worth living in.
The couple spent six days, including the Heritage Day long weekend, visiting attractions in the community, such as the Oil Sands Discovery Centre which displays the giant buckets and scoops used lift bitumen out of the earth.
Then it was was off to the Fort McMurray Heritage Village and Shipyard to learn about the history of the region before the oilsands.
They took in popular sites like MacDonald Island Park, which bills itself as Canada's largest community recreation centre.
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They also sampled the local haunts, including Surekha's on the Snye, a café overlooking the riverfront, and the Wood Buffalo Brewing Company for a taste of the local craft beer.
The Nichols, now back in Edmonton, are thinking about when they might return.
"I have never been in a place so friendly," Maggie Nichol said. "You walk down the street and everyone greets you and says, 'Hello' and 'How are you doing?' "
Connect with David Thurton, CBC's Fort McMurray correspondent, on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or email him at david.thurton@cbc.ca