EDMONTON – Safety in Fort McMurray and surrounding communities was called into question at the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo’s council meeting on Tuesday.
Thousands are expected to return beginning Wednesday as part of the phased re-entry process.
Though on Monday, the province said test results found the presence of chemicals in the ash, soil and air in hard-hit areas like Abasand, Beacon Hill and Waterways.
Waterways evacuee Tracy Holland said she plans to return home, but it is a matter of when. She learned weeks ago that her home had been destroyed by the wildfire.
“How do we know this is actually safe and a re-entry is okay?” she asked Shane Schreiber, managing director, Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) and his peers.
They spoke before council and evacuees, addressing questions and concerns. Though Holland said their responses did little to quell her concerns.
“I think my biggest concern is the hazardous waste and the long-term effects. And we do not want to become guinea pigs. We do not want to be told after the fact ‘oops, maybe we shouldn’t have done this,'” Holland said.
“We will not be returning with my child. That is a definite. There is not enough data, there is not enough concrete information to say that it’s safe,” she said of her seven-year-old.
Council was informed only a small portion of the area had seen soil testing.
“There is no direct threat to a person with a healthy respiratory system at this point, and again, the tackifier will only help to mitigate further against any of that airborne particulate matter,” Schreiber said.
He said there are permanent air-monitoring stations, as well as mobile air monitoring for Fort McMurray. They test for particulate matter to provide officials with a sense of any lingering hazards.
“The government has said it’s voluntary. However, does that mean – are you telling us it’s completely safe or are you saying enter at your own risk? Do we need to sign a waiver?” Holland asked.
Coun. Colleen Tatum voiced her strong concerns during the lengthy meeting.
“You have to understand that when we are hearing you have to go into the community wearing a mask, and we’re also hearing that somehow seven years old is this magic age where you’re suddenly safe to go into the community, it just doesn’t add up to us,” she told the panel.
“And we don’t feel comfortable.”
READ MORE: Fort McMurray wildfires: Hundreds of undamaged homes not safe to live in
Coun. Allan Vinni voiced his doubts ahead of the meeting in a Facebook post to residents. It referred to the re-entry plan as “ambitious and poorly thought out.”
He also expressed those worries during the meeting, asking multiple questions of officials.
“This is an example where people need to know. They need to know what I know and they need to know everything all of our bureaucrats know and everything the province knows,” he said.
When asked, Schreiber stated: “They agreed on the first of June date and it’s really less about date and more about conditions, so the conditions are set now to allow that re-entry and we’re going to go ahead with it. ”
Watch below: Wildfire evacuees returning to Fort McMurray are looking for answers as to whether it’s safe to go back. From the beginning of the wildfire disaster, officials have said safety is the number one priority but some question if that’s still the case. Quinn Ohler reports.
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