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Here you go. It's in French, sorta, but I guess a Google translate would give you the gist.

https://jfhotte.com/2016/05/08/fort-mcmurray-le-trou-du-cul-du-monde/

The title alone tells us plainly what he thinks about it: Fort McMurray, the world's donkey cave.

Basically, he says that investing in that place has stopped federal funding from being allocated to the arts and education, while the economy created locally has been one of consumption and only increasing debt, rather than getting rid of it, even if some residents said they'd gone there for that at first. He doesn't give figures or cite studies, but asserts that alcohol, drugs and prostitution were rampant (as well as pick-up trucks)

Like I said, I don't read it as gospel, I also think the guy published this and got picked up by the media because he has a book out soon.

Thanks.
It's pretty much gibberish, with the arrogance of a 20 something who thinks he's world wise coiled on top of it.
There is absolutely a gakky underbelly, as is the case in any community that serves a high paying industry. There are also highly educated people, people who used their income to start their own businesses, in Alberta or not, and families doing what families do.

The notion that not rebuilding 10% of ONE town that's closely
tied to the oil industry is an opportunity to gut the oil and gas industry is...a joke, but a joke in horrible taste given the context.

It's the narrative that so many people outside Alberta seem to want to hear though. Stupid, overpaid Albertans ruining our country and planet.

It must be nice to not even have to consider accessing your own natural resources because you get billions of dollars from provinces that do AND you get to feel morally superior to them.

This guy has a book coming out? Terrifying.

It's not like i'm going to read it, but I mean, Glenn Beck puts out books too.

Trudeau was slammed because he wanted to go, he was accused of being opportunisitc, so he waited. Now he's being slammed because it makes him look like he cares more about his safety than the people.

Eh, any PM would get bashed for whatever decision they made in that sort of situation.
I think Notleys handled things well at a provincial level and Trudeaus done well federally. He dismissed any cheap climate change/ political hay making.
Hopefully he chooses not to juggle any babies in the smoking ruins of Beacon Hill. Not the right time Justin.

 plastictrees wrote:
Thanks.
It's pretty much gibberish, with the arrogance of a 20 something who thinks he's world wise coiled on top of it.
There is absolutely a gakky underbelly, as is the case in any community that serves a high paying industry. There are also highly educated people, people who used their income to start their own businesses, in Alberta or not, and families doing what families do.

The notion that not rebuilding 10% of ONE town that's closely
tied to the oil industry is an opportunity to gut the oil and gas industry is...a joke, but a joke in horrible taste given the context.

It's the narrative that so many people outside Alberta seem to want to hear though. Stupid, overpaid Albertans ruining our country and planet.

It must be nice to not even have to consider accessing your own natural resources because you get billions of dollars from provinces that do AND you get to feel morally superior to them.

This guy has a book coming out? Terrifying.

Facts are meaningless amongst the anti-oil sands morons... Canada contributes barely 2% to the world's overall GHG emissions, and the Alberta oil sands are merely a fraction of that. Even if we were to develop the entirety of the sands, it would have an insignificant impact overall on the world's climate.

Never mind the fact that dirtiest oil in North America comes out of California!

But then, liberal academia and the leftist looney bins who scream global warming the loudest have always trumpeted that Canada & our energy and resource sector is the single most horrible thing to have ever happened to the planet, simply because we'll roll over and take it. (which, we do)
China, India and the US on the other hand? Nah, they're saints compared to us - Alberta is just getting exactly what they deserve for killing us all with their filthy, greedy oil, earth-killing money!

 Mathieu Raymond wrote:

Trudeau was slammed because he wanted to go, he was accused of being opportunisitc, so he waited. Now he's being slammed because it makes him look like he cares more about his safety than the people.

Honestly, I haven't head one bad remark about PM Selfie's decision to wait before visiting from anywhere in the media at least. In fact, most agree that it's one of the first real, grown-up decisions he's gotten right since taking office, since he rightly pointed out that going up while crews were still trying to save the town would've been incredibly foolish & insanely dangerous for everyone!
Granted he still came across as being overly melodramatic & fake during his guided tour of the area, but that's what happens when you get a mediocre drama teacher for a PM.

Notley was perhaps asleep at the wheel, but then, I think the biggest questions need to be asked at the municipal level, since there was no need for the evacuation to become as dangerous & insane as it ended up that Tuesday afternoon.