Update 9: Northwest Alberta wildfire

Todayville Edmonton

Published

6 years ago

16 minute read

Due to a number of out-of-control wildfires, evacuation orders have been issued for new areas in northern Alberta.

Current situation

Chuckegg Creek wildfire, southwest of High Level, has grown to over 230,000 hectares.
Jackpot Creek wildfire, formerly west of Steen River, is about 17,000 hectares.
McMillan Complex wildfire, southwest of Bigstone Cree Nation, is over 74,500 hectares.
Maria Lake wildfire was last estimated at 5,500 hectares in size and is expected to burn into the larger McMillan Complex wildfire.
Battle Complex wildfire in Peace River is over 44,000 hectares.
Provincial resources on the ground include over 2,300 wildland firefighters and staff, approximately 200 helicopters and 27 air tankers and heavy equipment.
Cabinet approved two orders in council to release funds to cover emergency response, including structural firefighting efforts, evacuation costs, reception centre costs, and recovery costs including fire prevention, suppression, reclamation and reforestation.
New mandatory evacuations have been issued for:
- Keg River, Carcajou and all residents from the northern border of the County of Northern Lights to Township Road 922 (Notikewin Road)
- Sandy Lake
- Wabasca, the Bigstone Cree Nation and Chipewyan Lake Village
- Hamlet of Marten Beach
- Lesser Slave Lak Provincial Park
Mandatory evacuations remain in place for:
- Town of High Level and Mackenzie County areas south/southeast of town
- Dene Tha’ First Nation communities of Bushe River, Meander River and Chateh
- Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement
The Town of Slave Lake is on an 8-hour evacuation alert. This is not an evacuation order, but residents should be prepared to evacuate on short notice.
Residents should check Alberta Emergency Alerts for more detailed and frequently updated information.
Officials are preparing for residents to re-enter High Level once public safety has been confirmed.
Approximately 7,500 evacuees have registered at an evacuee reception centre.

Visit emergency.alberta.ca for detailed and frequently updated information.

Air quality

Smoke from wildfires in northern Alberta is causing poor air quality and reducing visibility.
Much of northern Alberta is under a special air quality statement.
A special air quality statement was also issued for Edmonton-St. Albert-Sherwood Park.
Individuals may experience symptoms, such as increased coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath. Children, seniors and those with cardiovascular or lung disease, such as asthma, are especially at risk.
If you experience breathing difficulties, find an indoor place that’s cool and ventilated.
Alberta Wildfire recommends checking FireSmoke.ca to find out where the smoke is coming from.

Financial supports

You may qualify for the evacuation payment if you were:
- living, working or vacationing in the affected area
- forced to leave due to an evacuation order
- paid for most of your costs to evacuate
Albertans who qualify will receive $1,250 for each adult and $500 for each dependent child.
Applications are open:
- Apply online through the MyAlberta Evacuation Payment application using a smart phone, device or desktop. Interac e-transfers may take 24 hours to process.
- Apply in–person at any Alberta Supports Centre in Alberta.
- Before going to an Alberta Supports Centre, please check the status of the area to ensure it is safe.
- If you are visiting an Alberta Support Centre for assistance, please remember to bring:
  - Photo identification
  - Proof of residence or presence in the community
  - Identification for partner/spouse and/or dependents, if claiming for them
- Evacuees in La Crete and Fort Vermillion can apply in person at La Crete Heritage Centre (25411 Township Road 1060, south of La Crete) or Fort Vermilion Community Cultural Complex (5001 44 Avenue)
- If you require assistance registering, call 310-4455
- If you’re having technical issues, contact My Alberta Digital ID at 1-844-643-2789 (Monday to Friday, 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
More than 6,184 individuals have received evacuee support, and more than $6.2 million has been distributed.

Reception and call centres

Reception centres are open at:
- Slave Lake Legacy Centre (400 6 Avenue NE)
- High Prairie Gordon Buchanan Centre (5413 49 Street)
- Grande Prairie Regional College (10726 106 Avenue)
- Peace River Misery Mountain Ski Hill (10408 89 Street)
- La Crete Heritage Centre (25411 Township Road 1060, south of La Crete)
- Fort Vermilion Community Cultural Complex (5001 44 Avenue)
- Dene Wellness Centre (In K’atl’ Odeeche First Nation, 17 kilometres east of Hay River)
- Calling Lake Recreation Centre (2870 Central Drive)
Hours of operation for evacuation reception centres can be found at emergency.alberta.ca.
310-4455 call centre hours are extended until Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Highway closures

To stay informed on all road closures due to the wildfires, visit 511.Alberta.ca or download the mobile app.
Highway 35, Hutch Lake to the Northwest Territories border.
Highway 35 from High Level to the Northwest Territories border is open to emergency and essential commercial traffic only. Highway and wildfire conditions are being closely monitored, and the highway may be closed without warning if conditions change or safe travel is no longer possible.
Highway 35, south of High Level to Township Road 922 near Manning.
Highway 692 near Hawk Hills.
Highway 695, East and West, including Keg River.
Highway 697, from Highway 35 to Range Road 185, west of La Crete.
Highway 58, from High Level to approximately 90 km west of High Level.
Highway 754 from Highway 88 to Wabasca.
The La Crete Ferry is closed.

Insurance information

Evacuated residents should retain all of their receipts for food purchases, accommodation and other related expenses to provide to their insurer for possible reimbursement.
Most home and tenant’s insurance policies provide reasonable coverage for living expenses during an evacuation. Contact your insurance company for details.
Albertans who cannot remember or reach their insurance provider, can contact the Insurance Bureau of Canada at 1-844-227-5422 or by email at [email protected]. Information to understand your fire insurance coverage is online at ibc.ca/ab/disaster/alberta-wildfire.

Justice and legal matters

All High Level, Fort Vermillion and Chateh Court matters will be heard in Peace River. Call the Peace River Court at 780-624-6256 for inquiries on matters scheduled for this week and next. Matters will be held by phone, if necessary, but you must register your name and return phone number to do so.
In many cases, tickets can be paid online. For any other inquiries requiring direction from the court about Peace River and High Level court matters, call the Peace River Court at 780-624-6256.
If you have an appointment with a probation officer in an evacuated area, report to the community corrections office nearest you. If you do not know where the nearest one is, call 780-427-3109 (to call toll free, first dial 310-0000).
If you are an intermittent server in an evacuated area, call the Peace River Correctional Centre at 780-624-5480 (to call toll-free, first dial 310-0000) for direction.

Education

Grade 12 students in the High Level area are eligible for an exemption from their diploma exam. When a student is exempt from the diploma exam, their classroom mark will be their final mark.
These students could also write the exam if they choose to do so and can safely make it to a school, either in their community or another. Students can also defer writing the diploma exams to August.
For grades 6 and 9 provincial achievement tests, students can be excused from writing. Alternatively, these students could write the tests if they can safely make it to a school, either in their community or another.
Once students and their families have made a decision, they should contact their school division.

Provincial parks closures

Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park, Twin Lakes Provincial Recreation Area, Moose Lake Provincial Park and Notikewin Provincial Park are closed due to wildfire conditions.
Calling Lake Provincial Park campground is closed to the general public to provide accommodation to evacuees from the M.D. of Opportunity. Any existing campground reservations will be refunded. The boat launch for lake access is currently available for public day use, including for anglers participating in the fishing season starting June 1.

Boil water advisory

Boil water advisories remain in place for Meander River (Dene Tha’ First Nation) and North Tall Cree (Little Red River Cree Nation). Although power has been restored, the boil water advisories will remain in place until water testing is complete.

Health

Mental health support is available by calling Alberta’s 24-hour Mental Health Help Line at 1-877-303-2642.
Alberta Health Services is providing supports to the receptions centres. These supports include addiction and mental health, indigenous health liaisons, nursing, emergency medical services, public health, home care and more.

Pets and livestock

Animal Control are collecting household pets that have been left behind. Pets will be moved to a safe and secure location outside of the Town of High Level. Contact 780-926-2201.
The Country of Northern lights has established Temporary Access Hours from 7 am to 10 pm for residents to enter property to handle livestock care.
Residents must first go to the County Office to register for the Temporary Access Pass.
Mackenzie County has stock trailers to assist with livestock transport. Visit highlevel.ca for more information.

Donations and volunteers

The towns of High Level and Slave Lake are not accepting material donations and do not require volunteers at this time.
The Town of Slave Lake has set up an online form for offers.
Check the Mackenzie County Facebook page for an up-to-date list of donations needed and drop-off locations.

Canada Post

Canada Post has suspended mail delivery services in the communities of High Level, Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement, Meander River, Chateh and Keg River.
Mail will be held at a depot until mail service resumes.
If you require urgent access to critical items, such as medications and passports, please call 1-800-267-1177. You may be able to arrange for pick up at the Slave Lake Post Office (100 2 Street NE)
Check the Canada Post website for updates.

Income Support, Alberta Supports and AISH

Residents receiving benefits from the Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH) or the Income Support program by cheque rather than electronic deposit, and who are affected by the wildfire in High Level, can visit their nearest Alberta Supports Centres to pick up their cheque.
If you are in La Crete, you can pick up your cheque at the local reception centre. If you receive your benefits via direct deposit, your payment will be deposited as usual.
For information on child intervention and child care, residents may contact 1-800-638-0715.
If persons with developmental disabilities, their families or contracted service providers need human, financial, or in-kind assistance to connect with loved ones, find accommodations or provide assistance to individuals receiving PDD supports, please contact the nearest Alberta Supports Centre for assistance.
For additional information on social benefits, or to find a list of Alberta Supports Centres call 1-800-232-7215 province-wide between 7:30 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday to Friday.
Employment insurance: evacuees can visit Service Canada online to apply at canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei. Use code 4812014812201900.

Health card, driver’s licences, ID cards, birth certificate

To get a replacement Health Care Insurance Card at no cost, you can contact 780-427-1432 or toll free at 310-0000 and then 780-427-1432 when prompted. Your Alberta Personal Health Card can be mailed to a temporary address.
If driver’s licences, ID cards, and/or birth certificates were left behind during the evacuation, replacement cards and certificates can be ordered free of charge at a registry agent.

Public information

You can call 310-4455 for more information.

Photos and video available

B-roll of the Chuckegg Creek fire in northwest Alberta, taken Sunday, May 26, can be downloaded here.
Various photos are available on the Government of Alberta’s Flickr site.

Related information

Backgrounder: Previous updates

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Low oil prices could have big consequences for Alberta’s finances

Published on April 26, 2025

Todayville

From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill

Amid the tariff war, the price of West Texas Intermediate oil—a common benchmark—recently dropped below US$60 per barrel. Given every $1 drop in oil prices is an estimated $750 million hit to provincial revenues, if oil prices remain low for long, there could be big implications for Alberta’s budget.

The Smith government already projects a $5.2 billion budget deficit in 2025/26 with continued deficits over the following two years. This year’s deficit is based on oil prices averaging US$68.00 per barrel. While the budget does include a $4 billion “contingency” for unforeseen events, given the economic and fiscal impact of Trump’s tariffs, it could quickly be eaten up.

Budget deficits come with costs for Albertans, who will already pay a projected $600 each in provincial government debt interest in 2025/26. That’s money that could have gone towards health care and education, or even tax relief.

Unfortunately, this is all part of the resource revenue rollercoaster that’s are all too familiar to Albertans.

Resource revenue (including oil and gas royalties) is inherently volatile. In the last 10 years alone, it has been as high as $25.2 billion in 2022/23 and as low as $2.8 billion in 2015/16. The provincial government typically enjoys budget surpluses—and increases government spending—when oil prices and resource revenue is relatively high, but is thrown into deficits when resource revenues inevitably fall.

Fortunately, the Smith government can mitigate this volatility.

The key is limiting the level of resource revenue included in the budget to a set stable amount. Any resource revenue above that stable amount is automatically saved in a rainy-day fund to be withdrawn to maintain that stable amount in the budget during years of relatively low resource revenue. The logic is simple: save during the good times so you can weather the storm during bad times.

Indeed, if the Smith government had created a rainy-day account in 2023, for example, it could have already built up a sizeable fund to help stabilize the budget when resource revenue declines. While the Smith government has deposited some money in the Heritage Fund in recent years, it has not created a dedicated rainy-day account or introduced a similar mechanism to help stabilize provincial finances.

Limiting the amount of resource revenue in the budget, particularly during times of relatively high resource revenue, also tempers demand for higher spending, which is only fiscally sustainable with permanently high resource revenues. In other words, if the government creates a rainy-day account, spending would become more closely align with stable ongoing levels of revenue.

And it’s not too late. To end the boom-bust cycle and finally help stabilize provincial finances, the Smith government should create a rainy-day account.

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Governments in Alberta should spur homebuilding amid population explosion

Published on April 26, 2025

Todayville

From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill and Austin Thompson

In 2024, construction started on 47,827 housing units—the most since 48,336 units in 2007 when population growth was less than half of what it was in 2024.

Alberta has long been viewed as an oasis in Canada’s overheated housing market—a refuge for Canadians priced out of high-cost centres such as Vancouver and Toronto. But the oasis is starting to dry up. House prices and rents in the province have spiked by about one-third since the start of the pandemic. According to a recent Maru poll, more than 70 per cent of Calgarians and Edmontonians doubt they will ever be able to afford a home in their city. Which raises the question: how much longer can this go on?

Alberta’s housing affordability problem reflects a simple reality—not enough homes have been built to accommodate the province’s growing population. The result? More Albertans competing for the same homes and rental units, pushing prices higher.

Population growth has always been volatile in Alberta, but the recent surge, fuelled by record levels of immigration, is unprecedented. Alberta has set new population growth records every year since 2022, culminating in the largest-ever increase of 186,704 new residents in 2024—nearly 70 per cent more than the largest pre-pandemic increase in 2013.

Homebuilding has increased, but not enough to keep pace with the rise in population. In 2024, construction started on 47,827 housing units—the most since 48,336 units in 2007 when population growth was less than half of what it was in 2024.

Moreover, from 1972 to 2019, Alberta added 2.1 new residents (on average) for every housing unit started compared to 3.9 new residents for every housing unit started in 2024. Put differently, today nearly twice as many new residents are potentially competing for each new home compared to historical norms.

While Alberta attracts more Canadians from other provinces than any other province, federal immigration and residency policies drive Alberta’s population growth. So while the provincial government has little control over its population growth, provincial and municipal governments can affect the pace of homebuilding.

For example, recent provincial amendments to the city charters in Calgary and Edmonton have helped standardize building codes, which should minimize cost and complexity for builders who operate across different jurisdictions. Municipal zoning reforms in Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer have made it easier to build higher-density housing, and Lethbridge and Medicine Hat may soon follow suit. These changes should make it easier and faster to build homes, helping Alberta maintain some of the least restrictive building rules and quickest approval timelines in Canada.

There is, however, room for improvement. Policymakers at both the provincial and municipal level should streamline rules for building, reduce regulatory uncertainty and development costs, and shorten timelines for permit approvals. Calgary, for instance, imposes fees on developers to fund a wide array of public infrastructure—including roads, sewers, libraries, even buses—while Edmonton currently only imposes fees to fund the construction of new firehalls.

It’s difficult to say how long Alberta’s housing affordability woes will endure, but the situation is unlikely to improve unless homebuilding increases, spurred by government policies that facilitate more development.