Community and industry working together on major legacy project

Lesser Slave Lake Regional Wildfire Recovery

SLAVE LAKE, AB, Nov. 27, 2012 /CNW/ - The Lesser Slave Lake Regional Tri-Council, representing the Town of Slave Lake, the MD of Lesser Slave River #124, and the Sawridge First Nation, is pleased to announce that a group of twelve energy companies is donating $6.4 million towards development of a new community centre to support the region's recovery following the May 2011 wildfires.

After consulting with our community to generate and share ideas around this generous donation, the Tri-Council has identified a new multi-purpose, family-oriented space that will create a positive legacy from the wildfires that had such a serious impact on us all.

"This initiative reflects the strong historic relationship between the oil and gas industry and this region -and their investment in community stewardship," says Town of Slave Lake Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee. "The industry was among the first to step forward with an offer to help us rebuild, and we've taken the time to develop a multi-use concept that will provide a lasting legacy to how we pulled together to restore our communities and be stronger than ever."

"Our industry takes pride in being a good neighbour, and we are pleased to continue our tradition of support by helping fund a project that will positively contribute to the quality of life in the Lesser Slave Lake region for generations to come," says David Pryce, vice-president of operations for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP). "Working closely with community leaders, the companies involved anticipate this project will make a significant and lasting contribution and become a focal point of the Recovery."

As currently envisioned, the proposed facility will be built on the site of the existing Elks Lodge, and include a day care and playground, theatre/arts space, FireSmart information centre, and a renovated Elks Lodge building. It and surrounding facilities also have the potential to serve as a regional evacuation centre.  While it is early in the development stage, total costs for the project are estimated at $11 - 12 million. The $6.4 million from industry partners will be augmented with funds from the Recovery budget and other donations.  The final budget will be refined as further discussion and design work is completed.

"We put a lot of effort into imagining a legacy project that would benefit the whole region," says MD of Lesser Slave River Reeve Denny Garratt. "We wanted to capture both the motivation of this donation from the oil and gas industry and the spirit of regional co-operation that has guided the decisions of the Tri-Council during Recovery."

"This is another unique element of our Recovery efforts," says Sawridge Chief Roland Twinn.  "The First Nation has been a full partner with the two municipalities in the visioning and development of this legacy project concept, and the new facility will reflect the distinctive role our people play with other citizens in the region."

The CAPP industry group is comprised of Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Cenovus Energy, ConocoPhillips, Devon, Enerplus, EOG Resources, Freehold Royalties, Husky Energy, Mancal Energy, Murphy Oil Company Ltd., PennWest Exploration and TransCanada Corporation.

In May 2011 wildfires swept through a large portion of Slave Lake and the surrounding areas in one of the costliest natural disasters in Canadian history. The fire destroyed about one-third of the town, left hundreds of residents homeless, and completely destroyed the town hall, library and radio station.

PDF available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/media/2012/11/27/20121127_C3913_DOC_EN_21277.pdf

SOURCE: Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers

For Tri-Council    
Mayor Karina Pillay-Kinnee    
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 For Industry Committee 
Travis Davies
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