Alcohol Treatment in Fort McMurray, Alberta
Fort McMurray is an urban service area within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alberta. It isn’t a city per definition when it was amalgamated to create the Municipality of Wood Buffalo in 1995. It is still referred to by locals, politicians and media as a city, despite this fact.
Fort McMurray’s main industry is functioning as a hub for the oil production near Athabasca, but it also has a natural gas industry and forestry as well as tourism. Currently the population of Fort McMurray is at 63,676 and if Fort McMurray were officially a city it would be the fifth largest in all of Alberta.
Drug Influences
At the Diggers bar the men who work at the oil sands nearby wait for their paychecks to be cashed in. The workers are happy to get their paychecks and some even say that there is an oil boom going on, meaning that sex and drugs are not far either.
Inside one business there are drug addicts smoking meth in a washroom. Near the entrance to a Mr. Liquor store it is filled with people waiting around on the parking lot. Some are buying drugs, others are just selling.
Once the police come around however they scatter just as quickly as they came. At 11 p.m. the police begin arresting people as the bars and strip clubs slowly begin to empty themselves. Drunk with confidence they look for fights and druggies roam the streets looking for a fix.
Franklin & Main
On Franklin and Main the 7-Eleven is sprawling with kids too young to drink. The locals say it’s normal. The youths don’t have any other alternatives around here. With the lucrative oil sands nearby pouring more money into the city it seems that this development is inevitable.
Most of the debauchery is all within a one-block radius of downtown. With the liquor store nearby and various other establishments to throw your money out, it is clear why it is a magnet for people with too much time and money.
Lawlessness is however prominent in all corners of the city and with an additional 10,000 workers – mostly men – streaming in after work hours from the oil sand working camps, the amount of crime and problems increase. They are looking for fast outlets for their money, a quick way to have some fun and get through the day.
With an average age of 31 and average income of $91k the influx of money coming from these workers is becoming a problem. The problems vary from drug abuse to physical assault. One of the fastest growing abuses is the abuse of cocaine according to an RCMP of the urban area.
Increasing Incidents
The amount of drug incidents in Fort McMurray has been on the rise since 2005, a quarter of the incidents were involved with cocaine possession or trafficking. For comparison, in Lethbridge, a city with 20k more residents, has had half the amount of incidents.
The problem is that new surge of money coming from the oil sand fields are leading to people spending their money on dubious things such as alcohol and hard drugs. According to the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, Fort McMurray is the leader in drug abuse in all of Alberta.
Although drug abuse is prevalent in Fort McMurray, the use of pot or crystal meth is lower, since those are considered “poor drugs”. Alcohol and cocaine however are more costly and are consumed plentifully.
Gang Influences?
There are also rumors of an Edmonton-based criminal group expanding towards Fort McMurray, alongside the aboriginal criminally active and outlaw motorcycle gangs. The aboriginal crime groups “Indian Posse” and “Redd Alert” are growing as well as expanding their power. With the young citizens and the net incomes twice as high as the average it is a hotbed for drug crime and gangs.
Even though the crime is increasing, the RCMP says that although they could use more officers in the force, they do not need more police and can still handle the nearly 30,000 calls per year. That’s 82 calls per day on average, every day. The total amount of RCMP in Fort McMurray at the moment is 100 officers.
Alcohol stays the major problem in Fort McMurray and people can hav access to different alcohol treatment programs in Alberta. It is sometime a good idea to do a program outside of your area.
