435 km to Edmonton
Business, forestry, oil & gas, and tourism
Approximately 72,917 residents
Kindergarten to grade 12 and post-secondary
Located in the heart of Canada’s boreal forest and surrounded by lakes that offer plentiful recreational opportunities, the City of Fort McMurray offers an outstanding quality of life. This community is also among Canada’s most diverse cities, with over 80 languages spoken in the area.
Explore hundreds of kilometres of trails through the city and four provincial parks in the area where you can enjoy your favourite outdoor activity throughout the seasons, on foot, skis, snowshoes, wheels, or on horseback. Fort McMurray’s surrounding lakes also provide space to paddle, boat, fish, or simply observe the wildlife. Discover a moving desert in Maybelle River Wildland Park, where the shifting sands of the Athabasca Sand Dunes tower twelve metres tall.
Fort McMurray families with school-age children have access to several public, Catholic, and French immersion schools from kindergarten to grade 12. Locally based Keyano College provides a range of in-house and transfer post-secondary programs, including certificate, diploma, and bachelor’s degree programs.
Outside of work and school, there is a range of clubs and associations, sports leagues, churches, and community service organizations for people of all ages – there is truly something for everyone. The Suncor Leisure Centre and MacDonald Island Park have been named among the best recreation facilities in Canada.
Get involved in theatre, dance, and arts and cultural groups, or discover the festivals and public events put on by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo – check out WinterPLAY, the ATC Cultural Festival, Metis Days, or Rib Fest. There are many concerts put on by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) or the regional library, as well as award-winning theatre productions and comedy shows too.
Learn more about living and working in Fort McMurray on the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo’s website, tourism, and Facebook page.
AHS operates three facilities in Fort McMurray, the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre, the Fort McMurray Recovery Centre, and Fort McMurray Community Health Services.
The Northern Lights Regional Health Centre (NLRHC) provides a full range of healthcare services including a 24 / 7 emergency department, diagnostic imaging, laboratory, pharmacy, and rehabilitative services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language services. NLRHC features 32 inpatient surgery, 8 pediatric, 7 intensive care unit, 13 labour/delivery/postpartum, 43 medical, and 10 inpatient psychiatric beds.
Nursing staff at NLRHC enjoy a lot of autonomy, close collaboration with physicians, and are valued contributors to a patient’s overall care plan. When staff become proficient in one area, they are encouraged to branch out and try other departments within the hospital to broaden and deepen their skills. On-site training for many teams has focused on anti-bullying, employee development, leadership development, and non-violent crisis intervention as well as specialized training opportunities such as Acute Care of at-Risk Newborns (ACoRN) and developing an arthroplasty program. Many staff receive educational upgrade support and as they develop their skills there are opportunities to become Clinical Nurse Educators, Coordinators, Case Managers, and to move into clinical management.
Fort McMurray Recovery Centre is a residential intensive treatment program providing individual and group counselling, interactive workshops, relapse prevention plans, and personalized discharge plans.
Fort McMurray Community Health Services provides a range of educational and health programs, including such as public health, parent and child programs, immunization, and addiction and mental health services.
Communication is a key priority across healthcare teams, using frequent team huddles within units. Multidisciplinary rounds update all members of the team and helps to coordinate assistance between units as needed. Social events like periodic popcorn days or the summer barbecue help foster interpersonal relationships. As many have moved to Fort McMurray to work, the town has developed strong community roots where friends become like family.
In addition to our comprehensive benefits, you can earn up to an additional $12,480 annually through the Northern Incentives Program.
