Northern Lights

How three alumni are brightening the image of Fort McMurray

Don't believe everything you read in the papers-that's the essence of what Fort McMurray resident Tara-Lynn McIver, '02 BScN, would like outsiders to know about her community. She and several other young U of A alumni are doing their part to prove those media stories wrong and make Fort Mac a great place to live and raise a family.

McIver is tired of the negative publicity Fort McMurray receives at the hands of "fly-by-night" journalists who enter the town with "pre-written" stories.

"It is disheartening," says McIver, of the negative publicity. "When media focuses on the town's run-down areas, it's like focusing on Edmonton's 97th Street. [They] focus on the transient population-people who sometimes don't even step foot in Fort McMurray. They need to come to talk to families like mine, who have been here for years." In fact, McIver's family makes up a sizable portion of the northern town's population--she has about 50 relatives living in the region.

During the second year of her nursing degree, McIver's father became seriously ill, and she moved to Fort McMurray to take care of him. "My father passed away during my third year," she says. "And the nursing department at Keyano College was just great. The way it connected the University and the College was amazing."

She was able to complete the final two years of her U of A nursing degree at Keyano through a collaborative program that allows students to transfer credits between the two schools, or, in some cases, even complete their degrees.

Tara-Lynn McIver

A resident of the Fort McMurray for a decade now, McIver is as passionate about her work as she is about her home. "I love my job," she says, of her career as an emergency room nurse at the Northern Lights Regional Medical Centre. "You never know what's coming through the door." She loves "getting to be a part of other people's stories." And while the patients may come and go, she feels herself to be a part of the "pivotal moments of their lives"--a connection that further strengthens the community McIver cares so much about.

Kyler Boisvert, '09 BEd, is another big booster for Fort McMurray and is also contributing to the community through the education he received at the U of A. "I see Fort McMurray not as a place characterized by a quick dash for cash but rather a place of great opportunity," he says. "I obtained a teaching job immediately upon graduating from the U of A, and in just a year-and-a-half I was able to try something new and exciting, becoming a school health facilitator with APPLE Schools."

The APPLE Schools (Alberta Project Promoting active Living and healthy Eating) are specialty schools, developed in partnership with the U of A's School for Public Health, which emphasizes students' health and wellness, as well as academics. The Timberlea APPLE School, where Boisvert works, has 735 students.

Kyler Boisvert

As for the bad press, he takes it all "with a grain of salt," and continues to be an ambassador for the region. At the end of the day, the stories about the city being low on morals and high on crime are simply "inaccurate."

"That's not what Fort McMurray is all about," he says. "People here care about one another and do things for one another. Our citizens are engaged and involved."

During his time in Fort McMurray, he has "seen the services and facilities within our community become world class." "Investing in a community like Fort McMurray is truly investing in a bright future," says Boisvert.

Boisvert is involved in several health and wellness initiatives in the community. He sits on the Girl Power and Mega Boyz committees, which organize a special day of physical activities for 500 fifth graders from the Wood Buffalo region. He leads the annual "Healthy Family Night" at Timberlea, where students and their families participate in exercises and lessons on proper nutrition. And he has been central in changing the cultural at the school to promote healthier eating choices.

Because of Boisvert, the school got rid of their old junk food vending machines and replaced them with machines with healthier options. "The new machines have water, white milk and 100 percent juices according to the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines," he says.

Boisvert's eagerness to promote a healthy culture hasn't gone unnoticed. Richard Thorne, principal at Timberlea, says when the school was selected to be an APPLE school finding the right facilitator was key.

"The choice at Timberlea was an obvious one. The difference Kyler has made is already very apparent. Healthy meals abound, and activity is everywhere. With Kyler leading the charge, one can predict that many students will lead healthier and more active lives and place health as a lifelong priority."

Amber Razak, '03 BA, also takes pride in her adopted home and is perhaps doing more than any of her peers in changing the literal image of the city. A professional photographer with a home-based business, U in Focus, Razak promotes the region's natural beauty through her award-winning photographs.

Amber Razak

Settling in Fort McMurray was an unexpected life change, says Razak, who hails from Lahore, Pakistan, and completed her MFA at the prestigious Punjab University in Lahore before coming to the U of A to study Art and Design. But soon after arriving on campus, she met a compatriate, Mujtaba Haider Hashmi, '01 MSc, and the couple have now been married for 10 years and have two children. It was Haider's work as a staff engineer at Syncrude that brought them to Fort McMurray, the place she now calls home.

Now, she wants to do as much as she can to give back to her community. "Our community has given us so much. This is how I can help make our region home," she says of her volunteer efforts.

Razak teaches art classes; volunteers for NorthWord magazine, the region's literary magazine; served as treasurer of the Wood Buffalo Photography Club; and photographs community events for SNAP Wood Buffalo, a monthly lifestyle magazine. She also volunteers at The Post, a local art gallery, and for the Pakistan Canada Association of Fort McMurray.

As for the external media emphasis on negative stories about the city, Razak says it is something she tolerates. "Everyone is entitled to their own viewpoint. I try to raise my level of tolerance and share my point of view."

Nevertheless, she wants the media to know she strongly disagrees. "I have lived in many cities in Canada, and I find Fort McMurray to be the best in terms of family values and [community] connections. The community here welcomes newcomers with open arms."

Rather than paint a portrait of the city with a broad brush, says Razak, "we need to look at the bigger picture. What we choose to be is entirely up to us."