Fort McMurray businesses face slow restart after wildfire

[Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce says many businesses are working limited hours and have staffing issues after the May wildfire that forced the entire city to temporarily leave. PHOTO: Kim Leppington]

It’s been slow going for many businesses in Fort McMurray, after the Alberta city was faced with a devastating wildfire back in May that forced nearly 90,000 people to temporarily leave. Though many of the town’s residents have returned home, lots of people have chosen to relocate, restarting their lives elsewhere. The shift in numbers has been challenging for local businesses.

Kim Leppington, who manages the Cheap Smokes & Cigars, says two of her staff members returned home to other provinces after the fire hit. Luckily, the store didn’t have a problem finding competent candidates, and were flooded with applications once it reopened.

Though she admits, it was taxing getting things in order after the wildfire that destroyed or damaged 2,400 buildings in the city.

“It started out very, very slow, with limited hours and it was like pulling teeth because there was no stock. Insurance told us to get rid of it all,” she tells Yahoo Canada News. “But it’s slowly, slowly building back up.”

The inventory issue wasn’t a result of smoke damage. Rather, suppliers preferred that there was fresh stock on the shelves, so all the old stock was sent back as Cheap Smokes & Cigars ordered new product.

About half of the shops in the plaza where the smoke shop is located are still closed, and the ones that are open have limited staff and reduced hours. Leppington says she can even feel the difference in town with many restaurants offering limited menus.

“Moxie’s doesn’t have a lot of appetizers, just basic choices,” she says. “My Med Bread is gone and that’s annoying. It’s an appetizer with various dips and breads. I’m sure they’ll be fine when they are staffed and good to go with their ingredients and stuff like that.”

The devastation of the wildfire also took a toll on Leppington’s life outside of work. She’s been living in her boss’s basement since June because her own house was destroyed.

“Businesses have been reaching out to their staff like that,” she says.

Alexis Foster, executive director of the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce, says 70,000 people have returned to the region since the fire was put out, though it’s hard to say whether they intend to stay permanently or just survey the damage. She acknowledges that many businesses are working limited hours and have staffing issues, but the Chamber is doing what it can to help.

“We want to make sure they have access to the funds to get them through this period,” she says. “We’re hoping for a grant or bridge financing that can really help them make it through right now.”

Although many business owners left town during the natural disaster, they still have payments to cover, which has resulted in layoffs. The Chamber is focused on working with local lending institutions in order to help businesses get help for things like inventory and training for staff.

While Foster describes the energy in town as “optimistic” she admits things feel different. She’s confident that life will be back to normal once more people return.

“It is a little bit slower than what we’re used to,” she says. “Normally we’re 24/7, 365 days a year, so we’re operating not quite like a shift work town at the moment. But we will get back into the way business was before, I’m sure.”