Northern Stars 2014

UP IN
THE AIR
From mail bag service off the

Snye waterway to a brand new
terminal, we celebrate 85 years
of aviation in Wood Buffalo
Behind the Scenes
How a dedicated team

keeps the airport running
Northern Expansion
Aviation plays an unprecedented

role in opening Canadas north
A BY-THE-NUMBERS LOOK AT FORT MCMURRAY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS GROW TH
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CONTENTS FALL 2014
43
61
COLUMNS
7
MESSAGES
Welcome messages from the chair of the Fort McMurray
Airport Authority and premier of Alberta
20 AIR OIL SANDS

Fort McMurrays economic engine is boosted by aviation
access to the Wood Buffalo Region
39 YOUR DAILY COMMUTE

In the remote Wood Buffalo Region, flight provides
one of the safest modes of travel
69 NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP
Amidst unprecedented growth,
YMM accommodates the future
72 THEN AND NOW

A by-the-numbers look at the new
Fort McMurray International
Airport terminal
24
FEATURES
8
BUSH PILOTS AND ENTREPRENEURS

A rich history of aviation has opened up
the Wood Buffalo Region
24 CHANGE IN THE AIR

Scott Clements and the Fort McMurray Airport Authority
deliver on their promise for air service excellence
32 FROM THE GROUND UP

Scott Clements of the Fort McMurray Airport Authority
helps deliver on promises for air service excellence
43 INSIDE YMM
From dishing up pizza to removing snow, we take a look
at the people and services that run Fort McMurray
International Airport
61 BOREAL GATEWAY
ON THE COVER:
Fort McMurrays beautiful new airport terminal
PHOTO: Ema Peter
The annual publication of the Oilsands Banquet
Vancouvers office of mcfarlane biggar architects and

designers on its award-winning design concept for the
Fort McMurray International Airport
NORTHERN STARS
SAWRIDGE_YMM_OSCB2014 - 1/3SQ_Layout 1 14-09-29 5:25 PM Page 1
NORTHERN STARS
WESTBRIER COMMUNICATIONS
PHIL ENARSON
Event Management & Marketing
VENTURE PUBLISHING INC.

RUTH KELLY
Publisher
MIFI PURVIS
Director of Custom Magazines
LYNDSIE BOURGON
Managing Editor
CHARLES BURKE
Art Director
ANDREA DEBOER
Associate Art Director
COLIN SPENCE
Associate Art Director
BETTY FENIAK SMITH
Production Coordinator
BRENT FELZIEN, BRANDON HOOVER
Production Technicians
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:
Robin Brunet, Caitlin Crawshaw, Robbie Jeffrey,
Allyson Myggland, Neil Taylor
NEXEN_YMM_OSCB2014 - 1/3SQ_Layout 1 14-09-27 3:33 PM Page 1
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS:
Alberta Aviation Museum,
Fort McMurray Historical Society,
Greg Halinda, Ema Peter
YMM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

SHELDON SCHROEDER
Chair, Board of Directors
SCOTT CLEMENTS
President and CEO
Northern Stars is the annual publication of the Oilsands Banquet,

celebrating corporate and community leadership in Wood Buffalo.
Northern Stars is published through a collaboration between Venture
Publishing and Westbrier Communications. The 2014 honouree is
Fort McMurray Airport Authority. To be placed on a list to receive more
information about the banquet and the organizations it supports,
email: westbrier@shaw.ca
From bush pilots to jet liners,YMM has

been opening up Wood Buffalo to the
world for 85 years.
Congratulations and our sincere appreciation
to the early pioneers in aviation.
10259-105 Street,
Edmonton, AB T5J 1E3
Tel: 780-990-0839 Fax: 780-425-4921
http://venturepublishing.ca
www.nexencnoocltd.com
ELEVATING AVIATION
TO A NEW ALTITUDE
The bright red Snowbird at the entrance to the new Fort McMurray
International Airport is a great symbol for what pioneering aviation
has always meant to our region.
Guts.
Determination.
Vision.
Shell Albian Sands congratulates the Regional Municipality of Wood
Buffalo and the Fort McMurray Airport Authority on 85 years of high
performance aviation services.
Great People. Great Place. Great Community
Shell Canada Energy is 60% owner and operator of the Athabasca Oil Sands
Project (AOSP) along with Chevron Canada Limited (20%) and Marathon Oil
Corporation (20%). AOSP includes Shell Albian Sands (Muskeg River Mine &
Jackpine Mine) and the Scotford Upgrader.
Welcome Messages
HE FORT MCMURR AY AIRPORT AUTHORIT Y IS A NOT- FOR- PROFIT

organization that owns and operates the Fort McMurray International Airport (YMM).
The Airport Authority strives to best connect the people who live and work in the Regional
Municipality of Wood Buffalo to all major urban centres and economies around the world.
Steady growth in natural resource development in our region continues to drive an increase in
the amount of people traveling and using our airport. Nearly ten years ago, it was recognized that
transportation infrastructure was needed to support the new developments and accommodate the
population growth. On June 9 2014, our new airport terminal opened in Fort McMurray, marking the
beginning of our airport improvements and expansion. In 2013, the airport project alone injected $58.5
million in direct labor income into the economy. While the economic impact of the Airport Authority
extends outside of the airport property line, we do have 35 aviation related businesses located on the
airport campus.
The state-of-the-art new terminal is equipped to handle 1.5 million passengers annually. Currently,
we are seeing volumes over 1 million passengers at the new terminal, with nearly another 300,000
passengers on corporate charters that continue to use the older North terminal. With an annual
volume approaching 1.3 million, we are Canadas 16th-busiest airport. Expansion plans are already
being developed to add additional capacity to the new terminal.
In 2014, we are striving towards achieving our vision, becoming Canadas premier regional airport.
We recognize that we are the first and last impression many visitors will have of the region, and
ensuring our customers have a positive air travel experience is one of our key success drivers. As we
grow and expand to meet the demands of our region, we will work with our stakeholders whose input
and support is critical in the ongoing development our airport. We will continue to meet the challenges
of supporting one of the major economic generators of the country.
Sheldon Schroeder
Chair, Board of Directors, Fort McMurray Airport Authority
HANKS TO OUR ABUNDANCE OF NATURAL RESOURCES, ALBERTA HAS

the potential to be a global powerhouse in energy and agriculture. Were home to the
majority of Canadas proven oil reserves, mostly concentrated here in the northern
part of our province. The oil sands are a key driver of Canadas economy, contributing
billions of dollars and thousands of jobs across the country.
Alberta is an attractive place to do business, and our government will continue to create an
environment that encourages investment in our oil sands. We will work to maximize the value
of Albertas natural resources for our generation, and the next. When companies invest in our
resources, families benefit and communities thrive. Wood Buffalo region is proof of this; it is
made up of community and business leaders who celebrate diversity, innovation and provide
opportunities for people to succeed.
As a province, it is imperative we also invest in our most important resource our people.
Were training more apprentices; helping under-represented Albertans find work; attracting
Canadians and skilled workers from abroad; and continuing to work closely with First Nations
and Metis communities to build economic partnerships founded on sound environmental
principles.
This strong foundation is what attracts the world to our doorstep. I know that you, the civic
and industry leaders of northern Alberta, are poised to harness the opportunities that exist
here and take flight into a prosperous future.
Honourable Jim Prentice,

Premier of Alberta
NORTHERN STARS
First Flight
BUSH PILOTS: (Top)

Lt. Wilfrid Reid Wop May,
in 1917. (Bottom left) Wop
May and Jack Bowen pulling
a plane out of the Snye.
(Bottom right) One of the first
planes landing on the Snye,
circa 1924.
All photos courtesy the Fort
McMurray Historical Society
CELEBRATING 85 YEARS OF AVIATION
FlyYMM.com
Bush Pilots and

Entrepreneurs
A rich history of aviation has opened up the Wood Buffalo Region
By Neil Taylor
N THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY, A GROUP

of Calgary businessmen looking for opportunity in Canadas North followed up on a
prospectors claim of gold in the Barren Lands
of the Northwest Territories. They called up pilot
J.S. Caldwell, and shipped a Vickers Viking biplane
amphibian named Bouncing Bronco to Lac La
Biche, where it was assembled. During the summer
of 1925, Caldwell flew over a great, sprawling
expanse of land southeast of Great Slave Lake,
looking for signs of the prospectors claim.
While he came up dry, the venture represented just the first in a long line
of aeronautical contributions to the economic development of the Wood
Buffalo Region.
Since Fort McMurrays establishment as a Hudsons Bay Company fur
trading post in 1870, trappers and traders plied the major water courses
(the Athabasca, Clearwater, Peace and Slave Rivers), carving navigable
routes through the northern Alberta hinterland. In 1919, the Alberta
and Great Waterways Railroad pushed north from Edmonton
to its terminus at Waterways. As a result, many northern
shippers began shifting their business to the railway.
But while rail, and later road links, connected
NORTHERN STARS
First Flight
FLY BOYS: Matt Berry and

Frank Hartley standing beside
a plane loaded with fur bales.
Photo courtesy the Fort
Fort McMurray with the populated south, it was

aviation that enabled Fort McMurray to become
a major staging area and supply base for Canadas
northern people and natural resources.
One of the first bush pilots to operate in the
Region was Clennell Punch Dickins, a pilot
credited with the destruction of seven enemy
aircraft during the First World War. After
conducting a pioneering 1928 aerial exploration
of the Barren Lands, Dickins was assigned to Fort
McMurray by Western Canada Airways in January
1929, to explore the potential for airmail service
from Edmonton to Fort McMurray and down the
Mackenzie River basin to Aklavik.
Western Canada Airways was not the only air
transport company operating in Fort McMurray
at the time. Commercial Airways Ltd. was formed
1903
The Wright Brothers make the very
first airplane flight,
over Kitty Hawk,
North Carolina.
10
in 1928 by Cy Becker, Vic Horner and Wilfrid Wop May of Edmonton.

In 1929, May and Horner undertook the famous mercy flight to Fort
Vermilion, delivering medical supplies to combat a diphtheria outbreak
in the community.
The pilots, engineers and their families were true pioneers, says
Denny May, Wop Mays son and author of More Stories of Wop May.
You made do with what you had or could make a spruce tree, on
occasion, became a strut for a wing or an undercarriage. You had to be
resourceful and not let the difficulties get you down. It was a tough life.
People helped each other, and everybody was a friend.
While mercy flights were one aspect of Commercial Airways
operations, the owners believed that commercial success would only
come with the acquisition of lucrative government contracts to deliver
mail. As a result, Commercial Airways moved its headquarters to Fort
McMurray, where it was awarded a contract to provide airmail services
along the Mackenzie River. On December 10, 1929, the first official flight
along the new 2,697-kilometre mail route was taken it would be the
1919
Sixty letters are sent from
Vancouver to Seattle by pilot
Bill Boeings Model C airplane.
JANUARY 1929
Clennell Punch Dickins is
assigned to Fort McMurray to
explore the potential of airmail
service in the north.
MAY 1929
Wilfrid Wop May and Vic Horner
deliver medical
supplies to Fort
Vermilion during a
diphtheria outbreak.
FlyYMM.com
First Flight
WATER LANDING:
Punch Dickins and Bill
Publicover in front of
a Fokker G-CASM.
Photo courtesy the Fort
longest, farthest north mail route in the world
southeast shore and asked Dickins if he could find the spot again.
for many years. The early airmail allowed people
In 1930, while other prospecting parties were scouting Great Bear
in the North to feel and be a part of Canada,
Lake, it was Gilbert LaBine who discovered the deposit of pitchblende
says May.
(a mixture of radium and uranium) that ultimately became the
While airmail service was a major revenue
Eldorado Mine.
source for early aviators flying from Fort
As the Great Depression took hold, consolidation occurred in the
McMurray, it was not their only means of income.
aviation sector, starting in November 1930, when Western Canada
The RCMP and Department of the Interior often
Airways was reorganized as Canadian Airways. The following May,
moved personnel and equipment by air to northern
Commercial Airways was absorbed by Canadian Airways. There
postings. The fledgling
were also new operators soaring the Regions
tourism industry saw big
The early airmail allowed people in the skies. Spence- McDonough Air Transport was
game hunters ferried into
North to feel and be a part of Canada. established in 1931 by Bill Spence and Mac
the Nahanni district during
McDonough, two pilots who had flown for failed
Denny May
the summer, while trappers
mining exploration firms. Also that year Grant
used aircraft to access remote trap lines, flying
McConachie began hauling fish from a Saskatchewan lake to the railway
in their dog teams and supplies, and shipping out
at Cheecham, just south of Fort McMurray. During the winter of 1934-35,
their furs.
with four planes working six days a week, he hauled half a million
One of the most lucrative ventures for northern
kilograms of fish.
aviators was transporting prospectors and mineral
By 1937, the Snye, a backwater channel between the Athabasca and
exploration teams into some of the most isolated,
Clearwater Rivers at Fort McMurray, was a bustling water aerodrome.
desolate terrain in northern Canada. The most
With four floating docks accommodating 18 to 20 aircraft, it was
famous mineral discovery in the Northwest
Canadas largest commercial airbase. It became the logical jumping
Territories was made on a flight by Punch Dickins
off point for numerous supply missions to fur trading posts, mines,
in late September 1929. Dickins flew in to Great
lodges, military outposts and First Nation settlements throughout the
Bear Lake to retrieve Gilbert LaBine, the owner of
Northwest Territories. The float or ski-equipped bush plane was king of
Eldorado Gold Mines Ltd. On the flight out, LaBine
the air around Fort McMurray, but further change was in the making.
spotted an area of heavy mineralization along the
Canadian Airways envisioned permanent land-based airport facil-
12
SEPTEMBER 1929
DECEMBER 1929
Dickins flies the owner of Eldorado

Gold Mines Ltd. over the NWT,
discovering a mineral deposit of
pitchblende that became the
famous Eldorado Mine.
Wop May takes the first official

airmail route.
NOVEMBER 1930
Western Canada Airways is
reorganized as
Canadian
Airways.
1931
New operators are established,
including Spence-McDonough
Air Transport.
FlyYMM.com
Canadian Natural Resources Limited
Canadian Natural
is proud to support
The Oilsands Banquet VIII.
Wed like to send our best wishes
to the Fort McMurray Airport
Authority and thank the
organization for its work
to develop aviation in the
Athabasca/Wood Buffalo region
over the past 85 years.
Congratulations on the new
International Terminal!
Canadian Natural is committed to operating

responsibly and ensuring we conduct business
in a manner that demonstrates our mission of
doing it right.
We adhere to the principles of continuous
improvement, efficient operations and
technological innovation.
www.cnrl.com
First Flight
ities throughout the Mackenzie River basin and
Today, there are just under 30 airstrips operating in the Wood
Yukon Southern Air Transport had scouted and
Buffalo Region. Several of these strips are maintained by the Ministry
begun construction of a series of airfields between
of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development for firefighting
Edmonton and the Yukon. In January 1942, the
purposes. Others serve fishing lodges and First Nations settlements.
Canadian Pacific Railway Company acquired
Some of the newer, larger airstrips are privately owned by oil companies
Canadian Airways, Yukon Southern Air Transport
involved in development of the Athabasca oil sands. Several of these
and eight other companies to form
strips are capable of handling planes as
Canadian Pacific Airlines. By the
By 1937, the Snye was a bustling water large as Boeing 737s, which ferry personnel
summer of 1942, an all-season,
into and out of the camps, mines and
aerodrome. With four floating docks
wheel-based airfield was nearing
upgrader sites.
accommodating 18-20 aircraft, it was
completion at Fort McMurray when
Investment in Canadas oil sands
Canadas largest commercial airbase.
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
is massive and the population of Fort
arrived upon the scene.
McMurray is burgeoning. Local airlines and air transport companies
With war in the Pacific, the U.S. Army was
provide ongoing air service to the Wood Buffalo Region and other
worried about Alaskas security and the vulnernorthern communities, building on the legacy of the early aviation
ability of shipping along the West Coast. A push
pioneers in this part of the North.
was made to construct a string of airfields across
Alberta, British Columbia and the Territories for
ferrying military aircraft and supplying the Canol
pipeline project.
In the post-war period, Canadian Pacific
Airlines evolved into a wheeled airline service
and gradually withdrew from bush operations
leaving these routes to other mid- and small-sized
operators, including Pacific Western Airlines.
The infrastructure supporting aviation in the
Wood Buffalo Region also continued to grow, with
the addition of a new, all-weather airstrip at Fort
Chipewyan in 1965.
NORTHERN GATEWAY:
(Left) Stan McMillan standing
with a blow pot.
(Right) Punch Dickins.
All photos courtesy the Fort
1937
The Snye becomes Canadas largest

commercial airbase.
14
1942
In January, the Canadian Pacific
Railway Company acquires
Canadian Airways, Yukon Southern
Air Transport and eight others,
forming Canadian Pacific Airlines.
1965
Trans-Canada Airlines changes its
name to Air Canada.
In the post-war period, an allweather airstrip opens in
Fort Chipewyan.
1968
Wardair purchases two Boeing 707s
and names one Punch Dickins and
the other Wop May.
FlyYMM.com
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FAMOUS PILOTS IN
FORT MCMURRAY
As a major gateway to Canadas north, Fort
McMurray was visited by many of Canadas
aviation greats. Several of them used it as a base
of operations, while others simply passed through
at various points in their illustrious careers:
Wilfrid Reid Wop May: He participated in
the search for the Mad Trapper (Albert Johnson),
the RCMPs first aerial manhunt. May established
Commercial Airways of Edmonton and operated
the airmail route down the Mackenzie River from
the companys base in Fort McMurray.
Clennell Haggerston Punch Dickins:
Also a First World War aviator, he held firsts for a
number of feats flying across the Barren Lands
of the Northwest Territories, flying the entire
length of the Mackenzie River and flying
prospectors into Great Bear Lake.
Arthur Massey Matt Berry: He was involved
in a number of daring rescues, including that of
fellow pilot Con Farrel and engineer F. Hartley,
who were stranded for 11 days in the Barren
Lands in 1935.
Harold Rex Terpening: An engineer, not a
pilot, he helped keep the early bush planes flying
during the worst conditions imaginable and with
only his own ingenuity to guide him.
nt > OCT 16 2014
ure dembarqueme
Boarding Time | He
From | De >
To | Destination >
pital
Canadas Energy Ca
nities
Unlimited Opportu
s of
Celebrating 85 Year
Buffalo
Aviation in Wood
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Boarding Pass ||||||||
Westjet_YMM_OSCB2014 - 1/3SQ_Layout 1 14-09-16 4:51 PM Page 1
Flying with us has its rewards.
Wilfred Leigh Brintnell: During the Second

World War, his company, Aircraft Repair, maintained and repaired many of the military aircraft
based in and flying through Edmonton on the
Northwest Staging Route.
Stanley Ransom Stan McMillan: He was a
pilot on the ill-fated 1929 MacAlpine Expedition
stranded in the Barren Lands for seven weeks until
members managed to walk out to Cambridge Bay
on the Arctic coast.
1996
WestJet is founded by
a team of Calgarian
entrepreneurs.
June 1, 2014
The ribbon is cut on the new
Airport terminal.
Join WestJet Rewards to earn WestJet dollars on your next flight

or vacation package.
Join today at westjet.com/rewards.
Registered trademark of WestJet Airlines Ltd.
First Flight
TOUCHDOWN: (Top)
Aircraft on the Snye as winter
approaches, courtesy Alberta
Aviation Museum. (Bottom
right) Two pontoon planes
docked on the Snye c. 1940,
courtesy the Fort McMurray
Historical Society. (Bottom
left) Canadian Airways base,
c. 1930, (Opposite) aircraft
docked on the Snye near Fort
McMurray c. 1930s, courtesy
Alberta Aviation Museum.
16
FlyYMM.com
Waterfront Hub
The Snye waterway plays an important role in
Fort McMurrays aviation history
By Lyndsie Bourgon
N A CALM DAY, THE SNYES

days of exploration and trapping, its relatively placid waters provided a good
glassy surface is the perfect
spot to dock small watercraft. Trappers would boat into the Snye and park along
natural complement to the Regional
its shores over the summer while they worked in the regions shipyards.
Municipality of Wood Buffalo. In
A lot of people in the town used watercraft, because there were no roads
summer, its where much of the city goes to swim,
in the area, says Peden. They would use the river system for getting out for
float or paddle alongside friends and family. In
hunting, recreation and as a means of getting somewhere.
winter, it makes for an ideal
As the tow ns main transpor t hub, the Snye was an
ice skating rink. The Snye
As natural resource exploration in the incredibly busy place. The Hudsons Bay Company used to
River is a body of water
tie up its boats along the river, and there was an outpost
area flourished into the early-1900s,
that at one time linked the
nearby, along the shore of the Athabasca River. Eventually,
so too did the aviation industry.
Athabasca and Clearwater
the outpost became the airport, with floatplanes landing and
rivers. Today a damn stops it short of connecting
docking on the Snye as they brought in supplies and mail. Companies including
the two, and it functions more as a lake. In Fort
Pacific Western, McMurray Air Services and Contact Airways were based on the
McMurrays long history, it has traditionally served
Snye, and flew throughout the north. They were shipping mail, taking trappers
as a community hub. Thats where all the kids
out to their lines, shuttling sport fishermen and working with the forestry
hung out in town. That was our playground, says
service to monitor fires, says Peden. Mail was a big thing a lot of it was
Jack Torchy Peden, vice president of the Fort
dispersed from Fort McMurray and flown all the way up to places like
McMurray Historical Society.
Tuktoyuktuk.
The Snye also plays a key role in the regions
As natural resource exploration in the area flourished into the
history. Along its banks in 1899, representatives
early 1900s, so too did the aviation industry. Fort McMurray
of the Queen of England and more than two dozen
became one of the busiest and largest aerodromes in all
First Nations communities signed Treaty 8. In the
of Canada in this period. Tom Morimoto worked
NORTHERN STARS
17
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First Flight
BUILDING
FORT MCMURRAY
TOGETHER
CONGRATULATIONS YMM!
Celebrating 85 years of
aviation in Wood Buffalo.
for Canadian Airways as a radio operator from

1935 to 1937, and found himself becoming close
friends with some of Canadas most iconic pilots,
including Wilfrid Wop May. Wed all call them
by their nicknames, Morimoto says from his
home in Kelowna, B.C. When I was the assistant
at the station, I used to run around and take
messages to the pilots, sometimes in the middle
of the night. I got to know them quite well.
It was routine for us, Morimoto says of
planes landing on the Snye. It was just the
airport.
With technological advancements in flight,
that quickly began to change. It just continually
grew, Peden says. I watched it as a young man
down there, when I would work with aircraft
operators to help them unload and tie up the
planes. We didnt get paid much, but we got to go
on trips sometimes, and that was a big event.
As air travel modernized, it outgrew what
the Snye could offer. Larger airlines began using
wheeled planes instead, and the focus of air travel
eventually became Fort McMurrays land-bound
runways. It was a loss of something, a very traditional way of life for a long time, Peden says. It
was sort of sad to see it go. Still, he notes that the
Snyes effect on aviation history is undeniable: If
you go into other airports across Canada, youll
see photos of airplanes on the Snye, he says.
Built in the mid-1960s to provide access to
MacDonald Island, the MacDonald Island land
bridge dams the Snye, which continues to host
watercraft and float-planes. Though it no longer
connects the regions two great rivers, the Snye is
still a link between Fort McMurray, its history and
its great natural surroundings.
A YEAR OF FLIGHT
Also in 1929, the Boeing Company formed Boeing
Aircraft Canada and produced the first transport planes
in Western Canada. Over the ensuing years, Boeing
expanded its operations in Canada, building a manufacturing facility near the Fraser River. Eighty-five years
later, Boeing is still an iconic Canadian company.
FlyYMM.com
Fly in. Stay with Us.

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is tuck yourself in.
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Clean Harbors is proud to sponsor

Oilsands Banquet VIII
to recognize the Fort McMurray Airport Authority
in their 85 year development of aviation
in the Athabasca/Wood Buffalo region.
Reserve your rooms today!
Call 310.1999 or email

Lodging.Reservations@cleanharbors.com
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Cracking the North
ECONOMIC ENGINE:
(Bottom Left) Aviation helped
spur development of the
regions oil sands industry. The
north terminal has become
a hub for industry traffic in
the region. (Opposite) Suncor
employees disembark from
one of the companys aircraft.
Photo courtesy Suncor Energy
20
FlyYMM.com
Air Oil Sands

Fort McMurrays economic engine is boosted by aviation
access to the Wood Buffalo Region
By Caitlin Crawshaw
HROUGHOUT HISTORY, FORT

ATCO trailers slapped together, more or less, says the long-time businessMcMurray has played an integral
man. During the 33 years he lived in the city, he watched the airport grow in
role in opening up Canadas north to
fits and starts, in spite of several economic booms. Its only been in the last
industry and trade. From fishing to
few years that government and business leaders have successfully rallied
fur trapping to todays
for drastic improvements to the infrastructure. Weve
booming energy industry,
Airports are becoming more and more always had a need for a new terminal, so this new facility
transportation in and out
is long overdue, says Wilson, who serves on the airports
of an economic engine for any city
of the region has played a
and Fort McMurray is really following business advisory board. Of course, this lag had nothing to
huge role in its economic
do with a lack of vision, he notes: Infrastructure needs
that trend. John Wilson
stability.
are always slow to get on the map and get funded.
When Fort McMurray International Airport
The new terminal couldnt have come at a better time: in 2013,
(YMM) officially opened its long-awaited new
a record 1.2 million travellers f lew out of the Municipality of
terminal this summer, its modern new design
Wood Buffalo via the citys aging airport. As a result,
and 161,458 square metres of exposed wood
YMM became the 16th busiest airport in Canada, though
beam and stonework was nothing like the
the municipality is only the 82ndnd biggest city in
airport John Wilson flew into back in 1977.
Canada with 104 ,338 residents. Its expected
The airport terminal was a collection of
that the airports passenger load will grow by
NORTHERN STARS
21
Cracking the North

25 per cent in the next two years, pushing it to
1981 that a permanent control tower was erected, followed by a
capacity once again.
larger terminal (to accommodate 250,000 passengers annually)
Wilson describes the airport as an economic
five years later.
engine and recent data supports his claim. A
After decades of slow and steady growth, YMM has been rapidly
2013 study by SNC-Lavalin pegged YMMs total
evolving since its incorporation as an airport authority in 2010. In
economic impact at $412
2012, public transit service to the airport
million for the entire MunicIts often easier, and more cost effective, was added, and in 2013 it began offering
ipality of Wood Buffalo. This
to fly employees directly to work sites, international flights YMM provides
figure included the creation
rather than rely on ground transportation charter services to Mexico.
of 1,700 jobs and $58.4 milBut commercial air travel is just one part
from Fort McMurray.
lion in direct labour income.
of the aviation industry in the Municipality
But the airport and aviation in general also
of Wood Buffalo. Companies in the area often own and operate
plays a supporting role in many other industries.
their own aircraft in order to move labourers to and from work
Case in point: the energy sector, where skilled
sites, and bring needed supplies (like groceries) to remote sites.
workers are in high demand. Because of the
There are also plenty of charter companies providing regular
high cost of homes in Fort McMurray (the
flights via smaller aircraft. G-Sky Aviation is one of these firms,
average sells for about $600,000) and the low
and operates a small fleet of fixed-wing aircrafts (including a
vacancy rate, many workers commute to their
Dehavilland Twin Otter, Citation Bravo and King Air 200) via
jobs from across Canada and live in camps for
a 25,000-square-foot hanger. The company has only been in
short durations. Its often easier, and more cost
operation for nine months, but is already busy assisting companies
effective, to fly employees directly to work sites,
with crew changes, grocery runs and quick meetings in Edmonton
rather than rely on ground transportation from
and Calgary. Theres a lot of scheduled services between Fort
Fort McMurray. We have such an itinerant
McMurray and Calgary maybe six or seven a day, says William
workforce right now. People are flying in
Houghton, G-Skys general manager. By chartering an aircraft,
from all around Canada and that commuter
you can come and go on your own time. This saves companies
work population is vital for Fort McMurray,
from paying for hotels or other travel costs.
says Wilson. Even those who live in Alberta
Charter flights are always in demand thanks to the growing
avoid commuting via car, since Highway 63 is
energy sector, says Houghton. G-Sky Aviation wasnt created with
notoriously dangerous.
a specific client in mind, but to take advantage of continuing
So air travel has become an important means
opportunities in the area. With air charter, its like controlled
of getting people and goods into, and out of, the
growth. Its not huge growth, its not slow growth its just
region for nearly a century. But it wasnt until
steady.
HEADING NORTH:
(Bottom) Fort McMurrays
increased expansion has been
supported by ease of flight
to the region. Photo courtesy
Region of Wood Buffalo
(Opposite) A Suncor mechanic
performs maintenance on
one of the companys private
aircraft. Photo courtesy
Suncor Energy
22
FlyYMM.com
But on the whole, aviations contribution

to the local economy seems to be increasing
rapidly not steadily. Wilson expects that YMM
will continue to inject funds into the area via the
development of a five-star hotel attached to the
terminal, as well as a business park (something
akin to Nisku, a few minutes from the Edmonton
International Airport). Airports are becoming
more and more of an economic engine for any
city and Fort McMurray is really following
that trend, he says.
COMMUTING BY AIR
Various oil producers operating out of the Wood
Buffalo Region use aerodromes to facilitate travel
in and out of their mine sites and camps. Airstrips
have been built and maintained to facilitate the
fly-in-fly-out work structure that industry relies
on, and the aerodromes often resemble the same
small landing strips in small towns. The regions
private aerodromes have been estimated to fly
about 750,000 people per year.
Companies like Suncor, Syncrude, Cenovus
and Devon have all hired pilots and mechanics
to operate their fleet of planes and private
aerodromes, some of which provide travellers
with amenities similar to larger airports, including
checked baggage services and departure lounges.
And traffic is booming Suncor flies about 25,000
employees per month on average in its SunJet fleet
of five planes. But because their employer owns
and controls the fleet, theres often more flexibility
for commuting workers during busy times. For
employees, the commute to work is made easier
through flight. Shuttles to the airport from home
and convenient flights from cities and smaller
communities across Canada are all work perks.
Lifting Off
GROWING UP: (Top left)

Mayor Melissa Blake can attest
that the original airport terminal (bottom), constructed in
1985, was too small to handle
the outpour of passengers that
accompanied Fort McMurrays
economic boom.
24
FlyYMM.com
Change is
in the Air
Scott Clements of the Fort McMurray Airport Authority helps
deliver on promises for air service excellence
By Robbie Jeffrey
HERES A RESTAURANT SOUTHEAST

of Fort McMurray where the citys
mayor, Melissa Blake, takes her
two young children for the artisan
fire-roasted pizza. Nearby, Vancouver-artist David
Robinsons sculpture Daedalist, a streamlined ode
to flight, hangs from the ceiling. More breathtaking
installations and sculptures wait within walking
distance. A wall of dazzling lights near it mimics
the aurora borealis, though the original is visible
from outside during nights when the conditions
are clear. All this modern art and fantastic scenery is located in the Regional
Municipality of Wood Buffalos newest jewel: the new Fort McMurray International Airport (YMM) terminal building.
Bringing the airports much-needed expansion from concept to fruition was
an impressive task that a dedicated team of officials, community members
and visionaries pulled off. Heres how it happened:
1985: The original terminal, built in 1985, was designed
for 250,000 passengers, though it ended up recently
serving over one million. Moving into the brand new
airport in 1985 was quite a significant thing for
NORTHERN STARS
25
Lifting Off
us, and it was a big step up over the trailer that we
used to have people flying in and out of, says Blake.
It started off serviceable, but when the economy
started to shift and more investment in the oil
sands was going on we could see it bursting at the
seams, literally. Minor expansions, like adding
wait rooms and extra gate space, alleviated some of
the immediate pressures. They could not, however,
hold back the tide.
Sheldon Schroeder, the board chair for the Fort
McMurray Airport Authority, is also a private pilot.
As a member of the community using the facility
as far back as 2007, it was undersized, he says. It
was a challenge, and it got worse year after year.
Anybody who travelled through the airport in
Fort McMurray at any time over the last 10 years
knew there was a need to replace the existing
airport, says Ken Hughes, Calgary-West MLA and former minister of

municipal affairs. Indeed, the dam burst, and the little terminal that
could was in dire straights.
2004: In the early 2000s, Fort McMurrays booming economy and
subsequent opportunity pushed the airport to a breaking point. The
fly-in-fly-out scenario means the airport experienced its challenges
quicker and more dramatically compared to the community, which was
also under incredible pressure, says Blake.
It was a nice little terminal designed for a quarter-million people
in 1985, says Scott Clements, the President and CEO of the Fort
McMurray Airport Authority. But at one point, over one million people
were going through a terminal with one bridge, two gates and one
baggage belt.
2009: With 50 years of experience tucked away, including recent
positions as the CEO of Aviation Alberta and the CEO of the Edmonton
BUSTING LOOSE: Like the

municipality itself (right) the
airport at Fort McMurray was
bursting at the seams.
26
FlyYMM.com
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Lifting Off
Airport Authority, Clements watched as Fort
McMurrays air service grew. He came out of
semi-retirement when he heard the city was
forming an Airport Authority. I thought, these
guys are going to want to have somebody that
knows the Airport Authority business, he said.
He applied for the job and the Airport Authority
hired him on October 18, 2009. Scott is a driver,
no question about it, says Schroeder. He hired a
very qualified team of people to execute his project
and made sure things were on track.
Hopes for the new airport soared, as did faith in
Clements. When Scott Clements was hired with
the mission of creating the new airport facility, it
was clear to me that the board was serious about
doing this, says Hughes. It told me that this was
going to be something that was going to get done.
It was just a matter of making sure all the pieces of
the puzzle were put into place that would involve
the municipality, the province and the government of Canada working together to make sure
that we supported the Airport Authority board
and Scott Clements in his capacity as CEO.
Scott Clements, President and CEO
Perhaps most detrimental was the issue of growth. When you

looked at the growth projections, if youre at the low end of the scale
its a challenge to pay for, says
2010: The new airport didnt
When Scott Clements was hired with the
Schroeder. Even at the medium
begin in earnest until 2010, when
and moderate ends of the scale,
mission of creating the new airport facility...
the commission became the Fort
It told me that this was going to be something we were in for 10 years of pain in
McMurray Airport Authority, a
that was going to get done, it was just a matter terms of being able to pay back
not-for-profit organization governed
of making sure all the pieces of the puzzle were the money that was required for
by the Regional Airport Authorities
put into place. Ken Hughes, Calgary-West MLA us to build this. And if you recall,
Act of Alberta.
in 2009, growth was flat. Airport
The Airport Authority became a standalone
usage declined, and the board was faced with the issue of how much
entity with assets and financial statements, and
money to borrow in order to accommodate a growing airport.
it could borrow money without relying on the
By November of 2010, the Authority was presented the option to
municipality. The municipality, in turn, cleared
build the right building for the future, but at a considerably increased
the airport expansion from its balance sheet.
cost, says Clements. It was a very important and strategic decision.
The Airport Authority was still accountable to
Projecting growth over the next 20 years at just under three per cent,
its group of appointers, which included reprethe Fort McMurray Airport Authority made the decision to borrow
sentatives from industry (Canadian Association
enough money for a larger expansion. Clements proposed a classic
of Petroleum Producers), government, unions
approach, in contrast to the budget-limited vision of the earlier
(CUPE) and the Fort McMurray Chamber of
commission.
Commerce.
To Blake, it was common sense. She describes her guiding philosophy
The Airport Authority revised the plans left
for investing in projects as: If we build it and nothing changed in
from the commission, which would have led to
the future, will we still need it? The answer in the case of the airport
a smaller expansion. The problem was that we
is absolutely. Even if we didnt experience a single new passenger
would have built this brand new facility and it
increase in that time, it was still a requirement.
would have already been too small, based on
Common sense didnt fully encompass the risks and the ambition
projections at the time, says Schroeder. The
involved, however. We dont have shareholders, we dont pay dividends
location of the new terminal also needed revision.
and were a not-for-profit organization, says Schroeder. Yet we
Then there was the timeless problem of funding.
borrowed $200 million. That takes a lot of guts when youre a $10We didnt have a huge track record because wed
million-per-year organization.
just formed, he continues. We didnt have 10
It turned out to be the right decision, for sure, says Schroeder.
years of balance sheet history to provide.
Clements agrees: Thank goodness they took it, he says. Because
28
FlyYMM.com
Lifting Off
in the subsequent four years, we grew by 75 per
cent. Faith in the Airport Authority and in
Clements paid off. In the end, the community
got a bigger, better facility that is meeting the
demands of today and will for a few years to come,
says Schroeder.
$25 million in grants toward civil works like extending the runway, road
access, water and sewer extensions, passed a law exempting the Airport
Authority from taxation and resolved to assist the Authority in securing
provincial and federal funding. As a result, the provincial government
gave it 425 acres of Crown land for a nominal sum, for development of
the second runway. The application for $25 million in federal funding
is in process.
2012: Construction on the new
In the end, the community got a bigger,
The airport also benefits from
terminal began in August of 2011.
better facility that is meeting the demands new developments in infrastructure:
The old northern terminal has
of today, and will for a few years to come. the CRISP comprehensive regional
been designated for charter workinfrastructure sustainability plan is a
Scott Clements, President and CEO,
force traffic, easing congestion
40-year, $11-billion project that will match
Fort McMurray Airport Authority
and accounting for 20 per cent of
new infrastructure to the regions massive
the airports total volume.
growth. Bridges will cross the Clearwater and the Athabasca and new
The airports expansion was a marvel of
workers roads will streamline trips to northern work camps. Successco-operation. Ive been in this business about
ful transportation to and from work contributes to the success of the
53 years, says Clements. Ive been there, done
oil sands in this sense, the new infrastructure creates a win-win-win
that, and Ive seen successes and failures across
scenario in which the oil sands, the airport and workers all benefit.
the country. I have never seen a municipality
The new airport is also a kind of welcome for investors: Any
support an independent airport so quickly and so
multibillion-dollar investment thats made in Fort McMurray will be
comprehensively as the Regional Municipality of
preceded by months, indeed years, of hard work, and a great deal of
Wood Buffalo has done.
technical analysis and international investors and their advisors flying
The municipality gave the Airport Authority
into the community to assess the potential, says Premier Jim Prentice.
EASY CONNECTIONS: The

terminal will also include a
new four-star Marriott hotel,
to be completed by 2017.
30
FlyYMM.com
When people come and see a first-class facility, it

helps instill investor confidence.
This all contributes to Fort McMurrays shift
from a small town to a destination in which to build
a home and start a family. I heard from residents
that Fort McMurray has the ambition to be a Great
Northern City, says Hughes. To do that, you need
a number of community-building pillars, and the
airport adds to that. Other airlines like WestJet
and Air Canada are taking a look at how they can
integrate into Fort McMurray more effectively, so
its another notch in the belt, and a really important
element that adds to the quality of life. As more
oil sands facilities come on stream, there will be
less focus on a fly-in fly-out workforce and more on
permanent community residences. The reach of
this investment in the region is vast: the economic
stability of the Regional Municipality of Wood
Buffalo is not just of key importance for Alberta,
but for all of Canada as well.
worldliness. This new facility is clearly making a statement that Fort

McMurray is here to stay, says Hughes. At the opening gala, on May 31,
2014, there was a palpable sense of pride. Mayor Blake describes it as a
refreshing change. The airport, she says, shows that Fort McMurray
is a wonderful place to live and that there are more than just industrial
offerings.
JUNE 2014: Pilots are astute observers of what makes an airport

successful. For Schroeder, its what he hears in the airport since its
official opening in June 2014 that stands out. When I walk off a
plane here, I listen to the people coming off the airplane with me. I
hear Oooh and Aah, he says. You feel like your community is on
the map.
There are now four air bridges, two baggage belts and 16 food,
beverage and retail outlets, and a four-star Marriott hotel connected
to the terminal will be complete by 2017. YMM itself will employ over
135 workers before the year is up, and the airports tenants employ an
additional 400.
Most satisfying, though, is hearing Clements look back on his work
and realize that he achieved what he set out to do. His goal was to give
the community what it needed, but he gave it more. When people are
MAY 2014: YMM is now a rallying cause for the
coming through and seeing it for the first time, he says, you hear
community a source of pride, distinction and
them saying Wow now we have the terminal we deserve.
Schlumberger_YMM_OSCB2014 - 1/4V_Layout 1 14-09-25 6:47 PM Page 1
How ddoo we develop

develop
to
morrows resources?
resources?
tomorrows
With
With toda
todays
ys comm
commitment.
itment.
Our worlds most precious resource is people.

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focus on education, the environment, and wellness.
In the oil field or in the classroom,
Schlumbergerr is there.
HIGH FIVE.
Brandt is proud to sponsor the Oilsands Banquet Vlll
honouring YMM. Were grateful for loyal customers and the
support of the communities we call home. Sponsoring local
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2013 Schlumberger.
Lifting Off
A TEAM EFFORT:
Building the new Fort
McMurray International
Airport terminal building was
a cooperative process between
Stantec, SNC-Lavelin,
WSP, E Construction,
Ledcor Construction and
designers omb.
32
FlyYMM.com
From the
Ground Up
How a team of planners, designers and builders turned Fort McMurray
International Airport into an international destination
By Robin Brunet
BOUT FIVE YEARS AGO, BRUCE

Ferguson, principal, program and
project management for Stantec,
started rolling up his sleeves for work
at the new Fort McMurray International Airport
(YMM). And while he and Stantec were ready for the
challenge, building one of Fort McMurrays most
important new buildings was a massive collaboration between that company and three others.
Stantec was retained as the project managers, says Ferguson. But SNC-Lavalin was the
planner and project manager for the terminals commercial, food and beverage,
advertising and retail components, WSP (formerly Genivar) was retained for
infrastructure design, E Construction was awarded a $49-million contract for the
installation of underground utilities, roads, parking lots, taxiways and the new
aircraft parking apron, and Ledcor Construction Limited was awarded a
$78-million contract to build the three-level terminal building.
The office of mcfarlane biggar architects and designers (omb)
had been contracted to design the terminal, and it focused on
providing a variety of sustainable features appropriate for
a northern climate, including passive solar orientation,
energy optimization, super-insulated building
NORTHERN STARS
33
Lifting Off
BREAKING GROUND:
Construction on the new
terminal began in September
2012, with the old northern
terminal now designated for
chartered workforce traffic.
34
FlyYMM.com
envelope assemblies, in-floor radiant heating,

from reclaimed B.C. mountain pine beetle wood, were prefabricated
displacement ventilation and sophisticated
elsewhere, shipped to site and assembled. Fort McMurray is a
heat-recovery systems. The team selected
challenging place to find tradesmen because theyre all occupied with
low-emitting materials to promote healthy interior
other work, so getting as many things pre-fabbed and shipped to site
environments for passengers and employees. Mass
was vital, says Ferguson. The wood was manufactured in Penticton,
timber assemblies provide
B.C., and precast concrete panels came from
a warm ambiance to the
This turned out to be a fantastic partnership. Edmonton. Over 15,000 square metres of
building interior. Finishes
terrazzo-topped flooring were manufactured
Considering the size and complexity of the
that feature durability and
project, everything went fairly smoothly, and overseas, and hollow core floor slabs were
sustainability include 180
everyone brought their best game to the table. fabricated in Edmonton.
pre-weathered steel panels
Construction on the terminal began in SepWere proud of the final result.
and over 125 exterior
tember 2012, and at its peak 70 contract trades
Bruce Ferguson
precast panels. The team
and as many as 250 tradespeople were on site.
decided to use cross-laminated timber (CLT)
Challenges included the sites high water table, which necessitated six
for the building structure early on in the design
months of round-the-clock dewatering for foundations. Ledcor installed
process. With 954,000 board feet of pine
CLT panels during exceptionally cold weather, and in order to deal with
lumber ultimately used, it turned out to be the
successive severe winters, hoarding and heating systems were erected
largest application of CLT beam technology in
that enabled construction to continue in sub-zero conditions.
North America.
But the biggest challenge for Ledcor, at least had nothing to
Many of the terminals components, such
do with construction. The real issue came with the recruitment of
as the exposed CLT ceilings and walls built
qualified manpower, says Bob Walker, Ledcors senior vice-president,
NORTHERN STARS
35
Why and How

FT Services is proud
to support the local
communities that our
employees call home.
Congratulations to the
Fort McMurray Airport
Authority on 85 years of
aviation service to the
Regional Municipality
of Wood Buffalo.
www.ftsgroup.com
UAS_YMM_OSCB2014 - 1/3SQ_Layout 1 14-09-28 9:01 PM Page 1

Oil Sands banquet advert_rev3l.indd 1
24/09/2014 3:14:42 PM
CONGRATULATIONS YMM!
Airport/Aerodrome Management
Refueling
Airfield Maintenance
Equipment Maintenance
Airfield Electrical Repair & Service
Radio & Weather Services
Aircraft Ground Support
Logistical Support
UNIVERSAL AVIATION SERVICES
RR1 Site 2 C-9 Airport, Fort McMurray, Alberta T9H 5B5

Phone 780.791.9881 info@uascorp.ca
www.uascorp.ca
Alberta. This provinces construction sector is

booming, and qualified trades professionals have
many choices. With the numerous construction
opportunities, they are not forced to find work
outside of their home base. Ledcor ultimately
recruited talent from across Canada.
Ferguson points out that it was crucial for
the terminal and other construction work to be
carefully co-ordinated. We also had an aircraft
parking apron, plus taxiways, plus a parking
area to build around the terminal building,
and this meant we had to work closely with the
municipality to ensure getting basic services on
site. A boundary was set around the terminal in
which Ledcor was restricted, and this enabled
E Construction to control the surrounding
territory and ensure that roads, sanitary and
storm infrastructure was ready in time.
Jim Meyer, senior director, airport
development for SNC-Lavalin, notes that
while passenger growth will gradually taper
off in the long run, the Fort McMurray Airport
Authority is already planning further expansion.
Fortunately, the terminal was designed to easily
accommodate expansion, and in 2017-2018 were
looking at two more bridges and more passenger
hold room capacity, he says. Construction of
the new 220-room hotel will commence next
spring, and three LED light towers that replicate
the colours and patterns of the aurora borealis
will be installed in the traffic circle at the airport
entrance this fall, which will be an iconic
landmark for the airport and the community.
Ferguson echoes the sentiments of his
colleagues when he concludes, This turned out
to be a fantastic partnership. Considering the
size and complexity of the project, everything
went fairly smoothly, and everyone brought
their best game to the table. Were proud of the
final result.
FlyYMM.com
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Congratulations on 85 Years
of Aviation in Wood Buffalo!
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FORT MCMURRAY
340 Parent Way
7807910932
FORT MCMURRAY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
1 Snowbird Way
7807477619
www.drivingforce.ca
Safe in the Sky
RUSH HOUR: Air travel is

one of the fastest, best ways
to arrive in Fort McMurray
and travel through the area.
Your Daily
Commute
In the remote Wood Buffalo Region, flight provides
one of the safest modes of travel
By Allison Myggland
HE RE ARE VE RY FEW WAYS TO

arrive in Fort McMurray. You can drive in
along Highways 63 or 881, both stretches
of road used heavily, and often blocked,
by large industry vehicles. Or you can fly in, either
through a Canadian carrier or private charter.
With daily reports of accidents on the highway, its
no surprise that many choose air travel over cars
on the road.
We are one of the fastest growing airports in
Canada right now, says Bill Werny, vice-president
of operations at Fort McMurray International Airport (YMM). We have

been growing at a tremendous pace in passenger traffic, and are projected
to exceed the 1.3 million mark at the end of 2014.
In the new terminal, its no secret where the majority of passengers are
going. The oil sands are driving our passenger traffic, says Werny.
Two-thirds of our passengers are business travellers with the
oil sands or government. And obviously a large percentage
of them are workers f ly ing into For t McMurray.
The new terminal hasnt simply replaced the old
terminal, though. The north terminal has been
transitioned into a chartered workforce
NORTHERN STARS
39
Safe in the Sky

terminal, which will continue to safely transport
program is essential. Because the Firebag and Fort Hills operations
over a quarter of a million passengers and cargo to
are situated well outside of the city boundaries, and roads are subject
and from the region each year.
to unpredictable weather closures, Suncor offers flight service to
One of the businesses affected by the impleemployees. Stevens says that a big advantage to chartering space at the
mentation of a dedicated workforce terminal has
airport is the ability to tailor the flight schedule to correspond with the
been Suncor and its private
companys plant operations, which means that
airline, Sunjet. Having just
It makes it a lot safer and more
Suncor employees are always arriving safely
celebrated the air programs
to work and departing with efficiency. It just
comfortable and less tiresome for our
65th anniversary, the airlines
makes it a lot safer and more comfortable and
employees. Kelli Stevens
five aircraft move upwards of
less tiresome for our employees, she says.
210,000 people each year throughout the Wood
Shes not wrong about safety. Highways 63 and 881, the only other
Buffalo Region. According to Kelli Stevens, senior
routes out of the city, are significantly busier than most roadways. In
advisor for Suncor Energy media relations and
2013, Wood Buffalos Integrated Traffic Unit reported 15,789 charges
issues management, the designation of the existing
laid while policing the two highways. With worrisome roadway traffic,
terminal as a workforce terminal is a welcome
its not hard to see how much of an economic generator the airport
change for Sunjet. There were too many people
has been to the region, and its no surprise that air traffic has steadily
flying in and out of the old airport for it to be the
increased, year over year. Providing a safe and convenient mode of
size that it was. The expansion makes a lot of
travel has proven to be essential to the 1.2 million passengers that
sense, she says.
flew to the area over the past year. The opening of the new terminal
Flying your workforce into the region and
has demonstrated that, between the demand from industry and the
providing transportation directly to the work site
desire of businesses, government and locals to forgo the long and often
ensures that a companys most valuable resource
stressful drive up Highways 63 and 881, the airport has nowhere to
its people arrive safely. For Suncor, its aviation
grow but up.
TRAFFIC WOES: Highways

63 and 881 are significantly
busier than most roadways
and are subject to adverse
weather conditions.
Photo courtesy Regional
Municipality of Wood Buffalo
40
FlyYMM.com
2014 Brand Energy & Infrastructure Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3sv_3.625x4.875_Sep2014_v3.pdf 1 9/25/2014 9:18:55 AM
KELLER_YMM_OSCB2014 - 1/4V_Layout 1 14-09-29 5:59 PM Page 1
ALUMA -
YOUR SINGLE
SOURCE.
TOTAL ACCESS | INSULATION | COATINGS & FIREPROOFING
HAPPY
85
TH
YMM!
Aluma Systems congratulates YMM on

85 years of Service in the Community.
We look forward to your continued
contribution through the new World Class
International Airport Facility.
185 Taiganova Crescent,

Fort McMurray, AB T9K 0T4
Phone: 780.743.5011
www.aluma.ca
Enbridge_YMM_OSB2014- 1/2H_Layout 1 14-09-30 6:12 PM Page 1
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Inside YMM
A Warm
Welcome
Committed ambassadors of the Wood Buffalo
Region welcome visitors to Fort McMurray
By Martin Dover
HEN PASSENGERS ARRIVING

at Fort McMurray International
Airport (YMM) step into the
arrivals area, the smiling faces of
their friends and family are not the only ones to
greet them. Also on scene are some true experts
in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo:
the community ambassadors who staff a brand
new Visitor Information Centre.
The airport is home to the new centre, which is a partnership run

by Fort McMurray Tourism, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
and the Fort McMurray Airport Authority. It provides on-the-ground
guidance for Fort McMurray tourists, workers and residents alike.
The new booth presents a fresh face forward for the groups,
who create a welcoming first impression of the Wood
Buffalo.
Were a part of the team here now, which
is great because we represent the region,
NORTHERN STARS
43
Inside YMM
SEE THE SIGHTS: (Top)

The south loop of Wood
Buffalo National Park. (Botton
left) Syncrude Boreal Open.
(Bottom right) Northern lights
over Gregoire Lake.
(Opposite) Dog sledding in
Fort Chipewyan.
Photos courtesy Fort
McMurray Tourism
44
FlyYMM.com
says Frank Creasey, CEO of Fort McMurray

Tourism. This means that we have more
linkages and gateway access. This is how we
welcome them.
The booths community ambassadors are
friendly faces from the region, people who can
answer questions about everything from public
transportation to hotel vacancies to lost phones.
have a wide variety of people in for hunting, fishing and energy tours at
our airport, says Creasey.
He emphasizes that its actually the good spirit of residents
and visitors that act as Fort McMurrays most prominent
ambassadors. If youre coming here for the first time, you know
what your job is but often not about the community,
says Creasey. Thats our link.
Its very good for the province, because

you have a wide variety of people in for
hunting, fishing and energy tours at our
airport. Frank Creasey
They also go out of their way to make sure
passengers know who they are and understand
why theyre present in the airport, including
answering any questions.
The Visitor Information Centre team hopes
its new physical presence at YMM will give team
members more room to showcase attractions like
the Northern Lights and outdoor tourism.
Its very good for the province, because you
Executive Flight Centre_YMM_OSB2014- 1/2H_Layout 1 14-09-27 3:10 PM Page 1
Inside YMM
Travel with Taste

From pizza to lattes, passengers at the Fort McMurray International
Airport munch on more dining options than ever before
By Martin Dover
T
MORE OPTIONS:
Earls Kitchen + Bar is one
of the airports newest
dine-in options.
HE THIN CRUST PIZZAS, FRESH

salads and savoury soups the kitchen at
Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria dishes up
might seem more suited to an Italian
trattoria than the arrivals level of an airport, but
that hasnt held the popular Edmonton chain back
from providing Italian staples to the crowd at Fort
McMurray International Airport (YMM).
The restaurant offers a taste of Italy in Fort
McMurray, says Paul Sarlis, franchise owner of
the new Famoso. Its simple. Its heart food.
The restaurant imports its bell-shaped ovens from Italy, as well as its
high-quality ingredients, and they certify their pizzaiolo chefs in the art
of tossing thin crusts by hand.
Famoso is just one of many new concession offerings at the new Fort
McMurray airport terminal. Boosting the options at YMM from two
to 16, there are now varied opportunities for food and drink on
both sides of the security gate.
The new food court on the departures level before
securit y includes a Subway, Burger K ing and
soon-to-be-opened Tim Hortons. Past the
check-in gates, passengers have options
NORTHERN STARS
47
Inside YMM
from a Starbucks, Jugo Juice and the first Earls ever to open inside an
airport. Famoso, also appearing for the first time in an airport, greets
passengers on the arrivals level. Through much consultation and planning, a variety of options are now available to travellers and residents
alike. Locals can also take advantage of the airports Shop Dine Dash
parking deal visitors to their airport can show a receipt from one of
the airports restaurants or stores to receive free parking.
Melanie Ference is the owner of Chocolates & Candlelight, a
Fort McMurray chocolate and gift shop thats been open since 1999.
Ference had been looking for a way to expand her product line to a new
group of people, and had even considered starting a mobile shop at one
point. The new airport terminal provided a great opportunity. Every
airport needs a chocolate place, she says.
The city was itching for something different, says Sarlis. The opening garnered a lot of attention locally, and there are even plans to open up
another Famoso branch in the city itself. It was a natural fit.
AVAILABLE AT YMM:
Best Buy Express
Burger King
Chocolates & Candlelight
Earls Kitchen + Bar
Elements
Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria
Jugo Juice
Mary Browns Famous Chicken & Taters
Nicholbys Convenience & Duty Free
Starbucks
Subway
Tim Hortons
FRESH FARE: The bellshaped oven at Famoso

Neapolitan Pizzeria has been
imported from Italy.
48
FlyYMM.com
Inside YMM
SAFETY ON THE
GROUND: YMMs airside
maintenance team are
responsible for all 2,287
metres of runway.
50
FlyYMM.com
Kings of
the Tarmac
The airports maintenance crew ensures aircraft can land
and leave in the safest possible conditions
By Martin Dover
LAYTON ROZAK IS FORT MCMURRAY

Airport Authoritys first manager of
operations and training. He started
his career at the airport in 1998,
joining the maintenance teams tightknit group
of seven employees as an equipment operator.
Back then, we all did a little bit of everything,
he says. Sixteen years later, he has held a
number of roles with the Airport Authority,
including interim VP of operations. Since
starting with the Airport Authority, the departments staff has grown to
20 members.
The departments responsibilities have also more than doubled since
the opening of the new airport terminal. There are more bridges and
walkways that we have to keep clean in various seasons. And its
not just sweeping away debris or snow. We have to consider
using equipment of various sizes in the right way in the right
conditions. Its more intricate work, says Rozak. While
the runway did not move, the total airside square
footage of paved surfaces has more than doubled.
NORTHERN STARS
51
Inside YMM
Airside pavement includes runways, taxiways and
the apron (the aircraft bridging area). Its the
same job as before the new terminal opened, but
just with a lot more space to be responsible for,
he says.
Pavement is just one area of maintenance at the
airport. Wildlife management is also part of the
departments responsibilities and is demanding
during the spring and fall during bird migratory
season. We do everything from patrols to scare
cannons to adding scarecrows to the areas most
affected, he says.
Runway clearing makes winter one of the
busiest seasons for Rozaks crew. Summer is
the best time to plan and prepare for the regions
inclement weather which lasts over half of the year
some seasons, he says. We want aircraft to land
safely all the time, he says. Part of this includes
undertaking friction testing every time weather
patterns change. After we clean the snow off, we have to check the
friction to ensure that its within safe limits for aircraft to land,
says Rozak. We might have to sweep some more, put down sand or
even chemicals.
To see where the Airport Authority was when I started and where
we are now, is just incredible, Rozak says. It reflects the growth
of the region. That said, my time here will finish up soon and I will
have to hand over the reins. I grew up here but it is time for a change
for my family. My heart will always be here, though. Rozak will be
assuming the site and facilities manager role at Shell Aviation in
Calgary starting this fall.
Airside maintenance is everything behind the airport terminals

gates. This includes tarmac maintenance and snow removal.
Groundside maintenance are repairs and maintenance that take
place in the terminal and outside security.
THE ALL CLEAR:

The airports maintenance
team has grown from
seven employees to 20.
Photo courtesy Regional
Municipality of Wood Buffalo
52
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Inside YMM
The Art
of Flight
Public art throughout the airport captures the spirit
of the Wood Buffalo Region
By Lyndsie Bourgon
I
OIL TO ART: Local artist
Lucas Seaward (top), painted
his contribution in oil sands
bitumen.
F AIRPORTS ACT AS A SPACE WHERE

people, nature and human ingenuit y
intersect, Todd Bressi was a natural choice
to involve in developing the Fort McMurray
International Airports (YMM) interior design.
Bressi and his team at Pennsylvania-based
Place Design help determine how public art
and design can fit into various unique places.
For YMM, they assisted in creating a place
where public art, public use and city design
mingle by curating the three art pieces that
appear throughout the building.
To do so, Bressi spent a lot of time w ith a ir por t ma nagement

a nd office of mcfarlane biggar architects and designers. Before
choosing anything, he and his team toured Fort McMurray and held
meetings to immerse themselves in the city and the new site.
We came to understand that Fort McMurray has been a very
dynamic place for all its history, says Bressi, from his office
in Pennsylvania. Most of what it has accomplished has
been at great risk. Explorers came here, and its still
true to this day.
That led to us thinking about scale, he says.
The city is impressive a nd over whelm ing
in a way. In 2012, Place Design issued an
NORTHERN STARS
55
Inside YMM
A HIGHER PLANE:
A retired Canadian Forces
Snowbird plane (left) is
rooted in the ground outside
the airport. (Top Right) Liz
Ingrams tribute to water in
the region. (Bottom) Sculptor
David Robinsons Daedalist
installation.
56
FlyYMM.com
open call for artists, and it received about 300

submissions in response. The team narrowed
down and ranked its final choices, based on experience and qualifications, though the final decision
rested with the airport team. Management agreed
with all of Place Designs top-ranked artists.
In the end, two of the three final art pieces come
from Alberta artists, and one from Vancouver
sculptor David Robinson. His work is not the kind
of work youd normally see in a public art setting,
says Bressi. Robinsons aviation-themed sculpture
hangs from the ceiling in the arrivals hall. But the
airport could see that his work is really evocative of
the struggle of building a city in the wilderness.

Fort McMurray artist Lucas Seaward contributed a mural in which
uses bitumen as his medium. His work is extraordinarily unique,
says Bressi. In my research, I couldnt find more than a handful of
people in the world that work with bitumen the way he does.
Finally, University of Alberta professor Liz Ingram contributed
a piece that has been worked into a glass wall at the north end of the
waiting room. The relationship between the people and water is
elemental, and Im glad to recognize that, says Bressi of the piece.
They were each able to bring a deep and thoughtful look at the
meaning of the city and its setting, relationship to environment and
resources, says Bressi. The result is people who are as proud of the
artwork as they are of the rest of the airport.
NORTHERN STARS
57
Inside YMM
MAKING IT WORK:
Local entrepreneur Doug
Golosky has a longstanding
history of partnership and
cooperation with YMM.
Photo by Greg Halinda
58
FlyYMM.com
Making
Connections
Fort McMurrays fleet of chartered planes provides a
necessary link for the regions remote areas
By Martin Dover
HE AIRPORT IS MORE THAN JUST

businesses, what he saw was an opening for running small commercial passenger
a home to the large airlines that fly
services that would support the needs of the surrounding communities.
in and out from its main terminal. It
This often means a number of people reserving a plane for use when there
also provides services to a number of
is no scheduled service, or businesses shuttling employees in and out of
smaller, charter aircraft throughout the region.
remote areas.
This includes companies like McMurray
The community likes the availability of it, says Houghton, adding that there
Aviation and G-Sky Aviation, private charters
are a number of charter businesses in the city that have found success. With
that operate just around the corner from the
aviation playing such a key role in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalos
airports terminal. Both companies shuttle
economy, the technologies the Fort McMurray Airport Authority runs and
passengers around the region through a fleet
landing strips it maintains are also used by a number of smaller, charter aircraft
of smaller aircraft.
throughout the region.
G-Sky was founded two years ago by local
G-Sky leases land from the airport, on which the company has built its hangar
Mtis businessman Doug
and office. The airport provides services for private charters
Golosky. He realized
We work with them to make our
through runway maintenance, and facilities like instruthe value of an air carrier
ments, landing systems and runway security. The airport
business work. They work with us to
that could provide air
and private charters like G-Sky interact when the airport has
ensure our business is successful.
charter for the community,
plans to build or change something on the land. They also
Bill Houghton
and he wanted to use his
speak regularly about procedure.
background to build from his existing facilities,
Houghton says not much has changed with the opening of the new
says Bill Houghton, general manager at G-Sky.
terminal, but that it makes it easier for passengers to transfer from
Golosky was born and raised in Fort McMurray,
f lights t hat la nd at t he ma in ter m ina l to a cha r ter.
and had identified the needs of the surrounding
We work with them to make our business work,
communities and businesses as they grew over the
says Houghton. They work with us to ensure our
years. Though he had a number of really successful
business is successful.
NORTHERN STARS
59
Inside YMM
NORTHERN
INSPIRATION:
A steel art installation along
the arrivals entrance wall
mimics the light and fluidity
of the aurora borealis.
All photos courtesy Ema Peter
60
FlyYMM.com
Boreal Gateway
Vancouvers office of mcfarlane biggar architects
and designers weighs in on its award-winning
design concept for the airport
By Lyndsie Bourgon
UTTING A SLEEK, MODERN FORM

above a stark northern Alberta
landscape, the new Fort McMurray
International Airport (YMM) terminal
project was designed to be a minimalist, powerful
expression of one of Canadas most notable landscapes and populations.
In 2009, Vancouvers office of mcfarlane biggar
architects and designers (omb) began conceiving of
what the citys upcoming brand new airport could
become. Architects began preparing proposals to
the Fort McMurray Airport Authority, who had contracted them for the ambitious
new airport design. The team visited Fort McMurray, toured the city and
surrounding minesites, and began to consider what made the place truly special.
Walking away, they knew they would place an emphasis on the buildings
physical materials in order to make it tr uly f it the Wood Buffalos
identit y. R ising to the challenge of designing a regional airpor t
that services more visitors than many cities, omb embraced the
responsibility of welcoming thousands of people to a community like none other.
Airports are challenging buildings. Functionally, they
must be effective and efficient, easy for employees
NORTHERN STARS
61
Inside YMM
and travellers alike to navigate. They have a

principal architect at omb. YMM is part of that vision inside, its
form and function that does not easily lend itself
major public areas are defined by a mass timber structure comprised of
toward creative design. Yet they are most often
cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels and wood beams. New to North
the first glimpses we get of unfamiliar places, and
America, CLT is composed of multiple layers of lumber in this case,
should feel welcoming to everyone from returning
salvaged from British Columbias pine beetle infestation. Each layer is
residents, to tourists to those on business trips.
oriented crosswise to the next. Replacing what would normally be a steel
And ombs portfolio
or concrete structure, CLT provides a light but
of work aims to place the
Rising to the challenge of designing a
rigid structure that enabled the team to increase
firm as a champion of
construction time and reduce the carbon
regional airport that services more than
innovative wood designs,
most cities, omb embraced the responsibility footprint and cost of construction. Left exposed,
whether thats part of the
it offers a beautiful and warm interior finish.
of welcoming thousands of people to a
structure or an interior
The process is very much a collaborative
community like none other.
finish including the
endeavour, says McFarlane, including talking
companys own open, airy headquarters in North
about all the usual information. That information includes building
Vancouver. They have been recognized as leaders
program and budget, as well as some less tangible concepts for the space.
in changing how public buildings use wood in
For instance, how might the airport express the values of the commuindoor spaces, and theyre committed to finding
nity? And how could the airport facilitate expansion in the future?
solutions that bring the warmth and character
What it has achieved is an open, bright welcoming space in 2013, they
of timber to spaces it might not otherwise be
won a prestigious Canadian Architect magazine Award of Excellence for
found like an airport. Overall, we set out to use
their work.
robust and straightforward materials in a timeless
YMM is 170,000 square feet of wood, concrete, steel and glass, which
and sophisticated way, says Steve McFarlane,
McFarlane says they meant to appear as solid and void, expansion and
62
FlyYMM.com
From one gateway to another,
thanks
Keyano College is thankful for the Fort McMurray Airport Authoritys

commitment to world class air travel in and beyond this region. This
commitment has a direct impact on life at Keyano:
Over 80 countries are represented in our student body. This year alone, we welcome
new students from Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Poland, Turkey, and across Canada.
The YMM Airport is an entry point for visiting athletes as our Huskies host more
teams from beyond our regions boundaries for tournaments and other activities.
Our residents enjoy dozens of events and acts at the Keyano Theatre & Arts Centre, and
the new airport creates a favourable and professional impression for performers coming
in to the community.
Just as Keyano is a gateway to career growth, you are a gateway to this region. Congratulations to the
Fort McMurray Airport Authority for bringing 85 years of aviation in Wood Buffalo to new heights!
Visit keyano.ca to learn more about our College, Athletics, Theatre, and the Keyano College
Foundation that makes much of this possible.
Photomagic by foto source
keyano.ca
Inside YMM
compression, framed and filtered views. The

and has tailored everything from the light fixtures to carpeting. The
airport is built out of materials that reflect the
airport boasts super-insulation, in-floor radiant heating and heat recovery
region, including weathering steel, bitumensystems.
coloured metal cladding and unfinished
But it was the spirit of community that really jumped out as significant
concrete. There is an impressive steel art
to the firm. In Canada, few communities have garnered their own
installation along the large arrivals entrance
personality, and attention, like Fort McMurray. As part of that, omb knew
wall, designed by omb,
that the design had to be functional, but also
which mimics the aurora
Its a really simple building form, but we see truly of the city.
borealis. Those tougher
The character of the Wood Buffalo Region
it as working to generate an iconic presence
materials are balanced
in the landscape. It represents the modesty results from an incredibly diverse range of
with more natural
influences. The relationship to heavy industries
and diversity of the community it serves,
materials, like terrazzo
creates a unique sense of community unlike
while also capturing the vast scale of its
flooring, exposed wood
anywhere in Canada, says McFarlane. There
setting. Steve McFarlane
along the ceiling and
are boreal forest and muskeg swamps rubbing
acoustic, white oak-panelled walls. The interior
shoulders with active heavy industry. It makes for a unique landscape the
is a sort of industrial-boreal mix, and McFarlane
fact of its future is constantly changing, and all these human and natural
notes that sustainability was a key part of the
elements are attempting to adapt.
design. Wherever possible, measures were
McFarlane says that the oil industry wasnt far from their minds
taken to build with less and create an efficient
throughout the process. The design was inspired by the scale of oil sands
building that is responsive to its use and setting. development from the extent of the resource interventions to the size
The design team kept everything from building
of the equipment used and their physical qualities imparting a vast
orientation to effective day-lighting in mind,
scale throughout the terminal. That grandiosity of the natural world is
64
FlyYMM.com
Inside YMM
civeo.com
Northern Crane_YMM_OSCB2014 - 1/3SQ_Layout 1 14-09-24 4:49 PM Page 1
apparent the moment visitors step off the plane. The

new airport, down the road from the old terminal,
is still nestled in the wilderness. These circumstances inspired us to challenge the conventional
approach to the structure of the building, adds
McFarlane. So we developed a system of modular
structures to simplify construction while also
enhancing quality. The most innovative aspect of
this would be the use of mass timber technologies
for the roof.
Its a really simple building form, he says. But
we see it as working to generate an iconic presence
in the landscape. It represents the modesty and
diversity of the community it serves, while also
capturing the vast scale of its setting.
The firm has experience in building
regional airports, and recently completed the
47,000-square-foot Prince George Airport. The
idea of airports as a gateway to more than a city
has influenced its work greatly in both cities.
Fort McMurray International is roomier than its
Prince George counterpart, with more glass and
lighter woods that open it up to the rangelands
just outside the door. It also features a relatively
seamless transition between indoor and outdoor
space, capitalizing on its secluded location there
is an outdoor courtyard and green space for
waiting passengers and visitors that the airport
hopes will draw more people to get out of their
cars and come inside. We arranged the whole
FlyYMM.com
YMM Magazine_YMM_OSCB2014 - 1/3SQ_Layout 1 14-09-30 6:05 PM Page 1
CONGRATULATIONS
thing somewhat atypical of airport planning, so

that arriving passengers could be greeted with
generous day-lit spaces and direct access to
the landscaped courtyard, as opposed to dark,
basement-like arrival spaces found in more
conventional airports, says McFarlane.
The designers also kept in mind the needs
of the future airport a pressing concern even
now, as the new terminal just opens. The ability
to respond to new airport technologies, adapt
within the marketplace and serve the industry
was all considered, says McFarlane. The design
allows the departures hold room and passenger
processing areas to expand independently based
on demand with minimal disruption to ongoing
operations. Future expansions are basically
added modules.
AURORA IN FLIGHT
Along with a brand new terminal, the Fort McMurray
International Airport and Fort McMurray Airport Authority
also have new logos. Inspired by the natural world around
the airport, the logo harkens to the aurora borealis, the
gesture of a birds wing, the take-off on an airplane and
the tail of an aircraft.
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Look Ahead
Nowhere to
Go But Up
Amidst unprecedented growth, YMM accommodates the future
By Robbie Jeffrey
HO ON EARTH PLANS FOR 75

per cent growth? asks Scott
Clements, President and CEO of
the Fort McMurray Airport Authority. Nobody does. No stranger to rapid expansion,
the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo still
couldnt predict such an unprecedented level of
growth for the four years following the change in
governance in 2010. The Airport Authority formed
after a sluggish 2009, in which growth flat-lined and
airport usage declined. The expansion of the Fort
McMurray International Airport (YMM) would eventually accommodate

1.5 million passengers sizable volume in 2009 numbers yet even before
it launched in June 2014, reality hit: projections for October illustrated a
brand new airport already bursting at the seams with a whopping 1.3 million
passengers between the new terminal and repurposed north terminal.
This is no marker of inadequate planning. In 2010, with 50 years
of experience in tow, Scott Clements brought to the board of
directors a classical approach to the new YMM. The Airport
Authority compiled growth projections, arriving at a
modest three per cent over the next 20 years and
examined its options for accommodation.
NORTHERN STARS
69
Look Ahead
It may seem conservative in hindsight, but buildadd an expansion to the air side that we literally just opened, Clements
ing an airport based on three per cent growth was
says. In planning terms, thats like next week.
actually a gamble. The Airport Authority persisted,
Of course, growth is precarious and difficult to anticipate, especially
however. We faced some pretty tough decisions
over 30 years. This facility was supposed to be sized for the next 25
here as a board, about whether
years, says Schroeder. Its always challenging
we were going to go out and
We did a master plan in 2011 for a
for institutional service facilities to keep up
borrow that much money for
20-year time frameWell, weve just with high growth rates. Challenges certainly
that size of a facility at the
lay ahead, then last years growth cleared 25
redone it. Scott Clements
time, says Sheldon Schroeder,
per cent. Yet some of the more fundamental
chair of the board of directors. We chose to do so,
obstacles for future expansion are already concerns of the past.
and it turned out to be the right decision.
YMM now features a Canadian Border Services Agency and acquired
Clements agrees. It was a very strategic decision
point of entry status, enriching the citys investment potential. The Airfor the board to take, he says. Thank goodness
port Authority is pressing the federal government to employ its Building
they took it, because in the subsequent four years we
Canada Fund in a joint effort to extend the runway to 9,000 feet, long
grew by 75 per cent. When the new YMM opened to
enough to handle larger international cargo aircraft, along with several
the public on June 9, 2014, it was already approachother key additions to the airport infrastructure. Further, proposed
ing the designed capacity for 2030.
critical infrastructure from regional initiatives like bridges across the
Still, there is no reason to panic, Schroeder
Clearwater and the Athabasca rivers, an extension of Highway 881 and
assures. People say, Youre almost at capacity
a workers road into the northern work camps supports the airport by
already! Well, we are, and were not, he says. The
increasing ease of access and livability.
north terminal will be repurposed for charter
Co-operation between the municipal and provincial governments
workforce traffic, representing nearly 20 per cent
and the Airport Authority is also well established. On a more personal
of the airports total volume. Through the new
level, Clements describes the new terminal as a place of community
terminal building, well have more than one million
pride and awe, a rallying point for Fort McMurray. Ive been in this
passengers, and through the old terminal well still
business for about 53 years, says Clements. I have never seen a
have 200,000 to 300,000. So weve still got a little
municipality support an independent Airport Authority so quickly and
bit to go yet, he says. This buys time, but north
comprehensively.
terminal traffic will still surpass 400,000 in the
No one, as Clements says, can predict the future. Yet the board
next five years.
understands that Fort McMurray is no ordinary market. Our vision is
We did a master plan in 2011 for a 20-year time
to be the premier regional airport in Canada, says Schroeder. So far,
frame, says Clements. Well, weve just redone it.
as a board and management team, weve hit a home run here.
The next 30 years are mapped out in the revisions.
The home run is an apt metaphor for the expansions to come and
First up are an additional two airside bridges, slated
for the airport itself a home run takes off like normal, but it surprises
for 2017. Ill be bringing to the board a proposal to
everyone by flying further than ever imagined.
EXPANSION PLANS:
The airport has been
intentionally designed to
accommodate larger capacity
over the next decade.
70
FlyYMM.com
Edmonton Exchanger_YMM_OSB2014_1/4V_Layout 1 14-07-24 11:17 PMERA_YMM_OSCB2014

Page
- 1-4V_Layout 1 14-09-27 5:41 PM Page 1
CONGRATULATIONS TO YMM FORT

MCMURRAY AIRPORT AUTHORITY
Edmonton Exchanger has provided plant construction and maintenance
services in the Fort McMurray region for over 35 years.
We wish continued success to YMM Fort McMurray Airport Authority in
the years ahead!
www.edmontonexchanger.com
VALLEN_YMM_OSB2014- 1/2H_Layout 1 14-09-18 9:59 PM Page 1
Formerly CenturyVallen, Vallen is Canadas most
Introducing Vallen: If you're looking to create a
experienced provider of innovative safety, industrial,
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janitorial and technical services and products. With a
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Fort McMurray
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Safety | Industrial | Janitorial | Technical Services vallen.ca
Flying by the Numbers
Then and Now
Fort McMurray International Airports traffic soared by 25 per cent in 2013,

making it the fastest-growing airport in Canada. Here are some more numbers
at the heart of the $258-million expansion:
15,000m
3,000m
The size of the new YMM terminal,

opened June 9, 2014
The number of baggage

carousels in the old terminal
The size of the terminal before

the airport expansion
2
The number of baggage
carousels in the new terminal
2,200 1,092
The number
of food and
beverage
venues in
the new
terminal,
including
Famoso
Neapolitan
Pizzeria
and Earls
250,000
1,500,000
2
10
72
The number of public

access bathrooms in
the old terminal
The number of public
access washrooms in
the new terminal
The
number
of food
and
beverage
outlets in
the old
terminal
The number of passengers

the old terminal could
accommodate per year
The number of passengers
the new YMM terminal can
accommodate per year
135
Staff in the new terminal

(about double the staff
numbers pre-expansion)
The number of stalls at the old

terminal, 62 of which were
powered
The number of air bridges
at the old terminal
The number of air bridges
at the new terminal
OTHER KEY NUMBERS
The number of parking stalls,

each of which is equipped with an
electrical outlet
2,287
1.2 million
242,400
3 in 5
1,700
Total metres of runway (unchanged with the expansion)
The number of passengers that travelled through YMM in 2013
Oilsands company flights connecting annually through YMM
Passengers travelling through YMM go to B.C. and Alberta
The number of direct jobs created in 2013, generated by the

airport expansion
FlyYMM.com
What you get out of your workforce

all depends on what you put in.
An ALGECO SCOTSMAN Company
The Economics of Comfort

Great food is one of the most important investments you can make in your workforce. But its not the only one. Research has
proven that in addition to nutrition, a good nights sleep and high crew morale can also have a significant impact on improving
worker productivity and reducing attrition, sick days and accidents on the job. We call it the Economics of Comfort . Your
workers will call it home. To receive a case study showing how we have helped drive profits to a clients bottom line through
increased worker productivity call 800-832-4242 or visit TargetLogistics.net.
800.832.4242 | TargetLogistics.net
Parting Shot
NORTHERN LIGHTS: The

skies over northern Alberta
were part of the inspiration
for the new logo for the
Airport. See page 67 to
learn more.
74
FlyYMM.com

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Were le
Celebrating 50 years of employee-powered growth.

Our employees are proud of their achievements over the last 50 years. And
we couldnt be more proud of them. Thanks to their dedication, today we are
one of North Americas most respected energy producers. Not to mention
an industry leader in responsible development, community relations and
so much more. Together weve changed the face of our company and our
industryand we will continue to do so for years to come. syncrude.ca
The Syncrude Project is a joint venture undertaking among Canadian Oil Sands Partnership #1, Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Limited, Murphy Oil Company Ltd., Nexen Oil Sands Partnership,
Sinopec Oil Sands Partnership, and Suncor Energy Ventures Partnership.

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UP IN

From mail bag service off the

Behind the Scenes

How a dedicated team

Aviation plays an unprecedented

A BY-THE-NUMBERS LOOK AT FORT MCMURRAY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS GROW TH

CONTENTS FALL 2014

20 AIR OIL SANDS

39 YOUR DAILY COMMUTE

72 THEN AND NOW

BUSH PILOTS AND ENTREPRENEURS

24 CHANGE IN THE AIR

32 FROM THE GROUND UP

The annual publication of the Oilsands Banquet

Vancouvers office of mcfarlane biggar architects and

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VENTURE PUBLISHING INC.

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YMM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Northern Stars is the annual publication of the Oilsands Banquet,

From bush pilots to jet liners,YMM has

HE FORT MCMURR AY AIRPORT AUTHORIT Y IS A NOT- FOR- PROFIT

HANKS TO OUR ABUNDANCE OF NATURAL RESOURCES, ALBERTA HAS

Honourable Jim Prentice,

The annual publication of the Oilsands Banquet

BUSH PILOTS: (Top)

CELEBRATING 85 YEARS OF AVIATION

Bush Pilots and

N THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY, A GROUP

The annual publication of the Oilsands Banquet

FLY BOYS: Matt Berry and

Fort McMurray with the populated south, it was

CELEBRATING 85 YEARS OF AVIATION

in 1928 by Cy Becker, Vic Horner and Wilfrid Wop May of Edmonton.

Dickins flies the owner of Eldorado

Wop May takes the first official

CELEBRATING 85 YEARS OF AVIATION

Canadian Natural Resources Limited

Canadian Natural is committed to operating

The Snye becomes Canadas largest

CELEBRATING 85 YEARS OF AVIATION

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nt > OCT 16 2014

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Flying with us has its rewards.

Wilfred Leigh Brintnell: During the Second

Join WestJet Rewards to earn WestJet dollars on your next flight

Join today at westjet.com/rewards.

Registered trademark of WestJet Airlines Ltd.

The annual publication of the Oilsands Banquet

CELEBRATING 85 YEARS OF AVIATION

N A CALM DAY, THE SNYES

The annual publication of the Oilsands Banquet

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for Canadian Airways as a radio operator from

Fly in. Stay with Us.

Sierra Select Lodge

Ruth Lake Lodge

Clean Harbors is proud to sponsor

Reserve your rooms today!

Call 310.1999 or email

Cracking the North

CELEBRATING 85 YEARS OF AVIATION

Air Oil Sands