So big deal that's been going on in Canada last two days has been this recent unfolding event in Canada:
'Catastrophic' Fort McMurray wildfire prompts state of emergency

The "catastrophic" wildfire that has destroyed 1,600 homes and buildings in Fort McMurray, Alta., has now consumed more than 10,000 hectares, and is expected to rage out of control into the evening.

At an update Wednesday afternoon, Alberta Minister of Municipal Affairs Danielle Larivee announced a province-wide state of emergency has been declared, a move that puts the battle against the fire, and the subsequent recovery efforts, in the hands of the government.

Late Wednesday afternoon, officials said the fire continues to burn out of control and continues to threaten parts of the city. They said the next few hours will be critical.

I personally am not from the area (I live on the east coast far far away from the fires), but Fort McMurray over the last few years (and up until the recent oil market crash) has been a (controversial) boon for the Canadian economy since it's the considered the "oil capital" of Canada. As such many from all over the country have moved there to get jobs. Canada is the largest single nation exporter of oil to America and it is the direct result of the people living in this city. As such, many Canadian's know people who have moved there for jobs, innocently seeking the Canadian dream like some family and friends I know myself. So, like many, I too empathize with those that have lost so much in this catastrophic event.

Within just a few hours, over 80,000 residents, or in other words, the entire city were ordered by officials to immediately evacuate, with roughly 17,000 heading further north and the rest heroically heading through the fire to seek refuge in the capital of Edmonton.

The miracle of the entire story though is no lives have been lost in all the pandemonium despite this being declared as "the largest evacuation in Alberta's history" according to Premier Rachel Notley.

Edit: An example of some trying to escape it


Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a statement earlier sympathizing with those affected by this tragedy. The federal government will be mobilizing some forces in to help with airlifts for evacuations and fight fires. It was emphasized that those looking to help out in the situation from abroad are encouraged to donate to the Canadian red cross so they can easily get the supplies they need for those affected.

$5 Donations can be made by texting "REDCROSS" to the number 30333, and for those looking to contribute other amounts, or for those not living in Canada can visit the donate website "Canadian Red Cross Alberta Fires appeal" here to make a donation with credit card or paypal.

Living in Saskatchewan, and being relatively close to Alberta, this really hits home for me.
This is a really sad and scary situation. I hope everything clears up.

Seeing as I live about 10 hours from Fort Mcmurray, in Saskatchewan, this is a big deal for me. I have family in Alberta, and friends with family in Fort Mcmurray or very close to it. I'm annoyed by the Alberta Premier, as I imagine many other people are, stating the this fire is "Not a State of Emergency" for the province.

DeluxeMirror19 wrote:

Seeing as I live about 10 hours from Fort Mcmurray, in Saskatchewan, this is a big deal for me. I have family in Alberta, and friends with family in Fort Mcmurray or very close to it. I'm annoyed by the Alberta Premier, as I imagine many other people are, stating the this fire is "Not a State of Emergency" for the province.

Not that I'm a NDP supporter... I'm certainly am not... but just for devils advocate last I heard she did declare a state of emergency this afternoon.

Worth noting though that by saying not a state of emergency doesn't mean it's not a tragedy by any means but rather by declaring it as such means the government is willing to override certain rights otherwise given to regain safety and order. Not sure what the implications are for that but despite all the partisan politics of it all I'm sure everyone will look past their differences and see this as a time for unity and work to help stop the fire and assist those seeking refuge who fled the fire. Like myself, I'm certain rest of Canada empathizes with the people of Alberta regardless of our political convictions.

I cannot imagine having to leave my home with such short notice and not know if it'll be there when I return... the thought is chilling.

Ouch, I really hope everything goes okay! My condolences to anyone w/ a family living there.

my condolences

My condolences to those affected by the wildfire in Alberta, that's a lot of land and it seems like a place with lush greenery and abundant wildlife, not to mention an oil hotspot. It's scary how a temperate country like Canada can catch such wildfires, shows how devastating global warming can be.

^I live in Alberta (in Calgary, which is quite a ways south from the danger zone), and I think it's kinda ignorant to blame this fire on global warming. The air in the Alberta/BC area gets particularly dry around this time of the year, so wildfires aren't really that unheard of. This is simply the first time a fire has caused this much damage within a municipal area.

YayMii wrote:

^I live in Alberta (in Calgary, which is quite a ways south from the danger zone), and I think it's kinda ignorant to blame this fire on global warming. The air in the Alberta/BC area gets particularly dry around this time of the year, so wildfires aren't really that unheard of. This is simply the first time a fire has caused this much damage within a municipal area.

I guess I am, thanks for clarifying things to me! Apologies as I only thought this was due to temperatures going up + unfavourable weather. I only lived in Montreal so I didn't really know wildfires of that degree can happen there in Alberta.

more people in canada now have nothing, just like me?
forgive me if i'm not horrified at the thought

i feel really bad for anyone who lost pets though

Rurree wrote:

YayMii wrote:

^I live in Alberta (in Calgary, which is quite a ways south from the danger zone), and I think it's kinda ignorant to blame this fire on global warming. The air in the Alberta/BC area gets particularly dry around this time of the year, so wildfires aren't really that unheard of. This is simply the first time a fire has caused this much damage within a municipal area.

I guess I am, thanks for clarifying things to me! Apologies as I only thought this was due to temperatures going up + unfavourable weather. I only lived in Montreal so I didn't really know wildfires of that degree can happen there in Alberta.

I'm not offended by that per se so don't feel bad. There were however some comments by some in the public though that I think is raw on people nerves that were outright distasteful. It's true forest fires are not a foreign problem to Canada as a whole, it's been mostly just severely unfortunate positioning of this particular fire that it's been so devastating (eg. there are many fires that burn in the forest every year away from civilization that nobody even talks about... just part of nature)

There was a particular politician apparently that posted on Twitter

Karmic #climatechange fire burns CDN oilsands city

which in my opinion was quite distasteful and inconsiderate using the word "Karmic". I know there will be debate about climate change and it's impact on forest fires... I leave that for other people to debate, but implying that these people somehow deserved it because the town is known for its oil industry was just plain distasteful. There's a difference in talking like that and actually having a meaningful discussion.

And FWIW that particular comment came from an NDP candidate for the area apparently... which goes to show why I'm no fan of them, but that's JMO lol. Now in his defence he probably didn't mean for it to come out that way, but it did, it's always good to watch what you say xD

xxjesus1412fanx wrote:

more people in canada now have nothing, just like me?
forgive me if i'm not horrified at the thought

i feel really bad for anyone who lost pets though

Going through any kind of losses are always hard so my condolences for any trials you've had to go through. The pets thing really is depressing to think about. One colleague I know from the area wasn't home at the time of the evacuation but he had just enough time to back to his house, grab his kitty and take off. He was sad he might lose his possessions but thankful he got his pet so no lives would be lost. It would break me to have to leave pets behind to endure that. The terror of this entire event has been heartbreaking.

I don't find that tweet distasteful in the least. The entirety of mankind is to blame for what we have here, with the exception of children under 12. That means that 80% of that town is indeed to blame for it in one way or another.
Don't get me wrong, linking forest fires directly to climate change is plain stupid as they play an extremely important role in the entirety of a forest's ecosystem, but that was not his intention - he pointed out the fact that we're all to blame for the shit we're doing to this planet. I've already given what I could as I'm but a poor student, but claiming that he wasn't right (or that it was distasteful) in this instance with the particular usage of the word "karmic" is wrong.

Close friend told me her house is gone too, they didn't have time to pack stuff and now they have to evacuate again because the evacuation spot is also catching fire. Really crap situation, but even worse that people try to push agendas as usual in the midst of tragedy, as people are easily impressionable then.

Aurani wrote:

I don't find that tweet distasteful in the least. The entirety of mankind is to blame for what we have here, with the exception of children under 12. That means that 80% of that town is indeed to blame for it in one way or another.

You're a special kind of retard trying to act like a smart person

Aurani wrote:

I don't find that tweet distasteful in the least. The entirety of mankind is to blame for what we have here, with the exception of children under 12. That means that 80% of that town is indeed to blame for it in one way or another.
Don't get me wrong, linking forest fires directly to climate change is plain stupid as they play an extremely important role in the entirety of a forest's ecosystem, but that was not his intention - he pointed out the fact that we're all to blame for the shit we're doing to this planet. I've already given what I could as I'm but a poor student, but claiming that he wasn't right (or that it was distasteful) in this instance with the particular usage of the word "karmic" is wrong.

I think you missed the point. I appreciate that he likely didn't intend for it to come out the way it did, but it made it sound like the people there deserved the loss they're enduring by using the word karma, which was distasteful. In his defence though he did apologize, but it did sort of remind me the comments the religious right made during the hurricane in New Orleans a few years ago, implying they somehow deserved that. I completely disagree with blaming it on their population. Forest fires aren't a foreign thing to Canada, it's nature's way of renewing itself, it's just the position of the fire. But whatever environmental impact there was that may have perpetuated this is a global problem, not a Fort McMurray problem.

It's just a shame that people are quick to politicize the entire thing in a partisan way when there's ample time to have meaningful discussion after the crisis. We've already seen the Conservative party of Canada come out attacking the Liberal party of Canada to try to gain political support over it which is just as wrong, so this isn't just one side of the political spectrum. I'm not saying people shouldn't be able to talk, but there is such thing as common decency.

To be quite honest with you, a part of me strongly dislikes mankind in general so it might not sound all that distasteful to me as it does to you, but on one thing we can both agree, and that is the fact that he potentially both used that message in the wrong way and tried to politicise the whole situation.
Let's just leave it at that, because I don't want this thread to derail any further from its original goal due to people like this imbecile above acting immature. Whether anyone is to blame or not, some of those people deserve all the help they can get, no matter how small.

FWIW, the guy who posted that tweet got suspended from his job (it'd kinda reflect badly on the town of Taber if they didn't take action), so I'm pretty sure he meant what he said. Especially since he specifically mentioned that it was an "oilsands city".

I hope the PM accepts Russia's offer of their water bombers and fire fighting equipment

I thought it was pretty weird when the airlines said it was a "computer glitch" that spiked airfare prices to people fleeing the fire (rip airline reputation)