Fort McMurray Metis Cultural Center Showcases a Long and Proud History

TWO FOR ONE

by Sarah Clark, staff writer

Fort McMurray is known for many things. This beautiful area was originally settled by the Cree people who came looking for furs.

Today, it is known for the Athabasca Oil Sands and for the devastating wildfires that tore through the community in 2016.

There is however, another wonderful and culturally rich part to Fort Mac’s history that comes from the Metis people that settled in the area.

The Metis Cultural Center is being built on the traditional lands of Moccasin Flats. This area had been a longstanding home to the Metis community until 1981 when residents were forced from the land to make way for residential development. The Cultural Center will house an art gallery, smudging rooms, museum, community kitchen, youth spaces and conference spaces, offices for health care, child and family services, and employment training. The rooftop will also offer a rooftop garden.

The center will be built on the banks of the Snye River. These banks have not always been a source of joy for Fort McMurray’s Métis. Starting in 1975, Métis residents began getting eviction notices from the municipal government. These notices called the Moccasin Flats residents “squatters” who were living in a “shanty-town community”. This led to the destruction of the community and an increase in the poverty and racism many Metis people faced. A report found that many families suffered an increase in poverty, substance abuse, unemployment, and depression after being evicted from the Moccasin Flats community.

The land was granted back to the Metis people as part of a deal to construct the Cultural Center in 2021. While work has been done to repair the rift left in the community, creating the Cultural Center will go a long way to giving the Metis community something to call their own, something the people and particularly the youth can be proud of.

There is no doubt that the Metis in Alberta and all of Canada offer a rich history and a culture that is unique among Indigenous communities. If you get the chance to visit Fort Mac you need to make a point of checking out and respecting the local Metis culture. It is part of what makes Fort McMurray so magical.

The Metis are a strong part of the community and economy in Fort Mac and it’s a community that has survived terrible tragedies over the years to come out stronger and prouder on the other side.