Housing Crisis in Cold Lake

[Xelebes]

Edmonton Sun had been reporting it a week or two back, but now the CBC and other news agencies are picking up on this story. So I thought I would bring it up here to discuss. Anyone have experience in Cold Lake? What is it like? What are the challenges?

CBC News

An oil boom in Cold Lake is putting pressure on military families, who work on the northeastern Alberta base.

"It's ridiculous," said Ashley Finnigan whose husband works on the base. "The military used to be rich people in Cold Lake before the oil came, now they're bottom of the barrel."

Finnigan's family returned recently to Cold Lake after two years in Ontario.

The price of homes, childcare and groceries is astronomical, she said.

The vacancy rate in the city is near one per cent and the military housing isn't pretty, said Finnigan.

. . .

[Calgarian]

I grew up in Military housing across the country (never in Cold Lake though) and I can echo the sentiments of the piss poor condition they are in, and I haven't lived in one since '96. These houses were built in the 40's and 50's and haven't had a real renovation since, they just repaint, sand down and re-seal the hard wood and there you go, craptacular housing for those who risk their lives for the rest of us.

I'm not sure that the government can do much for Cold Lake though (aside from building better housing of the military of course), it's a resource boom and the housing market will struggle to keep up due to a lack of skilled workers.

[MichaelS]

Similar to Cold Lake, my brother tried to find a place in Stettler for the summer as he had to temporarily relocate out there for work. He said it was harder there than in Fort McMurray. Even all the campsites around town are booked for the summer. He finally was able to get a room in a basement suite I think through a woman he works with.

[Xelebes]

Originally Posted by MichaelS

Similar to Cold Lake, my brother tried to find a place in Stettler for the summer as he had to temporarily relocate out there for work. He said it was harder there than in Fort McMurray. Even all the campsites around town are booked for the summer. He finally was able to get a room in a basement suite I think through a woman he works with.

What's going on in Stettler?

[MichaelS]

Apparently some pipelines getting built nearby, and some conventional oil wells also. Not entirely sure. My brother works for an agricultural supply company, so not related to oil and gas. They have just been based out of Stettler for some time (kind of similar to the military in Cold Lake) and are now struggling to cope with this new economic boom.

[Xelebes]

Huh. Well, I know the old concrete plant in Castor is replaced with a pipeline company and I know Coronation has a major pipeline running through it. Never thought Stettler would see much benefit from it. Last time I went there (last year), I didn't see much O&G activity there.

[Xelebes]

I'm starting to see why Stettler might be booming. Not only is there a pipeling being built (I believe from Blackfalds or Joffre to Coronation), but there are people fleeing Sylvan Lake to the other lakes in the region: White Buffalo Lake and Pine Lake. White Buffalo Lake doesn't have any proper settlements on it, leaving the closest settlement (Stettler) to pick up all the needs for it.

I'm hearing there were some major guff-ups in terms of development in Sylvan Lake? Like terribly designed speedbumps on Lakeshore Drive? Also botched three-million dollar washrooms or something along the same said drive? I'm just getting words from my cousins at the family reunion in Pine Lake today.