Months later, Slave Lake’s struggles continue

Josh Wingrove in the Globe and Mail (Toronto): At first, Kevin Parsons was among the lucky ones – his family’s apartment was still standing after a wildfire roared through Slave Lake, [Alberta], in May, leaving hundreds homeless. The wind that blew the fire into town, however, tore up his building’s roof. When Slave Lake was hit again the next month with heavy rain, water flooded their unit.

Their case is indicative of the year Slave Lake has had – one setback after another. Mr. Parsons, his pregnant wife and two children spent two months camping in a tent. “This is what we call home right now,” Mr. Parsons, 34, shrugs as he sits next to his campfire, eating Kraft Dinner one August afternoon. “We go day by day. Some days are better than others.”

Slave Lake still faces a long road on its rebuild. Officials had initially hoped to have temporary housing in place this week, allowing families displaced by fire and flood to settle while kids, such as Mr. Parsons’s five-year-old son Damon, returned to school. Without it, they feared families would leave the community of 7,000 altogether, as 22 families already have....

Main Street in Slave Lake, Alberta, shot by Glenlarson