The piece of land known as Moccasin Flats sits on the north end of the city’s downtown between the Athabasca and Clearwater Rivers. FORT MCMURRAY, ALTA.—A report says the eviction of a predominantly Métis settlement in Fort McMurray four decades ago disrupted the community’s way of life and had lasting effect on people’s lives. Researchers Hereward Longley and Tara Joly were asked by the McMurray Métis to prepare a report on the events of the late 1970s and early 1980s. It says at the time, the town and the housing subsidiary of oilsands giant Syncrude collaborated to evict the Moccasin Flats families to make way for an apartment tower, which stands today, and a marina, which was never built. Longley and Joly interviewed affected families who said they considered the area home and their community was fragmented after the evictions.

Source: thestar September 27, 2018 21:56 UTC