MacDonald Island
1 C.A. Knight Way T9H 5C5 Fort McMurray, AB, Canada

Since 2009, Jodie has been an integral part of our team, helping us to achieve our vision to be the place where our communities gather, play & connect, creating memories that last a lifetime. In 2016, during a summer unlike any other, Jodie was at the forefront of delivering summer camps to kids in Fort McMurray and Anzac for free, allowing them to regain some sense of normalcy after the wildfire and giving their families time to recover from the experience. In addition, just... weeks after the evacuation of the community ended, Jodie worked to successfully host the 2016 Baseball Canada Cup in Fort McMurray, not only providing a great baseball tournament experience for residents but also welcoming players, coaches, families and support staff from across Canada. Thank you to FuseSocial for recognizing the many faces of social recovery in our community, including Jodie Cooper!

Kelly joined the team at MacDonald Island Park in 2013, and since then has been has been an important part of achieving our vision to provide opportunities for the community to gather, play and connect. This was perhaps even more important in the summer of 2016 when families returning to Fort McMurray and Anzac after a traumatic experience needed some sense of normalcy, especially for their children. Kelly was integral in bringing our 2016 summer camps to children in Fort McMurray and Anzac for free, allowing them to gather, play and connect with friends, including new friends made during the summer camp experience, and to just have fun being kids! Thank you to FuseSocial for recognizing the many faces of social recovery in our community, including Kelly Delaronde!

Check out this virtual yoga class from our Fitness team! Chair Yoga is a gentle practice perfect for all levels, including yoga beginners.

This year, Wood Buffalo residents voted on the Best of YMM for Your McMurray Magazine, and we are grateful to have received two awards! Thank you to everyone who voted for your continued support!

The Miskanaw Golf Club walking trails may be closed for the season, but he TOTAL Aboriginal Interpretive Trail is still open for you to explore!

Today's sunshine made for a great day to hit the ice! Have you had a chance to check out the new outdoor rink at Miskanaw Golf Club?! Find more information about this new rink, and the outdoor rink under the canopy at Shell Place here: macdonaldisland.ca/outdoorrinks

Outdoor skating is now available at MIP, with two locations to check out! Visit the outdoor rink under the canopy at SMS Equipment Stadium, as well as the new outdoor rink located at Miskanaw Golf Club! Outdoor rinks are open 8AM 10PM daily for leisure skating. Please note that in alignment with current provincial COVID-19 restrictions, all buildings at MacDonald Island Park are currently closed and there is no access to washrooms, warm up areas or food services. The outdoor skating rinks are also subject to closure dependent on weather conditions. When skating at the Island, please follow all posted rules. Thank you for your patience, understanding and support as we work to bring you outdoor activities to enjoy this season - have fun on the ice!

As we say farewell to 2020 and welcome 2021, we want to say thank you to our community for your support and understanding during the past year. The community members who come through our doors every day are the very heart and soul of MacDonald Island Park. As the place where the community gathers, connects and plays, this year presented some unique challenges for the team at the Island - and we worked to meet those challenges to continue to serve a community that has shown su...ch strength, resiliency and courage no matter the challenges it faced. We look forward to 2021 with excitement and optimism, and look forward to welcoming you back soon to make new memories! We hope you enjoy this video of the 2020 New Year's Eve Fireworks presented by Syncrude - a huge thank you to Syncrude for their support, and to all of you for being the community we are so proud to call home!

Don’t forget - you can also watch the New Year’s Eve Fireworks presented by Syncrude live on YouTube!

MacDonald Island Park Fireworks 2020

This year the Wood Buffalo Food Bank Association is working hard to fill their shelves during a particularly challenging time in our region. There are Wood Buffalo Food Bank donation bins located by the entrance/exit of every grocery store, making donating to the Food Bank convenient and quick! So far in 2020, the Food Bank has distributed over 9400 food hampers and fed almost 18,000 of our friends and neighbours and the need remains strong. The Food Bank has created a list on their website showing their most needed items: https://woodbuffalofoodbank.com/donations/ This holiday season, when you are embracing the spirit of giving, consider the Wood Buffalo Food Bank and all the good work they do for our region!

It might be cold outside, but the weather is almost tropical at the Syncrude Aquatic Centre! Pre-booked lane swimming and pre-booked family cohort swimming are available and the adult whirlpool, sauna and steam room are available on a drop in basis (subject to capacity limits). Facility enhancements are under way on the leisure side and we anticipate completion in mid-January, at which time we look forward to opening more amenities in the Aquatic Centre. To pre-book your swim time, please visit: https://programs.rrcwb.ca//mip/book-an-activity-web-service All memberships currently on hold will be extended to the date of the leisure side reopening. For more information regarding your membership please contact Guest Services at [email protected]

This year Safe Community Wood Buffalo is hosting the National Day of Remembrance for Road Crash Victims online. Safe Community Wood Buffalo will be setting up a candlelight remembrance along MacDonald Drive entering MacDonald Island Park this evening. Candles will be set up between 4:00 and 6:00pm. to remember and honour those effected by road crashes.

Our friends and future neighbours McMurray Métis have created this wonderful video to celebrate Louis Riel during Métis Week (November 15 - November 21). Métis Week celebrates the culture, history and contributions of Métis people to Alberta and Canada.

Check out this free community class being offered by the MacDonald Island Dance Academy! MI Chance to Dance is an introduction to the step-by-step fundamentals of Ballet, Jazz, and other styles taught by MI Dance Academy instructors. Don't miss this chance to dance :)

Don’t forget - it’s Syncrude Food Drive weekend! Wood Buffalo Food Bank Association has donation bins at all grocery stores ready to receive your donations. We’ve got this, Wood Buffalo - please donate what you can to support those in need in our community! #feedymm #syncrudefooddrive2020

Please be advised: Due to new Provincial COVID-19 Guidelines, group fitness classes (egs. bootcamp, barre, zumba, cardio, aquafit, yoga, spin, flex), MI Dance Academy classes and team sports activities will be put on hold effective Friday, November 13, 2020. Unaffected and remaining open: The Legacy Dodge Fitness Centre, HPTC, swimming lessons, lane swim bookings, family swim bookings, parented play, art classes, drop in sports, running track, Don Scott McMurray Law Office Badminton Centre and squash amenities are not affected by these measures and remain open. These measures are in effect for 14 days pending further Provincial recommendations at that time. If you have questions about your member account, please contact Guest Services at 780-791-0070 to assist you.

On November 6th, 2020, the fitness & badminton change rooms at MacDonald Island Park will be re-opening with limited capacity. Showers in the change rooms will also be open on November 6th, 2020. The sauna located in the women’s fitness change room and steam room located in the men’s fitness change room will remain closed at this time. Find everything you need to know before your visit here: macdonaldisland.ca/reopen/changerooms

There is no denying that 2020 has brought it's share of challenges to Wood Buffalo, and right now fundraising is more important than ever for non-profits. If you have a fundraiser coming up, let us know and we can help spread the word! Until December 31, we are offering non-profits 1 month of free advertising for fundraisers on the LCD screens at MIP and Anzac Recreation Centre presented by CNOOC! ... Submit the details of your fundraiser to [email protected]

On Remembrance Day we take time to honour the brave men and women who have served our country and thank those who continue to serve. We will remember them.

Looking to book a badminton court? Want to stop by to shoot some hoops? Ready to jump in the water to swim some laps? These activities and more are available now for pre-booking! Find everything you need to know to take part in your favourite leisure activities, here: macdonaldisland.ca/dropin