The Fort McMurray Heritage Village is scheduled to reopen in spring 2027 under an operating plan approved by Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) council last Tuesday. The plan also covers the Heritage Shipyard, which is expected to welcome visitors in 2028, subject to the completion of flood mitigation work on Clearwater Drive. The Fort Chipewyan Bicentennial Museum will remain closed, with further steps expected to go before council at a meeting this month.

Beginning in spring 2027, the Village will be open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through the fall season. Council has not yet set an official opening date, but bookings for facility rentals at the Village are due to open Jan. 4, 2027. The municipality said it will share more information about programming, tours, events and bookings in the months ahead.

The operating plan follows the closure of the historic sites after the Heritage Village and Shipyard and Fort Chipewyan Bicentennial Museum societies were dissolved. Their assets were absorbed by the municipality to allow investigations to proceed. The reopening announcement came less than a month after an individual was charged in connection with an alleged fraud against the Fort McMurray Heritage Society (FMHS).

Reports of “missing funds” and “financial irregularities” in the society’s business accounts were brought to the RCMP in November 2024. The source described the alleged fraud as involving $800,000, but did not identify the accused in its account of the reopening. Before closing in 2024, the historic sites had drawn hundreds of residents to public programming, including multicultural and seasonal events celebrating the region’s history.

The municipality’s release said the plan “supports the long-term preservation and sharing of local history through authentic experiences, meaningful community partnerships, and storytelling that honours Indigenous traditions and perspectives, and the diverse people who have shaped Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo.” It also said, “Visitors can once again enjoy guided tours, school and seasonal programming, community events, a gift shop, and local vendor opportunities.”

Christmas at Heritage Village is set to return Dec. 11 and 12 this holiday season. The release did not specify a year for those dates. The seasonal event is part of the programming announced alongside the Village’s planned reopening.

The Shipyard will remain closed in 2027 because flood mitigation work is under way on Clearwater Drive. Its artefacts have been temporarily moved to a downtown site. Under the approved plan, the Shipyard can reopen in 2028 if the mitigation work is completed.

Janelle Fleury and Terra Brenneis of the municipality’s Community Services department presented the proposed plan at council’s Tuesday night meeting. Council had been working toward a new operations plan, and site visits in March 2026 with the Alberta Museums Association (AMA) identified significant concerns about how the collections were being stored and preserved.

Coun. Kendrick Cardinal asked about delays at the meeting. Community Services staff said work is continuing with the Fort Chipewyan community “and other levels of government to assess and preserve the collection” at the Fort Chipewyan Bicentennial Museum. Mayor Sandy Bowman thanked the team for its work and effort.

Based on reporting by Edmonton Journal.