CODROY VALLEY, Canada—The words “Newfoundland” and “home” are often used interchangeably. Even if you’re not from the eastern province of Newfoundland, people there might ask you how long you'll be “home” for.
A lot of people driven out of Fort McMurray by wildfires call Newfoundland home. Though no official survey has been done, it’s safe to say everyone in Newfoundland knows someone in Fort McMurray, Alberta.
Lucrative work in the oil industry draws countless Newfoundlanders out to Fort McMurray. They earn salaries out there some 80 percent higher than they could at home.
As the city was evacuated, there wasn’t a casual meeting in Codroy Valley, Newfoundland, that didn’t include a comment on the fires and updates on how family members out there were doing.
Newfoundlanders were riveted on the news, but felt helpless, unable to do much for their loved ones some 2,000 miles across the country.
