Alberta

 

Fort McMurray lies in the province of Alberta. It's 435 km northeast of Edmonton.

Map

Climate

Fort McMurray has long, very cold winters and fairly warm but short summers. Fort McMurray lies at a lower elevation than most other parts of Alberta, so under the right conditions it can be a 'hot spot' for Alberta or even all of Canada (as in April 1980 when its daily mean temperature of 10.0°C was unsurpassed by any other Canadian station). Temperatures average -19°C in winter with the lowest ever recorded -50.6°C, (-58°F). In July temperatures average 17°C, with the highest recorded being 37°C in August. Its annual precipitation amounts to 455.5 millimetres (17.9 in) and falls mainly in the summer months, its snowfall is 155.8 centimetres (61.3 in) and appears within a range of 5 to 7 months.

Import regulations

Check the latest regulations at the Canada Border Services Agency.

Driving, driving license, cars etc.

Please find the latest information here.

See also Outpost Calgary's website on this subject.

Opening a bank account

You will not be able to open an account until you arrive.  It is advisable to take cash with you for the first few weeks and perhaps a bank cheque from your present bank.  To open a bank account, you will need a reference letter from Shell, your SIN which you obtain at Service Canada Provincial Building, Floor Main, 9915 Franklin Avenue, Fort McMurray, but you can only get this once you have entered Immigration and have your Work Permit in your Passport.  A letter of reference from your present bank stating your credit history with them is handy, especially since you probably don't have a credit history in Canada.  Sometimes you will have to provide proof of actually living in Canada by showing a letter sent to your home address by an official entity.

Once you obtain a credit card from the bank you will also have a low credit limit because of this (only CA$5,000 to begin with), but Shell will give you a form to apply for a Mastercard through Bank of Montreal, (which will give you another CA$5000 limit) and this can be linked to Shell fuel stations where you can use the Shell swipe tab. 
Internet Banking is fine here, but International banking to other countries is usually done by Telegraphic Transfer.  If you use International Internet banking with your existing bank, then you could set up transfers into your new account by internet yourself, not vice versa.

More info on how to open a bank account in Canada