Dave Hutchinson

“The best things about Fort McMurray are the long summer nights and the amazing northern lights in the winter.”

He’s only been in town for four years, but if you have even the slightest interest in sport you’ve probably bumped into him somewhere. He’s been an active community volunteer since junior high school, involved with bottle drives and other community events. He was the Volunteer Chair of Transportation for the 2015 Western Canada Summer Games, a Northern Kickoff volunteer committee member, a volunteer for the 2017 Men’s Junior (U21) Pan-American Volleyball Cup held here in YMM, as well as the 2016 Baseball Canada Baseball Canada Cup Championships and the CCAA Basketball Championships and CCAA Soccer Championships.

He came by volunteering honestly; his parents were active members in their community and included volunteer activities as part of the fabric of their family life. Dave’s mother Geraldine taught her children a simple life lesson: Find something you do well and use that to do good for others.

There’s also WinterPLAY, the Canada Day Parade, the Santa Claus Parade and the Festival of Trees. Dave certainly keeps himself busy.

And in 2015, he was nominated for the Citizen’s Recognition Program. He didn’t win, but to even be nominated for the Mayor and Council’s Toast of Champions less than two years after arriving in the community is recognition enough of all the volunteering Dave does.

We asked Dave to wave his magic wand and fix one thing in the community. “I would like the world outside of YMM to judge us by visiting us and experiencing Fort McMurray, rather than believing what they hear through rumours and unfounded opinions. Come and see the long summer evenings and the winter Northern Lights. It’s all good.”

Dave’s parents were quite clear in one of their many lessons to him: Stay humble, and go forth and make a difference.

He certainly has.