Fort Smith (Aug 14/06) - A Fort Smith delegation will travel to Fort McMurray sometime in the next two weeks to foster closer economic ties with the Alberta boomtown.

Mayor Peter Martselos said Fort Smith will be promoted as a possible bedroom community for people working in the oil sands, just like for workers in the NWT diamond mines.

"I'm hopeful," he said. "Fort McMurray is very close to Fort Smith. It's only a 40-minute flight."

A Fort Smith-based company, Northwestern Air Lease Ltd., offers twice-a-week flights to Fort McMurray.

Martselos noted Fort Smith offers a much lower cost of living than Fort McMurray.

The Alberta city is notorious for its extremely high cost of living, particularly housing.

The Fort Smith delegation of approximately 10 will include business people, officials from Aurora College, representatives of the chamber of commerce and town council members.

In June of 2004, a delegation from Suncor Energy Inc. - one of the main players in the oil sands - visited Fort Smith to discuss possible economic spin-offs for the community, including Aurora College as a training site for oil sands workers. However, Martselos admits not much came out of that visit.