Shell Place opens its doors

In June 2015 Shell Place officially opened with thousands of school children taking part in a Guinness World Record attempt for the most people simultaneously cutting a ceremonial ribbon.

Over 100 of Shell’s Albian Community Crew volunteers adjudicated the ribbon cutting. Though the attempt didn’t quite make the record book, employees were proud to welcome the community to Shell Place with the ribbon cutting ceremony followed by the Northern Kickoff the next day — the most northerly Canadian Football League game ever held.

“Shell Place took three years to build and we’ve been so proud to be there from the outset as the naming partner,” said Peter Zebedee, General Manager Shell Albian Sands. “This facility is a major addition to our community infrastructure, providing outstanding quality of life for our employees, their families and the wider region."

Shell Canada and its Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP) joint venture partners, Chevron Canada Limited and Marathon Oil Corporation, contributed $2.5 million for naming rights to the $133-million MacDonald Island Park expansion funded by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

“Shell Place will be at the heart of our community for many years to come,” said Fort McMurray Mayor Melissa Blake. “This stunning, state-of-the-art venue is a source of pride for residents and will attract world-class entertainment and sporting events to our region.”

The new facility features a multi-use football and soccer stadium, a baseball stadium and the largest social agency shared space in the region. Shell Place will house up to 20 local agencies at The Redpoll Centre, operated by the United Way of Fort McMurray. A space for smaller agencies to collaborate, share services and build program synergies.

"The Redpoll Centre at Shell Place gives us the opportunity to take our successful shared space model and have it benefit a much larger number of organizations,” said Diane Shannon, Executive Director, United Way of Fort McMurray. “We are thrilled to be a part of this amazing facility, working together to make a better community."

For more information about Shell Place, visit www.macdonaldisland.ca/shell-place