The River Station District development, by Liam Construction, is part of the reconstruction of Fort McMurray, Alta., after it was significantly damaged by wildfires in 2016.After living and working around the world, Bill de Silva moved to Fort McMurray, Atla., more than 40 years ago and set up his construction firm, Liam Construction. Then, in May, 2016, came the relentless wildfires that blew through the city and surrounding areas.
He picked the name “Liam” after his newborn son , and the company began building housing and development in the oil plants areas after the 2½-year contract with Syncrude ended. In other years, however, work was plentiful. Over the past two decades, Mr. de Silva and his firm completed the local hospital’s long-term care wing and the emergency wing.The firm also acts as landlord and property manager for three of the four hotels in town it developed and owns the building the fourth hotel is currently located in – a rebranded Ramada.
When it was all over, Statscan estimated the cost of damage of these wildfires was $9-billion. It’s still classified as the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history, Mr. Hardiman says.