Patricia Scantlebury-MacInnis
49 Years Old
Class of 2020
“If I can help them in any way to get back on their feet and find safe and affordable accommodations for them and their families, then it is all worthwhile.”
Who keeps the wheels moving in Fort McMurray’s affordable housing sector? The Director Operations of Wood Buffalo Housing, Patricia Scantlebury-MacInnis is who!
Despite how challenging a task that must be, she is also keenly focused on expanding her mind and knowledge, and is currently completing her Executive Leadership Certificate at Cornell University.
Patricia’s job isn’t easy. She shared that while it’s generally a business of helping, it can hurt the heartstrings at times.
“I got into the housing business when I worked in Toronto with the Ontario Government. It’s not an easy business to be in and can often mean dealing with stressful situations. The greatest satisfaction for me comes when I see how my actions have directly impacted one of our tenant’s lives for the better,” she said.
“We deal with people from all walks of life, from young professional singles, couples and families just looking for safe and affordable rentals, to seniors settling into retirement, or people who are trying to overcome financial difficulties and possibly get out of a cycle of homelessness,” she said. “Whatever their situation, we do our best with the resources that we have to find them a home to suit their needs.”
She doesn’t let hard days get her down. She chooses her attitude of gratitude and strives for the wins where she can.
“Success for me is having the ability to lay my head down at night and know that on that particular day, I have tried my hardest to offer up the best version of myself to the people I care about,” she said.
“Some days my attempts have failed because I am human. But as long as I continue to get back up and try, then I consider it a success.”
This busy mom has been working and giving back to the region for six years.
“I am a mom of three wonderful young men. My youngest two are twins that currently attend junior high in town and my eldest is an angel on my shoulder,” she shared. “We are very much your typical Fort McMurray family that juggles a busy lifestyle of work, school and recreation with shift work schedules.”
Her husband Greg works for Syncrude, and the boys are very involved in local sports and activities.
“I also enjoy spending time with my close girlfriends and getting away to our summer home in Nova Scotia,” she said of her pre-pandemic lifestyle.