The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) resigned on Wednesday effective immediately.

Jamie Doyle has taken a CAO role in Nova Scotia and will be leaving the community.

“It has been a privilege to serve this organization and the region over the years,” says Doyle.

During an interview with Mix News, Mayor Sandy Bowman commented that there was a solemn mood on Wednesday after losing such a well-liked and well-respected individual.

“He’s moving on, he wants to spend more time with his family, he’s been through a lot here. He’s taken us through the flood, the pandemic, he was part of the wildfire recovery, so he’s done a lot for this community,” said Bowman. “He’s leaving the organization in a better place than when he found it.”

“He’s helped us through a lot of things since we started and especially for a lot of new council members, he’s helped them kind of find their feet.”

Chief Financial Officer, Linda Ollivier has been appointed interim CAO while the municipality searches for someone new to fill the role.

“She’ll stay in that position while we search for another CAO that’s right for the position and will take our time doing that, we’re not going to rush,” Bowman explained. “We’re going to get applications; we’re going to search the country for the right person, for the right job.”