Wood Buffalo Economic Development Faces Major Governance Shake-up
FORT MCMURRAY, AB — For the second time in just seven months, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) has made a significant change to the governance structure of Wood Buffalo Economic Development and Tourism (WBEDT). During a meeting on Wednesday, RMWB Council authorized Mayor Sandy Bowman to exercise the municipality’s membership rights and appoint all council members as interim Directors of the WBEDT. This move follows a previous shake-up in April when the entire board was dismissed and replaced by select councillors and the RMWB’s CAO.
The latest decision marks a strategic step as the municipality aims to restructure the board to focus on local leadership and accountability. The council will serve as the interim board while a public recruitment drive is launched to find new permanent directors, who must now all be permanent residents of the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo region. The requirement contrasts with the previous board composition, which included out-of-town members like former WestJet CEO Gregg Saretsky.
“We appreciate the community members that participated in the discussion on the future state of economic development and thank them for sharing their ideas and perspectives on how to best move forward,” said Mayor Sandy Bowman. “In order for local business, industry and tourism to thrive, we need to focus on enabling strong community-led leadership and accountability to the people that live here.”
The new board, which will include two voting council members, will be tasked with streamlining operations, improving service delivery, and reducing costs. They will present recommendations to the Council within 90 days of their appointment. Details on how to apply for the new board positions will be posted on the RMWB website and social media in the coming weeks.