Fort McMurray Minute: Four Motions, Northern Investment, and the Land Use Bylaw

Fort McMurray Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Fort McMurray politics

This Week In Fort McMurray:

• This evening, at 6:00 pm, there will be a Council Special Meeting. The main purpose of the meeting is to hold a public hearing on updates to the Land Use Bylaw. The existing Land Use Bylaw hasn't been comprehensively revised since 1999. The new bylaw introduces clearer language, updated definitions and land uses, and incorporates new regulations regarding accessory buildings, agricultural uses, flood management, home businesses, landscaping (including FireSmart and Bear Smart provisions), parking, secondary suites, and signage.
  
  
• On Tuesday, at 3:30 pm, there will be a Council Meeting. The meeting begins with a closed session wherein Council will discuss a land matter and a Council Board and Committee Application Review. When the meeting opens up to the public at 6:00 pm, Council will discuss the naming of a Road in Fort Fitzgerald, a Municipal Facility in Fort McKay, a Rugby Field in Thickwood and a Municipal Facility in Anzac. Also on the agenda are the Veterans Recognition Crosswalk, a comparative analysis of CAO bylaws, and the Elected Officials Compensation, Travel, and Expenses Policy. Councillor Dogar will bring forward four motions - one to rescind the appointment of Kenneth Warren as the Municipality’s Integrity Commissioner, effective immediately, one to appoint one Councillor as Deputy Mayor on an annual basis, another to request that organizations that receive funding through the Community Investment Program invite Council members to attend board meetings, and the final one to create a CAO Performance Evaluation Policy.
  
  
• The Communities in Bloom Committee will meet on Thursday at 6:00 pm. The agenda includes a discussion about the 2025 Seed of the Year and Community Gardening Day.

Last Week In Fort McMurray:

• The Alberta government is investing nearly $5 billion in northern communities, with significant funding earmarked for Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo. This includes $15 million for eight new urgent care centres, one of which will be in Fort McMurray. Keyano College will receive $2 million to enhance its nursing and paramedic programs, addressing the region’s healthcare workforce shortages. Local schools will benefit from upgrades, including an expansion of Holy Trinity Catholic High School and the modernization of École Dickinsfield. Additionally, design work for the extension of Highway 686 will help connect Fort McMurray to Peerless Lake and ultimately Grande Prairie.
  
  
• Over 1,000 educational support workers in Fort McMurray have ended their strike after ratifying agreements with the Catholic and public school divisions. The strike, which began in November 2024 and escalated to a full strike in January 2025, was centered around wage increases for workers. While union leaders called the deals a fair start, they expressed ongoing concerns about provincial funding, overcrowded classrooms, and staffing shortages.
  
  
• Portage College students won first place at the Alberta Deans of Business Case Competition, hosted by Keyano College, where they developed strategies to increase passenger volumes at the Fort McMurray International Airport (YMM). Eleven teams from Alberta’s post-secondary schools participated, analyzing research, data, and surveys over 10 hours to present solutions. The judges, including YMM officials and a business owner, praised the creative ideas presented. Medicine Hat College and NAIT followed in second and third places, respectively.