Fort McMurray Minute: OHV Pilot, WinterPlay Festival, and Another CAO Fired

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

This Week In Fort McMurray:

• On Tuesday, at 4:00 pm, there will be a Council Closed Meeting. The private meeting has a lengthy agenda which includes a Land Use Bylaw Update, a litigation update, an Integrity Commissioner contract review, and advice from officials regarding the Elected Officials Compensation, Travel and Expenses Policy.
  
  
• The Homelessness Initiatives Strategic Committee will meet on Wednesday at 2:00 pm. The agenda includes the 2024 Point-in-Time Count Report, an update on the Government of Alberta's approach to homelessness, and funding approvals for the Community Plan on Homelessness Grants. On Wednesday at 4:00 pm, the Vehicle for Hire Committee will meet. The Committee will receive a presentation from Intact Insurance before discussing statistics and emerging trends. Finally, the Community Identification Committee will meet on Thursday at 5:30 pm. The Committee will elect a Chair and Vice-Chair before discussing several naming requests for roads.
  
  
• WinterPlay 2025 takes place from February 21st to 25th at the Snye and Borealis Parks. The festival will feature leisure skating, Indigenous cultural programming, horse-drawn wagon rides, and intricate ice sculptures. New attractions include an ice slide, the WinterCHALET serving hot meals, and sporting events in collaboration with Wood Buffalo Sport Connection. More information and a full schedule can be found online.

Last Week In Fort McMurray:

• Henry Hunter has been fired as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo after 17 months in the role. Jody Butz, the regional Fire Chief, has been named interim CAO. Hunter's tenure was marked by tensions with unions and Council due to his push for structural and fiscal changes to address financial challenges, including a controversial plan to cut 459 municipal jobs. Butz, who has extensive experience with Regional Emergency Services, expressed commitment to maintaining organizational stability and delivering quality services to residents. Hunter's dismissal marks the second time this Council has fired a CAO, continuing a pattern of high turnover in municipal leadership in Alberta.
  
  
• Fort McMurray’s arts community called on Council to help replace performing arts spaces that will be lost when Keyano College converts its arts center into classrooms for health care and social work programs. While the theatre itself will remain open, studio spaces for rehearsals, dance, and storage will be eliminated. Local arts leaders urged Council to find existing venues to support the arts community rather than pursue new developments. They stressed that the planned Arts INC. facility, which has limited seating, cannot accommodate large productions. The loss of these spaces, they argue, will exacerbate an already critical shortage of arts venues in the region.
  
  
• The Municipality has asked for feedback on the Abasand OHV Pilot Project Bylaw as it nears its one-year mark. The bylaw aims to enhance the off-highway vehicle (OHV) user experience, improve trail safety, and minimize damage to greenspaces. Input from residents will help assess its effectiveness and inform potential changes. Those interested can participate through an online survey, open until March 12th, or at an in-person open house on March 6th at Father Beauregard School from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Residents may also register to speak at the bylaw’s second reading.