The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (abbreviated RMWB) is a specialized municipality in northeast Alberta, Canada. It is the second largest municipality in Alberta by area and is home to

oil sand Oil sands, tar sands, crude bitumen, or bituminous sands, are a type of unconventional petroleum deposit. Oil sands are either loose sands or partially consolidated sandstone containing a naturally occurring mixture of sand, clay, and wate ...

deposits known as the Athabasca oil sands.

History

The ''Municipality of Wood Buffalo'' was incorporated as a specialized municipality on April 1, 1995 as a result of the

amalgamation Amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form. Amalgamation, amalgam, and other derivatives may refer to: Mathematics and science * Amalgam (chemistry), the combination of mercury with another metal **Pan am ...

of the City of

Fort McMurray Fort McMurray ( ) is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significan ...

and Improvement District No. 143. Specialized municipality status was granted to provide "for the unique needs of a municipality including a large urban centre and a large rural territory with a small population." The ''Municipality of Wood Buffalo'' subsequently changed its name to the ''Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo'' on August 14, 1996.

June 2013 floods

By June 12, 2013, after many days of heavy rain, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo declared a state of emergency. They organized evacuations from some areas and placed others under boil water advisories as local waterways, such as the Hangingstone River, rose to dangerously elevated levels south of Fort McMurray, causing the closure of Highway 63.

2016 wildfire

From May 3, 2016 on, over 80,000 people were affected by evacuations, by May 3 at 6:49 pm, the entirety of Fort McMurray and surrounding areas were placed under a mandatory evacuation. making it Alberta's largest evacuation for a wildfire.

Geography

The Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo is in the northeast corner of the province of Alberta. It borders the province of

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

to the east; the Northwest Territories to the north; Improvement District No. 24 (

Wood Buffalo National Park Wood Buffalo National Park is the largest national park of Canada at . It is located in northeastern Alberta and the southern Northwest Territories. Larger in area than Switzerland, it is the second-largest national park in the world. The park w ...

Mackenzie County Mackenzie County is a specialized municipality in northern Alberta, Canada. It is located in Census Division 17, along the Mackenzie Highway. The municipal office is located in the hamlet of Fort Vermilion. History Originally ''Improvement D ...

, and the

Municipal District of Opportunity No. 17 The Municipal District of Opportunity No. 17 is a municipal district (MD) occupying a remote area in central northern Alberta, Canada. Located in Census Division 17 north of the Town of Athabasca, its municipal office is located in the Ham ...

to the west; and

Athabasca County Athabasca County is a municipal district in north central Alberta, Canada. It is located northeast of Edmonton and is in Census Division No. 13. Prior to an official renaming on December 1, 2009, Athabasca County was officially known as the ...

and the

Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87 The Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87 is a List of municipal districts in Alberta, municipal district (MD) in northeastern Alberta, Canada in Division No. 12, Alberta, Division No. 12. On the east, it is adjacent to the province of Saskatc ...

to the south. The

Athabasca River The Athabasca River (French: ''Rivière Athabasca'') is a river in Alberta, Canada, which originates at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park and flows more than before emptying into Lake Athabasca. Much of the land along its banks is ...

meanders northward through the central portion of the RM of Wood Buffalo before emptying into

Lake Athabasca Lake Athabasca (; French: ''lac Athabasca''; from Woods Cree: , "herethere are plants one after another") is located in the north-west corner of Saskatchewan and the north-east corner of Alberta between 58° and 60° N in Canada. The lake ...

. Some of its water bodies include Christina Lake, Gardiner Lakes,

Garson Lake Garson may refer to: Places * Garson, Manitoba, Canada * Garson, Ontario, Canada Other uses * Garson (surname) See also * Garçon (disambiguation) * Garzon (disambiguation) {{disambiguation, geo ...

Gipsy Lake The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with si ...

, Gordon Lake, Gregoire Lake, McClelland Lake,

Namur Lake Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namu ...

, Richardson Lake, and

Winefred Lake Winefred Lake is a large lake in east-northern Alberta, Canada. It is located in southern Wood Buffalo, in a remote area between Cold Lake and Fort McMurray, and has a total area of . The closest community is the hamlet of Conklin, at . Ecologi ...

(also partially within

Lac La Biche County Lac La Biche County is a List of specialized municipalities in Alberta, specialized municipality within Division No. 12, Alberta, Division No. 12 in northern Alberta, Canada. It was established through the amalgamation of the Lac La Biche, Alberta ...

and the Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87). Discharging northward from Lake Athabasca is Riviere des Rochers, which at its confluence with the

Peace River The Peace River (french: links=no, rivière de la Paix) is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in th ...

becomes the

Slave River The Slave River is a Canadian river that flows from the confluence of the Rivière des Rochers and Peace River in northeastern Alberta and empties into Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories. The river's name is thought to derive from the ...

. The Slave River forms much of the RM of Wood Buffalo's boundary with Improvement District No. 24 north of the confluence. Land formations include the Birch Mountains northwest of

Fort McKay Fort McKay ( ) or Fort MacKay is a community in northern Alberta, northeast Alberta, Canada that is located at the confluence of the Athabasca River, Athabasca and MacKay rivers. It is approximately north of Fort McMurray via Alberta Highway 63, ...

, Fort Hills north of Fort McKay, and Thickwood Hills west of Fort McMurray. A portion of the Peace-Athabasca Delta is also within the RM of Wood Buffalo.

Communities and localities

The following urban municipalities are surrounded by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo: ;

Cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

*none ;

Towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

*none ;

Villages A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

*none ; Summer villages *none The following

hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...

are located within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo: ;

Hamlets A hamlet is a human settlement that is smaller than a town or village. Its size relative to a parish can depend on the administration and region. A hamlet may be considered to be a smaller settlement or subdivision or satellite entity to a lar ...

Anzac The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the Gallipoli campaign. General William Birdwood comm ...

* Conklin *

Fort Chipewyan Fort Chipewyan , commonly referred to as Fort Chip, is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada, within the Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo. It is located on the western tip of Lake Athabasca, adjacent to Wood Buffalo National Park, app ...

(

urban service area The province of Alberta, Canada, is divided into ten types of local governments – urban municipalities (including cities, towns, villages and summer villages), specialized municipalities, rural municipalities (including municipal distric ...

) *

Gregoire Lake Estates Gregoire Lake Estates is a hamlet (place), hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo. It is located on Alberta Highway 881, Highway 881, approximately southea ...

Janvier South Janvier South is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada within the Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo. Whle the hamlet's official name is ''Janvier South'' according to Alberta Municipal Affairs, it is also known and referred to as Janv ...

Saprae Creek Saprae Creek is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada within the Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo. It is located north of Highway 69, approximately east of Fort McMurray. 2016 wildfire On May 4, 2016, the hamlet was evacuated due ...

The following localities are located within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo: *Almac Subdivision *Beaver Lake-Young's Beach *Bechtel Syncrude Camp *Berdinskies *Berny *Big Eddy *Billos *

Bitumount Bitumount is an abandoned industrial site on the east bank of the Athabasca River about north of Fort McMurray in northeastern Alberta, Canada. Between 1925 and the 1950s, it was the site of early attempts to extract bitumen from the Athabasca o ...

* Brièreville *Chard *Charron * Cheecham *Christina Crossing *Corbetts *Devenish *Dog Head *

Draper Draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. History Drapers were an important trade guild during the medieval period, ...

*Egg Lake * * Portage *Fitzgerald *Fitzgerald 196 * Fitzgerald Settlement *Fort Smith Settlement *Gourin *Grandin *Improvement District No.143 *Kenny Woods *Kinosis *Le Goff *Leismer *Lenarthur *Lynton *Maloy * Mariana Lake *Mildred Lake *Old Fort *Pelican Settlement *Pingle *Point Brule *Quigley *Rossian *Sandy Rapids *Tar Island *

Waterways A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary ...

*Willow Trail *Wolyn The following settlements are within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo: *Chipewyan *Fitzgerald (Smith Landing) *Janvier South *Mariana *McKay *St. Bruno Farm (also partially within Improvement District No. 24)

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

have the following

Indian reserves In Canada, an Indian reserve (french: réserve indienne) is specified by the '' Indian Act'' as a "tract of land, the legal title to which is vested in Her Majesty, that has been set apart by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of a band." Ind ...

within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo: *

Allison Bay 219 Allison Bay 219 is an Indian reserve of the Mikisew Cree First Nation in Alberta, located within Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. It is 3 kilometers northeast of Fort Chipewyan Fort Chipewyan , commonly referred to as Fort Chip, is a hamle ...

* Charles Lake 225 * Chipewyan 201 * Chipewyan 201A * Chipewyan 201B * Chipewyan 201C * Chipewyan 201D * Chipewyan 201E * Chipewyan 201F *

Chipewyan 201G Chipewyan 201G is an Indian reserve of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in Alberta, located within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. It is on the east bank of the Athabasca River The Athabasca River (French: ''Rivière Athabasca'') ...

Clearwater 175 Clearwater 175 is an Indian reserve of the Fort McMurray First Nation in Alberta, located within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. It is 7 kilometers southeast of Fort McMurray Fort McMurray ( ) is an urban service area in the Regio ...

* Collin Lake 223 * Cornwall Lake 224 *

Cowper Lake 194A Cowper Lake 194A is an Indian reserve of the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation in Alberta, located within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (abbreviated RMWB) is a specialized municipality in no ...

* Devil's Gate 220 * Dog Head 218 * Fort McKay 174 * Fort McKay 174C * Fort McKay 174D * Gregoire Lake 176 * Hokedhe Tue 196E * House River Indian Cemetery 178 *

Janvier 194 Janvier 194 is an Indian reserve of the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation in Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. It is southwest of Fort McMurray. Geography The locality of Janvier is on the Janvier 1 ...

* K'i Tue 196D * Li Deze 196C * Namur Lake 174B * Namur River 174A *

Old Fort 217 Old Fort 217 is an Indian reserve of the Mikisew Cree First Nation in Alberta, located within Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. In the 2016 Canadian Census, it recorded a population of 0 living in 0 private dwellings. It is located north of ...

* Sandy Point 221 * Thabacha Nare 196A * Thebathi 196 * Tsu K'adhe Tue 196F * Tsu Tue 196G *

Winefred Lake 194B Winefred Lake 194B is an Indian reserve of the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation in Alberta, located within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (abbreviated RMWB) is a specialized municipality in ...

Hydrology

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) is in the lower basin of the Athabasca River watershed and Fort McMurray is the largest community on the banks of the river.The Athabasca River originates in

Jasper National Park Jasper National Park is a national park in Alberta, Canada. It is the largest national park within Alberta's Rocky Mountains spanning . It was established as a national park in 1930 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Its locatio ...

. It is fed by the

Athabasca Glacier The Athabasca Glacier is one of the six principal 'toes' of the Columbia Icefield, located in the Canadian Rockies. The glacier currently loses depth at a rate of about per year and has receded more than and lost over half of its volume in ...

within the

Columbia Icefield The Columbia Icefield is the largest ice field in North America's Rocky Mountains. Located within the Canadian Rocky Mountains astride the Continental Divide along the border of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, the ice field lies partly in ...

, at an altitude of approximately . The river travels before discharging through the Mackenzie River system into the

Arctic Ocean The Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceans. It spans an area of approximately and is known as the coldest of all the oceans. The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) recognizes it as an ocean, a ...

through the Northwest Territories. Its course is marked by rapids, impeding navigation southwest of Fort McMurray. Local rivers include the Hangingstone River, Clearwater River and

Christina River The Christina River is a tributary of the Delaware River, approximately 35 miles (56 km) long, in northern Delaware in the United States, also flowing through small areas of southeastern Pennsylvania and northeastern Maryland. Near i ...

, a tributary of the Clearwater River. The Hangingstone River drains an area of , which is dominated by muskeg, and flows into the Clearwater River just upstream of the Athabasca River at Fort McMurray. The river often experiences high flows in the spring during snow melt, during heavy rainfall events and when ice jams occur during spring ice break. The RMWB warns citizens of the potential for sudden flash floods "especially in populated areas adjacent to the Athabasca River, Clearwater River and Christina River." Water levels have been monitored by the Water Survey of Canada since 1970 (WSC station 07CD004). During the spring months there is increased monitoring of the "Clearwater River to the south of the urban service area to provide warning of an ice break" and the "Athabasca River upper basin, local river levels, precipitation and overall weather patterns." The Clearwater River,Clearwater river is named because of its "unspoiled, clear-water river in a pristine isolated "wilderness setting of spectacular beauty." designated as part of the

Canadian Heritage Rivers System The Canadian Heritage Rivers System (CHRS; french: Le réseau de rivières du patrimoine canadien) is a joint program administered by the federal, provincial and territorial governments to conserve and protect the best examples of Canada's river her ...

, flows from its headwaters at Lloyd Lake in northwest Saskatchewan into northeast Alberta before joining the Athabasca River at Fort McMurray. "The lack of significant oil sands developments means that the Clearwater River can be used as a baseline river system to provide information on the variability and characteristics of natural systems."

Demographics

Federal census

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo had a population of 72,326 living in 25,934 of its 30,451 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 71,594. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In the 2016 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo had a population of 71,594 living in 25,659 of its 30,713 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 65,565. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Municipal census

The permanent population of the Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo according to its 2021 municipal census is 75,555, a change of from its 2018 municipal census permanent population of 75,009. In addition, the 2021 municipal census counted a shadow population of 30,504 non-permanent residents for a combined population of 106,059, while the 2018 municipal census counted 36,678 non-permanent residents for a combined population of 111,687.

Ethnicity

Language

Immigration

Wood Buffalo is home to almost 2,000 recent immigrants (arriving between 2001 and 2006) who now make up more than 3% of the population. About 21% of these immigrants came from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, while about 10% came from each of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

and the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, and about 9% came from

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, and about 8% from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, about 6% from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, and about 3% came from

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Religion

More than 80% of residents identified as

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

at the time of the 2001 census while almost 17% indicated they had no religious affiliation. For specific denominations

counted 15,880

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

(37.4%), 4,985

Anglicans Anglicanism is a Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia ...

(11.7%), 4,225 for the

United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (french: link=no, Église unie du Canada) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholi ...

(9.9%), 1,730

Pentecostals Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

(4.1%), 1,195

Baptists Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

(2.8%), 965 for the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

(2.3%), 900

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

s (2.1%), 690

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

s (1.6%), 350

Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The c ...

(0.8%), and 320

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

s (0.8%).

Economy

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is home to vast

deposits, also known as the Athabasca Oil Sands, helping to make the region one of the fastest growing industrial areas in Canada.

Attractions

Wood Buffalo National Park is adjacent to the Regional Municipality (RM) of Wood Buffalo to the northwest. The following provincial protected areas are also within the RM of Wood Buffalo: *

Birch Mountains Wildland Provincial Park Birch Mountains Wildland Provincial Park is a wildland provincial park in Wood Buffalo, northern Alberta, Canada. It contains a free roaming wood bison herd. The area has a remarkably diverse ecosystem that supports lake trout, lake whitefish, ...

Birch River Wildland Provincial Park Birch River Wildland Provincial Park is a wildland provincial park in northern Alberta, Canada. It was established on 14 May 2018 and covers .The park is contained in the Lower Athabasca Region Land Use Framework finalized in 2012. The park i ...

Dillon River Wildland Provincial Park Dillon River Wildland Park is a wildland provincial park in northern Alberta, Canada that is in size. It is located in the northeast portion of the province within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, encompassing lands west of the Saskat ...

Fidler-Greywillow Wildland Provincial Park Fidler-Greywillow Wildland Park is a wildland provincial park located in Northern Alberta, northeastern Alberta, Canada within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Summer activities include activities like back-country camping, hunting, ka ...

Gipsy Lake Wildland Provincial Park Gipsy Lake Wildland Provincial Park is a wildland provincial park in Wood Buffalo, northern Alberta, Canada. The park was established on 20 December 2000 and has an area of . In the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan, Gipsy Lake is planned to be sig ...

Grand Rapids Wildland Provincial Park Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and co ...

Gregoire Lake Provincial Park Gregoire Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park in Alberta, Canada. It is located close to Highway 63, between Fort McMurray and Lac La Biche, on the northern shore of Gregoire Lake. The park is situated at an elevation of and has a surfac ...

Kazan Wildland Provincial Park Kazan Wildland Provincial Park is a wildland provincial park in northern Alberta, Canada. It was established on 14 May 2018 and is a large park with an area of . , Kazan is the largest park under Alberta provincial authority ( Banff, Jasper, and W ...

Kitaskino Nuwenëné Wildland Provincial Park Kitaskino Nuwenëné Wildland Provincial Park is a wildland provincial park in Wood Buffalo, northern Alberta, Canada. Kitaskino, means “our land” in Cree and Nuwenëné means “our land” in Dene; the two languages are spoken by the Fir ...

Marguerite River Wildland Provincial Park Marguerite River Wildland Provincial Park is a wildland provincial park in Wood Buffalo, northern Alberta, Canada. The park was established on 20 December 2000 and has an area of . The park is part of the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan. The par ...

Richardson Wildland Provincial Park Richardson Wildland Park is a wildland provincial park in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, northern Alberta, Canada. It was established 14 May 2018 and has an area of . Two previous parks, Maybelle River Wildland Provincial Park and Ri ...

Stony Mountain Wildland Provincial Park Stony Mountain Wildland Provincial Park is a wildland provincial park in Wood Buffalo, northern Alberta, Canada. The park was established on 20 December 2000 and has an area of . The park is part of the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan. Location T ...

Whitemud Falls Wildland Provincial Park Whitemud Falls Wildland Provincial Park is a wildland provincial park in Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Wood Buffalo, northern Alberta, Canada. The park was established on 15 November 2000 and has an area of . The park is part of the Low ...

Government

The municipality's current mayor is Sandy Bowman, who was first elected in 2021. Its first mayor upon its creation in 1995 was Guy Boutilier, who had previously been the mayor of Fort McMurray and was subsequently elected as the region's provincial MLA. Doug Faulkner served as mayor from 1997 to 2004, and

Melissa Blake Melissa Blake is the former mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, which includes Fort McMurray. Blake was elected as a municipal councillor in 1998 and re-elected to council in 2001. She was elected mayor in 2004 and would serve for ...

from 2004 to 2017. In the

Legislative Assembly of Alberta The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is the deliberative assembly of the province of Alberta, Canada. It sits in the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton. The Legislative Assembly currently has 87 members, elected first past the post from sin ...

, the municipality was served by the electoral district of

Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo is a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district is one of 87 districts mandated to return a single member (MLA) to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post method of votin ...

until 2010, when a second district,

Fort McMurray-Conklin Fort McMurray-Conklin was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using first-past-the-post balloting from 2012 to 2019. History The electoral district was c ...

, was created due to population growth. The new riding then became

Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche is a current provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The district will be one of 87 districts mandated to return a single member (MLA) to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta using the first past the post me ...

in 2018. Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo is currently represented by

Tany Yao Tany Yao (born 1971) is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2015 and 2019 Alberta general elections to represent the electoral district of Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo in the 29th and 30th Alberta Legislatures. Background Yao was bor ...

and Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche is represented by

Brian Jean Brian Michael Jean (born February 3, 1963) is a Canadian politician who has served as the minister of Jobs, Economy and Northern Development since 2022 and the member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche since Ma ...

. Both MLAs are former members of the

Wildrose Party The Wildrose Party (legally Wildrose Political Association, formerly the ''Wildrose Alliance Political Association'') was a conservative provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. The party was formed by the merger in early 2008 of the Albe ...

and are current members of the

United Conservative Party The United Conservative Party of Alberta (UCP) is a conservative political party in the province of Alberta, Canada. It was established in July 2017 as a merger between the Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta and the Wildrose Party ...

. As of 2016, the municipality is located in the federal electoral district of

Fort McMurray—Cold Lake Fort McMurray—Cold Lake is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2015. It was created in 2012, mostly from the more urbanized portion of Fort McMurray—Athabasca (7 ...

. The riding has been represented in the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

by former UCP MLA for Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche

Laila Goodridge Laila Goodridge is a Canadian politician in Alberta, Canada, who has served as the member of Parliament (MP) for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake from the Conservative Party since 2021. Goodridge served as Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) f ...