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 wat ...

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 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 The Northwest Territories (abbreviated ''NT'' or ''NWT''; french: Territoires du Nord-Ouest, formerly ''North-Western Territory'' and ''North-West Territories'' and namely shortened as ''Northwest Territory'') is a federal territory of Canada. ...

to the north; Improvement District No. 24 ( Wood Buffalo National Park), Mackenzie County, and the

Municipal District of Opportunity No. 17 The Municipal District of Opportunity No. 17 is a List of municipal districts in Alberta, municipal district (MD) occupying a remote area in central northern Alberta, Canada. Located in Division No. 17, Alberta, Census Division 17 north of the ...

to the west; and Athabasca County and the Municipal District of Bonnyville No. 87 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. 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, Gordon Lake,

Gregoire Lake Gregoire Lake is a lake in Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Athabasca River basin. It is located in the wetlands of northern Alberta, adjacent to Highway 881, between Fort McMurray and Lac La Biche. It was known as "Willow Lake" until 194 ...

, McClelland Lake, Namur Lake, 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 . Eco ...

(also partially within Lac La Biche County 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 ...

becomes the Slave River. 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 northeast Alberta, Canada that is located at the confluence of the Athabasca and MacKay rivers. It is approximately north of Fort McMurray via Highway 63 and Fort McKay Road. The community has an ...

, 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 or ...

*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 are located within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo: ; Hamlets *

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 * Janvier South * Saprae Creek

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 * Brièreville *Chard *Charron * Cheecham *Christina Crossing *Corbetts *Devenish *Dog Head * Draper *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 *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 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 * Charles Lake 225 * Chipewyan 201 * Chipewyan 201A *

Chipewyan 201B Chipewyan 201B is an Indian reserve of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation in Alberta, located within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. It is southeast of Fort Chipewyan. References

Indian reserves in Alberta {{Alberta-Indi ...

* Chipewyan 201C *

Chipewyan 201D Chipewyan 201D 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 side of Richardson Lake, about 7 miles south of Lake Athabasca. References

...

* Chipewyan 201E * Chipewyan 201F * Chipewyan 201G * Clearwater 175 * 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. References

Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Indian reserves in Alberta {{Alberta-In ...

* Devil's Gate 220 * Dog Head 218 * Fort McKay 174 *

Fort McKay 174C Fort McKay 174C is an Indian reserve of the Fort McKay First Nation in Alberta, located within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. References

Indian reserves in Alberta {{Alberta-IndianReserve-stub ...

* Fort McKay 174D *

Gregoire Lake 176 Gregoire Lake 176 is an Indian reserve of the Fort McMurray First Nation in Alberta, located within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. It is 35 kilometres southeast of Fort McMurray. In the 2016 Canadian Census The 2016 Canadian census ...

* Hokedhe Tue 196E *

House River Indian Cemetery 178 A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

* Janvier 194 * K'i Tue 196D *

Li Deze 196C Li, li, or LI may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Landscape Institute, a British professional body for landscape architects * Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization located in Arlington, Virginia, US, that teaches "political tec ...

* Namur Lake 174B * Namur River 174A * Old Fort 217 * 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 Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta ...

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. 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, 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

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

, 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 List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, 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 coun ...

, about 6% from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, 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 ...

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 com ...

(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 ...

(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 reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

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 (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 n ...

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 Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Wood Buffalo, northern Alberta, Canada. It contains a free roaming wood bison herd. The area has a remarkably diverse ecosystem that ...

* Birch River Wildland Provincial Park * Dillon River Wildland Provincial Park * Fidler-Greywillow Wildland Provincial Park * Gipsy Lake Wildland Provincial Park * Grand Rapids Wildland Provincial Park * Gregoire Lake Provincial Park * Kazan Wildland Provincial Park * Kitaskino Nuwenëné Wildland Provincial Park * Marguerite River Wildland Provincial Park * Richardson Wildland Provincial Park * Stony Mountain Wildland Provincial Park * Whitemud Falls Wildland Provincial Park

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 Doug Faulkner is a Canadian politician, who served as mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alberta from 1997 to 2004. Born in Scotland and raised in Bishops Falls, Newfoundland and Labrador, Faulkner worked in the materials and ...

served as mayor from 1997 to 2004, and Melissa Blake 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 si ...

, the municipality was served by the electoral district of Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo until 2010, when a second district, Fort McMurray-Conklin, was created due to population growth. The new riding then became Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche in 2018. Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo is currently represented by Tany Yao and Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche is represented by Brian Jean. 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 Al ...

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. 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 Commo ...

by former UCP MLA for Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche Laila Goodridge of the

Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Co ...