Wood Buffalo votes for change, choosing a new mayor and a slate of new councillors

Sandy Bowman, a Fort McMurray businessman and former martial arts fighter, won his first political victory Monday when he was elected mayor in a municipal election that saw many political newcomers coming out on top.

Only two incumbents in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo retained their seats.

With all polls reporting, the owner of Bowmans Martial Arts was leading with 5,690 votes. Mayoral candidates Verna Murphy and Mike Allen received 4,119 and 2,879 votes respectively.

During a victory party Monday, a "grateful, honoured and humbled" Bowman said that the slate of new faces on council was what the region needs and that he is "excited for that change."

"Across the board with all of them they want change," Bowman said of his new council colleagues.

This will be Bowman's first time in public office.

Where previous councils have focused on bringing new families to live in Fort McMurray, Bowman intends to prioritize the current residents of Wood Buffalo, starting with flood mitigation and improving core services.

He said he will also focus on making it easier for people to start new businesses and plans to develop a business advisory committee.

"They want to take care of the people that live here," he said about the new councillors. "And I think that's something that's been overlooked by the last number of councils."

Ward races

In Ward 1, incumbent Keith McGrath held onto his seat. He is joined by Lance Bussieres, a former councillor from 2013 to 2017, former municipal managers Allan Grandison and Ken Ball, and new arrivals Funky Banjoko and Dogar Shafiq.

Ward 2 will be represented by Kendrick Cardinal, president of the Fort Chipewyan Mtis, and Loretta Waquan, a Fort McKay Mtis Nation councillor. Incumbent Claris Voyageur lost by only two votes 206 to Waquan's 208.

In Ward 3, Stu Wigle beat incumbent Sheila Lalonde, with 233 votes to 131.

Incumbent Jane Stroud was acclaimed in Ward 4.

While the advance vote saw a record 5,259 voters, only 26 per cent of eligible voters in Wood Buffalo cast ballots.

Allen, who had servedtwo terms on council,said the campaign didn't turn out the way he hoped but offered best wishes to the mayor-elect and new councillors as they become comfortable in their new roles.

"I think there's going to be a big learning curve at the beginning. I don't expect that there's going to be significant change right off the bat," said Allen. "I wish I was still there, but it's been my honour to be able to serve the public for as long as I have."

Outgoing mayor Don Scott said he wasn't surprised by the results, saying he "sensed that there would be a wave of change."

Scott said this council will be integral in helping the region's economic recovery, especially since it will still be facing COVID-19 and associated economic consequences.

"There's a lot of work to be done there," Scott said. "They're going to need to listen carefully to the businesses in this region and the people."

School trustees

The unofficial Fort McMurray Public School trustees are Angela Adams, Jonathan Lambert, Linda Mywaart, Tim O'Hara, Jason Schulz, Malcolm Setter, and Lorna Spargo.

The unofficial Fort McMurray Roman Catholic Separate School trustees are Paula Galenzoski, Jonathan Higdon, Anthony Hoffman, Kelsey Janvier and Catherine Aline Langmead.