APRIL 2016
H
business elite canada
3
By Cheryl Long
-------------------------------------------------------------------
T
he Regional Municipality of Wood
Buffalo has its sights set firmly on
the future. Located on the Atha-
basca Oil Sands — the world’s largest
single known oil deposit — the natural re-
source has been a source of prosperity for
the region for decades, but the time has
come to look beyond what nature can pro-
vide and prepare for what lies ahead.
Diversity will be key toWood Buffalo’s suc-
cess as the expansive region continues to
grow and flourish well into the 21st cen-
tury. Melissa Blake, mayor of the Regional
Municipality of Wood Buffalo, spoke with
Business Elite Canada about what the fu-
ture holds for this unique area rich in na-
ture, outdoor pursuits and multicultural-
ism.
Wood Buffalo stretches across almost
64,000 square kilometres in northeastern
Alberta, earning its title as the second larg-
est municipality in Canada. It is home to
about 125,000 residents who live in com-
munities of varying sizes, including the re-
gion’s largest city, Fort McMurray, with a
population of about 78,000. Fort Chipewy-
an is next in size with just over 1,000 resi-
dents and was the area’s first established
