Mayor

Biography

Don Scott, QC was elected Mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in October 2017.

Mayor Scott, along with his wife and two daughters, is proud to call Fort McMurray and the Wood Buffalo region his home. Don is committed to the region and its people and is optimistic about the future and believes the region's best days are ahead of it. Don brings a strong background in public service and in business to the Mayor's Office and looks forward to serving his community for years to come.

A long-term resident of Wood Buffalo, Don is an active community member and volunteer. He has served on the Board of Directors for the United Way of Fort McMurray for six years, including as Board President. Don has also held governance roles with Royal Canadian Legion Branch 165, the Legal Aid Appeal Board, the Children First Community Child Care Network Society and the Northern Lights Health Region Ethics Committee.

Don is a graduate of the University of New Brunswick and the University of Cambridge. During his time in England, he served as an assistant solicitor with the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. After returning to Canada, Don worked as a lawyer and taught Business Law at Keyano College. His law firm has been recognized by the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce as Small Business of the Year (2016) and for Excellence in Professional Services (2017). Don was elected as a Bencher for the Law Society of Alberta and was appointed a Queen's Council in 2010.

First elected to municipal Council in 2010, Don was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for the constituency of Fort McMurray-Conklin in 2012, and served as the Associate Minister of Accountability, Transparency and Transformation, the Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education and Deputy Government House Leader. Don also served on a number of Government Committees, including Treasury Board, Legislative Review Cabinet Committee, Standing Policy Committee on Education, and Standing Policy Committee on Economic Futures. He was the Co-Vice Chair of the Alberta Innovation Council and Vice Chair of the Cabinet Policy Committee on Natural Resources and the Environment. Don returned to his law practice in 2015.

Invite the Mayor

The Mayor enjoys connecting with residents at community events, festivals, and conferences. However, given the number of requests received, his schedule cannot accommodate all invitations.

If you'd like to invite the Mayor to your upcoming event, please use the Invite the Mayor form and submit it at least two weeks before the event. All requests are subject to the Mayor's availability. The Mayor thanks you for submitting the invitation and his office will contact you directly with a response as soon as possible.

Invite the Mayor Form

Special Requests

All special requests require four to six weeks to review, consider and process. Requests submitted outside of these timelines may be rejected.

Proclamation

The Office of the Mayor typically grants proclamations that declare special days, weeks or months for community-based campaigns or programs requested by locally represented organizations. Proclamations support the community through educational and awareness programs, charitable fundraising or similar activities and are requested by charitable or social profit groups.

Request a Proclamation View Past Proclamations

Message from the Mayor

Messages from the Mayor are signed, short greetings written for publication in programs, booklets, etc. that support community events, conferences or initiatives. A photo can be included, if requested.

Request a Message from the Mayor

Certificate of Congratulations

Certificate of Congratulations are custom certificates that recognize special events and milestones for members of the community. Certificates may be provided for wedding anniversaries (50 years or more) and birthdays (75, 80 years and older) as well as to athletes and to businesses on official openings.

Request a Certificate of Congratulations