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What will Wood Buffalo look like in 2044?
The newly approved Municipal Development Plan (MDP) offers a roadmap to answer that question. Approved by Council at their Sept 10 meeting, the MDP is designed to ensure that as the region grows and evolves, it becomes even more sustainable, inclusive, and thriving.
“Our new Municipal Development Plan provides a solid, practical framework based on current realities and updated growth projections, helping us plan more accurately for the future,” said Mayor Sandy Bowman. “It sets a clear path for sustainable growth, creates opportunities, and works to improve the quality of life for everyone in the region, ensuring that our children—and their children—can proudly call this place home.
What does the MDP mean to me?
The MDP touches the lives of everyone in the region -- residents, visitors, Indigenous partners, businesses, and investors alike. Together, we can grow the local economy, preserve the natural beauty that surrounds us, and ensure the communities we love continue to flourish.
Six key goals for Wood Buffalo
The MDP focuses on six goals, each with action items to make them a reality:
- Home and belonging
- Enhancing Wood Buffalo’s livability
- Creating a safe and secure region
- Creating caring communities that support health and wellness
- Economic growth and innovation
- Empowering regional economic development
- Supporting skills and knowledge development
- Truth and Reconciliation
- Answering the Calls to Action
- Building Relationships and creating meaningful opportunity
- Honouring Cree, Dene and Métis cultures
- Celebrating community and culture
- Taking Pride in Wood Buffalo’s History
- Promoting Vibrant Arts
- Celebrating Multiculturalism
- Building regional pride
- Building relationships and communicating meaningfully
- Connecting to nature
- Protecting healthy ecosystems
- Accessing the wilderness
- Activating parks and recreation
- Acting on climate change
- Responsible development
- Growing as a region responsibly
- Growing the Urban Service Area
- Responsibly developing rural communities
How was the MDP developed?
The MDP was developed using extensive research, best practices, and public engagement with the community including Indigenous partners, rural communities, stakeholders, and residents.
The previous MDP was approved in 2011, under a much different vision for growth. With the changes in Wood Buffalo’s social, cultural, and economic conditions, the new MDP better aligns with the current realities and future needs of the region.
Learn more about the MDP
Learn more about the plan at rmwb.ca/MDP
For more detail on the MDP and actions items, contact the Municipal Planning and Development team through Pulse to arrange a discussion at 780-743-7000 or online at rmwb.ca/pulse
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