Melissa Blake has been mayor of Wood Buffalo since 2004.
Melissa Blake has been mayor of Wood Buffalo since 2004, and before that served as a councillor there for six years. The region's population nearly tripled from then to 125,032 in 2015, the last time a municipal census was taken. The population of the work camps surrounding Fort McMurray in that census – 43,084 – was larger than the population of the entire region in 1999, in her second year as a councillor. Ms. Blake has presided over the community during its brightest and darkest moments, including the expansion and boom in the oil sands, the recent economic downturn and the fires that ravaged Fort McMurray last May. She sat down this week with the Globe and Mail to discuss the highs and lows, and the challenges left behind by the biggest natural disaster in Canadian history.
Was the last year and a half the most difficult time you have ever experienced in public office?
Without question, even before the fire, the challenge in magnitude predicated by the economic shift was something that had a very real impact on our businesses and on our people. Economic consequences were in progress when the fires occurred.
For us living in the north, fires are a common incidence. It is how the forest renews itself, and we have seen that many times. But this one was much closer to home. The experience was totally different.
From your office on the seventh floor, was it horrific to see the fires coming?
As a leader, you don't let yourself get into that mind frame. As a leader, you are observing, getting accurate information the best that you can, and making sure you have the means for communicating that at your disposal. I was trying to do that, and trying to incite rationality more than fear and panic. At the same time, I was watching the fire advance and looking at the traffic flow coming out of Abasand [one of the hardest-hit neighbourhoods in Fort McMurray]. I stayed in my office until 4:55 p.m. on May 3, and at that point there were still people trying to get out of Abasand. I imagined loss of life occurring. Property is bad enough, but when it actually settles in your mind that it might be people too, it is very hard.
What is your biggest challenge now as mayor?
Ensuring that all of those folks that still need to get back home have the means of doing that, that the operators in every area, whether it is us or anyone else, don't create an impediment. We worked a lot of those things out at the end of last summer, but if there is anything that seems to be causing difficulties for people, as a leader and in this organization I have to make sure those paths are clear.
The municipality announced 168 layoffs on Jan. 31. (The job cuts are expected to save $24.2-million a year over five years.) Why make that decision now, at such a difficult time here?
We have had an imminent number of motions and requests by council to cut the budget and to trim where we can, and that had been occurring for three years. Even at this moment, we are still looking to refine our budget such that we are more responsive to the market circumstances we face. The bottom line is we have a dominant industry here and they need to be successful for the community to be successful. And where we have been in a sustained mode of lower commodity pricing, everybody is making adjustments. It's painful, and I feel that personally. I interface with people that may have had a shift in their lives and it is not what I want for an outcome for anyone.
You have announced that you will not run for re-election in November. Do you have any regrets?
I made my choice long before anything happened with the economy or with the wildfire. I knew it would be my last term before I even put my name forward in the last nomination process. I have served for a very long time, and I think it is perfectly opportune for somebody else to step in. I have no ambitious plans. I am just looking for some downtime and to regroup and see what opportunities become available.
Serving my local region has been has been the biggest blessing in my life, and I have not ever been drawn beyond that community service. I am pretty certain I will be looking for something that keeps me close to home.
This interview has been edited and condensed.