The mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) intends to forward the expenses incurred during the rescue operation to the provincial government after the municipality helped hundreds of individuals trapped on Highway 63 amid a snowstorm in northern Alberta last month.
On April 23, a severe snowstorm left between 300 and 400 vehicles stuck for several hours approximately 140 kilometres south of Fort McMurray. Some motorists were stranded overnight. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, although emergency responders faced challenges in reaching a passenger experiencing a medical issue.
In an interview with CBC News, Mayor Sandy Bowman expressed that there were communication difficulties with the province during the emergency. The municipality dispatched snowplows, tow trucks, and buses to assist in the situation.
Bowman emphasized that it is the Alberta government and its contractors’ obligation to keep highways clear.
“I would like to present the province with a bill, and they can handle it, as there were significant financial implications,” he stated. “We had snowplows operating for nearly 24 hours, looping around to clear the highway ourselves.
“You would never witness this on the QE2, where 300 vehicles could remain stuck for 16 hours. Such situations do not occur in other areas of Alberta.”
Mayor Sandy Bowman, center, at a municipal council meeting held at the Jubilee Centre in downtown Fort McMurray, Alta. on March 10, 2026. (Vincent McDermott/CBC)
Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen mentioned on Tuesday that he plans to meet with Bowman this week to discuss who will be responsible for covering the expenses.
Dreeshen noted that the contractor had between five and ten snowplows prepared to handle what he described as a severe snowstorm. However, he indicated that the main challenges in reaching stranded individuals were the accidents on the highway that required clearance.
“The issue wasn’t primarily the snow or the inability of the plows to operate; it was the trucks blocking the roads and the necessity to deploy tow trucks to clear the accident site,” Dreeshen explained during a media scrum at the legislature.
Last week, Dreeshen remarked that the incident highlighted the critical need for the Highway 686 extension, which aims to establish a connection between the Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie regions. At present, Highway 63 remains the sole direct route out of Fort McMurray.
“I believe communication will serve as a valuable lesson on how 511, the RCMP, municipalities, and the province can improve communication with drivers during significant snow events,” Dreeshen added.
The province has recently finalized a review of the response from its Highway 63 maintenance contractor to the snowstorm, although the findings have yet to be released. The RMWB council unanimously voted on Tuesday to conduct its own investigation into the municipality’s response to the crisis.
