 Allan Vinni | The Wood Buffalo councillors who’ve given themselves $150,000 annual paycheques aren’t in lock-step with their constituents. The triumvirate came down in favour of a massive penalty on so-called “non-local” businesses using the local landfill. Thanks to a long serving council member the price increase was only doubled, not multiplied by a factor of five. Next was to have demolition permits to “outsiders” cost 10 times more. In the end only Allan Vinni remained in favour. These proposals are poor governance, as the revenue wasn’t needed. Demonizing “outsiders” is ridiculous as the Fort McMurray fire officially became the costliest disaster in Canadian history. |  Nikolai Podgorny, Leonid Brezhnev, and Alexei Kosygin during October Revolution anniversary celebrations in 1973  |
 Keith McGrath | It remains unclear why councillors McGrath, Germain and Vinni were selected by their colleagues to be the full-time stewards of the Recovery Task Force in the first place. Vulgarity-laced tirades against media notwithstanding, virtually all business is done 'in camera' with wildly unpopular surprises then thrust onto the public. People waiting for their homes and neighborhoods to be rebuilt after losing their jobs deserve much better. |  Sheldon Germain |
 Keith McGrath | Only a week into its existence the Wood Buffalo Recovery Committee submitted multiple recommendations to council Tuesday night, all of which were a surprise to residents as they were not on the agenda before the start of the meeting. The goal appears to be to access funds as quickly as possible from the Disaster Recovery Program which sees the provincial and federal governments cover the bulk of the costs. Councillor Keith McGrath explained their new department has an open door policy. |  |
 Allan Vinni, Keith McGrath, and Sheldon Germain | City councillors in Fort McMurray, Alta., have approved a motion to more than double some of their salaries, and three could become some of the highest paid councillors in Canada. The pay hike is drawing harsh criticism from constituents, many of whom lost their homes and jobs to the wildfires that devastated the region last month. |  |
 | Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo councillors voted 7-4 in favour of the measure to boost their compensation. Seven part-time councillors currently earning $36,000 per year will see their pay rise to $75,000. Councillors Allan Vinni, Keith McGrath, and Sheldon Germain -- all part of a newly minted relief committee -- will now work full-time. Their pay will rise to $150,000 per year. That’s believed to be the highest base salary for any councillor in Canada. Vinni launched a profanity-laced tirade against the reporters who dared to attempt to question him. |
 Melissa Blake | Mayor Melissa Blake voted against the round of raises. She says the move will cause “anxiety and consternation” in a community still reeling from the costliest natural disaster in Canadian history. “This council ran, and we didn’t expect a wild fire, but … we knew what our commitments were intended to be,” she said. Blake’s salary jumped to $150,000, but she is refusing to accept the extra money. |  |
