Paul Thorkelsson is no longer the CAO of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB).

After a special council meeting on Tuesday, the Mayor and Council of the RMWB announced they are parting ways with Thorkelsson who has served as the RMWB CAO since September of 2022.

A media release on Tuesday evening announced Deputy Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Management, Jody Butz, will serve as interim CAO until a replacement can be found.

“I want to thank Mr. Thorkelsson for his time with the organization, and I wish him every success in the future,” wrote Mayor Sandy Bowman in a statement.

“As Council begins recruitment for a new CAO and during this transition, I have every confidence in the team at the Municipality to continue providing the services, projects, and programs we collectively need to move the region forward.”

Thorkelsson came to the RMWB after serving as CAO of the District of Saanich in British Columbia; a position he held for six years. Prior to that he worked for the city of Nanaimo, including four years as their CAO.

Over the past ten years the RMWB has seen four permanent CAO’s come and go from the organization including Glen Laubenstein, Annette Antoniuk, Jamie Doyle, and now Paul Thorkelsson.