Guy Boutilier turned in his council resignation last Friday, ending for many the controversy over whether he was qualified to hold the seat. During the 2013 election Boutilier stated that he resided in the home he owned in Thickwood, but several people have disputed this and claims have been filed in court concerning whether Boutilier actually lived in Thickwood or if he just stayed there once in a while. When Boutilier discussed his resignation he said “What the mayor and council has done in the last year-and-a-half, I am really pleased with. “There’s still lots of loud voices left on council and after the audit, I am pleased with the direction the municipality is going in. Council is a service and I am proud of that service. But I have decided to do what is best for my family and focus on them.”

Guy Boutilier has said that he will seek work in the private sector after turning in his council resignation, and he is keeping quiet about a PC run in the future. Some have speculated that the resignation was caused by the claims against Boutilier, but these claims have not been proven in court. Three previous tenants who rented space at the Thickwood home claimed that Boutilier was hardly there, and that his wife and family never came to the residence. If the claims are true then Boutilier lived in Edmonton and was not eligible to sit on the Wood Buffalo council in the first place and he could not have participated in the election in 2013.