Two proposals for bylaw amendments were rejected as protectionist measures by the Wood Buffalo council. The proposed amendments would set steep fees for demolition permits and use of the landfill for any contractors who were not already established in the area before May 3 when the wildfire hit. Councillor Allen Vinni proposed a bylaw amendment which would set a $2,000 charge for demolition permits to non residents while local contractors would only pay $200, but this was voted down after a lengthy debate. All of the councillors but Vinni voted against this specific amendment. Another proposed amendment was approved and this does include charging non residents more to use the landfill but the difference between resident and nonresident costs was much smaller. Vinni explained his defeated amendment by saying “To me this bylaw is fundamentally about creating a level playing field for local contractors.”

The initial landfill amendment also had protectionist measures but these were minimized by the Wood Buffalo council as well. As originally proposed the amendment stated that non residents would pay five times what residents would pay to use the landfill. A resident discarding mobile home remains would be charged $970 but a non resident contractor would pay $4,870 for the same debris. Instead of adopting the original amendment in this case the council determined that doubling the fee was sufficient and the changed amendment passed. Some non resident contractors were upset at the initial fees proposed because they felt like they were helping Fort McMurray out and that they were treated unfairly. Contractors can separate any recyclable demolition debris and this can be taken to the landfill at no charge for residents and non residents both. This step could significantly decrease the landfill fee paid.