'We got a competitor': Second candidate running for mayor of Fort McMurray

The newest entrant into the race to be mayor of Canada's oilsands capital is positioning himself as a cheerleader of Fort McMurray who will stand up to a provincial government that's out of touch with the needs of the region.

Wood Buffalo municipal councillor and lawyer Allan Vinni announced Thursday he's running formayor, challenging former Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Don Scott, the only other candidateon the ticket.

• Campaign kicks off for Fort McMurray's first new mayor in over a decade

The entrance of a second candidate is a relief for some in Fort McMurray, the city at the heart of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

"Before today it was simply an acclamation of Don Scott," said local contractor J. Paul McLeod, who attended Vinni's announcement. "Now we got a competitor."

Both Scott and Vinni are running to replace four-term mayor Melissa Blake, who has said she won't run again. Whoever wins in October will be Fort McMurray's first new mayor in 13 years.

The winner will inherit a community still rebuilding after Canada's most costly wildfire. Over 2,400 homes and structures were levelled by flames in May 2016.

Fort McMurray and the surrounding community have also been facing an economic shock from low oil prices. That's led to the loss of thousands of jobs and many supporting businesses have shuttered.

Even the municipality has faced cutbacks. In January, it announced it was shedding 168 municipal staff positions.

Confronting the province

At the Thursday news conference, Vinni outlined his platform, accusing his opponent of being toofocused on what's wrong with the municipality.

"He's just setting out the problems," Vinni said. "I have solutions."

Among his proposalsare reducing the region's oilsands camp population. Thousands of workers fly into Fort McMurray from Edmonton or Calgary to work in the oilsands. But many of those workers don't pay municipal taxes to the community because they live in work camps far outside the city, Vinni said.

He proposed creating a commuter air service that wouldoperate out of the local airport instead of flying workers directly to the camps.

"It can't be any more expensive than commuting out of Calgary or Edmonton," Vinni said.

Don Scott has said that, if elected,he too wouldbegin discussions withoilsandscompaniesto reduce their reliance on workcamps.

Vinni also said hewantsthe Alberta government to sell nearby Crown land to developers to build affordable homes and attract more people to move to Fort McMurray.

"I steadfastly assert to you this economic anomaly of not having economic control of the land that we need to grow is at the rootof all the difficulties," Vinni said.

Vinni also said a provincial government headed by official Opposition leader and local Wildrose MLA Brian Jean would resolve the land shortage.

"If Brian Jean was the premier, we'd have this solved already. This just takes political will," Vinni said.

Vinni addresses bankruptcy

For the first time Thursday, Vinni publicly addressedreports he was in financial trouble.

In February, CBC News obtained court documents that showed Vinni's companies owed more than $3 million. Vinni did not respond to multiple requests for comment at the time.

• Fort McMurray councillor files for bankruptcy while his companies rack up $3M debt

Vinni confirmed Thursday he is bankrupt and has had to walk away from several mortgages.

Among thoseproperties were four condos in the condemned Penhorwood complex. In 2011, residents were forced to leave after the building was deemed unsafe. The condos werelater demolished.

Vinni said he was left paying $10,000 a month in mortgage payments and fees on condos he couldn't fill.

"I say to anybody, rich or poor, try taking $10,000 a month and burning it and see how long you can hang in there with that," Vinni said.

Vinni said voters should not disqualifyhim from being mayor because of hisbankruptcy.

"There's hundreds, if not thousands, of people going bankrupt in this region and in this province now record amounts," Vinni said.

"If the attitude of people is going to be, 'Let's cast all those people aside. Let's put them in life's losers category.' They're wrong. And I don't think that's what Fort McMurray is about."

Follow David Thurton, CBC'sFort McMurraycorrespondent, onFacebook,Twitteror contact him viaemail.