Lac La Biche County officially appoints Van Buul as CAO

Lac La Biche County has solidified the chief administrative officer position for the long-term.

At a special council meeting Monday, council officially appointed Ken Van Buul as CAO after almost nine months on the job.

He began as the interim CAO on March 30, 2020.

“Lac La Biche County is an exciting place to work, with a lot of big new projects on the horizon,” said Van Buul in a press release. “I’m incredibly privileged to work with a talented, diverse group of staff who are  passionate about delivering great services.”

Van Buul was raised in Slave Lake and has spent over 30 years in municipal government overseeing departments like parks and recreation, which is his primary experience and education, fire services, enforcement services, legal services and human resources.

Before coming to Lac La Biche County, Van Buul worked at Parkland County, where he directed a variety of major construction projects as the General Manager of Strategic Initiatives.

“We’ve had the pleasure of working with Mr. Van Buul for months now,” said Mayor Omer Moghrabi in a release.

“Council and I appreciated his steady leadership through all of the challenges that our community faced in 2020, from the ongoing economic slump and pandemic to the unprecedented flooding in the spring. We look forward to continuing to work with Mr. Van Buul as we set a foundation for the future of our community.”

The position became available when county council terminated the contract of CAO Shadia Amblie in late 2019.