EDMONTON—More than 30 groups have passed through Wood Buffalo council chambers this week to debate a proposed moratorium on the construction of oilsands workers’ accommodation in Fort McMurray and its surrounding areas, as city councillors in the region prepare to make a final decision Monday.

The motion in question was put forward by the region’s mayor, and looks to halt the construction of new work camps, as well as to refuse licence renewals for existing ones.

Mayor Don Scott of the Wood Buffalo Regional Municipality, which encompasses Fort McMurray, put forward his motion during a Dec. 11 council meeting to address what he said are years of frustration at the fly-in, fly-out nature of work in the region. The trend, which has become “normalized” in the oilpatch, has had a tremendously negative impact economically, including triggering a decline in house prices in the region, he says.

“We want people living in our region,” Scott told StarMetro in December. “Those who are extracting resources from our region should live in our region.”

During a council meeting Tuesday, Scott reiterated his point, and said “the region is suffering” as a result of the camps, which he previously argued prevented workers from forming permanent roots in the community and contributing economically, while deterring businesses from opening up shop in the region due to a mobile population.

But proponents say work camps are needed to meet the fluctuating needs of a resource-based industry, which has work sites that are often remote.

Read more:

Fort Mac mayor wants to halt construction of new fly-in work camps over concerns they’re becoming ‘normalized’

Link between rural work camps and violence against women is real, researchers say

Study looks at strain between Fort McMurray residents and fly-in workers

Among those making their case to council on both sides were oil industry workers, residents, work camp companies, and faith-based organizations. A spokesperson for Wood Buffalo council said the delegation presentations are some of longest the council has seen in recent memory.

Share your thoughts

Scott declined to comment on the current discussions surrounding his motion, as council heads into a vote on Monday. But he, alongside Wood Buffalo councillors, have been busy engaging with different groups and businesses that continue to present their sides of the argument on whether a moratorium on work camps is necessary for the region.

Some delegations representing work camps and oil industry workers near Fort McMurray, including the Oil Sands Community Alliance (OSCA), have asked council not to move forward with the moratorium. Executive director for OSCA, Karim Zariffa, said there are “unintended consequences” if this motion was to pass, calling it a moratorium on development and future investment in the region.

“This doesn’t come at a good time,” Zariffa said in an interview with StarMetro, as investor confidence in the energy sector continues to fade. He added his organization has been active in trying to attract workers to remain in the region, rather than flying in and flying out.

“My members continue to hire locally and post jobs locally, and provide transportation options for people to get to site,” he said. Zariffa’s presentation also hints at consequences that could affect surrounding industries if work camps were to disappear from the region, including catering businesses owned by local Indigenous groups, and the Fort McMurray airport, which gets 40 per cent of its monthly traffic from rotational workers.

Other groups, however, are reluctant to let work camps continue their operations. One of them is Fort McMurray’s Family Christian Centre, which provides counselling services to people in the region. In its presentation to council, the centre wrote that the fly-in, fly-out model is “unacceptable” and “should not be allowed to continue,” as it has been seen as a deterrent to the mental health of workers in and around Fort McMurray.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

The centre cited research in its presentation that has been done on fly-in, fly-out workers around the world, who showed signs of “loneliness, fatigue, and problems in balancing time away for work with social and family time,” as a result of their work arrangements. The group’s recommendations to council included hiring local workers and increasing incentives for people to stay in the region.

Zariffa said the ongoing debate at council signifies a renewed interest in the topic, and that all the presentations have resulted in “good conversations,” particularly on invoking broader incentives that will keep workers in Fort McMurray and the surrounding region.

Council is planning to continue hearing presentations from delegates, followed by a final vote on the motion during Monday’s meeting.

Read more about: