Suncor mandates Fort McMurray residency for some oilsands maintenance workers
Decision affects roughly 200 positions and marks a shift away from fly-in-fly-out model championed by provincial officials.
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Suncor Energy is requiring some maintenance workers contracted for oilsands operations to be Fort McMurray residents, affecting approximately 200 positions.
In a Thursday statement, Suncor said it issued a letter to a limited group of maintenance vendors performing work in fixed plant operations, whose roles the company believes can be supported through a more localized workforce. The company did not specify timelines, which contractors will be impacted, or whether the requirement will expand beyond the initial 200 positions.
Fort McMurray community leaders are calling the decision a victory. Dianna De Sousa, president of the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce, said local and business leaders have been pitching the community as a place for oilsands workers to live for years. "Certainly population growth will be the trigger for a number of items," she told CBC News, noting the region has endured a slow period over the past decade with limited economic activity.
Energy Minister Brian Jean praised the move in a statement, saying he hopes other oilsands companies will follow. In 2024, Jean said the fly-in-fly-out model is "hollowing out" resource communities like Fort McMurray.
The 2025 census for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo shows more than 21,000 transient workers living in work camps, representing a 22 percent drop from 2021. Fort McMurray's population grew 1.6 percent in 2025, the first growth in 10 years. Mayor Sandy Bowman has said more people are choosing to live long-term in the community and start families.