Stakeholder Engagement Actions |
 |
Regional Infrastructure
Thanks to the efforts of Syncrude and
other regional stakeholders, the Wood
Buffalo region has begun to see action
on a variety of infrastructure needs
brought on by rapid expansion in the oil
sands industry. Throughout 2005, the
stakeholders worked actively to make a
business case for provincial government
funding for transportation, utilities, health
and education infrastructure, and more
land for housing. In July, the regional
community hosted tours and briefings for
a group of 30 provincial Cabinet Ministers
and MLAs. A number of government
commitments were made in 2005 as
a result of stakeholder efforts:
- $530 million over five years for road and highway infrastructure
- planned release of 1,000 acres of Crown land to housing developers in three stages
- bridge financing for a wastewater treatment plant
- $2 million for an MRI diagnostic machine for the regional Health Centre
Aboriginal Development Program
Syncrude is strengthening its Aboriginal
Development Program following an
extensive stakeholder consultation
process in 2005. Stakeholders offered
comments and suggestions for
improvement in each of Syncrude’s six
Aboriginal Development commitment
areas, and these are enabling Syncrude to
plan targeted responses to expectations
and concerns.
An extensive discussion of this topic appears in Syncrude’s 2005 Aboriginal Review, at www.syncrude.com
Aboriginal Programs Reference Document
The Alberta Chamber of Resources has
documented Syncrude’s experience in
Aboriginal Development, and that of
other resource companies, in a new guide
to resource industry Aboriginal programs
called Learning from Experience. This
well-researched publication, which was
sponsored in part by Syncrude, captures
the wide range of programs used by
the resource industry to develop and
strengthen relations with Aboriginal
communities and increase the
participation of Aboriginal people
and businesses in the economy.
For more information, visit the Alberta Chamber of Resources website:
www.acr-alberta.com
Mining Industry Reporting Benchmarks
In 2005, Syncrude’s ongoing work as
a leader of the Mining Association of
Canada’s Towards Sustainable Mining
initiative led to the establishment of
benchmarking standards for mining
industry reporting. These standards
focus on Tailings Management, Energy
and Greenhouse Gas Management,
Crisis Communications and
Communities of Interest (Stakeholder
Relations) protocols.
For more information, visit the Mining Association of Canada website:
www.mining.ca
Fort McKay Community Beautification Project
Syncrude’s ongoing work with
Fort McKay to meet the goals of the
community’s Long Term Plan resulted
in the completion of a community
beautification project that also served
to remove public safety hazards.
With respect to safety, for example,
large pieces of scrap metal and unused
vehicles were removed from various
locations and sent for recycling.
Reclamation Stewardship
The success of a weeklong campout
with Elders and youth from Fort McKay
on their traditional lands has prompted
Syncrude to continue the practice.
Our manager of reclamation and other
members of the reclamation team
participated in the event. It enhanced
Syncrude’s understanding of traditional
environmental knowledge and will aid
Syncrude in incorporating, for example,
edible and medicinal plants into our
reclamation plans and activities.
Student Teachers for Fort McKay
Financial and in-kind support from
Syncrude is helping the Fort McKay
Community School meet its identified
need for more teaching resources. The
support has enabled the school to attract
up to three student teachers per term
from the University of Alberta through to
the end of the 2006-07 school year. The
teachers will be available for one-on-one
interaction with the students and will
also deliver literacy and early childhood
education programs. The initiative aims
to improve educational outcomes, thereby
increasing the region’s future workforce
supply at the same time.
Contractor Emergency Procedures
In the aftermath of a May 20th, 2005
highway traffic collision some 350 km
south of Fort McMurray that claimed
the lives of six employees of companies
contracted by Syncrude, and injured
23 others who had been working on
the Syncrude site, procedures have
been implemented to ensure proper
identification of passengers travelling
on buses chartered by Syncrude.
The move follows a post-incident debrief
involving Syncrude and representatives
from its contractor companies. The
debrief found that while the coordinated
response to the tragedy was largely
effective, ensuring increased adherence
to policies on passenger identification
will allow Syncrude and its contractors
to provide timely response and support
for individuals and families involved.
Emergency contact procedures for
contractors have also been enhanced.
|
symbol.