Community Involvement

Community Investment Highlights

Syncrude's investments in the community amounted to $4.2 million in 2007. A variety of projects were supported (view data).

  • $125,000 was donated to the Fort McMurray YMCA Sport and Cultural Enrichment preschool program in lieu of gifts to employees that are traditionally presented at Syncrude's periodic Employee Forums. The gesture in support of the YMCA reflects the generosity of employees toward community causes.
  • A donation of $300,000 over three years to the Science Alberta Foundation commenced in 2007. It will support the Foundation's Science-in-a-Crate program, which provides classroom learning tools to Alberta schools. Aboriginal schools in the Wood Buffalo region will get priority access to the crates.
  • $45,000 was donated to the Keyano College Foundation to purchase a SimMan for the College's Emergency Medical Technician program. The SimMan is a portable and realistic simulation of a human patient and is used in student training exercises.
  • Continued support of $160,000 was provided to the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre for the purchase of medical equipment.

    Community investment program

    Community investment program

Support For Emergency Response

Support For Emergency Response

When all of the city's fire crews were called to respond to a major blaze in a downtown Fort McMurray apartment building in April 2007, Syncrude's firefighters and paramedics quickly filled in the resulting gap by staffing the empty fire stations, ready to handle any other emergency that might have come up. The action was in keeping with a mutual aid agreement between the region's municipal government and oil sands operators such as Syncrude. Under the same agreement, Syncrude firefighters and their emergency equipment also responded to a June fire at the Elders Centre and daycare in Fort Mckay.

Day Of Caring Helps The Hungry

During the Christmas season, 35 employees volunteered their time to support the community Food Bank as part of the Syncrude Food Bank Drive. In addition to the hands-on support, Syncrude also donated $50,000 as part of its three-year commitment to the Food Bank. The drive raised a total of more than $250,000 and 46 tonnes of food.

Supporting WISEST Women

Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology (WISEST) is a University of Alberta-based organization that aims to increase participation among women in science and engineering studies and careers. The group's work includes a six-week summer research experience in university labs for high school students from western and northern Canada. In 2007, Syncrude sponsored the participation of three students from Fort McMurray.

Leadership Wood Buffalo

Leadership Wood Buffalo

Leadership Wood Buffalo works to build community capacity by training the next generation of community leaders to take on the challenges and opportunities facing the region in the years ahead. Leadership Wood Buffalo received $25,000 from Syncrude to help establish and implement its program of leadership training. Two Syncrude employees—Marlene Lane and Jason Coady—participated in the course based on their leadership skills, commitment to Fort McMurray, and their willingness to get involved in the community. Along with 15 other participants, they completed their studies in May 2007.

 

The Wood Buffalo region is facing significant social and infrastructure pressures due to robust growth.

Medical equipment. Classroom learning tools. Emergency medical technician training. Preschool programs. These are just some of the ways that our investment of $4.2 million dollars benefited our community in 2007.

Syncrude’s United Way employee campaign
surpassed its 2007 goal of
$1 million

corporate and employee donations to the united way

donations United Way

Contributions
To The United Way

Contributions to United Way

In May 2007, the United Way of Fort McMurray honoured Syncrude with an award for Outstanding Campaign Organization and another award recognizing Syncrude's Days of Caring volunteer program, which saw employees volunteer at the local SPCA, the Fort McKay School and the Fort McMurray Food Bank. Later in the year, Syncrude's United Way employee campaign surpassed its 2007 goal of $1 million. the campaign also reached new records for employee participation and the average value of pledges.

Diane Faulkner

Diane Faulkner was one of 30 Syncrude volunteers who assisted the Fort McKay school in painting everything from lockers to doors to shoe racks. 


Community Programs 1
2007 2006 2005 2004 2003
Corporate Giving ($) 2 4,234,724 4,315,650 2,693,478 2,777,700 2,852,740
Consultation
and Monitoring ($) 3		 3,579,930 3,023,785 2,940,597 3,962,000 4,201,000
  1. Includes donations made under the Community Investment Program, Aboriginal Community Investment Program, sponsorships, and gifts in kind.
  2. Syncrude's corporate giving program is governed by corporate policy and program guidelines to ensure the funds are administered and expended in keeping with Syncrude business objectives and community need.
  3. Figures shown include Syncrude funding for Aboriginal Industry Relations Corporations; the Athabasca Tribal Council; and community monitoring and management groups including the Regional Issues Working Group, Wood Buffalo Environmental Association, Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program, and Cumulative Effects Management