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Suncor Energy is requiring some maintenance workers contracted to work in the oilsands to be Fort McMurray residents.
A Thursday statement from the company says this could affect about 200 positions. However, community leaders in Fort McMurray call the decision a victory to encourage oilsands companies to prioritize local workers.
“Last month, Suncor issued a letter to a limited group of maintenance vendors who perform work in our fixed plant operations and whose work we believe could be supported through a more localized workforce,” read a statement from Suncor to CBC News.
Suncor did not answer CBC News’ questions on timelines, which contractors will be impacted or if there are plans to expand beyond the 200 positions.
The 2025 census for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) says there are more than 21,000 transient workers living in work camps dotting the oilsands region. This represents a 22 per cent drop from the 2021 census.
Dianna De Sousa, president of the Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce, said the municipality and local business leaders have been pitching the community as a place for oilsands workers to live for years.
While the number of positions impacted is small, De Sousa says she hopes it means the community grows at a slow, steady pace matching housing and infrastructure needs.
A view of Franklin Avenue in downtown Fort McMurray, as seen from the Jubilee Centre on June 11, 2026. (Vincent McDermott/CBC)
“We’ve had a longstanding period over 10 years of not a lot of economic activity and anything will be good for the region,” she told CBC News. “Certainly population growth will be the trigger for a number of items.”
Energy Minister Brian Jean also praised the news in a statement. Jean said in 2024 that the fly-in-fly-out model is “hollowing out” resource communities like Fort McMurray.
“This is a good start and we hope that other oilsands companies will follow this best practice,” Jean said in a Thursday statement.
“If more companies follow positive changes like this, it will help create stronger local communities across Alberta and ensure the economic value from these projects stays in our province.”
Energy and Minerals Minister Brian Jean speaks at Legacy Dodge Field in Fort McMurray during a press conference announcing Fort McMurray as the host of the 2028 Alberta Summer Games. (Vincent McDermott/CBC)
Work camps in the oilsands have been a polarizing issue in Fort McMurray’s local politics. In 2019, then-mayor Don Scott unsuccessfully attempted to ban work camps within 75 kilometres of Fort McMurray.
Scott argued at the time that work camps were growing at an unsustainable rate while economic uncertainty was shrinking Fort McMurray’s population.
Mayor Sandy Bowman has said at past events he is in favour of offering incentives luring workers to the community instead of banning work camps.
In March, Bowman told the chamber of commerce that more people are choosing to live long-term in Fort McMurray and start families. Census data for 2025 shows the population grew for the first time in 10 years with a 1.6 per cent jump.
“We won’t stop until we see neighbourhoods coming up, new houses being built,” said Bowman. “Those days are coming, I can guarantee you those days are coming. It’s a slow growth and that’s what we need in this community.”