North to Fort McMurray

After a long drive up Highway 63 to Fort McMurray on Friday, we met with members of Fort McKay and Fort McMurray First Nations to hear their concerns about the oil/tar sands. Although their communities receive funding from the companies who operate in their territories, it is on a grant basis, not a reliable sustainable payment. The money is used to build Elder centres, youth centres, and run community programs, so the money is appreciated, but few native people actually work for industry. Fort McKay has its own business arm that supplies catering and health and safety services to the oil sands, but few of the employees actually belong to the community - they are mostly outsiders. In order to attract these outsiders, Fort McKay offers them new homes in the community - while many of their own people wait for housing. The reasons why the native people do not take jobs is complex: reluctance to work in the mines that destroy their land, lack of flexibility to attend community events or act as spiritual leaders, the availability of short-term jobs, drugs and alchohol. There is little contact between the Elders and their youth, meaning that their culture is not being taught, nor do they learn Cree or Dene in their schools or at home. These are conflicted communities, torn between taking what little they can get from industry while watching their communities break down because of the easy money and loss of their land. They feel very strongly that they are paying the price, but are not seeing the benefits of the oil sands development. And yet we also met a woman from Anzac who is working with industry to understand what is happening and to try to win some concession for the grassroots native people. There is great sadness, strength, and resilience in these people.

In the evening we met with church leaders in an informal setting. The woman I met (a Lutheran pastor) spoke of the stable community of people who came 30 years ago and are seeing their grandchildren grow up here. The people are very active in community events - there is a "Relay for Life" tonight, to raise money for cancer and they have over $120,000 pledged from a small remote municipality. Syncrude attends and supports most of the community events and is generous in supporting its employees with pensions, sick leave and compassionate leave. On the other hand, there is a quick turn-over of temporary and contract workers who have no commitment to the community, and last year the municipality applied for intervenor status at a hearing to argue against continued expansion until the infrastructure (housing, hospitals, schools, fire stations etc.) has caught up with the massive population growth. These people are proud of their community, but they also struggle with the pace of development.

On Saturday, we take two small charter planes (too small for luggage, so we must leave most of it in Fort McMurray and only take overnight bags). We will fly over the oil sand mines, to Fort Chipewyan to meet with the Dene, Cree and Metis communities. I look forward to this trip, as I think Fort Chipewyan is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

Walk cheerfully over the earth, seeking that of God in everyone (George Fox).

Dana Bush, Quaker Delegate