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Alberta Energy Minister Brian Jean says the provincial government will find ways to make energy companies replace their commuter workforce model with a priority on hiring people living in Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo.

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Jean said talks with major energy companies on the issue have been “very productive.” But if there’s no action on hiring locally soon, Jean warned the Alberta government will make those companies change their minds.

“Our government’s going to remove any actions that we have that currently incentivize camps. We want more people working close to their home. We just think that is the right answer for quality of life,” said Jean.

“The camps do not help people or families or communities. They help oilsands shareholders in different countries that don’t give a shit about us.”

Jean added he has spoken with the federal government about aerodromes used by energy companies to skip the Fort McMurray International Airport and fly workers directly to oilsands operations. He hinted he could go after a 2016 provincial directive to lower municipal property taxes that the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) charges oilsands operations.

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“I am not going to stop at any lever,” he said when asked about changing the tax rate as an incentive away from work camps.

“They rent the land from us, they get permission to put up a fence pole or a toilet, and they get the ability to renew it, and we get to decide what price they pay. I think there’s a lot of incentive in there.”

Fort McMurray ‘missing out’ on economic fortunes: Jean

The most recent municipal census found that in 2021, there were 30,504 commuters in the region. Only 2,358 of those transient workers lived in Fort McMurray. The rest were spread across 68 work camps.

Relying on commuter workers and work camps in the oilsands has been debated in Fort McMurray’s local politics for decades. Past mayors and councils, labour and business leaders, and some residents argue commuters profit from the oilsands and rely on local services without paying any taxes locally or contributing to the local economy.

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Don Scott, a former PC MLA who was mayor between 2017 and 2021, unsuccessfully tried rallying council to limit work camps in 2019. That move was opposed by the government of then-premier Jason Kenney.

“We absolutely hate it. People who work in the oilsands should be residents of the community,” said Omer Hussein, president of the Wood Buffalo and District Labour Council.

“We constantly have to provide them with services, but their purchasing power and ability to contribute to the economy and life of the community is diminished. Where do they spend all their money? Back where they came from.”

Jean has previously said work camps and transient workers limit developing cities and towns. In his recent interview, Jean argued commuters were preventing Fort McMurray from benefiting from record-high population and economic growth reported elsewhere in Alberta.

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“Fort McMurray is totally missing out and having one of the hardest times it’s had in my years of living there. It reminds me a lot of the ’80s but I think we had better services in place then,” said Jean.

“The amount of profits versus the amount left behind for local families, local workers and people is unconscionable. It’s not right they laid off people and they continue to fly people in and out. It’s not right. I’m disgusted by it.”

The last boom saw social services strained, housing shortages and rents that would now rival major cities. Jean argues Fort McMurray won’t face those pressures again if camps are closed. In the short term, rent and property is cheaper than during the boom days, and vacancies on rentals are high. Unlike the boom days, there is now plenty of land available for housing developments.

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Parsons Creek has land the RMWB prepared for housing shortly before the collapse of the last boom in late 2014. Keyano College owns 611 acres of land set aside for housing and commercial developments. The Fort McMurray Airport Authority is pitching to developers more than 650 acres of land.

“As someone that loves this region and knows it’s a great place to live, work and raise a family, we want as many people living here as possible, including workers that are living in oilsands project accommodations,” said a statement from Mayor Sandy Bowman, who has not reopened the debate since becoming mayor in 2021.

“We will continue to make investments in the community so that more people want to live here, and we remain in continual dialogue with industry partners about how to increase the localization of the workforce.”

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Warnings ’empty political rhetoric’ without action, details: AFL

Kendall Dilling, president of the Pathways Alliance, confirmed in a statement that finding ways to bring new residents and families into Fort McMurray has been discussed with Jean and the RMWB.

“Ultimately the collective future of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and the oilsands industry is intertwined,” said Dilling.