Page 20 - Suncor 360 - Summer 2016

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WITH JUST THE SHIRTS
ON THEIR BACKS
How we worked with the community to provide shelter, supplies and solace
Photo courtesy of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
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SUMMER 2016
360
From the moment the res started May 3, Suncor team members stepped in to offer support in countless ways.
During the evacuation, efforts focused as much on providing refuge to community members as they did on supporting our impacted Suncor colleagues. Suncor lodges were opened to everyone in need, and ights out of the region – up to ve an hour – were made available to all, including dogs, cats and even a chinchilla.
“The employees at our lodges, and at the Aerodrome, were absolutely tremendous with the evacuees,” remembers Robin Aitken, manager, stakeholder and Aboriginal relations (SAR), Wood Buffalo. “Many people arrived with literally just the shirts
on their backs. Our lodge team members worked hard to ensure things like basic hygiene items were readily available and that people felt at home.
“Fort Hills even set up a children’s activity area and hosted daily movie times. Aerodrome staff were so well prepared. They had extra kennels on hand for animals without carriers. It made me proud to be a Suncor employee.”
In the following days, SAR maintained regular contact with the municipality, and leaders and staff from each of the Aboriginal communities in the area. In partnership with the Oil Sands Community Alliance (OSCA), they worked to offer assistance and connect communities to resources – whether the need was bottled water or getting supply trucks through to provide food and medications.