Head in the tar sands

Fires, floods, COVID-19, layoffs and, some say, “the carbon tax”: Calamities have befallen the oil sands capital, Fort McMurray, in recent years. Despite everything, Patricia Montour-Farberman did not think two seconds to close shop.

The workwear store owner believes Fort McMurray’s best days are yet to come. “I wouldn’t have two stores if I thought there was no future here. We’ve been through it all – the fire, the flood, yes oil, no oil – and I think Fort McMurray has learned to do well, no matter what, ”she argues. on all sides by combinations in garish colors. Employees of oil giants like Syncrude, or contractors, stock up on equipment at her Franklin Avenue business, where she found refuge after her main store was engulfed under nearly two meters of water. water almost a year and a half ago.

Even the promise of the leaders of federal political parties to fight – each in their own way – against climate change fails to dampen the morale of the businesswoman. “The oil and gas folks have been improving the practices of this industry for twenty years. Do you think they are not aware of new ways to design an even cleaner product? Of course they are. You know, everything changes, ”says Patricia Montour-Farberman confidently, still struggling to explain the reluctance of Canadians – and their political leaders – to side with Canadian oil.

Outside, the candidate for Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) Laila Goodridge campaigns over fears of re-election of “another government of Justin trudeau for [la] region – and more particularly [le] oil and gas sector ”which provides a living for the majority of the people in the riding of Fort McMurray – Cold Lake. “Trudeau’s Liberals do not understand or respect the West, and our party has the experience and the national presence to ensure that Alberta’s voice is heard and respected,” she pleads in the neighborhoods plush homes and mobile homes, where many workers from across Canada have found a foothold, dotting the “real North”.

In fact, the highest paid Canadians in the country are found in the riding of Fort McMurray – Cold Lake – a Conservative stronghold – according to the latest Statistics Canada census (2016). “I receive beautiful gifts at Christmas from my brother [qui a trouvé du travail dans une pétrolière] », Says Nadia all smiles on the way to university. “However, from time to time he has to climb the steps of the stairs, then the ladders to the top of the high towers. I don’t understand how he does it! “

And the climate?

Despite the scientific community’s call to leave the vast majority (84%) of oil reserves from the tar sands intact, the oil companies are running at full steam on either side of Route 63, 30 minutes from pick-up north of central Fort McMurray. Flames shoot up and steam escapes to the sky. A harsh odor envelops the area. Imitation gunshots break up the monotony of the background noise at regular intervals – resembling an airplane jet set in the distance – to deter birds from taking up residence in the polluted water pools nearby.

Retired telecommunications technician Brian brought his friends Bob, Cheryll and Almer from Grande Prairie to the middle of the Syncrude Loop (“Syncrude loop “). They gaze at the facilities of Syncrude, which has taken over more than 100,000 hectares of oil sands fields. They urge the next federal government to prioritize Canadian oil over that of the “OPEC dictatorships,” the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, by relaunching pipeline projects like Energy East and Keystone XL, and gas pipelines like LNG Quebec, while promoting the energy transition. “Yes, we must reduce GHG emissions,” agrees the quartet of young retirees.

Industry proponents, for their part, like to repeat that the oil from the tar sands of northern Alberta is the cleanest there is. By being innovative – fueling machinery deployed in oil sands fields with natural gas rather than petroleum coke, for example – oil companies can reduce their GHG emissions without slowing down production. Brian, Bob, Cheryll and Almer believe them.

Oil malaise

Professor Nositall greets visitors to the Oil Sands Discovery Center on Highway 63 in Fort McMurray. “You will discover how companies use the most modern technologies to locate oil sands deposits underground,” he repeats in a video whose bill is outdated. The bitumen is then mined from “Alberta’s amazing oil sands”, then turned into synthetic crude oil and piped to refineries. “Fascinating! »Launches the mustached man behind the screen, before inviting the curious to browse the exhibition hall.

The places are plunged into darkness. Felicity poses in front of the oversized wheel of Suncor’s 24 transport truck, for which the tar sands along the Arthabaska River held no secrets. The Ontario resident is spending a few days in Fort McMurray at the invitation of her son and daughter-in-law, who will celebrate their wedding.

After spending his early childhood in a sandbox – a plastic green turtle – her son studied engineering and then found a job in the tar sands, she says. Today, he is mainly busy revitalizing the vast areas that have been emptied of their tar sands by giant drills, before being filled with tailings, explains Felicity, poorly hiding his pride in her son.

A few days before the elections, environmental protection is at the heart of his concerns. “I don’t think too much about climate change. If you think about it, I think it will drive you crazy, ”she says, leaning against information panels on the environmental practices of the oil sands industry. “All I can do as an individual is make a contribution. “

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