Oil Sands Truth: Shut Down the Tar Sands

Gender

Gender impacts are often completely ignored within the hollow social impact assessments often conducted in the modern era. Oil patches and natural gas operations are overwhelmingly operated by young men who naturally go into small towns nearby after weeks in the bush. Alcohol and/or drug fuelled violence and rape often increase in communities dealing with such an influx, as do drug use, alcoholism and sexual exploitation. The effect on the community leads to further social breakdown and often violence against elders—especially after the “rush” of initial construction is over and the spike in money is gone, but the torn up earth is still there, along with fatherless children in many cases. The higher the rate in inequality and alienation during a "boom" cycle, the higher the levels of gender-biased impacts. The plans for the tar sands are the single largest project, and therefore "boom" based "collateral damage" could easily match anything seen before.

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In Alberta, Cocaine Easier to Buy than Pizza

Cocaine easier to buy than pizza
Drugs, alcohol plague transient workers living on fringes of oilpatch boom towns
Amanda Ferguson, The Edmonton Journal
Published: 2:05 am
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=cd92c68f-21d9-4...

Even when living in the remote work camps of northern Alberta, Ken was never far from his next fix.

If cocaine wasn't being used inside his camp of 3,000 oil workers in the outskirts of Fort McMurray, it lingered just outside in the pockets of the drug dealers who prowled outside the gates like predators.

Suncor Executive to take Charge of Social Problems in Fort Muck?

Oilpatch fox to watch tar sands henhouse

Oil executives shouldn't run a key government agency, even temporarily.
Dateline: Monday, August 20, 2007
http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature7.cfm?REF=427
by Sheila Pratt for The Edmonton Journal

Ed Stelmach took some good advice last winter and set up an oilsands secretariat to help manage the serious growth problems in Fort McMurray caused by the rapid expansion of the oilsands. Good idea, long overdue.

Booms Housing Crisis Leading Women into Survival Sex Trade

Housing woes lead to sex trade: advocate
June 18, 2007
http://www.sextradeworkersofcanada.com/sex%20trade/News/detail.asp?iData...
By CARTER HAYDU , SPECIAL TO SUN MEDIA

Mary Jane St. Savard checks Marvin Ross's hair at their tent behind the Bissell Centre on 96st and 105 ave. A large group of people have set up tents on the empty field after police and park rangers moved them off various other locations.

Skyrocketing rents are forcing some women into the "survival sex trade," warns one advocate for prostitutes.

Tar Sand Workers Cruising down to Edmonton?

Ft. Mac workers cruising in city?
CP - 5/31/2006
By FRANK LANDRY, CITY HALL BUREAU
http://www.sextradeworkersofcanada.com/sex%20trade/News/detail.asp?iData...

The head of a city group that targets johns says oilsands workers making big bucks "working in the bush" are regularly cruising down to Edmonton and buying sex.

Kate Quinn, executive director of the Prostitution Awareness and Action Foundation of Edmonton (PAAFE), said her group will approach oil companies about going into Fort McMurray to talk to employees about the harms of prostitution.

Ricardo Acuna on Non-Consensus in the Tar Sands Multi-Stakeholder Committee

http://www.straightgoods.ca/ViewFeature7.cfm?REF=410

Oil Sands Committee reports back

It is time for the Stelmach government to pick a side: public or industry.

Dateline: Tuesday, August 07, 2007

by Ricardo Acuna

Last week, the Alberta Government released the much anticipated final report and recommendations of the Oil Sands Multi-Stakeholder Committee — the committee charged with carrying out a broad-based consultation with Albertans and making recommendations on the future of the Alberta tar sands.

Homelessness in Fort McMurray

Image being addressed
http://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/Local%20News/328436.html

By MATTHEW HEINDL
Today staff
Friday August 03, 2007

The need for a homeless shelter for youth was broached at a homeless strategy session in Fort McMurray Thursday, but it wasn’t adopted as one of the areas identified as immediate priorities.

The World's Most Expensive Babysitters

The World's Most Expensive Babysitters
By Tom Dyson
August 6, 2007
http://www.dailywealth.com/archive/2007/aug/2007_aug_06.asp

Today, I heard the story of Angela.

Angela is 17 years old. Recently, she was offered $3,500 per month to babysit three children for a few hours after school each day while the parents work late. Two of the children are grown up. The third is a toddler. The toddler sleeps. The other two children take care of themselves. Angela watches TV, does her homework, then goes home. That's it.

"Alberta's inflation is everyone's interest"

Alberta's inflation is everyone's interest
MICHAEL MENDELSON
Globe and Mail Update
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070711.wcomment0712...
July 11, 2007 at 11:45 PM EDT

Locals lose out in Alberta's oil boom

Locals lose out in Alberta's oil boom
By Ian McKinnon and Reg Curren Bloomberg News
Published: June 12, 2007
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/11/bloomberg/bxoil.php

CALGARY: Marilynn Sjulstad says she is experiencing the pain of an oil-fueled economic boom in Alberta while deriving little benefit from it.

Sjulstad, a 57-year-old Edmonton resident who has arthritis and fibromyalgia, says her rent will soon jump 27 percent - five times the increase in her monthly disability check.

Three-year Suncor contract gets nod from union workers

Three-year Suncor contract gets nod from union workers
UPDATED: 2007-07-06 01:53:16 MST
By CP

http://calsun.canoe.ca/Business/2007/07/06/4317550-sun.html

FORT McMURRAY -- About half of unionized workers at Suncor Energy Inc. near Fort McMurray have voted in favour of a new three-year contract.

Members of the Communications Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP) Local 707 approved an agreement including a wage increase of 7% in the first year and 6% in each of the following two years, as well as a $4,000 lump sum payment.