Alberta Oil Sands – The Stakeholder Groups

Stakeholder / Background information
1)Residents downstream of Athabasca river near FortChipewyan
(Francois Paulette, George Poitras, and the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation) /  this group represents the people living in the region around the oil sands development
 many have taken a leadership role in making the voice of these residents heard and taking their issues/concerns to the provincial and federal governments as well as the media
2)Dr. John O'Connor /  the former medical examiner and community physician serving the residents of Athabasca river who left FortChipewyan in 2007
 in 2006 this doctor called on Alberta Health to study the cancer rates in FortChipewyan, and to investigate what link they might have to oil sands development
3)Fishermen working in the area near the oil sands industry /  this group represents the people that make a living by fishing in the region of oil sands development
 fishermen have been reporting deformities, lesions and tumours in fish living in the Athabasca river
4)Oil Sands Industry /  this group represents Alberta's seven oilsands companies including Syncrude, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., Suncor Energy, Imperial Oil, Shell Canada, Teck Resources and Total E&P Canada
 these companies lead the commercial development of the oil sands in Alberta
 they produce crude oil from the raw material bitumen in Alberta’s oil sands
5)Persons employed by the oil sandsindustry or organizations in partnerships with the oil sands industry /  this group includes any person/organization that is employed directly/indirectly by the development of the oil sands in Alberta (drillers, engineers, construction companies, skilled workers, steel manufacturers, truck companies, etc.)
6)Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) andOil Sands Development Group (OSDG) /  the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) represents companies that explore for, develop and produce natural gas and crude oil throughout Canada
 CAPP’s mission is to enhance the economic sustainability of the Canadian petroleum industry in a safe and environmentally and socially responsible manner
 they work with governments, the public and stakeholders in the communities in which these industries operate
 their goals include to facilitate continued improvement in environment, health and safety performance while maintaining a viable industry
 OSDG represents oil sands operators and developers
 OSDG works in cooperation with related industries, government, Aboriginal peoples, and other organizations active in the Athabasca oil sands region
 they work to address regional issues related to oil sands development, and to communicate accurate, credible information about Athabasca oil sands activity
7) Regional Aquatic Monitoring Program (RAMP) in Alberta /  the Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program (RAMP) is a science-based and results-focused environmental monitoring program
 the program strives to achieve an understanding of potential effects of oil sands development on aquatic systems
 RAMP also works to address specific issues important to communities of the region
8)Critiques of RAMP and other monitoring companies employed by the oil sands industry /  this group is represented by Canada’s Auditor General, the Royal Society of Canada, and a panel of experts appointed by federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice
 they reveal a decade of incompetent pollution monitoring, paid for by industry, in Alberta’s oil sands
9)Alberta Government
(for example: Ed Stelmach former Premier of the Province of Alberta) /  dismisses the environmental impact of the oil sands as "a myth"
 has encouraged the media and the public to explore the reality of unconventional oil
 in February 2009, Alberta released a 20-year plan for addressing the economic, social, and environmental challenges and opportunities in the oil sands region
10) Alberta oil sands investors/purchasers /  this group represents the countries (i.e. U.S., China, India, Norway, South Korea) that invest in and/or receive/purchase oil mined in the Alberta oil sands
 these countries rely on this crude oil source for their country’s energy needs
11) Researchers investigating the concentration of pollutants/chemicals in the air & water around the oil sands industry (professor Schindler’s research team; toxicologist-Dr. Gina Solomon; mercury expert Erin Kelly; wildlife biologist Kevin Timoney) /  this group represents researchers and scientists who have published and/or reported on how the oil sands industry has contributed to the increased concentration of pollutants/chemicals in the air and water in the region of the oil sands development
12)Environmentalists
(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association; NRDC – Rethink Alberta; climatologists; Mike Hudema and Greenpeace) /  this group reports on and critiques the scale and pace of oil sands development with a focus on the ensuing environmental implications
 highlight the risks of pursuing high-carbon products such as bitumen
 aim is to minimize the environmental risks and liabilities of bitumen and to encourage all stakeholders to think critically about oil consumption