The Fort MacMurray Oilsands Dance Party drew a crowd on Saturday night at the banquet hall of the Sawridge Inn & Conference Centre, and everyone who attended had a great time. 30 different residents, politicians, and business leaders in the local community each spent a single minute explaining why the oilsands are special to them. Canada Action was the organization behind the We Love the Oilsands dinner and dance event. The organization was started last year by Cody Battershill, and it has been designated as a non profit. The last year has been rough for many Fort MacMurray residents and businesses as the oil industry has suffered a downturn. According to Battershill “As Canadians, we should be so frustrated and fired up we’re not getting full value. We’re not here to promote companies, we’re here to promote jobs for Canadians.”

The Fort MacMurray event drew in a crowd of more than 800 people, and the Oilands Dance Party was intended to benefit the local community and show why Fort MacMurray is so important to so many people. The crowd applauded at several points during the speeches by the community members and politicians. Some were humorous, some were blunt, but they all made an impression on the crowd and drew attention to Fort MacMurray. Battershill believes that the local community is important and stated “Coast to coast, you will see millions of Canadians have jobs in the natural resource sector. Although we’re going through a lower oil price environment, we’re still selling our oil for even less because we don’t have access to global markets.”