A commuter policy set by Suncor Energy for the Fort Hills project has some area residents concerned, but the energy company has defended this policy as one that is necessary given the location of the project. An estimated 2,000 jobs will be created but the Fort Hills project is very remotely located, situated near the start of the Fort Chipewyan winter road. This makes a daily commute to the work site almost impossible. Instead Suncor has set a camp based policy which flies workers in and out on a rotating schedule. This means that Fort McMurray residents will probably not find employment at this project even though the area is one of the closest communities to the location.

Sneh Seetal, a spokesperson for Suncor Energy, defended the commuter policy on the Forest Hills project as a necessary one. “It’s not practical or safe for daily commuting. We aren’t set up for that type of commuting.” Council members and business owners in Fort McMurray have expressed concern over the impact that the commuter policy will have on local residents who are searching for employment. One council member, Colleen Tatum, won the last election in part because of her dedication to reducing the commuters to local work camps. Tatum told reporters that she has had an overwhelming number of local residents contact her about this, however Tatum also acknowledged that employment hiring decisions by independent companies can not be controlled by the municipality. “If there’s some kind of barrier to overcome – like if there is a problem with the Fort McMurray airport layout or if they need a central bus hub built – if we could get clarification to what it will take to hire local, we would welcome that. I’m aware Fort Hills would require people to live in camps, but I don’t know why it’s so bad to let someone commute to the camps from Fort McMurray.”