A new pilot project has been proposed to boost highway safety on highway 63 and highway 881 by securing overtime funding so that additional officers can patrol both highways. Both 63 and 881 link to the oilsands in the region, and there have been a number of serious and fatal accidents in recent years. According to The Coalition for a Safer 63 & 881 the funding for the overtime expenses would be covered by the membership of the group, and the goal of the coalition is to provide for a maximum of 900 additional overtime hours for officer overtime expenses to patrol both highways involved. ConocoPhilips, Suncor, and Syncrude are all members of the coalition. Highways 63 and 881 are an important part of the oilsands infrastructure and the coalition hopes to improve safety on these roads.

Debbie Hammond, the coalition executive director, discussed the pilot project for officer overtime and highway safety. Hammond explained that “We as industry are at the table with our partners, looking to be part of the solution to safety on the highways.” During shutdown season traffic can increase by thousands of people and that means more safety issues as more people travel these roads. Hammond stated that the coalition wants to help and that they are not trying to send a message or make a point, and she reassured the public that the coalition would provide the funding and the money would not have to come from the municipality coffers. Hammond told the media that “There’s not an infinite amount of money to go around. We know the federal and provincial governments have priorities across our province and country,” she said. “Industry feels it’s important to be a part of this. We want a collaborative relationship with our government and feel this is the right approach.”