Wildfire Situation – May 20, 2016 – 7PM

With people safely evacuated from the region and our operations currently on hold, now is the time to reflect on the events of this past week.

On May 16, at the time of scheduled flights and shift changes, we were assured conditions were favourable from both our monitoring and provincial support, and that our employees and operational sites were safe. We were confident the fire was under control on the west side of the river and had contingencies in place to protect the safety of the workforce before we started putting people back into our operations.

There’s no denying we faced some challenges. Rapidly changing weather and fire conditions prompted the safe shutdown of Base Plant and relocation of employees to the north. Adding to the frustration of people who may have been evacuated for a second time, were the complexities of flight schedules and lodge logistics.

As we develop our plans for remobilization, we reflect on our values which are rooted in safety above all else – the safety of people, the environment and our assets – in that order. These priorities will continue to drive the decisions we make as we mobilize back to site for the safe restart of our operations and the rebuild of our community.

Here is the latest update on a few key topics:

Path forward

• We’re working on a planned, staged remobilization to Base Plant, Firebag, MacKay River and East Tank Farm when we’re satisfied that it is safe to do so. Earliest date for a small number of employees to return is Monday, May 23 (with the exception of some employees who may have been asked to remain on standby).
• Fort Hills is the exception. Based on the assessment of conditions related to the regional wildfire situation, we will continue the mobilizing and ramp-up of Fort Hills. This site, to date, has not been directly at risk to the wildfire in the region.
• We will take a staged approach to all of our remobilization efforts, which will begin with the reintroduction of essential personnel first. Larger numbers of employees will be mobilized as it is appropriate. Starting Sunday, May 22, we plan to provide daily updates on mobilization by 7:00 p.m. at suncor.com/fort-mcmurray-fires and our Suncor Facebook page.

Personal belongings

• We are working on a plan to assist in helping you reunite with possessions that may have been left behind as quickly and efficiently as possible.
• We will provide you with updates and as much information as we can when it becomes available.