Aboriginal Relations

We are proud to be one of the largest employers of Aboriginal people in Canada.

• Through our Aboriginal Development program, we focus on the following six key commitment areas: corporate leadership, employment, business development, education and training, community development and the environment.
• Syncrude is one of 11companies in Canada, and the only oil sands company, to be accredited at the Gold Level in the Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) Program of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. PAR measures corporate performance in Aboriginal employment, business development, capacity development and community relations. Find out more at their website.
• We directly employ around 470 Aboriginal people who represent over 8% of our total employee population. Many more are employed by our contractors.
• Syncrude provides significant opportunity to Aboriginal-owned businesses in the Wood Buffalo region. Since 1992, we have conducted over $1.4 billion in total business volume with Aboriginal companies.
• Syncrude regularly conducts tours of reclamation areas for representatives from Fort McKay. As well, we are working closely with Elders from the community to ensure the re-establishment of native tree species of interest to Aboriginal stakeholders. Species now successfully being re-introduced include low-bush cranberry, blueberry and buffalo berry.
• Each year, Syncrude produces the Aboriginal Review – an update on our work in the area of Aboriginal relations and a comprehensive overview of our performance in the six key commitment areas. This review can downloaded from the selections on the left.