I have spent a great deal of my life in Fort McMurray; living there and working in the oil sands. Almost 30 years so far.

For a large part of that time, since 1979, I’ve been with Syncrude. Several years ago, though, Syncrude allowed me to spend a significant portion of my time working with The Oil Sands Developers Group (OSDG) or, as it was known then, the Athabasca Regional Issues Working Group (RIWG). I am proud to be the President of the group, representing our almost 30 members – companies engaged in the responsible development of the oil sands in the Athabasca oil sands region.

A large part of my role as President right now is to improve the level of knowledge about the oil sands among those interested in discussing the development of the oil sands. It’s an important discussion, or debate, if you prefer, with many facets, and the quality of the debate is linked to the quality of the information available. OSDG, and I, are working hard to improve the quality of the debate by providing facts about what the oil sands industry is doing, not just to contribute to the economy, but to address the environmental concerns being raised about the development.