The fires at Fort McMurray have been a tragedy. Usually, in circumstances like these, where an environmental catastrophe happens, we’re used to hearing about the fallout at work – people not only lose their homes, but their jobs, income and way of life. However, in the case of Fort McMurray, there seems to be a different response for working people. As one spokesperson for Syncrude Canada Ltd. put it, “Our employees have looked after us so we’ll look after them.” Several of the oil sands corporations with employees in Fort McMurray have been offering interest-free loans, salary continuation, lump sum payments, and other forms of financial aid to employees displaced by the fire. We’re so used to wrongdoing by big companies in situations like this that the way oil sands producers are currently working for their employees is worth commending. It’s nice to see corporations do the right thing, especially in the face of such a monumental environmental disaster. Read more about it at The Globe and Mail.
Photo: An evacuee camp for the people who fled the Fort McMurray wildfires in Wandering River, Alberta, Canada, Monday May 9, 2016; Mark Blinch/THE CANADIAN PRESS