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Total E&P Prez emphasizes commitment to community

Hear MyMcMurray’s Tyler King speak with Total E&P Canada President Jean-Michel Gires here: [audio:http://pmd.country933.com/audio/tyler-news/king-jmgires-march15.mp3]

The president of Total E&P Canada says there is room to improve his company’s involvement in the local community.

At the Chamber of Commerce’s annual AGM yesterday, Jean-Michel Gires says his company wants to be a part of the municipality’s redevelopment.

“The community here is going for a new phase,” he said. “After already so many previous phases in the last 40 years or so, with a lot of growth, new players, new needs, and that’s why we welcome exchange of ideas on how we organize that, and how we need to plan.”

He says he thinks his company can help by encouraging more employees to live in Fort McMurray rather than flying in and out.

Gires also says it needs to be less difficult to get new oil sands projects started.

He says that issue cropped up during their long wait to start work on the Joslyn North mine.

“It took us close to six years altogether,” he said. “By any type of international standard, I would consider this a pretty long period.”

“Is it possible to reform, reorganize that, and have a more efficient process? I want to believe this is [possible].”

Total is hoping to start up its Joslyn North mine by 2016.

Published March 16, 2012