A University of Alberta study indicated negative impacts of the fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) workforce on Fort McMurray.
Little interaction with the community and strain of infrastructure are the two areas where the FIFO workforce can really affect the community.
“If a person isn’t interacting with the community, their ability to develop attachment to that community is diminished,” said Leith Deacon, assistant professor in the project. “There is no meaningful way for FIFO workers to develop this attachment—especially if you take a bus from your residence to site everyday. Your transportation and food are provided. You don’t go to a coffee shop or a grocery store.”
Although a contrasting study done by the Oilsands Community Alliance (OSCA) in march indicates rotational workers spent between $82 and $91 million in Fort McMurray last year, there are certain services, like health care, that they are not paying for with their tax dollars and are therefore overburdening local infrastructure.
The researcher done by the UofA indicates that these issues could be solved if there were more opportunities for FIFO workers to becoming involved into the community.
To address the issue city council has tried to bring the matter into their own hands and local oilsands company, Syncrude also partnered with the Regional Recreation Corporation to give contract workers free passes to MacDonald Island park so they could recharge and see a bit of what the community has to offer.
A follow-up study by one of Deacon’s master’s students outlined recreation and leisure opportunities as a way for getting FIFO workers involved in the community, making the community more sustainable.
