Jory Maccan has worked as a mechanic for an oil sands contractor for 10 years. Although he works just 40 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, Maccan has no plans to take up permanent residence there, instead preferring to commute.


Doege commutes all the way from London, Ont. after being unable to find a job there as an elementary school teacher. He wasn’t even able to get on the substitute-teaching list because of an oversupply of teachers in the region.


Given a turnaround allowance, he flies into Edmonton and takes a bus into camp. It’s a long commute but he is happy to have a good paying job.


“You are away from your family for nine days but the financial reward is there,” he explains.


The camp features a ‘Wall of Fame’ where workers can post family photographs to remind them why they need to make safety their first priority on the job.


Oil sands projects all around the Cold Lake and Fort McMurray region try to make their camps as comfortable as possible to keep workers coming back.


“The caliber of the rooms is outstanding,” says a YouTube video posted by Canadian Natural Resources about its accommodations at the Horizon oil sands project.


Each room has satellite television and there is a fully licensed lounge and Tim Hortons on site.


Husky’s Sunrise project accommodations, manufactured by ATCO, were designed to provide the comfort of home, with warm, rich colours and comfortable furnishings.


StatOil’s Leismer Lodge, located 150 kilometres from Fort McMurray, provides a free Starbucks outlet, a putting green and an electronic golf simulator.


The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, which encompasses the Fort McMurray area, issues development permits for camps. It lists a work camp population of 39,271 according to a 2012 census.


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