Fueling More Than The Economy: The Community Investments of the Canadian Oil and Gas Sector

Anti-development advocates and those who oppose Canada’s energy sector often argue that our oil and gas industry is all about profit. The mainstream narrative often appears to be centered solely around the profits from oil and gas companies.

A writer for the Guardian wrote in an op-ed about how oil and gas companies across the globe do not look several generations down the road, and only care about profits, putting aside any environmental concerns. 

A Canadian advocacy group by the name of Environmental Defence Canada, in a 2019 editorial, wrote that “Big Oil is willing to sacrifice the health of Canadians, the lives of the global poor, and the future of their children and the planet, as long as they can sell more oil.” 

However, this conversation must be more nuanced, as we often forget an important element: How much money generated by oil and natural gas companies goes back to the community? 

In Canada, it is clear that our energy sector contributes significantly to the economy. In 2022, Canada’s oil and gas industry created an estimated $48B in government revenue, through royalties and taxes. 

That’s revenue towards social programs, schools, hospitals, roads, parks, hockey rinks, and much more.

Outside of taxes and royalties, oil and gas companies reinvest in communities nationwide through social initiatives, charity works, and more. 

Did you know… 

That the expansion of the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering was made possible through funding by one of Canada’s largest crude oil and natural gas companies? 

That the OWN.CANCER campaign’s largest ever corporate donation of $5M came from a Canadian oil and gas company?

That a Canadian oil and gas company invested over $150K to protect burrowing owl habitat, an Alberta species-at-risk?

That over the past 6 years, a Canadian oil and gas company has donated over $200K to the Beaverlodge Recreation Centre, now known as the NuVista Energy Recreation Centre, in Beaverlodge, Alberta? 

That since September 2013, the Pace  Community  Support, Sexual Assault & Trauma Centre in Grande Prairie has received over $65K from a Canadian oil and gas company?

That in 2022, a Canadian oil and gas company donated $ 750,000 to MindFuel, an organization that works on providing youth with the skills, confidence, and learning environments to foster STEM and innovation knowledge development?

That in 2022, an oil and gas company made a $100K donation to a local hockey rink in Saskatchewan? 

That a Canadian oil and gas company raised over $1.07M for “United Way”, an organization that gives communities in Ontario access to vital social services that change their lives for the better.

That a Canadian oil and gas company funded, in 2023, a $3.2M First Nations Emergency Response Building in Saskatchewan?

That in 2023, a Canadian oil and gas company committed $10.2M in Local Children’s Hospitals in Denver, the Woodlands, and in  Calgary.

These are just 10 examples out of so many that show that in Canada, we are lucky enough to have an energy sector that cares about the well-being of the communities it operates in. 

Through these 10 examples alone, that’s $20.735M invested in our communities.

These examples of corporate donations, investments, and support for initiatives such as education, healthcare, environmental conservation, and community development, underscore the vital role played by the energy sector in contributing to and strengthening the social fabric of Canadian communities.

And so when you hear that our energy sector only cares about money, and that it does not contribute much to the development of communities and to supporting the well-being of young Canadians across the country, think again. 

We must have a balanced, informed conversation when it comes to evaluating the ethics of Canada’s energy sector. 

And we are lucky enough to live in a country where, thankfully, communities and energy companies work hand-in-hand to advance our country’s prosperity. 

As long as the world needs oil and natural gas, Canada should be the go-to supplier.

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