"Sri Lankan Woman Makes History as First Female Engineer Graduating from Memorial University"

Kushani Sandagiri is the first Sri Lankan woman to graduate from Memorial University's engineering program. She initially wanted to be a journalist or banker, but a high school teacher encouraged her to pursue engineering. Sandagiri faced financial struggles during her studies but is now set to work for Suncor in Fort McMurray, Alberta. She hopes to inspire other women to pursue STEM careers.

Article:

Wildfires in northern Alberta have disrupted oil production and forced evacuations at several major oil sands sites. On May 27, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL) evacuated workers from its Jackfish 1 operation, temporarily halting approximately 36,500 barrels per day of bitumen production [1]. MEG Energy Corp. also evacuated non-essential personnel from its Christina Lake Regional Project production facility due to a wildfire south of the site, which knocked out power lines [1].

Cenovus Energy Inc. had previously restricted workers at its Christina Lake oil sands site to essential personnel and shut-in approximately 238,000 barrels a day of production [1]. The company expects to resume full operations soon, once it is safe to do so [1]. These disruptions highlight the ongoing challenges posed by wildfires to the oil industry in Alberta.

The wildfires have also led to evacuations in remote communities and First Nations in northern Manitoba, with approximately 17,000 people displaced [1]. Last summer, wildfires in northern Alberta resulted in significant production losses, with oil sands production outages as high as one million barrels a day [1]. The economic impact of these wildfires was severe, causing a 14-per-cent decline in crude oil exports loaded in Alberta and contributing to a 0.4-per-cent contraction in Canadian GDP in the second quarter of 2016 [1].

These events underscore the importance of robust emergency response plans and infrastructure resilience in the face of natural disasters. As wildfire seasons become more frequent and intense, the oil industry must continue to adapt and invest in strategies to minimize disruptions and ensure the safety of workers and communities.

References:

[1] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-alberta-oil-producers-wildfire-evacuations/