Imperial Oil invited residents to see what they've been up to and what their plans are for the future.
The oil and gas company hosted their annual Neighbour Night on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at the Cold Lake Agriplex.
Public and government affairs manager for Imperial, Frank Oberle, noted the event is meant to let area residents know what they've been up to.
"It's important that our community understands what we're doing; what we're trying to achieve in the community and as a business. This is a partnership. We employ a lot of people from this community and our employees' families live in these communities. We want them, the communities, to understand what we do and the steps we take to manage our business," he explained.
Considering the economic climate, Oberle noted Imperial had a number of positive items to report.
He said, "We've had a good operating year, no environmental incidences, we've had a good year in challenging times. There's a few things out there happening, or not happening, with pipelines, as the case may be. This is a really good, solid operation with some great people here."
Earlier this year, Imperial announced their commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent by applying advanced technologies and improvements, something they discussed during the event.
At their Cold Lake location, they plan to add next generation oil recovery technology to the in-situ operations.
After receiving approval for the Cold Lake expansion, the company noted it's still evaluating the project before making any concrete decisions on next steps.
"We've (spent) many years in the Cold Lake region. It's a great asset for Imperial, it really is. We're also looking at expansion in the Fort McMurray region in the Aspen project, but Cold Lake is a solid operation and we'll be here for years and years," Oberle stressed.
For resident Josh Crick, who attended the event, it was an opportunity to learn for himself what happens inside Imperial's facilities and what lies in the future for the local sites.
"I think it would be good for the area. I'd like to see them expand. I don't work for the industry directly, but it would be really good if they expand," he said.
While Imperial was hoping to start the expansion this year, they still felt the same pains as other oil companies in Alberta.
"They tried out some new stuff this year, and are in a little bit of a holding pattern just as the industry is. They're just kind of waiting to see, you don't hear the optimism that we had a few years ago which is concerning," expressed MD of Bonnyville Reeve Greg Sawchuk.
Overall, Sawchuk added the Neighbour Night is a great way to engage residents, and provides a platform for conversations that otherwise wouldn't take place.
"There's a lot of misinformation out there, and you have to recognize their facilities are somewhat off-limits to the public. It's a mystery as to what goes on out there, so for them to come here and show in detail all the different niches of the business is great."
City of Cold Lake Mayor Craig Copeland noted the event is just one of the ways the city shows their support for Imperial and all they do for the community.
"Cold Lake is a big supporter of Imperial Oil," said Copeland. "They give back so much to the community, and for the Lakeland area they're a huge employer."
