Athabasca Oil Sands Project
Case Study Analysis

Recognize All Moral Impacts
Stakeholder Write up: Stakeholders are individuals or groups that have one or more of various kinds of stakes in an organization and may affect and be affected by actions, decisions, or practices of the business. The key stakeholders in relation to the Athabasca Oil Sand Project are the governments, the public, and the natural environment. The first secondary social stakeholder with high interest and high power is the government. Governments hold high power as they set out the regulations and need the businesses to do well in order to maintain a strong economy. Consequently, they hold great legitimacy, urgency, and power. The Canadian government are particularly interested in the Athabasca Oil Sand Project because oil sands development not only benefits all Canadians through employment opportunities but also contributes to the highest rate of economic growth in Canada over the last 20 years. “The Tar Sands are now the biggest capital project anywhere on Earth and the biggest energy undertaking anywhere.” The government sees this as an excellent opportunity for a growing economy, thus supporting the project. The government also holds great power, as they are the ones enforcing the laws and regulations upon a business or organization. However, in this case, the government “fails to enforce its own environmental laws; and it is even engaging in cover-up when people blow the whistle on how the Tar Sands have harmed our health and our environment.” The Canadian government gives tax breaks to oil sands companies such as Shell, whom are the worst polluters, and refuses to force the industry to clean up. They have also covered up the situation when the people of Fort Chipewyan tried to appeal the issue of strange illnesses afflicting residents, and further denied any toxic problems.