Dump trucks to diggers, Suncor's front line pays a heavy-duty tribute to fellow essential workers

Usinga chorus of trucks, heavy haulers and buses, a group of about 150 Suncor base plant employees produced a video salute to essential workers across the country.

Thevideo pays tribute tothose essential workers who are "getting up every day and laying it on the line," saysShane Rose, who organized the effort withNorm Gallant.

Over 36 hours, teams fromacross the plant assembled heavy equipment to honk and flash their lights in aclamorousshow of support forall essential workers includingfood and agriculture workers, first respondersand health-care workers.

"We are proud to be here providing trusted energy," Gallant said. "We also want to get loud and salute our fellow essential workers."

Suncor salutes essential workers

5 years ago

Duration 2:25

A group of about 150 Suncor Base Plant workers made a salute to essential workers across the country by honking horns on heavy equipment.

Gallant and Rose first shared the completed video with Jennifer Burke, the plant's manager of operations integration.

"When Ifinished wiping away my tears, ...I knew it was something that more people needed to see," Burke said.

"When you see those people all coming together in a way like this to just really show how much heart our operation has, it's pretty moving to be a part of, and I couldn't be more proud to be a leader on this team," she said.

There was so much enthusiasm for the effort, thehardest part was ensuringthe clips submitted from each department made itinto the video.

The exercisewas a good way to bringbase plant workers together toshow their resilience even as they worry about theirown health and thehealth of their families, Burke said.

"It was a great way to recognize all the people in our community that are supporting us too," she said.

Feedback on the video salute has been positive, she said.

"It's been really phenomenal to just see how moved everybody has been by the video and how energized it's been making everybody."

The video, it seems, has a contagious quality, with employees at Suncor's Fort Hills oilsands site making their own video.