Date: 2023
Location: Edmonton
Profile: Peter Kokaram grew up in an Apex/British Petroleum oil community in Trinidad & Tobago. Trained as a telecommunications engineering technician, teenage Kokaram arrived in Alberta in 1977, and began his employment with Syncrude in Fort McMurray as a control operator. Moving into supervision as a startup manager, he also supervised contracts and human resources operations. With project costs in the billions, Kokaram’s scope was several million dollars as project manager. He was involved in recruiting skilled Caribbean labour as welders, pipefitters, instrumentation technicians, electricians, and members of other trades for plant construction and maintenance. He was responsible for procurement, construction, commissioning, and startup of different projects in the mining, tailing ponds, and upgrading areas. Kokaram describes small-town Fort McMurray’s housing communities of trailer parks and mobile homes, created to accommodate the Suncor and Syncrude workforces.
Syncrude was involved in Kokaram’s sporting and cultural projects, which he used to build fellowship in his international immigrant community. A strong cricket league was the pride of Fort Mac. His Fort McMurray steelband also participated in Edmonton’s Cariwest festival for many years. In 1989 the mayor of Fort McMurray presented Kokaram with the City of Fort McMurray Cultural Achievement Award.
Keywords: Bechtel; Cariwest; CNRL; Cricket; Fort McMurray; GCOS (Great Canadian Oilsands); Honeywell process automation; Pipefitters; Startup manager; Welders.
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See also: Black Communities in Alberta; Occupational Health and Safety; Oil Workers in Alberta; Systemic Racism in Alberta