Suncor layo s impact in Commerce City unknown

BY TEDDY JACOBSEN SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Canadian oil re nery company Suncor Energy is poised to eliminate 1,500 positions but in the nearly two weeks since the announcement, there are no indications if the company’s Commerce City location will be impacted.

Suncor’s new chief executive o cer, Rich Kruger, noti ed sta about impending cuts on June 1. In an email, he said the company needs to reduce sta ng costs related to competitors, according to Canadian Broadcasting Corp. News. Kruger said the layo s will impact both employees and contractors across the entire company, but did not o er speci cs like locations that would be a ected.

“Sta ng reductions will occur at all levels of the organization and will be based on both performance and business need,” Kruger told sta in the email. “As we do this, we will eliminate work, critically looking at what we do, why we do it, how we do it and the value it adds.”

Kruger said the goal is to cut costs by $400 million by the end of the year.

Suncor Energy named Kruger as president and CEO in February. Kruger was previously CEO of Imperial Oil Ltd. from 2013 through 2019.

Suncor Director of Corporate Communications Sneh Seetal told the Commerce City Sentinel Express that the company is not providing any additional details at this time. She also said there is no timeline in place for any announcements on the topic.

“Suncor is always looking for opportunities to drive value and improve performance in our business,” Seetal said. “Cost reduction is one of those opportunities.” e state requires that employers provide warning notices of mass layo s under the Worker Readjustment and Retraining Noti cation Act (WARN). Under WARN, employers must provide details 60 days in advance on how many employees will be laid o . e notices are meant to protect workers, their families and communities from the impacts of layo s. e re nery has recently made headlines over the past few months. It was shut down for maintenance for around three months at the beginning of the year. It has also made the news for multiple issues, including a settlement over past emissions violations and criticisms from the community about communications about health concerns.

As of June 12, there were also no formal lings indicating any Suncor layo s in Colorado, according to state records.

Suncor reported pro ts of $1.8 billion in the rst quarter of 2023, a 34% decrease from last year’s $2.7 billion.

Suncor’s Commerce City re nery location produces around 98,000 barrels of gasoline, diesel fuel and paving-grade asphalt each day. e company’s website says it sells nearly 95% of its products within the state and employs over 500 regional residents.