Group 1 - Wildfires in northern Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are threatening oil sands operations, leading to project shutdowns and evacuations [2] - Canadian Natural Resources Limited has evacuated workers from the Jackfish 1 oil sands project, halting production of 36,500 barrels of asphalt per day [2] - MEG Energy has also evacuated non-essential personnel from the Christina Lake project due to wildfires disrupting third-party power lines, delaying an additional 70,000 barrels of production per day [2] Group 2 - Oil sands account for 97% of Canada's total oil reserves, primarily located in Alberta and Saskatchewan [4] - Oil sands are a mixture of sand, water, clay, and asphalt, with asphalt content ranging from 6% to 12% [4] - Approximately 20% of oil sands deposits are shallow enough for open-pit mining, while the remaining 80% require drilling and in-situ extraction methods [4] Group 3 - Extracted oil sands undergo initial processing to separate asphalt from sand and water, which can then be diluted for pipeline transport or upgraded into heavy crude oil [6] - Canada has the largest asphalt resource globally, with total asphalt content of 400 billion cubic meters, and Alberta's oil sands contain 180 billion barrels of crude oil [6] - By 2030, Canadian oil sands production is projected to reach 3.8 million barrels per day, a 15% increase from current levels, although growth may slow in the early 2030s due to various factors [6]