Mrs. Sutthiluck Sa-ngarmangkang, Consul-General of Thailand in Vancouver, met with Ms. Colleen Tatum, Deputy Mayor of Wood Buffalo Regional Municipality on Friday 12 February 2016 with the participation of Mr. Narat Vidyananda, Consul, and Ms. Deanne Bergey, Senior Executive Assistant of Wood Buffalo Regional Municipality. Important topics being discussed included clean energy, cooperation between Wood Buffalo and cities in Thailand, and the promotion of environmental conservation and renewable energy.
Oil sands deposits in Wood Buffalo represent the largest oil reserves in Canada and the third largest in the world, only after Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. Among the many foreign investors in these rich oil reserves is the Petroleum Authority of Thailand Exploration and Production (PTTEP) who started by joint venturing with Statoil Canada in 2011 before restructuring ownership and became the sole owner of 3 deposits areas in Kai Kos Dehseh (KKD) Oil Sands in 2014. It was considered the single biggest foreign investment by a Thai company abroad.
Thai Community in Wood Buffalo Regional comprises those who work as child-care workers, oil & gas company employees and spa therapists.