Home comforts: contractor moves from camps in Kazakhstan to family life in Fort McMurray
July 23, 2025
A large part of Marko Alekszity’s adolescence was spent with a hook in the water, fishing on the Danube River.
“It’s the largest river in Europe, and my family lived on a large island on the river near Budapest when I was a teenager,” says Marko. “I pretty much spent my high school years there and a lot of that was fishing in the river. I loved it.”
So when Marko was making a decision on where to continue his career as advanced non-destructive testing technician specializing in ultrasonic inspections, he wanted to find a place to land a big one.
“Well, there was more than just that but I do love fishing,” he says with a smile. “After my first son Teo was born, I wanted to spend more time at home with him and my wife Maria. We were living in Cyprus and I was commuting to work in Kazakhstan, which usually involved a full day with two flights through either Moscow or Istanbul. I was working a rotation of 24 days on and 24 days off. They had lovely camps with lots of amenities – tennis courts, swimming pools, saunas – you name it, they had it. But after Teo was born, it was very tough mentally to leave Maria and him for so long. So we began looking for a place where I could stay at home.”
Marko received several offers as his specialization is highly sought in industries around the world. But an offer from Acuren Canada to work in their Fort McMurray operations caught the family’s attention.
“Initially we were considering a couple of different options in Europe and had another offer from New Zealand,” he says. “But the more we looked at Canada, the more it made sense.”
The oil sands industry has made steps to “localize” its workforce for operations within driving distance to communities in the Wood Buffalo region. Companies have worked with the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo and other regional stakeholders to promote life in Fort McMurray.
“We presented information at lunchrooms to let people know what’s available,” says Tracy Unger, a Suncor employee and longtime Fort McMurray resident who has worked with the municipality, Wood Buffalo Housing and Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo Economic Development and Tourism and trade unions to promote the region to skilled trades. “This region is unique in that it has high-wage jobs and a buyer’s market for housing. We have a great industry and a great community. We want great people to be part of that.
Seven years later, Marko and his family have no regrets about making the move across the Atlantic, not even during the chilliest winter days in January.
“The climate was probably harsher in Kazakhstan and Fort McMurray is a genuinely amazing community. People are so welcoming and there are fantastic amenities in town for our whole family,” he says. “A lot of it is many people come from other parts of Canada and the world, so they understand the adjustments newcomers go through.”
Teo, now eight, has been joined by his younger brother Max, aged five, and the whole family enjoys activities in town. “My wife and I do physical training at Macdonald Island Park, which has excellent facilities. The boys are taking swimming lessons at the aquatic centre — we spend a lot of time there as a family.”
Other factors beyond facilities add to the region’s appeal, especially for young families.
“There’s been no issues with access to doctors or medical care. They have great schools in town and traffic is pretty easy, not at all like big cities,” he says. “And property taxes are extremely low compared to other parts of Canada and the world so you keep more of your paycheque.”
Marko also appreciates the work culture at the region’s facilities.
“Canadian people are very nice and most important to me is the safety at the site,” he says. “Safety is at a very high level compared to other places I’ve worked.”
And the fishing, importantly for Marko, is top notch.
“There are so many nice spots around town and in the region that are easy to access, from the Bridge to Nowhere to the Clearwater River. You often wind up running into the same people at those spots who have wound up becoming good friends,” he says. “We mostly get northern pike and walleye although I’ve caught some very nice lake trout coming down the Athabasca River from the big lake – seven or eight kilos. It’s kind of amazing because the fish are similar to what we had in Hungary when I was growing up.”
But Fort McMurray makes sense even when Marko doesn’t have a hook in the water.
“I really love the work but being able to come home every night and spend time with my family is priceless. And Fort McMurray has been a great place to make that happen.”
