• Human infrastructure 
• Physical infrastructure 
• Environment 
• Economic development

Then, as now, membership in the group was made up of industry representatives mandated to provide information to all stakeholders in the region. The first task was to complete a cumulative socio-economic assessment of all the oil sands projects. 

One of the early hurdles that faced the group was the numerous committees being formed in the community to address oil sands-related issues. A full-time coordinator was hired to support all the committees and to ensure work was completed in an orderly manner.

On April 25, 2003, RIWG was incorporated as a non-profit organization under the legal name Athabasca Regional Issues Working Group Association, but the acronym for the association remained the same.

In June of 2008, the RIWG Board of Directors approved the changing of the name from Athabasca Regional Issues Working Group Association to The Oil Sands Developers Group.  Our group now has three full-time staff, a board of directors, 27 contributing members and numerous committees that deal with a diverse range of issues from co-generation and transportation to health care.

The Oil Sands Developers Group works closely with many organizations and stakeholders in the region to address common concerns and to remove the overlap or duplication of services where appropriate.  Some of these organizations include:

• Athabasca Tribal Council (ATC)
• Wood Buffalo Environmental Association (WBEA)
• Cumulative Environmental Management Association (CEMA)
• Regional Aquatic Management Program (RAMP)
• Oil Sands Sustainable Development Secretariat
• Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce