"Best wishes to the people of Canada on this new found wealth."
Two things:
1) "In mid-2006, the National Energy Board of Canada estimated the operating cost of a new mining operation in the Athabasca oil sands to be $9 to $12 per barrel, while the cost of an in-situ SAGD operation (using dual horizontal wells) would be $10 to $14 per barrel. This compares to operating costs for conventional oil wells which can range from less than $1 per barrel in Iraq and Saudi Arabia to $6 and up in the United States and Canada."
2) The tar sands have been being 'mined' for about 30-35 years now. When Oil went over $17.50 a barrel, it became very profitable. However, no one knows how to get all the oil OUT of the sands. But then it ain't goin' anywhere.