A report by the Conference Board of Canada, Is There Value In Adding Value: An Assessement of the Sturgeon Refinery,  released on December 5, evaluates the business case of the first phase of the Sturgeon Refinery in northeastern Alberta,  designed to process 78,630 barrels per day of dilbit.  The Conference Board uses macroeconomic modelling to conclude that there will be long-term positive effects of the construction and operation of the refinery, in increased GDP, government revenues, and employment opportunities. For the construction phase alone, the report estimates 75,884 person-years of total employment impacts; the operation phase is estimated to contribute 6,658 full-time jobs for the life of the refinery.   An Alberta Federation of Labour  press release  quotes  president Gil McGowan:   “This report confirms what we’ve been saying for years — that adding value to our resources through upgrading and refining makes sense for the province and for the country” .  The AFL had commissioned a report in 2014, In-Province Upgrading Economics of a Greenfield Oil Sands Refinery  , which examined  the potential economics of in-province upgrading of oil sands produced within Alberta.