Camp Rules Nobody Explains Before Your First Rotation
You get a start date, a flight or bus time, and a camp name. What you usually don’t get is a walkthrough of the actual rules — written and unwritten — that make camp life work. Here’s what nobody tells you up front, so your first rotation doesn’t come with any surprises.
The official rules
Every camp runs on a written code of conduct, and the common threads across most Fort McMurray-area camps are consistent: camps are dry, meaning no alcohol on site, and enforce a zero-tolerance drug policy backed by pre-access and random testing. Quiet hours are standard, usually posted for overnight but really built around the fact that part of camp is always asleep given staggered shifts. Visitor restrictions limit who can be in your room or on site at all, and smoking is typically confined to designated outdoor areas. Breaking the drug and alcohol policy is usually grounds for immediate removal from site — this isn’t a warning-first policy at most camps (2025 estimate, unconfirmed — exact policies vary by camp operator and employer, so read what you’re given on arrival).
The unwritten etiquette
Beyond the official rulebook, camp runs a lot smoother once you pick up on a few unwritten norms. Keep hallway noise down at all hours, not just during posted quiet hours — someone near you is very possibly on nights and asleep during the day. Don’t treat a shared bathroom or laundry room as yours just because it’s empty during your usual hours; other shifts use the same room on a different clock. Put gym and rec room equipment back where you found it. Be patient in the cookhouse during shift-change rushes, when lineups get long and everyone’s either starving or running on no sleep. See our camp life guide for how rooms, food, and the gym fit together day to day.
Company networks and devices
One rule that trips people up because it’s rarely spelled out clearly: company WiFi, computers, and any other employer-provided equipment are for work purposes, not personal browsing, streaming, or anything else off-shift, even after your shift ends. Use your own phone and data, or the camp’s general guest WiFi if one is provided separately, for personal use — see our WiFi and downtime guide for what to expect from that connection. This matters for gambling specifically too: residents can legally use online gambling operators registered in their own province, and our comparison page by province looks at registered options on licensing, Interac support, and responsible-gambling tools — but that’s off-shift only, on your own device and your own connection, never on company networks or equipment.
Mental health rules nobody tells you either
The hardest part of camp life usually isn’t a written rule at all — it’s that long rotations, time away from family, and disrupted sleep from shift work wear on people, including people who generally handle it well. There isn’t an official policy for this, but there are real resources: many employers run an Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) with confidential counselling, so it’s worth checking your own benefits or asking HR or camp services what’s available at your specific camp. If you or someone you know is in crisis, Alberta’s 24-hour Mental Health Help Line is 1-877-303-2642 (Alberta Health Services - Mental Health Help Line, accessed 2026-09-07), and Canada’s national 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline can be reached by call or text, 24 hours a day, every day of the year (988.ca, accessed 2026-09-07). See our rules and wellbeing guide for more on staying steady through a long rotation.
If pay, hiring, and rotation schedules matter more to you right now than the day-to-day rules, our sister site covers oil sands jobs and pay from the hiring side.
Rules and etiquette details above are drawn from industry research and worker accounts, not an official camp operator source — treat specific policies as a 2025 estimate (unconfirmed) and check your own camp’s posted rules on arrival. The Mental Health Help Line number is current as of 2026-09-07; confirm it before relying on it in a crisis, and call 911 in an emergency.
FAQ
Can I get sent home for breaking camp rules? Yes — breaking the drug and alcohol policy in particular is usually grounds for immediate removal from most camps, without a warning-first step. Other rule violations vary in how strictly they’re enforced by camp and employer, so treat the written code of conduct you’re given on arrival as binding, not a suggestion.
Is camp WiFi the same as a company network? Not always — some camps separate general guest WiFi (for personal use) from employer-provided equipment and networks (for work only). Ask when you arrive which is which, since using employer equipment for personal browsing or streaming is against the rules at most camps regardless of which WiFi you’re technically on.
Who do I actually talk to if a rotation is going badly for my mental health? Start with your camp’s Employee and Family Assistance Program if your employer has one, or a supervisor or camp services if you’re not sure what’s available. Alberta’s Mental Health Help Line (1-877-303-2642) and the national 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline are both available 24/7 if you need to talk to someone right away.
How many days in a row can you work in Alberta without a day off? Under Alberta’s Employment Standards Code, employers generally must give an employee at least one day of rest each work week, and at least 4 consecutive days of rest after every 24 consecutive workdays (Government of Alberta — Employment standards rules: Hours of work and rest, accessed 2026-09-10). That’s the general rule, though — it doesn’t automatically apply to every camp job: the same rules specifically exempt oil and gas continuous operations employees, plus roadbuilding and heavy construction operations employees, from the standard hours-of-work and rest requirements. Whether your specific role is exempt depends on your employer and job classification, so this is general information, not a guarantee about your own schedule — ask your employer or check the Government of Alberta page directly if it affects you.
What are some etiquette tips for a first rotation? Beyond the unwritten norms above — quiet hallways, not hogging shared bathrooms or laundry, returning gym gear — the biggest first-rotation tip is to watch before you assume: sit wherever there’s an open seat in the cookhouse rather than assuming seating is assigned by crew, ask rather than guess about shared-space routines like shower timing around shift changes, and introduce yourself to roommates or hallway neighbours early rather than staying invisible for two weeks. Most of what feels awkward in the first few days is just not yet knowing the rhythm everyone else has already settled into — it comes fast.