Sophisticated technologies are required to economically develop Canada's complex and varying heavy oil and bitumen resources. This paper reviews current recovery techniques for heavy oil and bitumen, with emphasis on technologies that are somewhat unique to Canada-surface mining and hot water extraction of shallow oil sands bitumen, in situ thermal and solvent processes used in deeper bitumen reservoirs and cold production of heavy oil reservoirs involving deliberate production of sand. Further technology developments, both to increase resource recovery and to reduce environmental impacts, are introduced.