(11-24-2013 06:00 AM)WesternCancer Wrote:  

(11-22-2013 10:22 PM)salmonfella Wrote:  Wrap up well mate wear layers. I have been working outside this week in -26 it's not nice at first but I have gotten use to it. Today was warm though -10:-)

Damn I've never been good at wrapping up, ha.


I put this whole thing off for the last bit as I couldn't really do much but day-dream during that time.

The past few days I've been making a solid plan/checklist for what I can do from now until I leave.

if all goes well I'll let my employer know this week I'm leaving just before christmas. I'll sell what I can around christmas, get anything I need come boxing day and ship out mid January.

The only thing that's worrying me is transportation. I can't drive from where I am (relatively little experience with winter driving, I'd probably die going thru the rockies).

Right now I'm thinking a rental car for the first week or two and then buying a beater car once I get some kind of income. Money won't be an issue, but I want to spend as little as possible.

edit: gat dayum. Its like $600 to rent a car for 2weeks. I might as well just rent a van, sleep in the back and hope I dont freeze my nuts off.

Is there car2go in Edmonton? or any kind of similar rental car service?

Edmonton is pretty archaic when it comes to car rental services like ZipCar or Car2Go.

Do you have winter tires? I'd say just drive on the main highway from Vancouver man, and take it easy. If you come here with a car you're better off than scrambling to find one while simultaneously looking for a place to live.

Westerncancer, In all honesty your best bet is to come here with your tools, clothes and bedding. When you're here find a place and farm kijiji for things you need. I relocated to Calgary doing just that last year and now I'm living in a luxury condo with a unit full of nice stuff. The cost of dragging all of your shit here isn't worth the hassle.

Your best investment is a set of helly hanson insulated coveralls (those one piece blue ones). They are $400 but they last 10 years.

Yeah you will want wheels for when you get to Edmonton.

I do the drive to Northern Alberta from Vancouver every Christmas. DO NOT DO THE DRIVE WITH SHITTY TIRES! But any decent All Seasons will be fine. If you are really worried, stay off the Coquihalla, Rogers Pass, Columbia Pass. Take Highway 1 Fraser Canyon. North from Kamloops to Jasper then its a straight shot to Edmonton on the Yellow Head. Easy.

I drive to hit all the ski spots and visit friends. Otherwise I would fly. Its 1 hr to Edmonton.

(11-24-2013 11:56 AM)DjembaDjemba Wrote:  

(11-24-2013 06:00 AM)WesternCancer Wrote:  

(11-22-2013 10:22 PM)salmonfella Wrote:  Wrap up well mate wear layers. I have been working outside this week in -26 it's not nice at first but I have gotten use to it. Today was warm though -10:-)

Damn I've never been good at wrapping up, ha.


I put this whole thing off for the last bit as I couldn't really do much but day-dream during that time.

The past few days I've been making a solid plan/checklist for what I can do from now until I leave.

if all goes well I'll let my employer know this week I'm leaving just before christmas. I'll sell what I can around christmas, get anything I need come boxing day and ship out mid January.

The only thing that's worrying me is transportation. I can't drive from where I am (relatively little experience with winter driving, I'd probably die going thru the rockies).

Right now I'm thinking a rental car for the first week or two and then buying a beater car once I get some kind of income. Money won't be an issue, but I want to spend as little as possible.

edit: gat dayum. Its like $600 to rent a car for 2weeks. I might as well just rent a van, sleep in the back and hope I dont freeze my nuts off.

Is there car2go in Edmonton? or any kind of similar rental car service?

Edmonton is pretty archaic when it comes to car rental services like ZipCar or Car2Go.

Do you have winter tires? I'd say just drive on the main highway from Vancouver man, and take it easy. If you come here with a car you're better off than scrambling to find one while simultaneously looking for a place to live.

Thanks for the advice guys.

I've been noticing more and more problems with my car as its getting colder. Some of the lights on the dash aren't working, the heater/defrost doesn't really work, brakes are shitty, the wipers are all fucked up (not just the blades) etc.

Maybe I'm better off postponing until the spring and hitting up the southern hemisphere for a few months, haha.

All them jobs you describe you can fix yourself;-) get to alberta as quick as you can mate I made the move to here from Ireland a few months ago knowing nobody best decision I ever made.. Make the move mate you won't regret it:-D

is this valid?

(11-25-2013 05:38 PM)calihunter Wrote:  is this valid?

Hell ya, how the fuck do you think Irishman got here?

I thought this was a pretty well done insight into the living up in Fort Mac.

http://fortmcmoney.com/en/#/fortmcmoney

(11-25-2013 05:38 PM)calihunter Wrote:  is this valid?

this is actually my plan

^^^ Buko that shouldn't be a problem as you've already passed the toughest hurdle which is getting into Canada and finding work, the rest should be pretty easy.

Guys, for those of you who are working in northern Alberta, whats the word on the street as far as how busy it's gonna be up there in the foreseeable future? From what I can gather, 2013 wasn't a crazy year by any means, it was busy enough but employers weren't scrambling as they have been in previous years, and I hear that next year will be much of the same. I'm tempted to return to Sask next spring to go back to the same job I just got laid off from, shut downs in electrical boilers, I'm also planning on upgrading my skill set. From what I've heard, 2016 is going to be a HUGE year and I've heard this from a few different people who've been in the patch for years, but as we all know, things change fast in the oil patch, so I'll believe it when I see it.

A couple of things stand out though, in paticular the construction of a new upgrader in Redwater, AB (about 45 minutes from Edmonton): http://www.northwestupgrading.com/ . This project was mothballed a few years ago when the economy went sideways but apparently, its on the go now, a guy I worked with a few months ago lives and works in Redwater and he told me that they're moving dirt there now, a good sign.

Basically if that pops off, there will be a need for a few thousand tradesmen on that site and a lot of the local Etown guys who are currently working up north will opt to work this job in Etown and be home every night, can you blame them? What this will do is create an even greater labour shortage up north and you'll see companies paying more money, and giving better incentives to attract or keep their guys up there.

As has been mentioned on here, a lot of guys in Fort Mac have been working 10s lately, myself included from time to time and thats BS, I don't want to go out of town for 60-70 hours per week when I can work 50 and be home every night in Edmonton, this project will change that.

Another game changer is the recent announcement that another previously mothballed project in Fort McMurray got the green light to go ahead:http://www.thestar.com/business/2013/10/31/suncor_to_proceed_with_135_billion_fort_hills_oilsands_mine.html , this is a $13.5 billion project that was cancelled 5 years ago. The previous owner, Petro-Canada was bought out by Suncor and they're finally going ahead with it, who knows when but the sooner, the better, so again, more work up north. With both f these projects, I've believe it when I see it, they've been saying that both of them are about to pop off for years, but companies have already invested millions in both so it makes sense that they would, some day, go ahead.

So, overall things are looking good for the next few years. I'm on vacation and am seriously thinking about what my next move will be, last season I didn't work in Alberta, I didn't even work in the oil sands, but I gained solid work experience and learned some new things, but that Fort Mac money is calling me back, we'll see what happens next spring.

Croatia was the first one to open up their IEC visa. 275 spots went in 15 minutes. Other countries should hopefully also come soon.

Been here a month now, got everything sorted finally, funds dipped pretty low but a bit of crappy temp work was enough to tide me over. I'm hearing that toughnecks ad a lot on the radio, gonna head down there once I get a bit more cash saved towards winter gear and that first 2 week rotation.

(11-29-2013 02:11 AM)scotian Wrote:  ^^^ Buko that shouldn't be a problem as you've already passed the toughest hurdle which is getting into Canada and finding work, the rest should be pretty easy.

Guys, for those of you who are working in northern Alberta, whats the word on the street as far as how busy it's gonna be up there in the foreseeable future? From what I can gather, 2013 wasn't a crazy year by any means, it was busy enough but employers weren't scrambling as they have been in previous years, and I hear that next year will be much of the same. I'm tempted to return to Sask next spring to go back to the same job I just got laid off from, shut downs in electrical boilers, I'm also planning on upgrading my skill set. From what I've heard, 2016 is going to be a HUGE year and I've heard this from a few different people who've been in the patch for years, but as we all know, things change fast in the oil patch, so I'll believe it when I see it.

A couple of things stand out though, in paticular the construction of a new upgrader in Redwater, AB (about 45 minutes from Edmonton): http://www.northwestupgrading.com/ . This project was mothballed a few years ago when the economy went sideways but apparently, its on the go now, a guy I worked with a few months ago lives and works in Redwater and he told me that they're moving dirt there now, a good sign.

Basically if that pops off, there will be a need for a few thousand tradesmen on that site and a lot of the local Etown guys who are currently working up north will opt to work this job in Etown and be home every night, can you blame them? What this will do is create an even greater labour shortage up north and you'll see companies paying more money, and giving better incentives to attract or keep their guys up there.

As has been mentioned on here, a lot of guys in Fort Mac have been working 10s lately, myself included from time to time and thats BS, I don't want to go out of town for 60-70 hours per week when I can work 50 and be home every night in Edmonton, this project will change that.

Another game changer is the recent announcement that another previously mothballed project in Fort McMurray got the green light to go ahead:http://www.thestar.com/business/2013/10/31/suncor_to_proceed_with_135_billion_fort_hills_oilsands_mine.html , this is a $13.5 billion project that was cancelled 5 years ago. The previous owner, Petro-Canada was bought out by Suncor and they're finally going ahead with it, who knows when but the sooner, the better, so again, more work up north. With both f these projects, I've believe it when I see it, they've been saying that both of them are about to pop off for years, but companies have already invested millions in both so it makes sense that they would, some day, go ahead.

So, overall things are looking good for the next few years. I'm on vacation and am seriously thinking about what my next move will be, last season I didn't work in Alberta, I didn't even work in the oil sands, but I gained solid work experience and learned some new things, but that Fort Mac money is calling me back, we'll see what happens next spring.

Pipeline overcapacity is hurting development. Until we get the Northern Gateway, or Energy East Pipeline broken into the ground I can't see there being huge growth onwards like there was 10 years ago.

Keystone isn't the game changer it once was, but there is such incredible domestic opposition to our own pipelines it's actually getting absurd.

Hi everybody, finally after 20 days of waiting to be registered I got a chance to thank to ALL OF YOU (and you know who you are) for providing valuable information for all of as who are considering going to the Oil Sands.
Special THANX to Scotian (Brother, if our paths ever cross I'll pay for all you can eat and drink in one night. It is a promise. You deserve it)
Now my questions.
I have an Electrical Engineering Technician Diploma, acquired here in Ontario where I live. Also I have 12 years of experience working as an Industrial Electrician (Note: I'm not a licensed Journeyman Electrician, just a technician). My Q is: what are my chances of getting hired as an Electrical apprentice or an Instrumentation tech. apprentice, and how much those apprentices make?
Any info is appreciated.
P.S. SWEARBOX if you see this post please give some info about your apprenticeship since you are fresh in the instrumentation field

Swearbox was banhammered.

(12-01-2013 02:54 PM)Dejan Wrote:  Hi everybody, finally after 20 days of waiting to be registered I got a chance to thank to ALL OF YOU (and you know who you are) for providing valuable information for all of as who are considering going to the Oil Sands.
Special THANX to Scotian (Brother, if our paths ever cross I'll pay for all you can eat and drink in one night. It is a promise. You deserve it)
Now my questions.
I have an Electrical Engineering Technician Diploma, acquired here in Ontario where I live. Also I have 12 years of experience working as an Industrial Electrician (Note: I'm not a licensed Journeyman Electrician, just a technician). My Q is: what are my chances of getting hired as an Electrical apprentice or an Instrumentation tech. apprentice, and how much those apprentices make?
Any info is appreciated.
P.S. SWEARBOX if you see this post please give some info about your apprenticeship since you are fresh in the instrumentation field

I'd say with your experience and education, you should be able to find work in Alberta without too much hassle. First year apprentices generally make about $18-22, depending on the company if you get a union job. Callup some electrical companies and see what they have to say, I've listed plenty throughout the thread but off the top of my head I know of Tarpon Energy Services, Chemco and all the the big contractors such as PCL, Kiewit, FT Services, JV Driver, Ledcor, etc.

Things are slow right now, generally December until March is the slowest part of the year unless you get on with a company that's involved in drilling or oil field services but it sounds like you want to get on the refinery/oil sands type of gigs at the big refineries and upgraders.

(12-01-2013 03:16 PM)Kdog Wrote:  Swearbox was banhammered.

That sucks!

Thank you Scotian again. I copied all the information that I could use from this thread and planning to start calling-up some of those companies and, I already did few applications. if I get any progress I will share my experience here. Would like to invite all people on this forum, who are or were apprentices in any trade, to share their experience too.

Has anyone started the application process towards citizenship yet?

I have been working with the same company now for over a year so will be applying early next year.

I will be doing my homework and have a few friends working on it too so Ill post up some tips when I know more.

I want that Canadian Passport!

(12-02-2013 12:50 AM)Irishman Wrote:  Has anyone started the application process towards citizenship yet?

I have been working with the same company now for over a year so will be applying early next year.

I will be doing my homework and have a few friends working on it too so Ill post up some tips when I know more.

I want that Canadian Passport!

Canada welcomes you with open arms bro, you should invite some more of your friends to move too.

Immigration minister was on the radio yesterday.

He basically said they are increasing the process for applications and are in need of plumbers, welders and electricians. The demand will be in effect for some time.

Again for non Canadians reading this, just come over if you are skilled in the trades.

When I mentioned the idea of working in the oil sands, my friends generally screw up their faces and complain how cold it is in Alberta.

Yea that's my plan too Irishman:-)

The Edmonton Journal started a series of articles about working in the oil sands, interesting reading for you guys, here's an article called Go west, young Easterner. Fort McMurray is where the money is. You can find the rest of the articles at the bottom of that article.

Hey guys

What would you say the best way in for someone like me would be? Specs:

Age: 25
Experience: Machinery driving, logging, farm work. Fairly good workshop skills.
Qualifications: None whatsoever :-(

Currently self employed running my own gardening gang for local real estate agents and private clients, plus mini digger, tractor and dumper work. I'm very practical and can always find a way to get the job done.

Is just heading out on a 12 month visa and knocking doors a reasonable plan? Or am I too underqualified for even that?

Thanks for an awesome read.

(12-02-2013 03:58 PM)roberto Wrote:  Hey guys

What would you say the best way in for someone like me would be? Specs:

Age: 25
Experience: Machinery driving, logging, farm work. Fairly good workshop skills.
Qualifications: None whatsoever :-(

Currently self employed running my own gardening gang for local real estate agents and private clients, plus mini digger, tractor and dumper work. I'm very practical and can always find a way to get the job done.

Is just heading out on a 12 month visa and knocking doors a reasonable plan? Or am I too underqualified for even that?

Thanks for an awesome read.

If you can speak English and have a pulse then you can find a decent job in Alberta, there's a lot of different options and they aren't limited to working on an oil rig or at a refinery, although those are great options. Focus on getting the paper work lined up (visas, etc) and saving up enough cash to last you until you get on your feet, I'd say $3000 minimum, but $5000 would be better.

Considering your experience in landscaping, you may want to start out doing that for a few months until you get used to life in Alberta and move on. You should be able to start out at $18-22/hour, not huge money but enough to keep you going.

Big shout out to scotian and Irishman, I've been reading this thread since November 8th and finally got the approval to post. Thanks to Donnie514 for driving from Montreal to Calgary, it inspired me to set in motion my leaving Montreal as well in early January 2014. I've read all 80 pages now twice in better grasping all aspects of the oil/gas industry. I have $5,000 saved up with potential rooms to rent and hopefully getting a beater truck when I land in Edmonton. I'll be going for the leasehand positions and will be seeking apprenticeship in either electrician or welder in the future. My work history has been working for a landscaping company down in Florida,USA and mostly warehouse jobs in pool supplies, textiles, adhesives and probiotics in Montreal so I know the meaning of hard labour. I've move more than 10 times in my life to 3 different countries yet thinking about moving to Alberta makes me excited and terrified at the same time. I can't wait to hopefully meet you guys that made the plunge in order to better your lives and not settling for the status quo.