So I've been with my company for around 2 months now doing electrical. But as time goes on, they're seeming increasingly disorganized and unreliable. I've now been off for 2 weeks since my last rotation and I'm still waiting for a call to go back to work. In addition, I haven't been indentured yet. I really don't want to look for another company but I came to make money, not sit on my ass 2 weeks out of every month. I currently have about 275 hours under my belt and just bought myself a $500 set of Klein electricians tools, so I'd be good to go with another company.

Just wondering if any of you have an opinion on this, or know of someone I could get in touch with for work? As a first year I know I don't have a lot of options but this is really discerning. If anyone can help PM me please, I've already started looking for companies hiring...

Just talked to Buko on the phone.

I won't give away too much details but he got a gig as an MWD.

He seems like a cool guy and I am glad that my info has helped him out!

+1 Rep from me for making the move from Germany.

(02-10-2014 05:50 PM)TravellingSoldier Wrote:  So I've been with my company for around 2 months now doing electrical. But as time goes on, they're seeming increasingly disorganized and unreliable. I've now been off for 2 weeks since my last rotation and I'm still waiting for a call to go back to work. In addition, I haven't been indentured yet. I really don't want to look for another company but I came to make money, not sit on my ass 2 weeks out of every month. I currently have about 275 hours under my belt and just bought myself a $500 set of Klein electricians tools, so I'd be good to go with another company.

Just wondering if any of you have an opinion on this, or know of someone I could get in touch with for work? As a first year I know I don't have a lot of options but this is really discerning. If anyone can help PM me please, I've already started looking for companies hiring...

Work on my end has slowed down a bit too, so I'm not surprised they haven't called you for work yet.

Call them. Inquire about work that is available. See if you can work on other projects within the company. Show them you're eager to work. Bug them so they know you're serious.

Stick with them a little longer if you can. If you've gone through this thread then you should be aware that this industry always suffers from mild boom and bust periods. So hopefully you have a little savings during the down times to keep you afloat.

That being said, now that you have experience, don't be afraid to jump ship should you find a better opportunity. Update your resume and start heading out to head offices if you feel you can't wait too long/

Tonight is my last night in Colombia after a three month trip, I have a girl coming over to get my last bang of the trip as I surely will be in a long dry spell for the next 6 weeks or so. I'll be in Etown on the 12th and 13th of anyone wants to meet up, I'll be staying at a hotel on the south side and then driving to Saskatchewan on the 14th for a shut down. I'm definitely not looking forward to going back, I haven't experienced the cold of February on the Prairies for over three years, its gonna suck!

(02-10-2014 07:18 PM)Albertron Wrote:  

(02-10-2014 05:50 PM)TravellingSoldier Wrote:  So I've been with my company for around 2 months now doing electrical. But as time goes on, they're seeming increasingly disorganized and unreliable. I've now been off for 2 weeks since my last rotation and I'm still waiting for a call to go back to work. In addition, I haven't been indentured yet. I really don't want to look for another company but I came to make money, not sit on my ass 2 weeks out of every month. I currently have about 275 hours under my belt and just bought myself a $500 set of Klein electricians tools, so I'd be good to go with another company.

Just wondering if any of you have an opinion on this, or know of someone I could get in touch with for work? As a first year I know I don't have a lot of options but this is really discerning. If anyone can help PM me please, I've already started looking for companies hiring...

Work on my end has slowed down a bit too, so I'm not surprised they haven't called you for work yet.

Call them. Inquire about work that is available. See if you can work on other projects within the company. Show them you're eager to work. Bug them so they know you're serious.

Stick with them a little longer if you can. If you've gone through this thread then you should be aware that this industry always suffers from mild boom and bust periods. So hopefully you have a little savings during the down times to keep you afloat.

That being said, now that you have experience, don't be afraid to jump ship should you find a better opportunity. Update your resume and start heading out to head offices if you feel you can't wait too long/

Yeah I've already updated my resume, I'm thinking of getting another ticket or 2 as well, add to my employability a bit. I really don't want to jump ship because I don't need a car and they haven't indentured me yet. Kinda stuck between a rock and a hard place here but the owner said he would get back to me tomorrow, so we'll see how it goes.

Thanks man

(02-10-2014 07:31 PM)scotian Wrote:  Tonight is my last night in Colombia after a three month trip, I have a girl coming over to get my last bang of the trip as I surely will be in a long dry spell for the next 6 weeks or so. I'll be in Etown on the 12th and 13th of anyone wants to meet up, I'll be staying at a hotel on the south side and then driving to Saskatchewan on the 14th for a shut down. I'm definitely not looking forward to going back, I haven't experienced the cold of February on the Prairies for over three years, its gonna suck!

If you don't mind chubby iraqi girls I can send you a hook up in Saskatoon! haha

(02-10-2014 07:31 PM)scotian Wrote:  Tonight is my last night in Colombia after a three month trip, I have a girl coming over to get my last bang of the trip as I surely will be in a long dry spell for the next 6 weeks or so. I'll be in Etown on the 12th and 13th of anyone wants to meet up, I'll be staying at a hotel on the south side and then driving to Saskatchewan on the 14th for a shut down. I'm definitely not looking forward to going back, I haven't experienced the cold of February on the Prairies for over three years, its gonna suck!

Haha enjoy it while ya have it.

I think Ill be heading back out tomorrow so Ill have to catch up another time.

-35 this morning with the wind chill!!!

Hey Scotian as far as I know I will be in town on the 12th,13th. Would be down to meet up, been almost a year since our nights out in Bangkok!
Apparently its gonna be +1 this weekend so keep your head up boys our tropical weather is coming.

If I'm still in Edmonton the 12th I'm right on Whyte so if you guys are heading out let me know!

There's an awesome album launch on those dates too you down?

http://www.yelp.ca/events/edmonton-linds...bum-launch

What's better than feminist Americana? haha

Big ups to Scotian, Irishman and Albertron (im a former bboy as well lol). This thread has been a big inspiration for me. I wish i did the patch thing 12 years ago when an ex co-worker of mine asked if i wanted to join him as a general labourer. Im kicking myself big time. I was born and raised in cowtown but currently residing in beautiful vancity.

My current plan is to move back to Calgary March 15th as i just got my class 1. I originally wanted to head to fortmac as a general labourer and network with whoever i can and see what trades i maybe interested in. I changed my mind and decided to get a class 1 that way i can at least have sort of skill down there. I dont intend to drive a semi but instead im interested in vac truck or fracking. Then ill network from there. My main interest is pipefitting, but definitely open to other things as instrumentation.

I have absolutely no experience in the trades sector as ive worked as a delivery driver for the last 10 years. Hence the class 1 as driving is in my confort zone. Anyways, can any of you guys fill me in on your thoughts of fracking or vac truck operator. Maybe some of you guys can give me more ideas that i havent thought of that i can use my license for. Ive seen ceda, clean habors and Halliburton job ads looking for guys with little to no experience for frac work. Any comments would be awesome. Im looking forward to moving back to AB as BC is garbage right now for regular jobs and it is extremely expensive to live out here.

Once Im back in Calgary, i have a cousin that owns a multiplex that will charge me minimal rent and i am willing to help anyone out on here thats making the move to AB and needs a place to stay.

(02-10-2014 05:50 PM)TravellingSoldier Wrote:  So I've been with my company for around 2 months now doing electrical. But as time goes on, they're seeming increasingly disorganized and unreliable. I've now been off for 2 weeks since my last rotation and I'm still waiting for a call to go back to work. In addition, I haven't been indentured yet. I really don't want to look for another company but I came to make money, not sit on my ass 2 weeks out of every month. I currently have about 275 hours under my belt and just bought myself a $500 set of Klein electricians tools, so I'd be good to go with another company.

Just wondering if any of you have an opinion on this, or know of someone I could get in touch with for work? As a first year I know I don't have a lot of options but this is really discerning. If anyone can help PM me please, I've already started looking for companies hiring...

As per law you must be indentured ASAP otherwise they're using you as cheap labour and you have zero rights. 2 months is too long. You can file a complaint with AIT, if you choose.

When I was hired my boss mentioned something about 3 months before I would be indentured. I did some searching and research and found out, from the apprenticeship office, that there is no waiting period. The next day I handed him the form. Got it back the next day signed.

You're in the big leagues now. No on gives a shit about you. Take action.

(02-10-2014 11:01 PM)Zeus Wrote:  

(02-10-2014 05:50 PM)TravellingSoldier Wrote:  So I've been with my company for around 2 months now doing electrical. But as time goes on, they're seeming increasingly disorganized and unreliable. I've now been off for 2 weeks since my last rotation and I'm still waiting for a call to go back to work. In addition, I haven't been indentured yet. I really don't want to look for another company but I came to make money, not sit on my ass 2 weeks out of every month. I currently have about 275 hours under my belt and just bought myself a $500 set of Klein electricians tools, so I'd be good to go with another company.

Just wondering if any of you have an opinion on this, or know of someone I could get in touch with for work? As a first year I know I don't have a lot of options but this is really discerning. If anyone can help PM me please, I've already started looking for companies hiring...

As per law you must be indentured ASAP otherwise they're using you as cheap labour and you have zero rights. 2 months is too long. You can file a complaint with AIT, if you choose.

When I was hired my boss mentioned something about 3 months before I would be indentured. I did some searching and research and found out, from the apprenticeship office, that there is no waiting period. The next day I handed him the form. Got it back the next day signed.

You're in the big leagues now. No on gives a shit about you. Take action.

Definitely going to do that, thanks man. I didn't realize I could get the papers myself, I will tomorrow.

Are the rigs still hiring? I feel like I'm running out of time.

Called Savanna a little while back and they told me to give them a call in a few weeks which would be today.

Is there much discussion of tradesman apprenticeships (I think Canadians call them journeymen) in this thread (i.e. getting an apprenticeship, pay, requirements etc)?

I'm definitely impressed by how many RVFers packed up and moved out to Alberta thanks to Scotian's advise. It has got me quite intrigued.

Another question...

Let's say you have a little bit of capital already saved up, and access to investors for more.

Is there opportunities to put that capital and entrepreneurial spirit to work and start a business.

To bypass the typical routes of money making and end up with more control over your free time, perhaps making more money in the process.

I have a few examples I'll post, generally they're all based upon small businesses and independent contracting ideas I see in mining industry of Australia. Perhaps these opportunities will be saturated in some areas, but in others there may be a need.

Examples catering to industry:
Independent contracting (skills based)
1. Buy some equipment and start contracting in an unregulated or minimally regulated area (e.g. electrical PAT testing, NDT testing, provide rope access workers, and/or equipment and/or training, provide roadside breakdown assistance to commercial fleets, provide general maintenance like snow clearing services, tree lopping services etc). If you're lucky you might have one of these skills and be in an area where they're needed. If you don't have these skills you might be able to attract a partnership with someone who does have them. Potentially take on a few employees, and between your partner and employees you can eventually be in a position to take leave at will.

Labour hire for low skilled & service jobs
2. Get some office space, marketing material, a lawyer on retainer and start offering labour hire for low skilled jobs, how good would you have it if you imported 20 latinas or asian chicks to clean & cook in the work camps, make sure they can't speak much english, take away their passports, pay them next to nothing and house them in cramped accommodation of questionable legality , your job would be to find the workers, find contracts, and fuck your way through half of them, and so long as you have the hustle keep the contracts coming in labour hire is the simplest business. Think about it, pay them say $25k/year for these services, charge their work out at $45k, keep your overheads low and keep make sure you're paying your lawyer enough to keep you out of trouble and you're have a 6 figure business. The steps of taking away their passports and creating a situation of slavery is of course optional and not recommended, but the low wage, why not.

Independent contracting (equipment based)
3. Rather than looking for a job driving a truck, buy a second hand rig and get a freelance contract to haul whatever you wish. Or if not a truck, get some mobile equipment, like a Hyster lift, EWP, bobcat or backhoe and a pickup big enough to haul them. Put them to use in local construction projects, road works, demolishment works etc. When you want to fuck off to Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Philippines, Thailand or wherever for a couple months, either park the equipment up, or lease them out to someone whilst you're gone.


Or other examples (catering to cashed up workers with too much money and time):
Utilities/services for the worker towns
4. Say there is a large worker population in some Bumfuk AB town that has nothing to do with their precious free time except get pissed, take drugs and visit worn out bush pig hookers. If you can get together half a million of money (from yourself, parents, family friends), open a hardcore/crossfit type gym with a section that has 24/7 key card access so that there is minimal staffing requirements. There is a bit of overhead to start but it's a business any idiot can run once you're going. Keep your members happy and you're in business forever. If there is already a gym, or a gym in the work camps, then perhaps do something a little different. Open a fighting gym for MMA/BJJ/Boxing. A little less overhead for this. Or open a legit therapeutic massage parlour, much less overhead there, a few months rent, some tables, towels, and a months worth of wages paid up front for your staff (unless you like the idea of doing it a a sole trader and spending your days rubbing the backs of oil field workers). Make deals with local contractors and employers so their workers can get discounted deals under their corporate HSSE/wellbeing policies.

Laundromat
5. In 90% of mines in Australia that are staffed by local workers (as opposed to camp based workers who have free laundry services) there is large hessian bags and laundry baskets in the bathrooms, if you're an overpaid labourer or tradesman oand don't want to take your filthy, greasy uniforms home after every shift, dirtying up your car and house, then you drop them off, a local laundromat takes them away, washes them at extreme temperatures on their industrial equipment, and has them hanging up sparkling clean and waiting in the workers locker for the next shift. It's quite lucrative for the convenience people are paying many multiples of regular laundromat services for this so I imagine even after considering the stress on the washers from the grease and mud, they're making some good money.

Sell travel packages to worn out workers wanting a break
6. Get a small office in town, a computer with access to the internet, and start putting together holiday packages that are based around the rotating shifts. If the workers in town typically have 3/2 week rotations, sell 2 week snow packages, Vegas weekends, Montreal F1 weekends, Miami week trips, cruises and whatever else they want and earn commissions. A license to sell travel services may be needed but not much else is, certainly not much knowledge haha. Fake your expertise in all of these areas by consulting RVF data sheets and Tripadvisor reviews. Many people are too lazy or rich to bother doing their own research and will pay a nice premium for packaged get aways.



OK just some ideas, maybe it's far more lucrative to show up and just do the hard labour, but for those who want to cash in and not do these things.. they might be some good ideas??

#1 can get you into a lot of trouble with unions and regulatory bodies easily, its actually better to start a legit shop and work your way up. For contracting you better have a good reputation as that's what get you work and it's expected you become a journeyman first to establish your street cred.

#2 is massively done with filipinos and TFW abuse.

#3 is possible but the situation's changed, I'll give you an example:
Industrial cleaning, originally there were ton's of little self-employed contractors that worked the market, making 300k+ a year driving their own trucks. Then after the gulf of mexico spill cleanharbors came in and started buying everybody up after they earned a few bil cleaning that job and monopolized the market with a few other guys like CEDA. Now I think they locked up most of the equipment in long term contracts so if you did start to do it you'd be scraping bottom of the barrel. If you want to do this it's still very possible but you'd need a reputation and a network of contacts who will give you work you can't just pitch people it takes time.

As for fixed buildings, real estate prices are insane 1/2 mil isn't gona cut it when a single family home in a place like ft mac starts at around 750k.

I'm not knocking on your ideas, they're good but if you do these go in with your eyes open and expect to take at least a number of years to get to know the industry and make connections ESPECIALLY if your not a local. Don't expect to come in wheeling and dealing.

(02-11-2014 05:04 AM)ASOT Wrote:  Is there much discussion of tradesman apprenticeships (I think Canadians call them journeymen) in this thread (i.e. getting an apprenticeship, pay, requirements etc)?

(02-11-2014 05:04 AM)ASOT Wrote:  Is there much discussion of tradesman apprenticeships (I think Canadians call them journeymen) in this thread (i.e. getting an apprenticeship, pay, requirements etc)?

Well RVF, this post will serve as my genesis and as such I will attempt to be as comprehensive and thorough in my descriptions as possible.

I will shed light on certain facets of life in Western Canada as it pertains to working in the energy sector as a young, confident man with aspirations of excellence in health, wealth and women. Included topics:

- How I became indentured as an apprentice welder
- What I did for work, what I earned, my potential to increase earnings, what my colleagues earned
- How to network within the industry
- The pros/ cons of night game as a young man in Edmonton
- Type of game needed on the certain type of women you tend to find in droves ("educated" sluts who like "country boys" with tattoos, a new truck with alloy rims and all the toys to go with it)
- The good spots
- Negative aspects of the culture someone should know

My story is this: I spent the latter seven months of 2013 living in Edmonton and working >55 hours a week just south in Nisku (one of the world's largest industrial parks) from 0630 --> 1730, Monday to Friday + the occasional Saturday. I was "recruited" to play for a rugby club in Edmonton. The guy who brought me out from the west coast was an old teammate from my club back home. He happened to be the general foreman at an industrial construction firm that specializes in building piping modules (Google it) for oil and gas refineries. Since this was an entirely new industry for me, I was hired on as a labourer after passing a urine test (they're looking for marijuana) and taking my CSTS, a six-hour long online course in construction safety.

They assigned me as a helper to one of the rig welders on site (our worksite being an 800m x 300m gravel lot). These welders were the impetus for me to declare welding as my apprenticed trade. They're called rig welders because the whole truck and generator system is referred to as a "rig." These guys are journeyman welders (fully ticketed tradesmen) who drive 3500 class pickup trucks out of necessity because of the welder/ generator anchored in the bed. From this machine, these welders are able to spool out their cables, fire up their diesel-fueled welders and stick-weld pipe or structural steel in a variety of contorted positions. There were many days where I was tasked with dragging cables, disc grinders, hammers and files 30 feet up these modules only to have to shimmy between 8 inch pipe to assist him while he welded on his back, suspended from scaffolding, etc. etc.

As an entry level labourer AKA " a green hand," I was making $19.84 before taxes, plus 10% vacation pay and an additional 6% the firm contributed out of their coffers into my RRSP (retirement/ mortgage down payment fund). We were on the clock for 10.5 hours a day, so 2.5 hours of each day was at time and a half pay rate, despite Alberta being structured on 44 hour work weeks.

Compare this to the welder I was helping, who had just turned 25 and got his B-pressure (a welding endorsement achieved through passing practical exams that allow one to weld on pressure vessels i.e. pipe) and, who as a contractor, charged $100 dollars an hour. Being a contractor, he was not eligible for overtime or vacation pay, RRSP contributions etc.

As an employee of the firm, deductions on my paychecks were due to the Canadian Pension Plan, provincial tax and federal income tax. All told, I was netting only about 73% of what I had actually earned based on my wage. Of that 27% I never saw, about 20% of it was income tax. As an independent contractor, my welder only had to pay about 13% (He showed me his pay stubs. What you earn in Alberta eventually ends up in the public domain.) This amounts to $10,000 a paycheck, every two weeks, more if we had to come in and play catch-up on Saturday. This guy wasn't even the youngest on site; I was buddies with a 23 year old welder who ran his rig out of a 2009 F350 Harley-Davidson trim Ford, not even close to the most expensive truck on site.

For the two welders on site who had endorsements to weld stainless steel, they were allowed to charge $110, which was virtually an industry standard.

I was told that I would receive a substantial raise if I were to become indentured as an apprentice. Naturally, welding seemed the right choice. After jumping some bureaucratic hurdles, 3 1/2 months later I had my blue book and was registered with the Alberta Apprenticeship program. True to their word, my firm increased my wage more than 100%. I was now 3 months involved in a brand new sector of the economy and was making $30.10 an hour, literally more than triple what I was making working in restaurants in B.C. With a higher wage came a higher tax bracket, now maybe 24% of my deductions were income tax related. Regardless, if I worked every hour of my shift, my bi-weekly paycheques would read about $3,450 before deductions, and roughly $2,350 after.

Having just turned 20, I was enjoying myself immensely, and therein lay the problem. With such a large cash flow, it became easier to justify those purchases you wouldn't have been able to even comprehend existing previously. I spent around $800 over Canada Day weekend solely on bar tabs and not including taxi cabs, reef, gas money, meals etc. I suited up with one of my welders and dropped $450 in one night at Union Hall on bottle service (maybe that ain't much to guys like McQueen who are popping $10,000 bottles of Dom with the American "social elite," but to the rest of us...) Suffice to say, after purchasing my current wheels, investing in some maintenance and fresh duds, calling in to work sick (read: still drunk) a couple times and taking a road trip, I was basically living paycheque to paycheque, a bad habit all too easy to adopt.

The final tally after 6 1/2 months on the job, 3 1/2 of which I was earning $20/hr, the remainder at $30/hr, I earned just under $32,000, clearing about $21,500 plus an additional $2,000 contributed into my RRSP.

Here's a break down of hourly payscales throughout the yard for some perspective on advancement opportunity:

Un-indentured green hands - $20

Un-indentured green hands w/ industrial experience - $25

1st year apprentice - $30

2nd year - $33.50

3rd year - $37

Journeyman, employee - $42

Journeyman, contractor - $57

Leadhand, employee (not necessarily a journeyman, one step below foreman, similar to a sergeant to a lieutenant) - $50

Foreman, contractor (Anyone foreman or higher tends to be individual contractor, tax breaks, mobility and such etc.) ~$68

General foreman, contractors ~ $75-85

Superintendent, contractor ~$85-$95

Project manager ~$100

B-pressure rig welders $100-$110



To me it's pretty clear that to make money quick from a young age in this industry, the path of least resistance would be:

- Develop above average welding skills,

- Finish your Red Seal journeyman ticket,

- Finance a truck between 4-8 years old, take out a loan --from your tribe if you can manage, avoid banks at all costs-- for miscellaneous hand tools and the welding generator, (all told you're going to require about $20k-$40k of start-up capital depending on quality of gear, new v. used etc.)

- Incorporate your own business

- Start networking to find the good jobs.

A tangent on networking in Alberta: Because there are so many people in positions of authority and power who were raised in a country setting with very little onus to pursue higher education --due to the proximity to the oilfield and trades being that much more lucrative-- there are a lot of hard-partying carousers and general boozers who run companies, or who have brother who's a liaison for an engineering firm, or quality control on a pipeline etc. These guys are usually the racists, the bigots, the homophobes, the idiots. However, we as alpha males in the modern age have an obligation to take advantage of every and any situation for the betterment of our own lives. I made the mistake early of voicing my criticisms of those prejudices that are so deeply linked to their general lack of self-esteem, confidence and ignorance. By no means am I advocating you go shoot shit about how you hate all these "goddamn zipper heads and Pakis," but just don't say that it's wrong to hate them to your foremean when you're out for post-work drinks. Go along to get along, you never know who you may be talking to.

Whereas many people who seek out wealth in the oilfield must resort to camp life, I was able to go home every night, cook my own meals with fresh groceries, maintain a good level of fitness throughout an entire rugby season and go out to the bars on weekends to try and get laid. Unfortunately, I did not discover the game or fully swallow the red pill until I was on my way out of the city.

I only put my penis in two women during my time there. One was a 19-year old girl from Vancouver who flew to Calgary then took a charter bus up to see me during Stampede weekend. The other was a 40-year old childless divorcee who hadn't had any new dick since she was 22. How I conducted myself from pickup to close, how I got her to cook and do my sexual bidding was what finally shed light on the dominance potential that I have within myself, the execution of such being my responsibility as a male. Along the way I was hooking up with but never closing a 17-year old half-Filipino bar hostess (sexy thing, first time I ever successfully got my nut on a Day 2) and a 22 year old, five-foot-zero petite feminist law student whose aspirations included being a prosecutor in sexual harassment cases... Suffice to say I was reticent to push the envelope when it came to dominance in escalation.

Since then I have acquired four new notches in the last 45 days, including one where I blacked out and unconsciously gamed and took home a 25 year old "HB9." But I digress.


The City's Issue: Geographically speaking, Edmonton is one of the worst cities I have ever been to for running game, but especially daygame. The downtown core is rife with invalids and street urchins, it's small, it looks shitty and it's always under construction. Apart from West Edmonton Mall, one of the world's largest, Whyte Avenue will be where you want to expend most of your gaming efforts, both day and night. Hands down the most modern and hip part of Edmonton, it is also where the highest concentration of bars, clubs and restaurants is located. The downside is that eight months of the year it's cold and foreboding out so there is not much poonani on the streets anyways. The fellas and I didn't go to many traditional nightclubs as I hadn't yet manned up with solo game and the guys I usually went out with spit pretty tight talk game. If you decide to cross the North Saskatchewan River and hit the central business district's bar scene, be prepared to spend at least $75 in cabs as the public transit is shit. If you're into drunk driving then feel free, it happens more in Edmonton than anywhere else I have seen, but I can't say I particularly advocate that.

The Cultural Issue: The predominant look you see in the men of Edmonton can be described as either "semi-casual redneck" or "tattooed wannabe hipster meathead." Granted you see some normal folk, travelers and the like, but the times where I suited down with a blue Mexx blazer, dark slacks and an open collared blue shirt, it was obvious that I was the only one taking pride in my appearance. Of course, there's always some dudes in a checkered flannel who make some snide remark over the presence of your pocket square, but I just big-leagued them and turned my back on them. These are the sorts who just get piled up and go around saying stupid shit to anyone in the hopes they can get in a rumble with their posse of camo-wearing rig pigs to back them up. The only two guys I saw wearing a suit to the bar were my Australian roommate and my welder buddy who had a purported notch count of 60+. However, the issue is such; Albertan girls have become so desensitized to what they believe constitutes a man --current model year pickup truck he can't really afford, decent cash flow from a job he can't really sustain, muscles from workouts he doesn't quite know how to do- that any derivative of this norm is met with vaginal hubris mixed with a haughty air of skepticism. Every girl in Edmonton has a beta provider "boyfriend" that she will quickly refer to if at any moment you say or do or look in a way that doesn't parallel 100% to her preconceived canned model of masculinity. Now, I can rock the shit out of my duds and can hold court like Ron Burgundy's balls, but some bitches would at times try and convince me that I wasn't really the person I was dressed up as. We laughed at these types of whores and told them to remove their bent and squished pomeranian faces from our vicinity. The issue of entitlement in Edmontonian girls is doubly worsened when you compound the gold digger attitude with the know-it-all-ness that a liberal undergrad schooling ingrains in their cunty little heads. Also for young guys, if you give up age on them and are not dismissed outright, be prepared for an uphill battle. Most girls here are seeking a meal ticket so by having age as value and status over her, it will play into her desires.

The Bars:

The mainstream spots are gonna be the franchises known as:

1) The Pint

2) Hudson's Taphouse,

These places are well lit during the day and serve decent pub food during the day but total chaos ensues at night midst the clamouring of blue bill betas fresh off their rotation with a fat stack to burn through by night's end. These are the guys buying drinks for any hot girl they see while simultaneously pounding Jagerbombs just creaming themselves trying to get drunk enough to approach.

These two places attract a lot of the typical aggressive "Alberta fucks" (If you don't know what I mean, go work in Alberta and you will know EXACTLY what I mean) that spit weak, loud, obnoxious cockblock game.

On the flipside, deadly spots are going to be those that attract a slightly older clientele (24-28) with a slight rocker, hipster edge to them. These bars have superior layouts, better music, the appropriate lighting and better, often beer. They also have lower decibel levels so a conversation is very feasible, dare I say easy. All the bars I have listed are on Whyte Avenue, exceptions will be noted:

- Black Dog

-The Buckingham

- The Tavern

- The Rack (a lot more of a club atmosphere)

- O' Byrne's (personal favourite; serves Guiness, big patio, cheerful atmosphere)

- The Mercer and the Druid (both downtown, north of the river, these are the places where I got the best dances, mos t attention, most kisses, and most numbers. They are also two of the only places I went in Alberta where dressing sharp was actually an advantage)

The one club I attended that I can critique is Union Hall

1) Union Hall

- A somewhat grimy club south of Whyte Ave., where I got bottle service with my wing. The booths you get for bottle service are fairly visible and central so you can scope talent as it makes it's way by, pulling girls in or high-fiving them as they go by etc,. $200 for Patron, Belv or Goose. One of the hottest waitress I have ever seen, dressed so you could almost see her pussy lips when she walked around in little white booty shorts. If an average guy were to suit up here, get in a good state, spit tight game at the fly girls, and ignore the mingers, you will pull at least a 6. Add a point if you get bottle service.



The one place I would say avoid if you're a normal guy in his mid to late twenties or older is "The Ranch." The predominant country bar/ nightclub in Edmonton, you will be in over your head very quickly if you can't step to country girl game and two step to shitty Florida Georgia Line remixes. The drinking age being 18 in Alberta, don't be surprised if you see girls who are sporting mosquito bites under blouses hanging off their still developing bodies. Seriously, I'm 20 and I felt old being here. Never closed any girl from here, approached plenty. Most girls are real happy when they're here but the market is saturated with pitiful bro's and recently graduated social retards who manage to pick up equally socially damaged nervous girls. If you're like me and you're >6' & >80kg, there will honestly be an intimidation factor present in a lot of the young girls you approach, especially if you're dressed like an urban alpha and not wearing Paul Bunyan's button-down that's tucked into a pair of Wranglers. As an example, if you were to approach some of this fresh meat, odds are she will meet your gaze for maybe the first 4 seconds of the exchange before getting pulled away by her equally stupid friend who will regurgitate some trite remark about having to go/ do/ see/ meet somewhere/ something/ someone. These girls simply don't know how to flirt and have the shortest attention span simply because it's usually the first time out for many and all the meat they have two-stepping on the central dance floor.Don't waste your time. Saying that, if you're all about country chic, you want to get this place on lock. I have the manager's cell number if anyone is in in town trying to get guest list. The one promotion company manages Union Hall, the Ranch and the Central Social Hall downtown. I've heard that is also a decent spot, a little more mature



In short, travel to Alberta to see the Calgary Stampede, the Rockies and to accumulate wealth. There is nothing more to it. The women have deeply ingrained preferences and odds are if you're just hitting the bars and running night game on your rotations off work, you won't run into a single quality girl that will be loyal, smitten by your charms or who yearns for a meat injection from your veiny flesh needle. I'm not saying it can't happen, but come to Vancouver or Victoria if you're trying to find arm-candy or more drastically a LTR. The main exception is if you have an in to a group of locals and you can run social circle game, as I did at my rugby club.

I hope this post was enlightening, for if it were it would mirror my experience in the Wild Rose Province.


Postscript:

I'm trying to draw some traffic to my blog. It contains lay reports, satire, views on life etc. as viewed through the kaleidoscope of a 20 year old Canadian.

http://www.canadianthug.wordpress.com

Check it out if this post was at all helpful.

Very nice post ASOT!!! Very helpful, insightful and full of knowledge. Hard to believe your only 20. You should consider writing and make some side cash lol.

After reading this, i will definitely check out welding and see if its for me. Im from Calgary but living in Vancity right now. Im moving back on the 15th of March with a CDL that i just got here, hoping to land a vac truck gig or get on a frac crew. (whichever comes first)

Ill be doing some networking and maybe find a trade that i can see myself doing for 5/7yrs, bank some cash and pursue other dreams.

Hey guys, having basic tickets (h2s, sfa, csts) and 2 months (summer) experience as a leasehand, what chance is there to get a leasehand job right now? When are the rigs going to be shut down?
Currently, I'm in Europe and thinking about flying do E-Town next week and applying in Nisku immediately afterwards. I don't care if it's a camp or non-camp job (prefer the latter though).

The weather seems to be ok according to Google, up to -20 °C during the night shifts is alright.

nice post man, being from ontario I actually find alberta girls to be really laid back and easy compared to back home haha. Im a welding apprentice as well, hoping to one day have my own rig.

Fav bar on whyte is definitely the rack, pulled a couple girls from there over the summer but haven't been out much currently as its so damn cold. Obyrnes is a great spot for day 2s, sip on some beer and as I only live a couple minutes from it, head back after.

Hey guys, I know it's been said hundreds of times already, and I just wanted to make another post here to thank Irishman, Vacancier Permanent, and most of all Scotian for starting this thread and keeping it going.

You guys have helped out complete strangers and for that I salute you. +1 coming your way fellas

(02-12-2014 12:37 PM)alphaspiraton Wrote:  Hey guys, I know it's been said hundreds of times already, and I just wanted to make another post here to thank Irishman, Vacancier Permanent, and most of all Scotian for starting this thread and keeping it going.

You guys have helped out complete strangers and for that I salute you. +1 coming your way fellas

Thanks man.

PM if you need some info.

(02-11-2014 11:08 PM)Condog Wrote:  Well RVF, this post will serve as my genesis and as such I will attempt to be as comprehensive and thorough in my descriptions as possible.

+1 for an informative and insight post right off the bat.

Interesting story man.

I kind of relate to your spending habits. Last winter I was booking $400 a night hotel rooms for banging girls and drinking heavily. Unfortunately I ended up nearly broke when the drilling season got quite. Good to see you are having fun while your young though.

Haven't tried Union Hall but I have heard good things.

Ill disagree on the ranch. I had an epic night there with a few make outs, pulling a girl back to the hostel (what got me banned) and was receiving crazy attention of girls. It was a Wednesday student night. Might have been down to being Irish and rolling with an Australian though so we had foreign factor.

I am impressed man - bottle service and suit game at 20.

After last years mistakes I would recommend being a bit smarter with your money but at the same time your still pretty young so don't stress it too much either as long as you have yourself covered.

I am hoping to crack Oilsands daygame this year once it heats up so will be interesting to see what your thoughts are on that.

Best of luck with the blog and welcome to the patch.

It's very possible I might be responsible for a few more Ontario kids coming out west lol

All my buddies are blowing their wads when I let em' in on my bankroll...

"DUDE!!!!! That's siiiick, I'm coming out!!" lol the more the merrier! smoke em' if you got em'.... all you Canadians out there fed up with 9-5 bullshit, overweight pompous bosses and annoying try-hard co-workers... this is your chance to reach your potential!