Thought I would share my experience with you guys about moving from Ontario to work in the oil patch.

This is something that I've wanted to do for a while and this forum gave me all the motivation and info I needed to make the leap so thanks to everyone who contributed, especially scotian and some of the other early contributors.

A few weeks ago, while I was still in Ontario I did all of the safety courses that I could from here (CSTS and First Aid). Then me and my girlfriend drove up here. We drove through the states because it shaves about 6 hours off of the trip. Luckily they didn't ask me to go inside at customs because my car was packed to the tits and it would have been a massive pain in the ass to have them search through all my shit. It might help to have documentation that says you have safety courses scheduled, a place to live in Canada, or anything else that assures customs that you aren't trying to work in the U.S. Going through the U.S. also lets you take a couple $15 cases of Old Milwaukee back into Canada with ya lol.

We came up through the Saskatchewan border near Estevan. I knew that Estevan was a booming oil town so since I had resumes on hand I decided to try my luck with a few applications before I kept heading towards Edmonton. I should also mention that in my resume package I included my resume, phtocopies of my safety tickets, confirmation emails of the courses that I had scheduled to take in Edmonton, and a copy of my drivers abstract. This seemed to impress recruiters, so I think it was a good idea. I stopped by a few electrical contractors shops around Estevan and the 2nd one I stopped in at I was able to speak to the owner, who after a quick informal chat, asked me if I would be able to start next week. I took the job and told him I would see him on monday even though I knew I would still be trying my luck in Alberta.

I kept driving up to Edmonton. I looked for 1st year electrical apprentice jobs all over Nisku, Red Deer, Rocky Mountain House etc. on the one day I had dedicated to doing job applications. Got a couple nibbles, and one sorta job offer where I would be hanging around the shop all day building electrical panels for the first 3 months. This would have been fine but I really wanted to just dive in and get my hands dirty. I did my Fall protection course on the Thursday and the H2S course on the friday. On friday I had to decide between keeping on looking in Alberta for work or taking the job in Saskatchewan. I didn't want to blow the opportunity so I took the job in Estevan, SK and I moved down here on the Sunday. Found an unfurnished apartment with everything included and a brand new place for $1200/month, which isn't bad for a boom town. Started work the next day at 7AM. There was no fucking around, they just put me with a journeyman and sent me off to a job site. We were wiring up a pump jack so I felt like it was the real deal. I made it through the week and it was cold as balls and windy as shit sometimes, but you just learn to fight though it (fumbling around with screws and bolts, bare-hands when the wind chill is -30 C). Lots of hours, lots of overtime, and your home every night. Optional to work weekends. The town itself isn't bad either. Nearest real city is Regina which is a couple hours away, but they still have all the amenities you need here. A lot of guys will tell you that Estevan is a bit of a shit-hole and that there's nothing to do, but I don't find it too bad and I'm coming from Toronto where there's always something going on. I was hoping to be closer to the mountains for some boarding this winter though... Oh well, hopefully I can eventually get a fly-in fly-out out of Calgary after I get a couple years of experience under my belt.
Just glad I made the move and found good work.

Best of luck to anyone else thinking about making the move. There are definitely jobs here and in Alberta, but it does take some effort.

Sounds like you found what you were looking for. Good job.

I was in Estevan for 2 weeks this summer and we went to the same bar every night for dinner because there was just nothing else to do.

JustinS congrats on finding a job! When you drove through the US did you end up driving through that crazy storm that hit Buffalo?

He likely would have driven south west through ontario and cross at the windsor/detroit border

(11-22-2014 11:24 PM)Zauber Wrote:  JustinS congrats on finding a job! When you drove through the US did you end up driving through that crazy storm that hit Buffalo?

Ya I left well before all of that in Buffalo. Went through the Sarnia border.

What a fucking snow storm...
80 accidents in Edmonton so far today

-35 tonight in Ft. St. John not including wind chill factor. I don't know how these God damn polar gooks put up with it

Brutal day today! Thank god we went in a job inside a big shop so it wasn't bad. But going and coming back was awful!

It's going to be even colder tomorrow and over the weekend. Good thing it's going to be shop work tomorrow as it'd be crazy being outside at -30 all day!

I truly salute all the guys working outside in these kinds of weather!

(11-27-2014 07:55 PM)Tresdus Wrote:  What a fucking snow storm...
80 accidents in Edmonton so far today

(11-27-2014 10:24 PM)Seanchaí Wrote:  -35 tonight in Ft. St. John not including wind chill factor. I don't know how these God damn polar gooks put up with it

(11-28-2014 02:30 AM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  Brutal day today! Thank god we went in a job inside a big shop so it wasn't bad. But going and coming back was awful!

It's going to be even colder tomorrow and over the weekend. Good thing it's going to be shop work tomorrow as it'd be crazy being outside at -30 all day!

I truly salute all the guys working outside in these kinds of weather!

Man, am I glad I fucked off to Vancouver! As soon as it got really cold, I bailed. Worked all of last year though and the winter was an experience to remember. We were working on top of those giant tanks at the time, so coming down and warming up wasn't always an option. One time I got really desperate and had literally no feeling in my hands. They were literally two solid blocks of wood and I couldn't even climb down the ladder if I wanted to, so I just put them down my pants for 5 minutes to get some feeling back. Another time I was carrying one of those yellow halogens around as a heat source. Burned my face and hands a couple of times trying to warm myself up like a fucking bum beside a burn barrel.

(11-28-2014 02:30 AM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  Brutal day today! Thank god we went in a job inside a big shop so it wasn't bad. But going and coming back was awful!

It's going to be even colder tomorrow and over the weekend. Good thing it's going to be shop work tomorrow as it'd be crazy being outside at -30 all day!

I truly salute all the guys working outside in these kinds of weather!

VP you're still in Canada? Its past mid-November man, I thought you'd be banging models in Vietnam by now!

Anyone got a lead on mud engineer jobs?

How has the recent fuck all price drop in oil affected the fields?

It should come back up soon enough (1-2 years). It's happened before and was expected.

How's everyone's eating habits in camps?

I find I eat like shit. The daily buffet is tempting. And it's not your typical cafeterias either. I just had prime rib, stuffed salmon with shrimp, risotto with mushrooms, and asparagus...followed by a deadly serving of chocolate cake. I've paid far more for far less.

And then there's the options I didn't couldn't find place in my stomach...

Greek Chicken Salad
Chicken Fingers
Farmer's sausage
Chicken breast

and myriad of salad options.

That was the plan and I was about to leave. Then out of the blue, found a good gig with a good company. So I'm staying put for now. Need to get that first oh so important ticket before resuming traveling.

How's Colombia treating you, bud?

(11-28-2014 02:12 PM)scotian Wrote:  

(11-28-2014 02:30 AM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  Brutal day today! Thank god we went in a job inside a big shop so it wasn't bad. But going and coming back was awful!

It's going to be even colder tomorrow and over the weekend. Good thing it's going to be shop work tomorrow as it'd be crazy being outside at -30 all day!

I truly salute all the guys working outside in these kinds of weather!

VP you're still in Canada? Its past mid-November man, I thought you'd be banging models in Vietnam by now!

Djemba,
Damn man, you're being well taken care of food wise from the looks of it! Careful on not getting fat!
Btw, do you have to pay for food while being at a camp? I thought it was included.

(11-29-2014 08:09 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  That was the plan and I was about to leave. Then out of the blue, found a good gig with a good company. So I'm staying put for now. Need to get that first oh so important ticket before resuming traveling.

How's Colombia treating you, bud?

(11-28-2014 02:12 PM)scotian Wrote:  

(11-28-2014 02:30 AM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  Brutal day today! Thank god we went in a job inside a big shop so it wasn't bad. But going and coming back was awful!

It's going to be even colder tomorrow and over the weekend. Good thing it's going to be shop work tomorrow as it'd be crazy being outside at -30 all day!

I truly salute all the guys working outside in these kinds of weather!

VP you're still in Canada? Its past mid-November man, I thought you'd be banging models in Vietnam by now!

Colombia is all good, about 50 degrees warmer than Alberta at the moment, good decision on staying in Alberta, it will suck balls for sure but by toughing it out and saving more money, you'll be better off.

This thread needs more WesternCancer stories.

Also, for the welders:

   

Been working in the oilsands for basically the entirety of 2014. Began in february in Cold lake building a sag-D and staying at a rig camp. Got the layoff bat in the summer and in under 2 weeks I was up in fort mcmurray working high voltage at a mine plant also in a terrible camp. Been here ever since. Just yesterday I got a job offer which happens to be LOA in Edmonton (extremely rare) so I decided to take it. Have never been to edmonton before and ambitious to start there and get out of the camp life for a bit. It starts in January so it will be a new start, new life for me. Who knows. Aside from the edmonton datasheets/threads any edmonton locals know any hotspots to frequent for nightlife/girls/stuff-to-do? I have a 10/4 shift so it allows me some freedom as i probably wont be flying home on my days off in order to bank my travel pay.


Cheers
PS. If anyone wants to chat oilfield or needs some tips for the first time up here feel free to PM me or reply to my post . (I am an electrician)

If I'm interested in doing this should I take a class for welding first?

Whyte Ave and Jasper Ave is basically the only 2 streets with nightclubs. There's a couple in WEM.

There really isn't that much to do in Edmonton, especially during the winter. Maybe go ice skating.

Got my first taste of the Albertan Dream, just finished a 14 day rotation in Slave Lake and Camrose as an Industrial Plumber's Labourer with hotel stay and 40/day sub pay. Def a step up from my last gig but it's just a stepping stone to my next job. Even though things are slow right now, ask and you will receive.

On another note it would be really helpful if some guys could recommend the best gear for Alberta's extreme winters as I found it's hit or miss asking the sales assistants at Mark's.

For wet conditions in Alberta's extreme cold weather I can vouch for the Dunlop dark green rubber boots at Mark's and although they're about 230 they're worth it, keep your feet real warm without the bulky liner. Best paired with Helly Hansen socks IMO.

Also the Helly Hansen brand is the best in general I find although I haven't been able to find waterproof, windproof, tight fitting gloves suitable for the extreme cold, this is a big problem for me as my work requires good finger dexterity and last night felt like my hands were being stabbed by pins and needles at -37 with wind chill, any suggestions where to find suitable gloves?

Anybody try the Dakota windproof,water resistant, breathable winter coveralls at Mark's?
I'm thinking of buying them on Dec 6 at the 20% off everything sale as they're 340 but still more affordable than the Helly Hansen coveralls.
http://www.marks.com/shop/en/marks-marks...rall-31669

(11-30-2014 11:55 PM)PALEO DUDE Wrote:  Got my first taste of the Albertan Dream, just finished a 14 day rotation in Slave Lake and Camrose as an Industrial Plumber's Labourer with hotel stay and 40/day sub pay. Def a step up from my last gig but it's just a stepping stone to my next job. Even though things are slow right now, ask and you will receive.

On another note it would be really helpful if some guys could recommend the best gear for Alberta's extreme winters as I found it's hit or miss asking the sales assistants at Mark's.

For wet conditions in Alberta's extreme cold weather I can vouch for the Dunlop dark green rubber boots at Mark's and although they're about 230 they're worth it, keep your feet real warm without the bulky liner. Best paired with Helly Hansen socks IMO.

Also the Helly Hansen brand is the best in general I find although I haven't been able to find waterproof, windproof, tight fitting gloves suitable for the extreme cold, this is a big problem for me as my work requires good finger dexterity and last night felt like my hands were being stabbed by pins and needles at -37 with wind chill, any suggestions where to find suitable gloves?

Anybody try the Dakota windproof,water resistant, breathable winter coveralls at Mark's?
I'm thinking of buying them on Dec 6 at the 20% off everything sale as they're 340 but still more affordable than the Helly Hansen coveralls.
http://www.marks.com/shop/en/marks-marks...rall-31669

When I first started working, people at work told me that I will never find the right glove. They were right. I also need dexterity. I've spent more cash on gloves than anything else. I find that work specific gloves are the worst in extreme cold. I put on a couple of those thin blue liners and for my third layer I wear one of these insulated driving gloves.
http://www.marks.com/shop/en/marks-marks...-max-32058

And yeah, I've been made fun of, but I don't give a fuck. I rather have warm hands. Even this set up isn't great, but it's better than wearing a work glove. The reason I wear that specific driving glove is b/c I can fit two liners underneath and still wear that third layer on top. Plus the driving glove itself is insulated, but you still have dexterity. With work gloves you can barely get one liner underneath and work gloves themselves aren't warm, even if they're insulated.

Edit: both mark's and Eddie Bauer have these small electric hand warmers (the size of iPod minis), maybe buy one of those too. The battery lasts 3 hours, but you can turn it on and off. Put it in your pocket and every time your hand turns into a block of concrete, grab the hand warmer.

Edit 2: forgot to mention the socks below. I wear a normal pair with these on top, and I can just then wear a regular 6 inch boot instead of a massive insulated rubber boot (but the boot I wear is insulated).
http://www.marks.com/shop/en/marks-marks...%29--29500

Those are thickest socks I've ever seen.

For gloves I would get those liner type gloves that Wal-mart sells for women. They are 0.99 a pair. They have some have Mark's but you either pay more Helly Hansens or they are really loose fitting(Tighty whities). Then get some Ninja's from Mark's. They are lined rubber gloves. The combination should keep your hands warm and let you keep most of your dexterity.

I find that keeping warm in the extreme cold is a matter of keeping your blood pumping. I'm usually always cold as soon as I start but as soon as the blood get's going I start to warm up.

Appreciated all the tips on the winter gear as it's also my first winter in AB. So Keep'em coming boys!

Cheers!

[attachment=23269]

Ive tried about fourty different pairs of gloves, these are the best I have found.

They are around $35 but keep your hands toasty even at -35. I also keep a second pair dry inside my jacket if I get the first pair wet.

I dont know the exact model but they are fleece lined on the inside.