(10-25-2014 02:39 PM)Atlantic Wrote:  So I have heard from multiple sources and have been suspecting it myself for a while but it looks like the MWD job market might be heavily saturated this year. I guess it is a result of the popularity of this thread and the other MWD thread I started. Both come up very easily in any Google search related to MWDing and when you add in Alberta in seems like a LOT of people have been reading this. When I first came out here it was a comfortable niche job that not many people knew about. I post on the thread to highlight one possible career path. I didn't anticipate the interest it would receive and thought MWDing would remain a small niche. I feel that has changed. At work the other day I noticed a STACK of resumes, last year they were actively looking for several guys. Maybe it is not all this forum but interest has increased heavily. It is part of the reason I won't be posting too much on this thread anymore in regards to MWDing and have discontinued my resume service. In fact I sent a few out for free before I stopped altogether. I just don't want to promote a job that just won't pan out for a lot of people. That isn't a comment on who the people applying are but on the fact that there is only a few positions and they are now highly competitive.

I am sure some people if they are determined will still get hired this year and the advice I have given is still effective but I would warn people against solely moving out here to MWD. In fact I would encourage people against it at this stage. I would take my success, and many others, look for the approach we used and apply it to other, equally well paying, job areas. Welding is one that comes to mind right away that is just as well paying and has a lot higher chance of getting hired fast and staying busy year round. You could get hired as a welders helper within a month. MWDing takes 4-6 months, a truck and you still run the risk of just not getting hired. It is a high risk approach.

There are 1000s of different jobs in Alberta, all well paying and many are actively looking for people every year. To limit yourself to a very niche job that is now in high demand is something I no longer feel good about. I get a lot of PMs on MWDing so I know how many people have based moving out here on this job. I would still encourage coming here but that you widen your job search to include more realistic (at this stage) employment.

If you are still set on drilling I would first focus on getting a floor position and keeping that up for at least several months - year. This is now what will be needed to compete with others for future MWDing positions. But also it can lead to a lot of other lucrative areas - mud control, hvac, transport, drilling, wirelining etc. Two years ago when I first moved out it still took 6 different jobs and several months of shooting resumes to get a shot at MWDing. I was lucky too.

TLDR: If you want a safe bet this winter at quick well paying work I would focus on some of the other trades on here. If you are determined to get into drilling aim for a floor position first. Once you have some experience consider MWDing but other avenues too.

I am sure that guys are still thankful for all your and Scotians help. I am moving West on Wed. Not as far as Alberta, but to southern Sask. I got offered a job as a 1st year Plumbing apprentice at a smaller plumbing company in there oil patch area. $22h/r to start. I have some general trades experience and a little plumbing, but at 39 years old I would never get taken on/sponsored as a 1st year apprentice out here in Ontario. So now I will see if I can make it through my 90 day probation. Good luck to all!

First snowfall today, enjoy the cold that's coming. Weather forecast is gona be -3C next week. This weeks gona be good for whoever wants in on oilfield services if you wana get a job.

(10-26-2014 07:41 PM)Jack Of All Trades Wrote:  First snowfall today, enjoy the cold that's coming. Weather forecast is gona be -3C next week. This weeks gona be good for whoever wants in on oilfield services if you wana get a job.

Roads are gonna be complete chaos tomorrow. Already saw 3 cars in the ditch on Friday and it wasn't even snowing. People here seem to practice driving into the ditch before winter comes.

How many of you haven't made the move yet because you are scared to fail and you think you may not handle the work?

Just trying to see if I am the only one.

(10-27-2014 09:28 AM)pitt Wrote:  How many of you haven't made the move yet because you are scared to fail and you think you may not handle the work?

Just trying to see if I am the only one.

Elliott Hulse answers your q nicely in this short vid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xgjb8spwew

This man helped bring out the courage in me to move half way across the world, here is his fb page.
https://www.facebook.com/elliotthulse

(10-23-2014 08:03 PM)BronzeEwe Wrote:  Hey what's up people, first post on this forum!

So a bit about me, I'm 19, speak 5 languages fluently, born and raised in Canada (Mississauga, just west of Toronto) and I've been travelling all my life. Currently in Poland and probably going back to the great white north in a month. I've been putting off school since I just don't feel ready to commit to 4 years of studying. I've been working part-time at Hudson's Bay as a Sales Associate for the past 2 years so I've got some job experience. I'm looking to get a camp job doing anything asap since the whole $10.25/hour part-time job just isn't enough for me in terms of hours and definitely not enough in terms of salary. I'm definitely prepared for everything that comes with a camp job (No problem with being away from home, had many months of that already.) Any tips on who's hiring for camp jobs these days? Looked at suncor and a couple other oil company's websites and couldn't find any info on jobs for people with no experience. Thanks in advance guys.

Yup, you and every other minimum wage earning Upper Canadian want that elusive camp job, good luck with that, I forget who said it before but its like chasing a unicorn bud. Maybe you should consider doing what every other guy on here who has been successful at this has done: move to Edmonton, find a place and a normal job then go from there, oh ya and take the time to read the thread, if you had done so already, you`d know that applying directly to companies such as Suncor is usually pointless.

(10-25-2014 05:11 PM)CanadianDreamer Wrote:  Hey guys. Im heading up on
Thursday to visit this Canadian chick I met who came down here to the island for vacation. Just want to get my tickets and scope out a few jobs. I dont have my permit yet so im looking for some cash jobs to hold me for the time that im there. If any one has ANY ideas as to where I should look, dont hesitate to hit me up! Looking forward to possibly meeting up with some of you crazy lads.

If I was you, I`d be raw dogging that chick and dumping loads in her all day, I`m pretty sure that if you knock a chick up you can get into the country easier.

(10-25-2014 05:28 PM)oilbreh Wrote:  Im taking my already packed bags and jumping back on the long black road. Dont want to scare anyone, easy as shit to find work, but nothing I am interested in at this point. If anyone will be looking for a reliable cheap 4x4 vehicle or cheap workclothes gear, coveralls, parka jacket, or helly hansens PM me! Best of luck to any guys coming out here! work hard and the rest will come. If you are working the rigs be careful. There are all types of crews out there, dont stick around with one if in your gut you know they might be careless.

So, what happened, you can`t just leave us hanging bro, did the rigs really suck? There`s no shame in fucking off, I did it too, Alberta will still be here if you decide to come back.

(10-26-2014 01:12 PM)DjembaDjemba Wrote:  One major misconception new-ish posters on this board seem to have is that Alberta is the land of milk and honey, and gold will flow directly in your bank account with no effort required.

Just come here, get a job, and you'll be making quarter million a year, with 6 months off in the winter, free to bang hotties in the 3rd world while sipping on mojitos and a toking on a cigar. That's far from the truth.

Coming here with an entitlement mentality is the surest way to guarantee failure.

There is quite a bit of jobs here, however the days when anyone with a pulse could get hired are pretty much over. You will have to put in the time. A trade ticket takes about 4 years to attain. This means for 3 years at least, you will be a apprentice. Essentially, keep your neck down, shut the fuck up and listen. You will be paid for it, and you will learn, however this is time you'll have to put in.

If you fail to listen to instructions, take initiative, work hard, and try to blend in culturally, you'll most likely be packing your bags and heading home even if the economy is still red hot (which it now isn't).

There's a ton of trades out there, and if anyone is bothered reading suggestions I'd recommend hitting up Nisku, and looking at:

Welding, Pipefitting, Plumbing, Equipment Operator, Electrician. I'm essentially laying out trades that are generally easier to get in. They have a generally low barrier of entry (this means you'll have to work even harder as many people are hired, many are fired).

Perhaps take a course at your current place of residence from a local college. NAIT offers programs and quick certs, pre-employment courses that give you a leg up. If you really want to get into the more technical trades you'll need to look at doing major upgrading at a college for your skillset. There's trades out there that require you to go back to school for a set time. They generally offer better long term stability and their skillsets are transferable to outside the oilfied. Again...keep in mind, you have to work hard, keep your neck down, shut the fuck up, and listen.

Edmonton is a blue collar town for the most part. Essentially if you're moving here you'll be looking to work in a trade of some kind. Plant, manufacturing, low level engineering, etc. You can learn skills here to take elsewhere down the line, when the oil is gone, no longer profitable, or something even more enticing comes around.

If you're an Engineer, or have a BSc, you could take a little longer and find a job that will pay you a very good, stable wage without the cyclical ups and downs tradesguys go through. I'm not going to even bother posting any resources and links because I think at this stage of the game guys need to be motivated enough to open the jar by themselves and not be spoonfed their future career directions.

TL;DR - Take initiative. Don't be entitled.

This post is gold and Djembadjemba knows what he`s talking about, he`s been out here working long enough to see the pattern in who succeeds and who doesn`t. As he said, you can`t expect to come out here and make the big dollars off the bat, well I suppose that you could if you went to the rigs right away but that line of work isn´t for everyone.

I think it was Atlantic who once wrote that you can`t do some kind of lifestyle hack in the oil patch, you can`t just show up take a ticket or two then be making six figures in six months and fucking off to 3rd world shit holes like I do, I put in four years of busting my ass in ALberta before I started taking half the year off. Actually we have an RVF member who thought he could do just that, and unsurprisingly, things haven´t worked out so well, he tried to do the Tim Ferris style career hack and ending up with a Four-Hour Work Week, not ideal hours in the patch, he sat on his ass at home on the computer all day wondering why things didn`t work out.

(10-26-2014 08:36 PM)Tresdus Wrote:  

(10-26-2014 07:41 PM)Jack Of All Trades Wrote:  First snowfall today, enjoy the cold that's coming. Weather forecast is gona be -3C next week. This weeks gona be good for whoever wants in on oilfield services if you wana get a job.

Roads are gonna be complete chaos tomorrow. Already saw 3 cars in the ditch on Friday and it wasn't even snowing. People here seem to practice driving into the ditch before winter comes.

People wait to put on their snow tires when they know it snows out here before November, Albertans generally suck in the snow anyway compared to people from the east, plus all of the new Canadians who never drove in the snow before, drive defensively boys.

(10-27-2014 09:28 AM)pitt Wrote:  How many of you haven't made the move yet because you are scared to fail and you think you may not handle the work?

Just trying to see if I am the only one.

Pitt we haven`t met yet but I know that you are a hustler and are willing to work hard, plus you have oil industry experience so I`m sure you`ll be fine. Just apply everything you`ve learned in this thread and don`t be a lazy, whinging cunt and you`ll be fine!

Hey guys don’t expect it to be as easy as some has said. Maybe two or three years ago but not now. The market is saturated with guys coming to Edmonton. The companies are not taking any and everyone and don’t expect to be hired on the spot. There is mad competition for entry-level positions in the oil field. I moved here 3 weeks ago. I packed my shit, jumped on a Grey Hound bus from Toronto, and spent 2 and half days coming to Edmonton. When I reached, I stayed at the Hi Edmonton Hostel. 75% of the guys and women that stay there are looking for jobs in the oil patch and 20% are already working in the patch but staying there on their days off and 5% are just travelers. I had five roommates while I stayed there. Out of the five only one had a job and the others were looking for one. I wouldn’t say it’s easy.

In the 3 weeks since I have been here, I have been to Nisku twice. Dropped off resumes in person to over 20 companies and have applied to over 30 companies online. Positions both in the patch and general labour. I had 4 interviews. All of them said, “that within the next 3 – 4 weeks they will be taking on candidates for the patch. The weather is too warm and the oil prices are to low.” I remember in one interview the recruiter told me, that the market is so slow and the competition is so strong that there are guys with 10 to 15 years experience that are applying for entry level positions. They will be the first to get jobs. If you have a trade it will definitely be easier for you but if you don’t it will be a lot harder to find work.

I’m not posting this to scare anyone out of making the move. I just want you guys to know the reality of things. Just as DjembaDjemaba and Scotian wrote don’t expect the land of the honey and roads paved with gold. It is very competitive out here and you got to put in the work.

In my first week I was able to get a 4x4 truck for less than $1000, drove to Nisku and dropped off resumes. The second week I found a cheap place and organized all my shit. The third week I called back the companies and applied to more. I have been looking for a temporary job but no luck. This week I’m going to the Oil and Job Fair on the 29th. The job is the last piece of the puzzle.

P. S all those who are making the move internationally, MAKE sure you organize your Class 5 License. For most companies it is mandatory to have it for a Leasehand/Floorhand position. It is taking me two weeks for them to verify my national driving license before I can even take the road exam.

Hey Silk, thanks for the info. Would you say that most people you have met looking for work are strictly looking for a camp job? Or have people been open to the type of employment they get?

It seems like a lot of people are stuck on working directly on the patch, which while offering a higher starting wage, command the most interest in terms of applications. The way I'm approaching it is that there are countless operations that are indirectly or directly associated with the patch, that don't necessarily get as much interest due to the reality that it's a normal 9-5 type job that requires people to live in the surrounding area.

Is this accurate?

Silk how did things go in Grande Prairie?

DjembaDjembas prior post is excellent info. If you are coming out here print that off and put it on your wall.

Someone pointed this out to me and Ill post it cause I find it quite funny in a way. This is from PAGE 4 of this thread...

(02-01-2012 04:13 PM)Atlantic Wrote:  Hi Everyone

This is my first post, I’ve have been waiting till the 1st so I could register for about 2 weeks!

...

Scotian I don’t really want to ask you much because you have answered so much already and have put up enough info for a motivated person to be able to figure it out themselves.

As it gets nearer the time I might get back in touch to see what you recommend but for now I will just start contributing to this forum and enjoying what it has to offer…

(10-27-2014 09:28 AM)pitt Wrote:  How many of you haven't made the move yet because you are scared to fail and you think you may not handle the work?

Just trying to see if I am the only one.

Haven't you been commenting since the first couple of pages? Pull the trigger and move out! It will be worth it, unless you're working on a rig it won't be that hard.

I've never worked a manual labour job in my life and I can handle 12 hour days pretty easily. In fact most of my gym PRs have been after working long and hard days. I can't explain you how that works.

(10-27-2014 05:22 PM)Tresdus Wrote:  

(10-27-2014 09:28 AM)pitt Wrote:  How many of you haven't made the move yet because you are scared to fail and you think you may not handle the work?

Just trying to see if I am the only one.

Haven't you been commenting since the first couple of pages? Pull the trigger and move out! It will be worth it, unless you're working on a rig it won't be that hard.

I've never worked a manual labour job in my life and I can handle 12 hour days pretty easily. In fact most of my gym PRs have been after working long and hard days. I can't explain you how that works.

Yeah I know but if I move there, I am only looking to work on a rig.

Well for rigs now is a good time to come. Worst case scenario you hate it you can walk away any time. I have a friend who works rigs and if you looked at him you would never think he's "in shape". He said the physical isn't that horrible its more the mental aspect of being secluded for those weeks. You can even escape that by working a service rig and you'll move around a lot more.

(10-27-2014 07:18 PM)Kdog Wrote:  Well for rigs now is a good time to come. Worst case scenario you hate it you can walk away any time. I have a friend who works rigs and if you looked at him you would never think he's "in shape". He said the physical isn't that horrible its more the mental aspect of being secluded for those weeks. You can even escape that by working a service rig and you'll move around a lot more.

Would now be a good time for someone to work on a rig with no prior experience? (I assume as a leasehand) Doing all the safety courses later this week and I'm looking to get out there next month.

^Yes.

Regarding the rigs, its not like they drop you off for the winter and collect you in the spring. You can quit whenever if its not for you. Last just two weeks and youre up 5k

(10-27-2014 11:51 AM)scotian Wrote:  

(10-25-2014 05:28 PM)oilbreh Wrote:  Im taking my already packed bags and jumping back on the long black road. Dont want to scare anyone, easy as shit to find work, but nothing I am interested in at this point. If anyone will be looking for a reliable cheap 4x4 vehicle or cheap workclothes gear, coveralls, parka jacket, or helly hansens PM me! Best of luck to any guys coming out here! work hard and the rest will come. If you are working the rigs be careful. There are all types of crews out there, dont stick around with one if in your gut you know they might be careless.

So, what happened, you can`t just leave us hanging bro, did the rigs really suck? There`s no shame in fucking off, I did it too, Alberta will still be here if you decide to come back.

Well nothing really happened, mostly due to poor planning on my side.
Came out here spring out 2012 before I knew this forum, couldnt find work at home as an engineer. Came out here, slowly realized most of the nice operator companies hire from university coops and internships. Nothing worthwhile came up (I had no experience really so its expected) so I went on working well completions doing the grunt work. After a year and a half of that, decided to try drilling rigs. Spent almost a year on them roughnecking. Plan was to switch to mwd about now.

As the previous posts in this thread pointed out, mwd is kinda in the gutter. What is missing from those posts is that a big directional/mwd operator shut shop this month. This means there are a fuck ton of MWDs with experience looking for work right now. My resume with an engi degree and a rig experience is just probably going in the trash when they have guys with experience to choose from.

Not really interested in tripping pipe, scrubbing shit and rig moving for another winter, even if it pays well. I am trading my time for a nice paycheck, one a grade 8 drop out can make really though. Going to go to the career fair and some union halls this week, if nothing happens from it I am getting my ticket home friday. One door closes another opens. Got some rough plans on what I might do, im sure ill survive. If I end up broke ill be back working on a rig next fall.

Some tips for guys coming out here:
1) Seriously look into trades. Less cyclical, a job you can do anywhere. Get in easily in Alberta, move up, then work like scotian 6 month or move back home and start an operation. Will require to put the work in, but trust me 4 years is nothing if you start this month.
2) Someone said do service rigs since you are not in the bush as long. DONT DONT DONT. They pay way less, and you are on the road constantly. Shop hours are prob 12 an hour when its not the oil company writing a ticket. If a job is less than 4 hours from the shitty town you will be based out of that is no better than camp, you wont even get sub. You will wake up 4 am and get back 11 pm. Have fun spending $40 a day on food at a gas station, sleeping dirty since you have no energy to shower, and only getting paid for 10 hours that day, no sub. Trust me everybody wants camp for a reason. Also no prefabs. Have fun freezing. Drilling is the way to go on rigs. Then SOME services.

maybe ill add more later, but please read 1 and 2. A lot of guy I see are coming out here with an engineering degree. I still dont know what to tell you as I wasnt successful with it. If I did it again I would probably try to get on with fracking companies. There are not many, and it seems they recruit out of schools, I never heard back from them, but after two years you can consult ($1500 a day). Fracking prefers consultants with engineering degrees to give it more validation from public. Ill let someone else write that guide though, at this point ill just speculate..
its seriously gravy here and I'll say again, learn a trade. Sure the money might be better off the bat on drilling rigs, but you learn little, damage your health, and it translates to nothing in the real world. A journeyman will make what a driller makes, and a supervisor will make what a push makes anyway at the end of the day, but the rig guys will forever be stuck working out on a rig.

@oilbreh - solid post meng, never easy having to explain why things don't work out. For those of us planning to head to AB, we appreciate it. I'm making the move today from BC. Taking my time getting there and grabbing some snow tires before the Rockies (winter is coming )

I'll be topping up my certs then hitting the pavement knocking on doors in Edmonton. In your opinion is it better trying to hit up unions for a potential apprenticeship? I have zero trade experience so would that be pretty well a waste of my time? My initial plan was to work a leasehand job on a rig to get some experience, then look for apprenticeships or maybe more courses.

Any advice would be appreciated.

The way I see it is: if you're already working a shit minimum wage job in a boring city you have nothing to lose by moving out here if you can afford to move.

The service industry retail etc are dying for people. I got hired on the spot and they didn't even ask any questions. sure I'm making shit money for easy work and spent my whole paycheque on chicken wings and beer, but girls are easy, and if you're already working retail or something you'll have no trouble finding an interim job while you get tickets for the rigs or an apprenticeship for a trade

as for me I've finally moved into a place so I can start on step 2. I've had a fun Couple weeks hut now it's nose to the grindstone

I have been a follower of this thread for a long time and decided to finally post something. I had a plan to come to Canada with a Working Holiday visa before I found out about the oil industry in Alberta, but this thread really influenced me in choosing a destination etc. So thanks again guys!

I landed in Calgary in September and spent the following weeks to settle in - couchsurfed the first week, found a room on the second week and a temp job in landscaping/construction the week after that. I too wanted to start out as a leasehand on an oil rig and then maybe move to MWD. Well, that last part is probably on hold right now. Anyway, I went to job fairs and applied online to all the drilling companies out there, called them up and got talking to a recruiter who liked my resume - all the necessary tickets, reliable transport, available immediately and upon short notice. So she sent me to a physical and put me on a waiting list. Only had to wait for 5 days before she called me up and offered a job starting the next day 300 km up north. Well, here's one advice I can give you - if you lie on your resume to have a car that you actually do not have, then try to get one before the actual job offer. I managed to buy a car, register and insure it and drive to the location in less then a day but it was really tight.

Working on the rig was actually not as tough as I imagined, but I had a really cool crew. There are rigs that go through 30 to 40 different leasehands in a year so you could end up on a shitty one. At the end of my shift we racked our rig up, which has never happened to that rig at this time of the year. And the truckers who moved the rig said they are racking up 2 rigs for every 1 they move. So yeah, things are slow right now - especially with the low oil price. For myself, If they cannot start the rig up in the next week or so I'll start looking for other companies.
Good luck to you all looking for a leasehand job!

(10-27-2014 10:29 PM)Atlantic Wrote:  ^Yes.

Regarding the rigs, its not like they drop you off for the winter and collect you in the spring. You can quit whenever if its not for you. Last just two weeks and youre up 5k

I guess the only problem with a rig job would be that I don't own a vehicle nor do I have my full license and from what I've been reading, having a vehicle is mandatory. Other than that, after reading through the thread and watching a couple youtube vids, a rig job as a leasehand would be perfect for me.

(10-27-2014 10:29 PM)Atlantic Wrote:  ^Yes.

Regarding the rigs, its not like they drop you off for the winter and collect you in the spring. You can quit whenever if its not for you. Last just two weeks and youre up 5k

I got some PMs on this...

Rates are all here: http://www.caodc.ca/drilling-crews

12hrs x 14 days. Everything over 44 hrs a week is overtime so x 1.5.

Grab a calculator and do the maths

Looks like my car finally died after 8 months. -8 this morning and the battery was dead. I flagged down cars in the road where I was parked and after about half an hour one finally agreed to let me jump start with her car.
Also the power steering stopped working now.

Work gave me a truck to take home though and I have to say I kinda like trucks, I feel like a real Albertan now.

Not sure if winter arrived a bit early up there or the price of oil dropped too much but some of you dudes sound upset.

Here's some motivation.

Anybody working in hvac? NOT hydro vac

As in sheet metal.

I'm doing residential work helping a journeyman install the furnaces and duct work/pipe for new houses. I know the guy aswel so it's working out well.

Here's the kicker: piece pay

Houses get quoted for a certain amount of hours worked. Eg x house in sherwood park is quoted for a 15 hour job. So you get paid for the 15 hours. But you can do it in 8/9 hours, get back to the shop,load another job, rinse repeat cycle.

Journeyman works 50 hours, gets paid for 70/75.

70 hours x 30 an hour = 2100 a week. Let's just say average tax about a fifth? =2100 x.20 = 1680 a week. Not bad. Also you can just keep going back for jobs and come out with a retarded big paycheck, and some journeyman rates are bigger than others so you could be on a 35$ rate or time and a half rate if the journeyman is training you, so there is a lot of money to be made. mind you, piece pay is only in residential and not commercial.

Does anyone know the journeyman rate for hvac workers up north?

(10-28-2014 07:45 PM)alecks Wrote:  Anybody working in hvac? NOT hydro vac

As in sheet metal.

I'm doing residential work helping a journeyman install the furnaces and duct work/pipe for new houses. I know the guy aswel so it's working out well.

Here's the kicker: piece pay

Houses get quoted for a certain amount of hours worked. Eg x house in sherwood park is quoted for a 15 hour job. So you get paid for the 15 hours. But you can do it in 8/9 hours, get back to the shop,load another job, rinse repeat cycle.

Journeyman works 50 hours, gets paid for 70/75.

70 hours x 30 an hour = 2100 a week. Let's just say average tax about a fifth? =2100 x.20 = 1680 a week. Not bad. Also you can just keep going back for jobs and come out with a retarded big paycheck, and some journeyman rates are bigger than others so you could be on a 35$ rate or time and a half rate if the journeyman is training you, so there is a lot of money to be made. mind you, piece pay is only in residential and not commercial.

Does anyone know the journeyman rate for hvac workers up north?

You do know that UA 488 has metal trades workers like welders and pipefitters at 37.18 as of Nov. 18, 2012? they've got annual raises of 3%/yr so they're probably around 40$+/hr. B-pressure tickets and gasfitter/steamfitter tickets are 43$+/hr. These are 2012 rates so they've only gone up and also without advanced trade tickets. Also if you look at the fabrication agreements 1st years start at around 20-23$ 2nd gets 27-30$/hr and 3rd years get 36$+/hr. The metal trades are mostly 3 years and based upon hours worked. I think they're based on 1300/first year, and 1800 afterwards. If you get on with a busy company you can get your journeyman ticket in 2 1/2 years. These guys also have double time on weekends, etc. and they have a amazing benefits package.

BTW HVAC is part of local 488 and the rates still apply.

http://www.local488.ca/trades/refrigeration-mechanic
http://www.local488.ca/members/agreements