Alberta
Alberta Oilfield worker living in Ontario feeling overwhelmed
Submitted by Teddy Smith from London, Ontario
I just thought I’d share a bit with what’s going on in my life. I’ve worked the service rigs for 20 years+, had some absolutely amazing times, met some truly awesome people, but most importantly I was doing a job I was in love with. The pride that I got from doing a job I knew drove the world was a fantastic feeling.
In October of 2018 my 74 yr old mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and in December my 84 year old father passed away.
Coupled with the 100% debilitating federal and provincial government towards our pristine oil fields I found myself out of work for the first time in my rigging career. I decided to sell almost everything I own and pack up and move myself, my wife and my dogs in with my mother to help look after her. She lives in London, Ontario.
My heart is Albertan. My soul bleeds oil and I am truly feeling overwhelmed by the overall general sense of ‘suck it up’ Alberta that I get from the general population of people here in Ontario. Every person I talk to here in Ontario has absolutely no idea what it’s like to work in the patch, no respect for what we do and all they come back with is you got paid really good money to do what you did, you should have set money aside for a rainy day… well how the hell to you do that with it’s been pouring for the last 5 years???
The people in Ontario don’t care how Albertans feel. They make fun of us on This Hour Has 22 Minutes. They don’t understand and they are unwilling to learn how we have the most ethical, cleanest, safest oil in the world.
There comes a time when one says I’ve had enough!!
I want to see us stop importing oil and using 100% Canadian refined oil and gas.
We need the media outlets to stop twisting Alberta’s story and get the truth out there.
We need to stop the indoctrination of youth in our school system into thinking oil is bad.
We definitely need to stop the equalization payments.
I want our voices to be hear loud and clear and it’s NOT happening here. The word is not getting out!
People need to stop stifling our clean oil!!! I don’t understand at all, it’s truly heart breaking.
This is coming from someone that lives, breathes Alberta but due to tragic circumstances I’m being suffocated here in Ontario and I’m asking for help. Help me help the province that has given me the best times of my life. Help me save ALBERTA!
Canadian energy needs more faces showing the plight of our disgruntled energy workers in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia.
I am by no means a politician just a very humbled righand who chose to make his family’s personal life very public in the Hope’s of providing a better understanding to the uneducated/misinformed masses of the east in regards to the current state of our great western provinces.
From the Canadian Energy Centre
By Will Gibson
Alberta oil sands projects poised to grow on lower costs, strong reserves
As geopolitical uncertainty ripples through global energy markets, a new report says Alberta’s oil sands sector is positioned to grow thanks to its lower costs.
Enverus Intelligence Research’s annual Oil Sands Play Fundamentals forecasts producers will boost output by 400,000 barrels per day (bbls/d) by the end of this decade through expansions of current operations.
“Existing oil sands projects deliver some of the lowest-breakeven oil in North America at WTI prices lower than $50 U.S. dollars,” said Trevor Rix, a director with the Calgary-based research firm, a subsidiary of Enverus which is headquartered in Texas with operations in Europe and Asia.
Alberta’s oil sands currently produce about 3.4 million bbls/d. Individual companies have disclosed combined proven reserves of about 30 billion barrels, or more than 20 years of current production.
A recent sector-wide reserves analysis by McDaniel & Associates found the oil sands holds about 167 billion barrels of reserves, compared to about 20 billion barrels in Texas.
While trade tensions and sustained oil price declines may marginally slow oil sands growth in the short term, most projects have already had significant capital invested and can withstand some volatility.
Cenovus Energy’s Christina Lake oil sands project. Photo courtesy Cenovus Energy
“While it takes a large amount of out-of-pocket capital to start an oil sands operation, they are very cost effective after that initial investment,” said veteran S&P Global analyst Kevin Birn.
“Optimization,” where companies tweak existing operations for more efficient output, has dominated oil sands growth for the past eight years, he said. These efforts have also resulted in lower cost structures.
“That’s largely shielded the oil sands from some of the inflationary costs we’ve seen in other upstream production,” Birn said.
Added pipeline capacity through expansion of the Trans Mountain system and Enbridge’s Mainline have added an incentive to expand production, Rix said.
The increased production will also spur growth in regions of western Canada, including the Montney and Duvernay, which Enverus analysts previously highlighted as increasingly crucial to meet rising worldwide energy demand.
“Increased oil sands production will see demand increase for condensate, which is used as diluent to ship bitumen by pipeline, which has positive implications for growth in drilling in liquids-rich regions such as the Montney and Duvernay,” Rix said.
“If Ottawa had it’s way Albertans would be left to freeze in the dark”
The ineffective federal net-zero electricity regulations will not reduce emissions or benefit Albertans but will increase costs and lead to supply shortages.
The risk of power outages during a hot summer or the depths of harsh winter cold snaps, are not unrealistic outcomes if these regulations are implemented. According to the Alberta Electric System Operator’s analysis, the regulations in question would make Alberta’s electricity system more than 100 times less reliable than the province’s supply adequacy standard. Albertans expect their electricity to remain affordable and reliable, but implementation of these regulations could increase costs by a staggering 35 per cent.
Canada’s constitution is clear. Provinces have exclusive jurisdiction over the development, conservation and management of sites and facilities in the province for the generation and production of electrical energy. That is why Alberta’s government is referring the constitutionality of the federal government’s recent net-zero electricity regulations to the Court of Appeal of Alberta.
“The federal government refused to work collaboratively or listen to Canadians while developing these regulations. The results are ineffective, unachievable and irresponsible, and place Albertans’ livelihoods – and more importantly, lives – at significant risk. Our government will not accept unconstitutional net-zero regulations that leave Albertans vulnerable to blackouts in the middle of summer and winter when they need electricity the most.”
“The introduction of the Clean Electricity Regulations in Alberta by the federal government is another example of dangerous federal overreach. These regulations will create unpredictable power outages in the months when Albertans need reliable energy the most. They will also cause power prices to soar in Alberta, which will hit our vulnerable the hardest.”
Finalized in December 2024, the federal electricity regulations impose strict carbon limits on fossil fuel power, in an attempt to force a net-zero grid, an unachievable target given current technology and infrastructure. The reliance on unproven technologies makes it almost impossible to operate natural gas plants without costly upgrades, threatening investment, grid reliability, and Alberta’s energy security.
“Ottawa’s electricity regulations will leave Albertans in the dark. They aren’t about reducing emissions – they are unconstitutional, ideological activist policies based on standards that can’t be met and technology that doesn’t exist. It will drive away investment and punish businesses, provinces and families for using natural gas for reliable, dispatchable power. We will not put families at risk from safety and affordability impacts – rationing power during the coldest days of the year – and we will continue to stand up for Albertans.”
“Albertans depend on electricity to provide for their families, power their businesses and pursue their dreams. The federal government’s Clean Electricity Regulations threaten both the affordability and reliability of our power grid, and we will not stand by as these regulations put the well-being of Albertans at risk.”
Related information
- Conference Board of Canada socio-economic Impacts of Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan – (April 2025)
- Alberta Electric System Operator’s position on Canadian Energy Regulations
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