OcTOBER 12, 2006

THE CADRE @ 11

NEW

Many Search for Jobs A Westward Migration

Marcel Pellerin — Reporter

It seems now everyday some of us ate taking the plunge and travelling west for work. Our industries here shake their heads, but are unwilling to pay the enticing wages Alberta has been using to lure us.

Oil has been one of the motivating factors behind the booming economy of Alberta and a lot of locals have found themselves out there

working in this field.

Adam Arsenault lived on P.E.I. his whole life, until he decided to move to Brooks, A.B. to work as a production tester with a company that tests the production of gas wells. He was trained as a chef here at the Culinary Institute, but the money just isn’t here.

‘Who wants to work for $10 an hour when they can make $20-$30 and get twice the hours,’ Arsenault said. There are a lot of good things about working the west, but there is also a downside to making big money.

“Tam gone 15 hours a day, seven days a week. You can’t have a life, no time off. So basically you got to ask yourself where to draw the line between money and a social life.” The money was the sole factor in Arsenault’s decision to move.

“T am now making five times the money I was making back home. The money out here is sick and everyone is rich.”

A lot of people are worried about going west because of the cost of living. But Arsenault said he doesn’t face that where he lives as much as in other places in the west.

“The cost of living here is not that much different. In southern Alberta a two-bedroom apartment runs about $750-$800. It’s the stories you hear about Grande Prairie that everyone Pays about $2,000 a month, but the stories of it being so expensive literally is just from up there. Southern Alberta, Calgary, Medicine Hat and Brooks are not that expensive of Places to live.”

. Also, I pay less insurance for my new

Adam Arsenault

There are also a few other added advantages that Arsenault likes.

“Gas here is cheaper than back home.

truck with full coverage then I did for my shitty car back home.”

Justin MacPherson is another Islander who is living out west. He now works with the Canadian Armed Forces in Edmonton, A.B.

“Something else to think about is the rigs. People always dream of going out west to make the big bucks,” he said. “I did it myself. It was a great experience but for the seven months I worked the rigs, I got maybe 20 days OTE

MacPherson said it was a job for fast money, not a career.

“Tt’s a quick dollar to pay off the mortgage or whatever, unless you like working a dangerous job every day.”

Living out west seems great, but people have to take into consideration a few things. Many of the jobs available, aside from working with the oil companies, are from restaurants and stores and many of them go belly up.

The cost of living is outrageous in northern Alberta compared to the southern regions, but gas is cheaper along with insurance. If someone is willing to work hard and make some sacrifices in the social department, it’s the way to go to make good money.

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