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.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      GREAT
      STUDENT
      DISCOUNTS!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Get
      great
      prices
      on
     
     
      pizza
      when
      you
     
     
      present
      your
     
     
      UPEI
      student
      ID
     
    
   
   
    
     
      3869000
     
    
   
   
    
     
      large
      pepperoni
      -
      $8.99
      large
      3
      toppings
      -
      $9.99
     
     
      large
      5
      toppings
      -
      $10.99
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Delivery
      to
      UPEI
      campus,
      Browns
      Court
      and
      surrounding
      areas
      only.
     
     
      Must
      present
      student
      ID.