November surprise?

November's labour stats are out. A slight decrease in the rate pretty much across the board. There were 13,000 jobs added this month in Alberta and 79,000 added nationally, mostly in the service sector.

Apparently some economists expressed surprise at this increase. Personally, I just think it's compensating for last month's drop. As I said last month, I expect that these increases and decreases will be our reality for quite some time. So the numbers didn't surprise me. As long as natural gas prices remain low and oil is (relatively) stable, then this is Alberta's reality.

So I really don't have much more to say for now about employment stats. Can you believe that the first decade of this millennium is almost over? 10 years went fast. So I want to take a few posts and look at Alberta's labour market over the past decade. By looking over the past we may be able to pick out some trends for the future. My primary source is going to be Stats Canada, but if my readers (oh so many of you!) can suggest other sources for me to use, I'll certainly be willing to take a look. As we near the Christmas season and the end of the year, I want to thank everyone in advance for reading my blog and I hope to continue this for some time.

Is the sky falling?

Fossil fuels are a non-renewable resource. Does this surprise anyone? The contentious thing is how much is still left for us to use and how much of an impact the use of fossil fuels has on our environment. Some, usually on the side of the established government and large corporations, want us to believe that there are still lots of reserves and we will not have to change our lifestyle significantly to adapt. Others, believe that depletion of fossil fuels is imminent and we will need to make significant changes in our lifestyle as the developing world develops and sucks up what little is left in fossil fuels.

As an energy province, this is a debate that Alberta pays attention to. Certainly, Alberta has used up many of it's conventional oil reserves but is still sitting on a very large reserves in the oil sands. But will the demand for oil and it's byproducts continue?

Looking around my living room I can think of very little that doesn't owe at least something to the existence of fossil fuels. My son's tricycle - plastic. We have lot's of wood products in our living room, but they got here because the boat/train/truck guzzled a lot of gas to get it to Ikea, Staples or Zellers. Maybe the saw that cut my Ikea sofa used hydro power, but most electricity is generated using some form of fossil fuels like coal or natural gas.

I think the key thing is that we decrease our reliance on fossil fuels. I don't think we'll be able to completely wean ourselves off of them in at least my lifetime, but it's important to develop the technology for new forms of energy. We need to recognize that fossil fuels are here to stay - for now - but still recognize that they are a finite resource.

So we need to continue to develop technologies that reduce the harmful effects fossil fuels have on our environment while developing other technologies to rid ourself of our dependence. The problem for some is that this seems like a conflict of interest. The oil tycoons want to continue making millions and the alternative energy people think that the continued use of fossil fuels decreases the demand for their technology. We can't let it be. The tycoons need to realize that there is still plenty of wealth to share and the alternative energy people need to work with those who have the capital.

Canada has the potential of still being a major supplier while being a leader in developing green technologies. So instead of predicting the end of the world with the collapse of oil supplies, I really think we can marshal those resources and develop a better, more sustainable economy.

establishing the new status quo

The latest unemployment stats came out on Friday. These stats track the unemployment rate in through this country. Canada saw an increase of .2% to 8.6%. Alberta saw a change from 7.1% to 7.5%. CBC was saying that this increase was unexpected given the previous two months saw decreases in the unemployment rate.

There is a lot of debate as to whether or not we are on the road to recovery or the worst is yet to come. Personally, I think we're seeing the establishment of the new status quo. It's still a little too early to see it graphically, but I think we're seeing an evening out of the unemployment rate in both Alberta and Canada. We're not going to see much more in the way of increases, but I don't think we'll see any dramatic decreases either. Alberta seems to be staying around 7.0% while Canada is going to remain around 8.5%. As with any monthly statistics, there well be ebbs and flows (as we did this month), but I think for the next while, we'll see things remain around this level.

So what does this look like? This is going to be particularly hard for Albertans to adjust to I think. We got so used to (in such a short time I might add) to jobs being a dime a dozen, that now that the job market is much tighter, Albertans don't know what to do when they have trouble finding work. Employment and unemployment is going to cyclical for many people, particularly for those with lower levels of education. Alberta has always had a high drop out rate. Kids did the bare minimum in school and then quit because they could make $18 an hour (or higher) on the rigs and other such occupations. With rig jobs much more competitive, those that did drop out (or did graduate but didn't go on to any other post-secondary) are going to find the jobs now available pay much less than what they expect them to.

This is also going to affect professionals though, be it engineers or trades people, especially those tied to natural resources and construction. Professionals are going to have to adjust and prepare for the cyclical nature of their work. This may mean buying a cheaper vehicle or downsizing their homes to make sure they can make their bills during a layoff period. They will have to stop buying so much on credit.

I have several other concerns. TFW's were brought in during the boom to fill labour shortages, typically in the food and hospitality sectors where Canadians would not work in favour of higher paying jobs. Employers have become addicted to these workers as they do a better job and take the position much more seriously than a born Canadian ever did. But the problem is that there are a lot of Canadians unemployed and we need to make sure that they get jobs first, even if it is for $9/hr.

We need to make sure our education policy is balanced and we educate an equal portion of tradespeople, technical personnel and University graduates. Boom times may not return soon but we still need to make sure we have a balanced labour market.

People are still going to have jobs. It's just that jobs will be harder to find. Government services will need to realign to help Albertans find these jobs and make sure Albertans are prepared for the job search. We also have to remember that we have an aging population, and some people will retire, but some won't. We are going to need replacements for these workers, particularly in the professional fields. So we need a robust and responsive immigration system. One that focuses on bringing new people with the skills we need.

I still see a lot of people expecting us to climb out of this 'recession' and return in a year or two to glory days of the boom. This is unrealistic. Instead, we need to adapt and expect that higher unemployment rates are not an aberration. It is certainly something to work on lowering, but it is unrealistic to expect that we'll return to unemployment rates like 3.5%. Besides, even those who were making big money during the boom had to admit - the boom was unsustainable. Now is the time to correct the problems we saw manifest themselves and prepare our structures to become more responsive to the ebbs and flows of the labour market.

He's a madman, not a martyr

I was two blocks away when a guy with a gun entered the Workers Compensation Board (WCB) Building a week ago and took 9 hostages and held them for 10 hours. The hostage situation was national news and continues to have the spotlight here in Alberta. He appeared in court yesterday and what disturbs me about all of this is how many people are turning up to support him.

Most Albertans know people who have been through the WCB system and a lot appear to have negative experiences. My dad is on compensation because of his cancer and he got a far less settlement than he should have. But a lot of people are using this hostage situation to show dissatisfaction with the government and are angry that the WCB is unresponsive to their needs and not providing everything they believe they are entitled to.

The WCB is a provincially mandated insurance company. It does not receive provincial funds, it only follows provincial legislation. The WCB makes money by charging premiums to companies. The goal of any insurance company is to minimize payouts so they can minimize premiums. In the unfortunate situation of a mishap, the WCB should be there for Albertans who need it. But is insurance, not a government handout.

Albertans are very fiscally minded and insist that any government institution should be fiscally responsible. There is never enough resources to provide for all the services citizens may demand. I get a lot of requests from people who want to start a business who believe that there are lots and lots of start-up grants out there. In Alberta, I can say that there is exactly $0 dollars available for start up businesses. Instead, the private sector provides the financing or you need to save up or put a second mortgage on your house. Many businesses fail in the first years of start up. If government were to offer grants, they would be losing a lot of money in failed enterprises. This is not a wise use of resources, especially when people are finding the capital they need to start a business without government interference.

I'm now going to oversimplify things to make a point (doesn't every blogger take this liberty?) The government plays a very important and complex role in the labour market. First of all, it's a very large employer. Second, it provides leadership. Third, it makes sure citizens are supported to make positive contributions. Government cannot afford to support all it's citizens financially, that's why we need a vibrant private sector. A private sector that is encouraged to make a profit. The private sector needs to contribute with it's tax dollars and WCB insurance contributions, but it cannot be hobbled by this. There needs to be a balance.

The government does provide services to citizens, but there is only so much money and so there is only so much they are able to provide. But some people feel they're entitled to government assistance for whatever reason. I do agree that citizens are entitled to service, but the government cannot provide an unlimited level of service - like fully funded schooling. The same goes for WCB. Yes, it would be nice that if every injured worker got money to live out the rest of their days in comfort, but unfortunately, there just isn't the resources to do it.

Of course, people should expect to receive excellent service from their government services. They should not be tossed around or kept chasing a string in a false hope that they'll receive benefits. And some people are mistreated by government. It's the mistreatment that bothers me. Since government employees are paid by tax dollars, the public is entitled to excellent service. The training should be in place to provide this service. But excellent service does not neccessarily mean money. If you are entitled to the money through a fair and transparent process - sure. But if you are not, that does not mean you should hold 9 people hostage to try and get what you want.

The truth is, the guy who took the hostages was a coke head with huge anger management issues. He felt he was entitled to more than what he was assessed for. Now, I don't know if he was mistreated by staff or not. But even if he was, talking a gun and holding 9 hostages to make a point does not make him a hero. The staff does their job with the rules they are given. Are the rules perfect? Of course not. But there are means to get involved and change the rules. But 3.5 million people have their opinion, and those 3.5 don't understand the complexities involved in allocating resources.

Now, I hope that those who are involved with the WCB and other government departments realize that there is dissatisfaction with government agencies and that these agencies become more responsive to the people. But in no way should a mad man with a gun dictate government policies.

Where you are affects who you are

As a career counselor I see people on two ends of the same spectrum - those who have an overconfidence of what they can achieve vs those who have no confidence whatsoever on what they can achieve. While I probably see more of the latter, the former also concerns me. If someone is on social assistance because of a medical condition then going from no high school to becoming a lawyer might be somewhat unrealistic. This is not a question of the person's intelligence, but when I hear of people like this, I question if they may set themselves up for defeat.

I have traveled extensively and these experiences have made me a firm believer in personal choice. All of our decisions have consequences. But the environment that we live also affects us. We need to realize what the affects of the environment are on what we are doing and make our decisions accordingly. Coming to Alberta as a fashion designer is going to limit your career options. We are not a province with really anything of a fashion industry.

When it comes to life decisions there is never an easy answer. And people expect there to be. I can't tell you what jobs are 'recession proof'. 6 months ago I would have said that was health care, but that has since become an area of great concern. 2 years ago it seemed everyone was getting a welding ticket and now I now get a lot of welders telling me that they can't find work. Now that person who took two years of schooling can't find a job and loans are piling up or they're used to making 30 bucks an hour and they can't anymore. Both of these individuals face some hard choices, but it's not the governments role to make it for them or to bail them out. For me, the role of government is to facilitate the choice of the individual. But the individual needs to make the choices and make sure they have the resources for those choices. This sometimes requires some hard choices.

I always have a plan b. Or c or d or q. Life always brings unexpected surprises. The labour market has so many variables and is very difficult to predict. There are certainly trends that you can identify, but nobody expected the bust last year. Heck, last October we were at the lowest unemployment rate ever. And now we're seeing some of the highest numbers in 20 years. In our own life, we'd like to move from our condo to a house. But unfortunately with a hiring and possible hiring freeze I just don't see how that will happen. So we need to have patience. And patience is hard.

With the choices one makes, one ends up in a certain place. That place allows one to make other decisions. Some people are handed some pretty rotten cards, but are able to do some awesome things. But everyone I've seen who started out at the top and ended up at the bottom can only look at their own decisions.

Temporary Foriegn Workers in Alberta - an opinion

During 'The Boom' (yea, I think it has become so legendary now I think it deserves to be a proper noun) Alberta decided to fill it's labour shortages with international workers. Some companies claimed it was because they couldn't find skilled labour form overseas but to honest, they wanted to bring workers to fill the semi-skilled jobs that no Albertan wanted to take. Why would a high school student work at McD's for $9 bucks an hour when they could drop out of school and work the rigs (or whatever else they could find) for $20? So a whole lot of people from around the world came to work in our fast food restaurants, kitchens and hotels.

Part of this is because the government relaxed the rules for the Federal Temporary Foriegn Worker (TFW) program and allowed TFW's to stay in Canada for up to 2 years. They also streamlined the approval process. The number of TFW's in Alberta doubled in a year. Now the program was always intended as a temporary solution - after all these people had to go home after working in Canada for two years. For those who worked in skilled jobs there was an opportunity to apply for permanent residence but it seems that most TFW's did not fall into that category. Even the provincial nominee program had limited allowances to sponsor semi-skilled workers. The TFW's were supposed to go home. The problem was, that most of the TFW's who took jobs came with the intention that this would be a backdoor for them to immigrate here.

Most TFW's came from developing countries - most notably the Phillipines, Mexico and India. They wanted to leave their country and go for something better in one fo the richest countries in the world. Now a lot of their two year visa's are running out and many are scrambling for an opportunity to stay. A lot lost their jobs when the economy 'corrected' itself. Some ended up with exploitative employers. The problem is, the system is set up to dash their dreams of immigrating to Canada. It doesn't want these people to move here. They were temporary workers for a temporary problem. Alberta now has a 7.1% unemployment rate, can Albertans take those jobs now?

For me, the TFW program fails to live up what I expect from out immigration system. Canada has a very proud tradition of welcoming people to come to Canada and then contribute to the nation as a whole. Now in some cases temporary workers do have their place, but I disagree with allowing such a large amount into our country as disposable labour. We are setting people up to be abused and we are setting people up to fail. A lot of the TFW's who do come to Canada have a University education and end up working in jobs meant for people without high school. We are taking advantage of people who are willing to give up a successful career in their home country on the small chance that they may be able to immigrate to Canada.

Canada is a nation built largely by immigrants. We need immigration as a nation to survive. As a nation we want people who will contribute to our nation. We can't pick those who are born here, but we should definitely reserve the right to pick those who move here. In a competitive world, we need to compete as a nation. The streamlined process of the TFW program does not take this into account. Some people are doing jobs that they were not trained to do. Others are doing jobs that they are overqualified for. This system is unjust and I really think it should be abandoned. I can see the purpose of limited TFW program for seasonal labour and international experts. But I really don't see any need for TFW's to work in a fast food restaurant.

We as Canadians have to keep in perspective that $20/hr jobs do not come to people without a high school education. If we don't fill the positions at Timmies then maybe those 7.1% who are unemployed will start to apply. Instead, we are letting the companies take the easy way out by bringing people over who will do just about anything to immigrate to Canada. I think it's time for the feds to stop providing the permissions to hire at fast food restaurants and the like and instead encourage employers to find the jobs internally.

Throughout my travels I saw a lot of migrant workers. Taiwan in particular brought in workers from poorer parts of Asia to work in its factories. These workers lived in substandard conditions and came over only for the opportunity to make money. This is not a road I think Canada should go down. We should pursue an immigration policy that brings in the best people to grow our economy and our nation. This of course involves the growth of one's personal wealth. But I do not want a revolving door immigration system that provides workers no protection. Instead we need to encourage more permanent residents to come and make Canada their home.

September's labour stats

The Alberta unemployment rate finally came down, after 11 months of increase. For the Alberta perspective, go here. It wasn't a large decrease and it happened for 2 reasons - a slight increase in jobs and a decrease in Alberta's working population. Last month the unemployment rate was 7.4%, this month it is 7.1%.

I was hoping that the rate would start going down before now. This rate would indicate that the economy is not really getting worse, but it's not getting any better. I really think we've hit a plateau and this is where we are going to be for a while - maybe even a few years.

The bulk of Alberta's natural resource activity is actually in natural gas. And the price for natural gas is depressed right now. I anticipate that the oil sands are going to see some construction for the next few years, but it won't be at a frantic pace like it was 2 years ago. This will allow for some job creation (in construction) but it will be slower than before. With prices still low in natural gas we won't see as much activity in the gas sector for a while.

The economists are calling our labour market 'balanced'. I agree with this. It's harder for people to find work but it's still possible for those who have the skills and keep their expectations realistic. A high school drop out is going to have trouble making over $15/hour. Someone with just high school really needs to be flexible and should really look at further training. And individuals who are looking for training should look at keep their education general, as specialization may paint one into a corner if a particular company no longer needs that set of skills. Specialization is often inevitable, but if one has to specialize, specialize in more than one thing.

Alberta is still a great place. We'll have some challenges ahead of us, but I think these challenges are no worse than what we saw in the early 90's. For me, I just think it's important not to get too arrogant and keep things in perspective. We're always going to need oil and gas, but we need to keep it sustainable. This is an opportunity for Alberta to slow down and take stock make some appropriate investments. Then these investments will pay off in a few years when the economy starts to pick up again.

What do you mean by a 'labour market'?

For some, a labour market might be considered a fairly technical term, but I am using a straight forward definition. For me the labour market is the people behind the economy. It's the jobs that are created, the migrants who move looking for a better life, the decisions that are made and everything else behind the economic numbers that everyone seems to take so much stock in. The labour market is much more than the rise and fall of stocks on what ever street you are following. It's about people. And that's why I am so interested in it.

Alberta's labour market has always been an active place. This past decade has seen incredible growth and that saw a very sudden decline last October. August 2008 Alberta saw an unemployment rate of 3.5%. In August 2009 it was 7.4% (source). There are so many stories behind those numbers. Everyone has questions. Will this high unemployment stick? Why were so many jobs lost so suddenly? How does something in New York affect what happened in Fort McMurray? Are we going to see more health care cuts? All these questions are related to the labour market.

Now, I have no crystal ball. I only have an interest in this area. I have some close connections to the 'front lines' and an interest in writing about Alberta. I am no academic but I am no dummy either. I am able to listen and learn, if someone has something interesting to say.

And so the discourse begins...

Alberta's Labour Market

I read the blog of Penelope Trunk quite regularly. While she can be quite controversial, she is a very successful blogger and I think she has a lot to say about how to write a successful blog. In her most recent blog she writes about how important it is for a blog to have a topic - a focal point. Now my blog hasn't had this focus and I think that is part of the problem as to why I'm not updating it as much as I should. Penelope is right, you need to focus. And it's really not hard to find that topic. It took me a trip to the toilet to figure out what my blog topic should be...

I did a quick search on Google blogs and found that no one is writing about Alberta's labour market. While the topic may sound quite boring at first, it is a favorite topic of interest of mine. Alberta of course is my home and I am interested in everything about this beautiful province. The labour market has so many different facets to it and it is something I always have a comment about. So really, this is something that I will find it easy to write about. I'm still seeking truth, but I'm a little more specific now - I'm searching for it in Alberta's labour market.

Of course this won't stop me from writing about other things, but the blog needs a focus, a theme. I'm looking forward to writing more about this. This appears to be the fall/winter of writing - I'm starting to engage in a few different writing projects and I hope this will further help to develop my skills as a writer.

So, I hope this new direction will get me to write more - Friday is the release of the newest employment numbers. I'm really not sure where we went in September. And it's bad luck to voice one's predictions. I find that if I write them in a secret place they come true. If I tell everyone my prediction, I'm wrong.

Is it easy being green?

The other day I won a blog contest hosted by Alberta Views magazine through their blog. The prize was a gift basket put together by Bullfrog Power. Bullfrog is a company that sells power in certain Canadian provinces that is generated 100% from wind power. The basket is quite nice, filled with items promoting Bullfrog and other green enterprises. It also included a $25 gift certificate for 1 month of power from Bullfrog. Besides the fact that I'm not really sure that $25 bucks is going to cut it for my power bill (and I live in a condo - my power consumption is not that high), I'm really not sure if I'm going to run out and switch my eletrical provider.

I subscribe to what I consider to be a 'general green philosophy'. Some would probably consider it 'green lite'. I believe we only have one planet and we should do our best to care for it. But we also need to use what is on it. I don't believe we should rape the planet for its resources, but we can use so much of what is available on this planet and the use of these resources provides us the foundation of our modern society. A very typical, centrist position to take. I love the outdoors. I love to go camping, hiking and exploring areas outside of our urban landscapes. Nature provides us with some awesome vistas to take in across this planet. I've made a point to discover as many as I can, be it here in Alberta or across the planet on another continent.

I sympathize with some of the green political positions. But I also cannot bring myself take on some of their more radical lifestyle changes. I walk to work (even in -30C) because it's more convienient for me to walk rather than pay a large amount for parking or a bus downtown while it is still quicker for me to walk. The fact that it cuts down on my carbon footprint is a bonus, but not the sole reason I walk to work. I drive a fuel efficient car because it was cheaper for me to buy it new than pay car payments on a vehicle that had no warranty. I also love the fact that my entire petrol budget for a month seldom exceeds $100 - and this includes trips to Red Deer and Calgary.

For me, I just cannot bring myself to stop eating meat because of the large carbon footprint cows emit from grazing to their journey to my supermarket's freezer. We were without a car last year for a month and it was difficult for the 3 of us to do much of anything that month. While fresh veggies do taste better than those I buy at my local produce store, I just don't have the space to cultivate my own garden. I also don't like pickle beans that much - so I will pay for those trucks to transport my vegetables from California and Mexico during the winter months so I can enjoy my veggies year round. I'm not going to boycott Shell or Esso because I still need the fuel they're selling so I can make those trips to my parents or my sister's.

My brother in law best demonstrates what I believe to be the most accessible green philosophy - He loves the outdoors and does everything he can to minimize his impact when he takes a trip to go camping, boating or whatever activity he picks for the weekend. He recycles what he can in a city with a limited recylcing program. But he drives an F150 to carry said boat and camping supplies.

Protecting the planet is important but our society cannot abandon their cars, power plants and plastics. Green action needs to be accessible. There are practical things we can all do, and some of these actions have economic benefits. I would vote for candidates who espoused green philosophies if their proposals were practical to implement. I think green candidates would have more success if they would work to get the vote of someone like my brother in law or the farmer in Rimbey who is ticked off with radiation emitting power lines being strung over his farm. Instead the green candidates focus on the fact that their campaign brochures are printed on recycled paper and take train rides instead of plane rides to carry on their campaign message. This doesn't make them accessible to the average voter and keeps them irrelevant - at both the federal and provincial level.

I still haven't decided if it makes sense for me to switch my power from Epcor to Bullfrog. My power bill is expensive enough right now. And besides, I'm not sold on the fact that wind power is an economical method to generate electricity. It takes thousands of turbines to generate anything close to power generation of a fossil fuel run plant. While I think it is a good thing to use the turbines to relieve some pressure off our fossil fuel plants, it just won't work out to replace them all. In the last 10 years there has been some very interesting developments in other generation methods. I will continue to keep my eye on those methods and who knows, maybe Bullfrog will tap into one of those methods to help with it's supply in 5 or 10 years. And then I won't even need a coupon to help me make the switch.

leadership and an astronaut on EVA

I was at a seminar today as part of a leadership program I am doing with work. In the first activity they asked us to pick an image that best described why we are taking the leadership program. The picture above was one of the images so I took it almost immediately. There are so many reasons why this describes my reasons for taking the leadership course that I couldn't share them all in the 1 minute that was provided in my group. This image works on so many levels for me that I thought I'd share some more thoughts.

Since I was a child I dreamed of being an Astronaut. I even went to space camp down in Kansas - 3 times. For someone with an over active imagination, space represents the frontier of one's imagination - there is no limit what you can imagine in space. So while I may have moved on with my dreams to become an Astronaut, my imagination has not. I still keep up on the news about the space program, I still track down and read good sci-fi, every so often I even try and write something about it.

Leadership is all about pushing the limits. And an Astronaut on an EVA* in a MMU** certainly pushes all boundaries currently known to man. And this image represents something a little more materialistic as well - this man has gone about as high as anyone can go. I am currently near the bottom of my organization. I hope to learn the skills and prove myself so that I can advance and move up in this organization. This will of course take time.

An Astronaut is a highly trained scientist and are often the top researchers, engineers and pilots in the world. This picture respresents years of training and research. And while we only see one person in this photo, literally thousands of people are responsible for making this one spacewalk possible. Only this photo was taken in a vacuum, the achievements of many are represented in the photo. A successful leader must work with and have the backing of the people he or she led in order to achieve what he or she sets out to achieve.

As a kid, I knew the name of the Astronaut in this photo. I had to look it up tonight. Few people will know the name of Bruce McCandless but most will recoginize this photo. The same applies to leadership - the results of a leader will often be known rather than the name of the individual. From developing a new social program, to designing additions to a city to educating and mobilizing the public on an important social issue, we don't often remember the names of the leaders who led us, but we will remember their achievements. Not all of us can Barak Obama or Jim Ballsillie - but leaders from any level in an organization can achieve great things.

So I hope as I start my career and complete this leadership program I can learn something from those who have went before me and help to bring about some positive change - somewhere. It will take time and discipline, but I believe it will be worth it.

This blog took a different direction than I origanily started with

So there it is, there's the confession. And somehow a 30 year old with a comic book fetish doesn't seem unusual. Afterall, comic books have developed into a diverse and mature medium. They encompass everything from Archie's and anime to very dark and disturbing pieces like Sandman or Swamp Thing.

My preference is for superhero comics. When I was a teenager I collected Batman and X-men (I was collecting during Marvel's Age of Apocalypse). But then my comic book store closed and I quit buying. My interest was rekindled strangely enough when I was in Vietnam. A co-worker was also an avid reader and he introduced to a lot of good stories. I don't get much opportunity to read, but I try to keep on top of what is happening.

Some comics are good, others are not. I've reread some of the stuff I read as a kid and its all of varying quality. But during my comic education in Vietnam I was introduced to some solid writers. As the readership grew up, so did the writers. Now there was some good writing back in the 80's and 90's but there was certainly a bias towards big boobs. Now, the boobs have become realistic as the expectations of the read have shifted.

I want something to capture my imagination and take me on a journey. This applies to the books I read, to the games I play and to the TV I watch. This is why I enjoy comic books - a world is crafted for me to explore and then tells me a story. After I finish I can think 'what a world that was, I wonder...'

I'm a very creative person. I create new worlds often. Or I use the worlds others have created and think of my own stories. I seldom write anything - I just play itout in my during my walks or at bedtime. I try to improve on comic book worlds that others have created or even just try and start with a fresh canvas. But there is a wealth of creativity out there. I hope in the next few years that I can continue reading comic books and maybe, just maybe I can start to put down some of my ideas down onto some sort of medium. I have a hundred ideas, some are developed over an afternoon's walk, others have been in development for a decade.

keeping interested

You know, I try to update my blog, I really do. I have 10-15 different ideas at any given time I want to put transmit into the blogosphere but when the time comes to writing them, I rather watch TV or read or do something else. Procastination has always been my worst enemy. That's one of the reasons I started this blog - so I can develop some discipline.

I was talking to my cousin this weekend and it amazed me how quickly he turned into a '30 year old' with all the weight, debt and kid problems that comes along with being in your 30's. This cousin is 6 months younger than me, so I have to stop asking myself why I don't get ID anymore. I did get ID a couple of weeks ago though - at a football game. But he got heck by the rest of guys working at the beer garden because all of the rest of them recognized me as the son of the 'deputy grand pooba' of the Knight's council at my parent's church. I don't fret age though - with age, we learn things and gain the experience to handle thing we could have handled before.

Work is busy. But it's not stressful - I know the material and I can apply it well. One lady called me today very upset. And she certainly had reason to be. She did everything correctly but she is probably still going to get rejected for funding just because of the way the system is set up. But I was able to explain things to her, calm her down and tell her why she was going to get rejected. I also presented one more alternative. I advised her that it probably wouldn't work, but at least she got a straight answer from someone. So often the client is told 'go to this office' and then told 'nope, not our problem, try this completely unrelated office' and then off to another office that really doesn't know what it is doing and then told to go back to where they started. And our office is no better - we don't make any decisions, so we still have to refer out. But we've made a point to know our material and to try and help the client the best we can.

Well, that should suffice as an update for today. I know it's really a bunch of nothing, but at least it's something.

Oil Sands vs Tar Sands - the postives

I posted a series of 3 blogs on the Oil Sands at www.titulia.com back in February of March this year. I origanily wrote this for an international audience, so it might seem basic to some.

In my last article I set up the negatives about Oil Sands development. In this article I want to discuss the benefits of exploiting the oil sands and why should be investing the billions while its creating so many problems.

Our society runs on fossil fuels. And we're at a point where everyone wants more. Often times people think of fossil fuels as the means to run our cars, but they are also the components in our cars, computers and cameras. Plastics and other items made from petro-chemicals are everywhere. As a fuel source there have been strides made to find alternatives, but it will take a while for these other fuel sources to be brought up to wide spread use and none of the these alternatives have the versatility of petroleum. And since plastic is everywhere (besides those everyone has cut out of their wallets since the financial crisis) I don't see how we can repudiate fossil fuels anytime soon.

The reserves in the oil sands are huge. According to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers - http://www.capp.ca/canadaIndustry/oilSands/Pages/default.aspx - Canada has 179 billion barrels of oil in reserve, 173 of which is in the oil sands . Canada is second only to Saudi Arabia in provable reserves. Canada is already the largest supplier of petroleum to the United States. While most Canadians might snivle and whine about our government, it is measured by the World Bank as one of the most stable and least corrupt in world. The pipelines linking Canada and the USA are safe and well maintained. The shipping lanes in both the Atlantic and the Pacific are well patrolled and no one is hijacking oil tankers in these areas. The development is being undertaken while listening to the concerns of stakeholders. No one is being taken out 'round the shed and shot for their opposition to oil sands development. It is exactly this opposition to the oil sands that demonstrates that Canada has a fair and open democracy. This issue can be and is being discussed openly.

When you're talking billions in investment, this means billions put into jobs. And the jobs run the spectrum. From heavy equipment operators to engineers, from pipefitters to PhD's in chemistry, from administrative assistants to CEO's - its jobs jobs jobs. Until recently Alberta had an unemployment rate of 3.5% and the best labour market participation in Canada. Even now, our unemployment is at 5.8% - the third lowest in Canada (source: http://employment.alberta.ca/cps/rde/xchg/hre/hs.xsl/2599.html ). People flocked to Alberta to take advantage of this boom. The City of Fort McMurray had more Newfoundlanders at one point than any city in Newfoundland! (Newfoundland is the eastermost province in Canada) A journeyman welder in Nova Scotia could make $18 an hour 'back home' while making $40 (plus overtime) in Alberta. From permanent production jobs to temporary construction ones this created a lot of wealth for all Canadians.

An interesting counterpoint to some of the Aboriginal communities talking about the loss of their way of life. A positive program that did come out of the oil sands development was how the companies went into the schools of the Aborginal communities and recruited young people as apprentices in the trades after they finished high school. In the Alberta training system it means that in 4 years you'll be a journeyman(person) and have a ticket to practice your trade to practice your trade anywhere in Canada. Since the crash we haven't seen a giant jump in aborginal males under 30 being unemployed, at least not at rates different than the majority population. So this system of training these young men seems to have worked and has kept a lot employed in a culture that sees chronic unemployment.

With all the public scrutiny the oil sands have received, this means the companies and government are being watched closely. When the companies have violated the rules they have been punished because of it. The duck story I related to you in the last article has a happy ending - the company was charged for the death of the ducks. New policies are being put in place to ensure that the ducks don't take a swim in tailing ponds. The companies are being made to innovate. Instead of using fresh water for the processes they have found salt water aquifiers and used those instead. The water being released back into the water shed is tested to have no impurities. The government is pressuring the companies to invest in carbon reduction strartegies. There are plans to start charging for the carbon admitted under a revised carbon trading scheme. New technologies that don't use water to extract the bituman are being developed. There is a very innovative in-situ project that uses electricity to heat the bitumen rather than water.

Does this get government and the companies off the hook for the problems the development is causing? No. But it does demonstrate that with public pressure change can be made. Should development of a resource we all need be stopped because its 'dirty'? Not when there are other solutions.

Oil Sands vs Tar Sands - the negatives

I posted a series of 3 blogs on the Oil Sands at www.titulia.com back in February of March this year. I origanily wrote this for an international audience, so it might seem basic to some.

The oil sands are a large resource. They can help quench some of this thirst for some of the world for a few years (some say 20, others say a century, but that isn't the point of this article). But a lot of people say the cost is too high. There are grave environmental and social issues surrounding the oil sands. And a lot of people wonder if our thirst for fossil fuels is sustainable or are we just driving ourselves off a cliff by being so reliant on it.

The Environment
The environment is the problem that is getting the most press against oil sands development. Indeed, the problems appear staggering. Vast quantities of water are being used, the air is being pumped fill of greenhouse gasses, toxic waste is being bilged out across the landscape and large portions of boreal forest is being wiped out.

There are two methods to extract the bitumen from the ground. I don't really need to go into them here, but one method is strip mining and the other is in-situ drilling. In-situ drilling involves extracting the bitumen from the soil when it’s too far down to feasibly mine it. The most common method right now is to inject steam into a hole into ground that warms up the bitumen and causes it to flow through another hole. In the strip mining process, the bitumen is taken to a processing centre at the mine and refined using water so that it can flow through a pipeline. (I know I'm grossly simplifying both processes, but the process isn't the point of this article, check Wikipedia or other online resources for a more in depth look at the process if that interests you).

Both of these processes require large volumes of water. There is a fairly large watershed that surrounds the Athabasca Oil Sands, but many critics are saying that too much fresh water is being used. The water is also being pumped back into the water. Although the companies insist that the water has all oil sands impurities removed, there is evidence that this water is not as clean as it should be. The wildlife in this area is suffering and a community downstream of the oil sands development has very high cancer rates. In a time when much of world is suffering from water shortages it seems to be very short sighted to consume water for this industrial process when much of the world is starting to go thirsty. North Alberta (and Northern Canada) does have large fresh water reserves, but many are worried that these are being depleted because of this industrial development.

Most people are concerned about global warming. The citizens of all developed countries are demanding their governments do something about greenhouse gases. It would appear that the Government of Canada and Alberta are ignoring those concerns. Canada did ratify Kyoto in 2005 and agreed to cut its emissions by 5% below the levels it had in 1990 by 2012. In 2004 those levels had grown by 27% from 1990 levels! The energy exports of the oil sands play a role in this as does the extraction process. The machines used to mine the bitumen are the largest land vehicles in the world. They use an incredible amount of energy.

It doesn't help that they are also destroying large tracts of forest in order to mine the bitumen. Animals are losing habitat and the very things that can absorb the excess CO2 are being bulldozed. If you look at photos of an oil sands mine, you will see a very ugly strip mine. This was once very pristine and untouched wilderness, one of the last few places on the planet. Now the mines are an industrial wasteland.

Adding to this industrial wasteland is the toxic waste that comes from converting the bitumen into a product that can flow through a pipeline. This waste is being deposited into large tailing ponds. The tailing ponds have existed since they started mining the bitumen back in the late 60's. But they have recently gained much infamy when 500 migrating ducks landed in one two years ago. One duck managed to survive. Last year, a machine operator had his machine slide into a tailing pond. He didn't survive.

Social Issues
Such large operations do not come without its social costs. Before the oil sands, this area was home to a relatively high number of aboriginals who were still able to practice their traditional way of life. As the price of oil went up in the last few years, the development of the oil sands went at a feverish pitch. The City of Fort McMurray exploded overnight as people came searching for $40/hour jobs that a lot of people thought required little education. The infrastructure just wasn't ready for it.

The Aboriginals have been abused throughout Canadian history. From taking their land through unfair treaties to abhorrent living conditions on their reserves, the treatment of aboriginals is a black mark for Canada. There is a movement to correct these injustices, but it is taking a long time. Many of the aboriginal communities in the Fort McMurray region are very isolated. But they are feeling the pinch of the development. Water quality has deteriorated. The animals that they hunted to make a living off of are disappearing. The young people are leaving the reserves to try and cash in on the economic boom. Social networks are breaking down. Alcoholism and drug abuse are flourishing in these isolated communities. Some of the most vocal critics of the oil sands have been the aboriginal communities because they feel (yet again) that no one is listening to their concerns.

In 5 years (2001 - 2006) the population of the Fort McMurray grew from 41,000 to 51,000. This number does not count the large amount of temporary workers that were living at the construction camps between 2002 and 2007. A 25% spurt in population would be difficult for any community to handle. Fort McMurray went from being a sleepy little backwater mining/oil and gas town to being the economic hot spot in Canada. People came because they heard there were high paying jobs that required little education. There was certainly a demand for heavy equipment operators and other labourers, but there was also a need for skilled trades such as pipefitters and welders. People from across Canada flocked to Fort McMurray looking for these high paying jobs. It was the same as a gold rush. Everyone wanted to get their piece of the pie. Some were successful, others were not.

The town couldn't keep up. There was one main road in the town and the town is separated by a river. There is one bridge across this river. Tens of thousands of people needed to cross this river every day. There was a shortage of housing. People came to Fort McMurray expecting their accommodation to be paid for. This was true for some (particularly the skilled trades) but many did not get housing with their jobs and had to share a room for a $1000 month in sub-standard conditions. All forms of infrastructure creaked and cracked under the strain of a 25% population boom.

In any economic boom, you have your 'losers'. People were flocking to town expecting to strike it rich and of course not everyone can. I was working in Edmonton during the boom at a social agency. I had a call from a social worker in Fort McMurray asking if I could help a guy who saw it all go bad up there. The man was cabinet maker from Nova Scotia who had epilepsy. He tried his hand as a heavy equipment operator. But once he had a grand maul seizure behind a rather expensive piece of equipment he was blacklisted throughout town and his driver’s license was taken away. Someone who has no resources just can’t make a living as a dishwasher in Fort McMurray because of the high rents. He had to come back to Edmonton. He was able to succeed in Edmonton, since rents were lower and he could actually make a living as a dishwasher. In a town that is rich in money but short on any form of recreation, drugs and alcohol fills the gap for many people. This is another unfortunate reality of the boom.

Sustainable?
There are many people who question our need for fossil fuels and wonder if all this drilling and mining is sustainable for the planet. Many new technologies are in development that will decrease our reliance on fossil fuels. Unlike traditional drilling, oil sands require a very high capital cost. So a lot of money is being spent to develop this resource. The pace of development was incredible when oil prices climbed towards 150 USD/barrel. Prices are now at around 40. The development in the oil sands screeched to a halt. Current operations are still ongoing but new developments have all been shelved. Does it make sense to develop a resource that relies so heavily on commodity prices? Can this resource sustain an economy that is dependent on it? With all the problems outlined, should we continue to invest millions into something in which the negatives may outweigh the positives?

This was not an exhaustive list of problems. Indeed, much has been written about the problems the oil sands have created. I haven’t even touched on the role of government in this resource. This article sets up the discussion. My next article will discuss the positives of oil sands development. I hope you enjoyed reading this rather large article (I don’t think I’ve written something this long since University!) and stay tuned for the next one.

Oil Sands vs Tar Sands - Introduction

I posted a series of 3 blogs on the Oil Sands at www.titulia.com back in February of March this year. I origanily wrote this for an international audience, so it might seem basic to some.

Canada is a big country and Alberta is just one province . Some of you might not even know it exists. But lately Alberta has been receiving a lot of press. There has been a National Geographic article about it, several books, newspaper ads and other media campaigns as well a lot of lobbying in Ottawa and Washington and beyond. The oil sands are located in the North West corner of this province. The activity is centred around a town called Fort McMurray. This area isn't considered Northern Canada yet, but its still pretty isolated. Until recently. If you are unsure what the oil sands are, I recommend taking a look at the wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athabasca_Oil_Sands . This will give you a better idea of the scope of this article and why it is becoming contentious.

I was born in Alberta. I was raised here. My father earned a living from the petrochemical industry. I have traveled across the country and around the world. Alberta is still home. I work for the provincial government as a career counselor. I am not expert on this issue, but I have looked at both sides of the debates fairly extensively. As an Albertan, I have a stake in this issue. As this becomes an international issue I think it is important for Albertans to discuss this maturely on the world stage. There is a lot of attention turning onto Alberta and we need to be ready to answer some sticky questions.

The oil and gas industry has been key part of the Alberta economy since 1947. Natural gas still forms the bulk of our energy exports. But the oil sands have grabbed a lot of attention. It is one of the most extensive and accessible petroleum reserves world left in the world. It lies in a country with very stable political structures. Canada is only a country of 33 million people (with over a territory stretching over 9 million sq km) but it lies right beside a country with over 300 million. Regardless of the green movement, we are still going to need petroleum products for the medium term future. Perhaps we'll need less, but we're still going to need it. The oil and gas industry is a part of Alberta culture and it makes this province one of the richest in Canada.

There is right now a war of terminology going on between oil sands vs. tar sands. For those promoting the development of this resource, they call it oil sands, because that is basically was bitumen is - oil stuck in dirt. For those against the development, they like to call it tar sands - tar is a very ugly and noxious substance. It is dangerous, its not something you ever want to touch. But it is man made, it cannot occur naturally. So for the sake of this article, I am going to use the term oil sands to describe this resource. Perhaps this exposes my bias too prominently, but we all have bias. I'm just not going to make you drink it(neither my opinion or the bitumen).

I am going to write 2 more parts to this article. One will be the negative consequences of digging (and drilling) for the oil sands. There has been quite a bit written about the negatives, but I'll do my best to sum up the arguments. The second part will be the positives of oil sands development. Some might see this as Alberta government propaganda, but this my point of view, the Alberta government has taken no part in the commissioning of this article. Besides, I'm so far down the gov't totem pole that I have to walk to work. If needed, I'll end this series off with a conclusion.

I don't have a lot of references to give you. Most of my knowledge is gained by the daily media (The CBC, Edmonton Journal, Globe and Mail, National Post and sometimes CTV when I'm bored). Here is a website with a positive spin on the subject: http://www.oilsandsdiscovery.com/oil_sands_story/story.html . Here is a website from the nay side: http://www.tarsandswatch.org/ . Both were located through a Google search so I cannot endorse either website. But this allows the reader to gain perspective on both sides of the issue.

Tragedy in Sri Lanka

This blog was origanily published at www.titulia.com around the middle of May during the Sri Lankan crisis. I'm posting it here now. My apologies if the formatting seems a bit wierd, I copy and pasted it from another site.

I'm no expert on the Indian sub-continent, but I try to pay attention to events there as much as possible. Afterall, more than 1/6 of the world lives in that tiny corner of the world. This a region of many many contrasts. In alot of ways the sub continent is like Europe except you have one giant country in the middle with several others lying on the periphery. But that doesn't mean India neccesarily dominates the news - the world pays attention to Pakistan and Sri Lanka with a fair bit of interest thanks to their respective diasporas.

Of course, this wouldn't be a Trvthseeker blog without a Canadian context. The Toronto region has one of the largest concentration of Sri Lankan Tamils outside of Sri Lanka. Apparently there are 200,000 living in the Toronto region and beyond. This makes them a voice to be reckoned with. The Sri Lankan Civil War (or the Tamil War of Independence depending which side you are on) has lasted over 30 years. In 1978 peanut farmer Jimmy Carter was President. The Donkey Kong arcade game hadn't been invented yet. Tomahawk missiles were in their infancy. Walter Cronkite was still anchoring the CBS evening news.

Any war is a tragedy. Some counts place the casulties at 70,000. Many more have been displaced. There have been several attempts to restore peace but they have failed. It appears the Sri Lankan government is pushing to end the 'insurgency' once and for all. The Tamils certainly have their greivances. The world has not been allowed in to see if ethnic cleansing has occured. This is a true concern. With TV cameras off and a lot of people crammed into a very small parcel of land, it could be quite possible that civilians are being slaughtered for nothing more than their heritage. For that the world needs to smack Sri Lanka around a couple of times. Sri Lanka needs to allow observers into this area immediately or they should face sanctions. And for a country as poor as this small island, sanctions could hit them pretty hard.

But war is war. While the battle is certainly lopsided in Sri Lanka's favor (the Sri Lankans are flying aircraft, the Tigers have nothing bigger than a few rocket launchers), the Tigers have hit where they can hit. And there is plenty of evidence that they use terrorist tactics. An Indian Prime Minister died because of the stance he took on the war. Terrorist tactics cannot be condoned at any time. While promising not to use 'heavy weapons' but still deploying them is hypocricy at its worst, Sri Lankan civilians have lived in fear for the past 30 years. The Tigers are labeled by many countries as a terrorist organization. This still doesn't stop them from being active through out the Tamil overseas community. There is evidence that they extort money from those who wish to leave this conflict completely behind in their new homes. Last week Tamils in Toronto took their protests to a whole new level when they marched their protest onto a major freeway and shut it down for 5 hours. I understand that some ethnic groups feel a need to have their own home.

There is plenty of evidence where ethnic groups can live together, but unfortunately there is just as much where they cannot. Unfortunately the tactics of the Tigers do not legitimize their struggle to the outside world. This does not mean that there is never a reason to pursue armed struggle. But tactics need to stop somewhere and the massacre and extortion of civilians would fit in most people's 'bad' list. I hope this next chapter of the conflict leads to peace. But I don't expect the Tigers to lay down peacefully. Unfortunately you don't rid yourself of suicide bombers by taking away their territory. You rid yourself of suicide bombers by lessening the crusade. I don't think the Sri Lankan gov't will do that. In fact, they may just inspire more overseas resentment and the flowing of resources to keep the rebellion alive. The sad thing is the Sri Lankan government may just have kept alive the one thing they are trying to crush - the dream of a separate homeland for the Tamils. You can't crush dreams with a tank.

Oh yes, in other subcontinent news - Congress has a very strong showing in recent elections. Comes close to a majority, which is almost unheard of in Indian politics. I'm watching this one with great interest.

Happy (late) Canada Day

This blog was origanily posted on July 1st at www.titulia.com . I thought it's fun.

An ode to the maple leaf, maple syrup and ice wine.
A land of rocks and trees, and trees and rocks and water and ice.
A country of contrasts, from world class cities to unexplored territory, high mountains to flat prairies, touching 3 oceans.
A people always discovering their culture and bringing their culture to the world.
A land rich in natural resources and rich in the talents of its 33 million citizens.
So on July 1st I hereby proclaim with what very little authority I actually have that we are all Canadian for a day.
I invite you all to raise a bottle of beer, a glass of ice wine or a shot of screech and toast Canada! And if anyone questions your authenticity, remember the capital is Ottawa and Keanu Reeves and Pamela Anderson are Canadian. You see, its not a secret, its just the secret password.

Some stories about Health Care

Health Care is becoming a huge debate in the United States. Will Obama succeed where Clinton failed? Only time will tell. What surprises me in this debate is how the critics in this debate will throw criticism of Canada in the debate with witty one liners and presumed conclusions that somehow Canadians receive inferior health care because of our centralized system. Now, I can't say too much about the American system - I've watched Sicko, heard some stories of Canadians living in the US and once vomitted in the trash can while waiting in the lobby of a Lake Tahoe clinic. But I have plenty of first hand experience going through the Canadian system. Is it perfect? Of course not. But through my experience I know that I certainly would rather stick with the Canadian system than to chance the American system.

The largest criticism of the Canadian system, both north and south of the border is wait times. And this is a weakness of the Canadian system - particularly if you show up at the emergency ward. My mother was ordered to the hospital by her doctor because of astronomically high blood sugars. They triaged her, took her blood sugar and then asked her to wait. They said if she feels any change in how she feels to let them but they warned it would be a long wait. She got a bed in about 9 hours. They took her blood sugar every 3-4 hours and fortunately it remained stable during the wait. So she had to wait while the doctor's took care of people with heart attacks and victims of trauma. Once she got a bed, she was very well taken care of - the Doctors came twice a day, the nurses took her blood sugar hourly and she had appointments with social workers and other support services to get her prepared for her life as a diabetic. The wait was a bit harrowing, but my mom's life wasn't in danger, so she had to wait so that those who life were in danger were attended to first.

My dad has the exact opposite story. He had a lump on his shoulder that at first we just thought was a cist. At a regular check up he brought it up to his regular doctor and the doctor sent him for some further tests. The Doctor never found anything in Red Deer, but they sent him to a specialist in Edmonton. The EdmontonDoctor did another biopsy and found a stage 2 cancer. Dad had surgery within a month of the diagnosis. He had a 10 hour surgery with 12 surgeons attending to him. He also had a long period of radiation. 5 years later he is still cancer free. There was some waiting between seeing specialists and my parents almost cancelled the one with the specialist in Edmonton, but thanks the Canadian medical system, my dad is still alive. My parents had to change their lifestyle a fair bit because Dad could not work full-time after the surgery but they did not lose their shirts over this ordeal.

The key to the Canadian medical system is making appointments. If its not an emergency it can sometime take some time to see a specialist - for example it took me 5 months to see a digestive specialist after a really bad case of the runs last year (more than 6 weeks of problems). But I got to see a specialist, and although his advice was quite straightforward - eat more fibre - I got 30 minutes with a guy who knows the digestive system from entry to exit. But for our regular doctor, if its a semi-emergency we can often get a next day appointment or if we're lucky a sameday appointment if we call early enough in the morning. My wife had severe cramping last year while we were in Red Deer. I called that morning and I had an appointment for 3pm that same day back in Edmonton for her.

That doesn't mean that the system is not without its problems. It has plenty. But I believe that the system for the most part works. Now I am biased against the American system. But a fairly large segment of the American system are not insured and even those who are insured often have trouble getting everything covered through their insurance. I'm sure there are plenty of Americans who are satisfied with their system, but I do see some injustice inherant in the system. The Canadian system on the other hand does ensure that everyone can access health care. And I believe most if not all Canadians are able to access the highest quality care available.

So, even though some critics in the United States of centralized medicine like to villianize the Canadian system, I think it has more to do with ideology and less to do with trying to maintain an efficient health care system. I do hope the Americans are able to continue this debate in a healthy manner, but lets not beat up little ol' Canada eh? We're just content to sit back and watch and stay healthy.

Chasing the Gold Rush

We all want to accummalte some volume of wealth. Each of us have our goals and this is a personal decision. The thing that gets me is that so many people think that getting rich is somehow easy. Every day I get phone calls from people wanting to start a business, find work or get training and it surprises me how many people think that financial independence is something that is handed to them and not worked for.

Edmonton and indeed most of Canada owes its existance to people who set out onto the frontier in search of a new life and fortune. The history of North America is littered with gold rushes, some person who finds a treasure in the wilderness and then the masses flock seeking their own mass of gold nuggets. But anything in history goes much deeper than that. The original prospector probably looked for years in that area before he struck it rich. Most of the people who flocked to the site of gold strike left empty handed.

For Canadians, Alberta in the last 10 years was the new gold rush. And there was certainly money to be made. Alberta had an unemployment rate around 3-6% and the Atlantic provinces had a rate in the teens. Whole towns from down east flocked over here to work in the oilfield, oil sands and petro-chemical plants. At first a lot of the work was temporary, the workers could work for a few months, make some cash and go home. I remember this back in 1998 when my dad got me a summer job working at a plant turn around (shut down) at his old employer. I was one of the few guys who lived in Red Deer. I remember how awesome it felt to make $14/hr, a lot of money for a young University student. As our economy grew the demand for workers grew. Alberta became even more of a destination and the wages only went up.

There was certainly some demand for semi-skilled workers. But the real shortage was for skilled trades, something the province neglected to train people for from the last crash in the early 80's to the new development in later 90's. Alberta until last year was an awesome place for skilled tradesperson to make some money. But to be a skilled tradesperson takes 3-4 years of training through the apprenticeship system. A lot of people didn't bother, taking $20-25/hr now rather waiting 3-4 years to make $35-40/hr.

When the housing bust hit the United States in 2007, Alberta thought it would be immune to it. After all oil was reaching record heights and development in the oil sands was going full speed ahead. The oil sands were huge construction projects employing 2-3000 workers at a time. This employed people in all areas. By 2008 the construction projects at several sites were starting to wind down, but not to worry - the companies promised that more projects were just around the corner and ready to break ground. Then October happened. Oil dropped from $140 a barrel to $40. Those projects on the drawing board stayed there. And a lot of people were out of work. Some of the skilled trades moved into maintenance. Others skilled trades took a break. But the hardest hit were those who had little training. They were the first to get the boot and had the hardest time finding anything else. After all, why would a company hire a heavy equipment operator with 5 years experience when they had 5 guys applying for the position with 15+ years driving a heavy machine.

Before October I had many people from Ontario and the maritimes asking how to get a job in Fort McMurray (the site of the oil sands construction). Those that were calling me had no training in the trades. They thought they could just show up and, boom, get a 25-30/hr job without trying. Even during the boom, this seldom happened unless you knew someone. I had a hair dresser from Toronto insisting that his buddy got off the plane in Fort McMurray and was working before he got to his housing. He was asking me how his buddy did that. I told him to ask his buddy. Of course his buddy wasn't telling any secrets.

Whole families showed up from across Canada hoping to strike it rich here. Now, if they had the training, they may have been able to secure a position during the boom. But it was much harder if they didn't have a skilled trade. Fort McMurray was particularly a very hard place to settle because there was no housing unless you got a camp job - and most camp jobs were reserved for the skilled trades. But the rents across Alberta were skyrocketing until 2007 as well, and those who got jobs in the semi-skilled jobs found it difficult to make ends meet.

After October, I got few requests about jobs in Fort McMurray or much of anything from inter-provincial migrants. (Although I got a call the other day from someone asking if he could get a job in a manufacturing plant out here, but the news always travels slow for some people). Now people want training. The provincial and federal governments offer up to 2 years of training (plus the possibility of high school upgrading, if required on top of that) at a technical, private vocational or community college, if you can find a spot. This is not a new program, regardless what the Tories want to tell you. They opened up the requirements somewhat, but the program has been in place for as long as I know. But what are the two most popular requests I get for training? For men -Heavy equipment operator and truck driver. For women - administrative assitant or something in health care. Usually short courses, and something that doesn't require a whole lot of study. The thing is, there are a lot of truck drivers and administrative assistants unemployed. Heavy equipment operators don't even need any training - although there are schools that are willing to take your money. The demand for the skilled trades are greatly diminished (although I don't get a lot of calls from journey people, a lot are still working) and if you're looking to get apprenticed you're probably SOL. What a change from a year ago when the employers couldn't find anyone wanting to start as a first year apprentice.

A lot of people have been hurt because of this bust. But the thing is I think some people could have prevented the damage they caused themselves if they would have remembered this - making money is never easy.

I have a 4 year degree. My dad is a journeyman pipefitter. All the people in my life I would consider successful all follow these simple steps- if you want to make money it requires you to dig in, get trained, start at the bottom and work your way up in your career. But I see so many people who would rather skip the hard work and go straight for the money. They would rather gamble it all on striking gold rather than having some patience and make some money in the next 20 years rather than trying to make it all in 5.

I have no interest in making a million bucks. I am interested in making a comfortable living for my family and hopefully when I'm 50 or 60 I don't have to panic when my kids hit me up for some money to go to school. Yep, times are a little tough right now. But my wife and I are willing to make some sacrifices and I know that if I work hard, develop my skills and keep honest with my employers that I will move up. Is it easy, no. But will it be worth it? If I've learnt anything from my parents and their peers, I truly believe it will be.

mmm labour stats

The latest labour force statistics (better known as the unemployment rate) for May came out yesterday. Check them here. Both Canada and Alberta saw very small increase in the unemployment rate in May, which is really no surprise. The stats for May confirm what I've been thinking about for 3 months now. The Alberta economy has finished its correction and the new status quo is taking hold.

Gone are the days where a kid can drop out of school and land a $25 job playing in the mud. Gone are the days that if your employer wasn't paying you enough you just went next door for an extra 2 bucks an hour. Gone are the days of quitting your job on Friday and having a new one Monday morning.

The new reality is that we need workers with skills and education. If you're not pulling your weight at the job, you may find yourself looking for a new one. Employers are not looking for workers who just have a pulse, they're looking for workers who will do the best they can for the business.

The downturn did hurt a lot of people. But it could have been a lot worse. People still have jobs and Alberta still has the largest labour participation rate in Canada. People are still buying Wal-mart, going out for dinner at The Keg and having fun at Rundle Park. Some people say the worst is still to come. Myself, I think what we just saw was a correction. We couldn't sustain the boom we saw from 2004 to 2008. But the world still needs fossil fuels. And Alberta still has them.

What puts Alberta in a tough position is that we're still getting a lot of inter-provincial migrants who think that just anyone can come and secure a good paying job here. But the thing is that there is a lot less demand for lower skilled positions now. If you want a job as a heavy equipment operator you need to get in line with 30 other guys applying for the same position. Don't have any experience working on the rigs? Well, there are lots of guys applying for those jobs who DO have the experience. There are still plenty of jobs in the service sector though, but they are expecting that you'll stick around for more than 2 weeks. If they don't think you will, don't expect a call back.

I foresee that Alberta could stay at this plateau for a number of years. If oil prices remain around $60 bucks a barrel, the companies will still be working, but working less. This isn't a bad thing. The break neck pace of the last 4 years was ridiculous. Instead, let the economy develop in a sustainable fashion. Instead of 4 2-3000 person construction projects happening at one time, lets have one. Once that project is done, move onto the next one. This allows Alberta to fulfill its labour obligations and still develop its economy. It also keeps the kids that should be in school, in school. It ensures that drunk people aren't driving 5 story heavy haulers. And it keeps the line up at Tim Hortons manageable.

Blogging is fun

I used to be on a website that claimed it was a virtual republic - www.titulia.com . Things didn't really work out there because of personality conflicts so I decided to move on. But I did discover one thing. I enjoy writing. I used to do it way back when I was a high school student and in University but since then I've only done a bit here and there. But while I was on Titulia, I discovered I enjoyed writing again. So its time to start writing again. Sometimes I'll write about politics, sometimes about my 2 year old son. Sometimes it might even be about nonsense. But I'm going to try and post a blog at least once a week. And I hope to have fun and meet new people have engage new discussions while doing it.