First Rotation

I have now completed my entire first rotation. By that I mean that I have worked my first two weeks, flown home and had my week off. Now I am getting ready to fly back for my second rotation.

There are some very important things that I have learned in my first rotation at Kearl / Wapasu.

1. When they say that Rogers and affiliates cell service doesn't work, they are not kidding. Yes the area is on the Rogers coverage map and yes you will get 'some' signal, but NO you will not have stable service. You may get enough to start a call, but it WILL drop. The service is so poor that I just locked my phone up in the closet for my rotation and didn't bother with it. Day one on my week off I got Rogers to unlock my phone and switched to Koodo, which works for anyone that has it up there in no mans land.
2. The bus ride from the Shell Aerodrome is nearly and hour and 15 minutes. 
3. The bus ride to site from Wapasu is 45 minutes in good weather / road conditions.
4. Most of what you hear from anyone on site or in camp is bitching!

Now that I have a working cell phone and I won't be trapped at the land line for most of my free time I will hopefully be able to get updating this blog and show everyone what Kearl / Wapasu is like.

I'm here

Well, I made it safe and sound to Wapasu Creek Lodge yesterday. It was a long trip and a real pain in the backside, but in the end I am here. I was exhausted last night after the lack of sleep and all the stops, but I think that I am even more tired today. Hopefully I will soon get caught up on sleep, get over the jetlag and into a routine.

We did our first orientation in camp this morning from 6:15 until 11:00. That was the 'Kearl' Imperial Oil training. Then we were bused over to site to spend the rest of the day with PCL orientation. Tomorrow morning we finish up with PCL training and then we are out on site.

I have quickly learned that the most annoying thing for me about this camp is that they have a deal exclusively with Pepsi, so there will be no soft drinks for me as Pepsi sucks!

I have been taking pictures where I am allowed to and will soon post some. I'd like to make a short video of camp life, and may get around to that. But for now I'm still trying to get my bearings.

The countdown has begun

The wait came to an end yesterday afternoon when our flight coordinator sent me the email that I have been waiting on. My flight is tomorrow morning and I will fly commercial for the first leg to Calgary where I will get hooked up with the commercial system. It will be nice to finally get the ball rolling even though no one really wants to work away from home. I will be landing at the Albian Aerodrome sometime late afternoon tomorrow. It's an interesting place to land, in the middle of nowhere 0_o

The wait is getting unbearable

I received notification 6 days ago that I passed my A&D test and I still have no flight confirmation. The wait is starting to wear on me. I have tried being patient but it is wearing off all too quickly. Today was supposed to be my first day on site and I am sitting here, home in Ontario typing this post. I spoke to the flight coordinator yesterday and she informed me that her co worker had my flight info as complete, yet there was no booking, no email to me, no confirmation call. So I have slipped through the cracks and now I am losing money because of it. Hopefully this situation will turn around soon.

My guide to getting a job in the Alberta Oil Sands

It never fails that any time I am heading to work in the infamous Oil Sands of northern Alberta, someone asks, 'how do you get work there, I want to go'. I have explained the process that I go through to more people than Clark has beans. So what I am going to do is try to explain the process here in hopes that it will help someone out.

First of all please note that I am a union carpenter. This means that I belong to the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiner of America. This is key for the process that I have to deal with. If you are not union then this may not help you. I am writing this for my brothers in the union, but some of it will still apply to anyone else and I will point those details out as they come.

Step 1. *This step is for union carpenters*

Call your local union office (mine is Local 18) and tell them that you are interested in working in Alberta and that you would like them to send your information to the dispatch of Local 1325 in Edmonton. *It is worth noting here that having your scaffold ticket will greatly improve your chances of getting a call back, so if you don't have it get yourself registered and take the course! Now this does not mean that you have no chance of getting work in Alberta, so don't get discouraged and give up.

Step 2. *This step is for union carpenters*

Go to the website of the Alberta Carpenters and check the job list. Look over the jobs and see if there is anything that appeals to you. You can always call the dispatch at Local 1325 (1-800-272-7905) and check to see if they received your information, as well as letting them know what jobs you may be interested in. But don't be pushy, this will not help you.

Step 3. *This step is for union carpenters*

Wait. Don't drive the dispatch crazy calling every day, once they have your info and an opening they will call you. Once all the criteria are met and there is an opening suitable for you they will call and offer you a job. At this point if it is not the job you were hoping for then politely ask them if you would be able to take the job that you were hoping for, the worst that they will do is say no. At this point of the game it is in your best interest to know what is available on the job list (check it daily). It will help you make a quick decision if you are already aware of job conditions ahead of the call. I print the list out and have it in front of me so that I can see what they are proposing.

It may be worth noting that if you require flight you should tell them that. Not all jobs have flights! Some jobs are local hire only, and some only fly from certain areas. If you are from anywhere but the local area then you want the jobs to have flights from all hubs. Many jobs have flights that are charter and you pay nothing out of pocket. Some jobs reimburse you part or all of your commercial flight, make sure you ask and understand the flight conditions.

Step 4.

Now that you have secured employment you will most likely have to get an A&D test before proceeding. A&D stands for Alcohol and Drugs. Yes this is the obligatory piss test. The dispatch that you get if you are a union carpenter will have the necessary information. Either the company will call you or the dispatch will give you a number to call. Make sure you read it carefully and follow any instruction. No matter which way it comes about odds are you will have to pee in a cup before they will book your flight or let you on site. Once you sort out your A&D test requirements book your test and have it done.

Step 5.

Wait. Yes, more waiting. This all does not happen over night. It may take a week or more to get yourself out there. At some point, usually within 48 hours you will get a result from the testing company. Once you have a Negative result you can move on to the next step.

Step 6.

Getting to site. If you are like me and are using the charter flight system that is available for some jobs then you will probably have to call the 'flight coordinator' for that site. For a union carpenter the number will be on your dispatch. Find the number and call them up to see what their procedure is from this point. More than likely they already have your clearance and are working on booking you. This may take a couple of days, as they may be taking care of thousands of flights. Just let the process play out. They will contact you when they have your itinerary.

If you are staying in camp they will have all that information for you with your flight information. If you are not staying in camp then the odds are that you are booking your own flight and you will need a negative result before they let you on site.

Step 7.

Go. Once you have the information then it is pretty obvious from here.

NOTES

• If you are going to work in Alberta you will need to have your CSTS card. This stands for Construction Safety Training System. You are able to do an online course to get this for$65. Check out http://www.acsa-safety.org/page.php?s=3&p=14# for more information. 
• None of your construction safety tickets will be valid if they are not from Alberta. You will need to redo all of your training, such as fall arrest. There are several places online where you can get the necessary training such as http://simplesafety.ca/ Just remember to only get the training that is required to get you on the job as some of the courses can be costly.

So Ft.McMurray, we meet again...

It's been a while, but this kid is heading back to work in the Oil Sands. I received my dispatch today and will start work on Sept 18th at Kearl Lake with PCL Industrial. I've got the obligatory pee test booked for tomorrow morning and once I get my results my flight will be booked. From what I am told this job flies on Tuesday's in and out of Hamilton. I will be on a 14 and 7 rotation meaning that I will be home for one week and at work for two. It sounds like a sweet deal having 17 weeks vacation a year :)

Either way I figured if I was going back that I should resurrect the old Blog :D

Out and about

Okay, so I managed to get out today. I dragged my lazy but off the couch and went downtown, and to the North Saskatchewan river. My estimate is that I walked about 15 km total. I managed to get some pictures from the bridge that the LRT rides on of the river and the high level bridge. It is very scenic down there.

I also made my way over to Churchill Square in downtown Edmonton and from there I took a couple of pictures of the new Alberta Art Gallery that is currently under construction.

West Edmonton Mall

I still have a hard time believing how many people visit this blog. Who would have known. So now that I am living in Edmonton and nowhere near Ft. McMurray I don't know if I should change the name.

But as long as I am here in Edmonton I am checking the city out. This weekend I was at West Edmonton Mall, which is the largest mall in the world. I did take some pictures, but it is hard to capture the size of this place in pictures. It is just something that has to be seen to understand the enormity of it. I am posting the pictures below.

My plan for the day is to go downtown and take some pictures, especially of and from the high level bridge. Which of course goes over the North Saskatchewan river.

Update

Wow, I really suck at keeping this thing up to date don't I. It is not the easiest thing to do with the life I am leading. Now that the winter weather is here sometimes the bus takes even longer to get us home. It sucks getting in at 7 or later every night, especially when you have to be up and ready before 5 the next morning.

Now that I see there are still alot of people checking in on this blog maybe I better update a little. This week was quite interesting. The 'Brass Pool' (just a fancy cheque pool which uses tickets as opposed to cheque numbers) was won by a first year apprentice scaffolder. She won in excess of $157,000.00 Yeah, crazy I know. Weekly the pool is around $30,000.00, but for the holiday they made it $40 to get in as opposed to $10. It is quite a setup, it is run by the 'Alberta Building Trades Charitable foundation'. They take 20% of the proceeds each week and it goes to charity. So that means this week $40,000.00 went to charity. Not bad for one jobsite.

I really wish I could get some pictures of this jobsite and the activity that goes on around it. It is absolutely amazing. Just watching the line of buses carrying 4,000 people down the highway in the night is interesting enough, let alone everything else.

Back in action

OK, I know I was supposed to use this  blog to update everyone on what is going on with me out here in Alberta. What can I say, I have been busy, tired, and, well just plain lazy about updating. So here is the scoop. I have moved out of camp and into Edmonton. PCL transferred me to the next big project in Fort Saskatchewan. It is the 'Shell Upgrader Expansion One' project, or for short SUEx1. Fancy words for, ' we are spending $30 billion'. Anyway, I am settling in and starting to take a bit of a shine to Edmonton. Now that I am getting used to it, I seem to like it here. This particular job is not scheduled to finish until April 15th 2010. But the way these projects go it could easily go a year over. I am sure that I will do quite well by it. After that there is another big project in Redwater. But I am sure that there will be more to come before then. In short, there is no shortage of work here. I kind of got in on the ground level here. The project has been going for almost two years already, but the fun is just beginning. I have never seen so many cranes on a job site. And the biggest cranes I have ever seen. Watching the activity around this site is just awe inspiring. And getting paid to be there is like a big bonus. Speaking of bonus, I hear today that Shell is offering incentives to the workforce. Apparently they will pay us to take their busses to keep congestion off the roads and so that they don't have their parking lots over flowing (there will be in excess of 6500 tradesmen on this job). They are also offering an incentive of $1 per hour worked over 1000 hours, which will be paid out lump sum later on.

This weekend is my off weekend, so I am going to venture into the downtown core. I would like to see what Edmonton has to offer besides the most liquor stores per capita in the universe. I will be taking my camera along to snap a few shots. Hopefully I can get some posted.

More pictures coming

So here I am starting my three days off. I hope to make it to town over the course of the weekend as there are a few things that I need to get. Beyond that my plan is to get out and make some more use of that bicycle that I bought. There is alot to see around here. Of course I will be taking my camera with me so that I can get some pictures of everything that I see.

It sure felt good this morning to sleep until my body woke me up. And I think that was only because I needed a bathroom break. But you do have to still get up a little early here to get some breakfast and pack a lunch. If you miss the kitchen in the morning you are not eating until dinner time!

Yes, I know I have not been posting so much lately. I had to move camps and the internet connection here sucks compared to the last camp. On top of that my computer kept crapping out on me, so I invested in a new laptop. That should take care of that issue. Aside from that I have been spending an aweful lot of time on the phone with a young woman named Amy. She is a fantastic person and I enjoy the time with her. So that means I don't spend as much time posting. Get over it! I will get back to the posting I am sure. I did bring my digital slr with me so I will be getting out on my days off which should be this coming weekend and take some pitures. So check back after the weekend and I should have some reasonable posts.

Settling in

So we made the big move on Thursday night from the Athabasca Lodge to Poplar Point. I have posted some pictures of the new camp 'Poplar Point'. It has some major differences from the camp that I was at. The biggest as you can see is that we have to go outside to reach places such as the dining hall. But to me this is kind of an asset. It gives the whole place more of a community feel. All we need is a tornado and it will be just like living in a trailer park in Kansas.

All in all everything went relatively smooth. Of course there were some jerks who made the move more difficult for the rest of us. But I am sure that everything will come out in the wash.

The food is good here. They also have lots of activities such as baseball, pool tournaments, poker tournaments etc.

Update

The time has come to move out of Athabasca Lodge. The contract for the rooms held by PCL has ended. And the rooms are all booked by another company. So PCL is moving everyone that is here to another camp on site. We will be moving on Thursday to a camp called Poplar Point. It doesn't look as nice on the surface as this camp but I really will not be able to make a fair judgment until I spend a few days there.

Alot of the guys here are kicking up a huge fuss over this move. I find it a little bit ridiculous myself. As long as the company is following the collective agreement then there is nothing to go on about. I find that we are treated extremely well and live quite good out here. I guess the more you get the more you want, or so it would seem with some of the guys around here.

Oh, on another not my general foreman won one of those hospital house lotteries. Between the house and the lexus and whatever else there was it was worth $1.2 million. So he is taking a couple of days off.

I made it

Well I made it back to Alberta and have been hard at work ever since. It was difficult to leave the kids again. But I am accomplishing what I had set out to do. I am managing to shed myself of some fairly large debt. It is not easy working for nothing, but it sure feels good to get out from under some of the debt that I have accumulated. It will be even nicer when I get rid of it all and can start saving some money to rebuild myself a life. Until then I guess I just have to keep playing robot and keep my eyes set on the goal and forget that I am just a money machine.

Alberta Bound

The week has gone by rather quickly. You wonder on your way back how you will fill a week, as it seems like a long time. Then when you are getting ready to go again you realize that it is just the blink of an eye and you wish you could stay longer. I guess if I had a permanent residence it would help. It feels rather unsettling in my current state. But I am trying to make the best and the kids seemed to enjoy my time with them. I figured it would only be right to throw in a couple of
the pictures I took of them this week.

coming home...

Well I got my flight. I leave tonight. I will be landing in Hamilton tomorrow morning at 5:35 I will be home for one week. My flight leaves on the 19th at 6:15 am. I am sure the week will fly by.

j;ieuahbn&^%$%^

Yes, I know. I have not been posting very much lately. I guess I just have not really felt like it. I had to reinstall Windows on my laptop and I have been busy getting things sorted back out. So my huge hour or so of free time a night gets eaten up pretty quick.

Anyway they gave everyone at the job ipod nano's yesterday for breaking the 20,000,000 man hour mark. I would assume it is quite an expense to hand out 11,000 engraved ipods. I was a little shocked as I had no idea that they were doing it because PCL just gave out Sony mp3 players last week. And I hear that there is another safety award that we will be getting next week. Crazy isn't it? I still find this place a little unreal. It is hard to absorb the scope of it all here. And this is only one of many jobs like it going on around here.

I should be back in Ontario soon for a short 1 week visit. So if anyone wants to get together they should get a hold of me soon!

grrr

I am desperately trying to get to town this weekend. I have three days off, and I wanted to get a few things. The opportunity to get into town seems to be few and far between so to speak. As time passes I find myself needing a few more things and I have been patiently waiting on the opportunity to go, but I keep working. Now that I am off I am chomping at the bit to get going. I do not know if PCL has recreation buses scheduled for today or not. So I could sit here all day trying to figure a way to get to town. I do not wish to take a cab as it is over $100. I never thought I would be anxious to go into that shithole of a town, but it is the only civilization around. And there is nowhere else to do any shopping.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

For the life of me I still cannot get over the amount of money in this province. Suncor, one of the big players here is spending $160,000,000 building the camp to house the men in for its next big project 'Voyageur'. On top of that they are spending almost a billion dollars upgrading the highway and building an interchange in front of their plant to cut down on the fatal accidents. They will be handing this over to the province when they are done. Alberta just seems to be oozing at the seems with cash.

I thought that I would be off last weekend, but they asked me to work it. Now I will be off this weekend because I will have worked 18 days straight and that is all PCL will let you work on this job. But I am here to pick up that oozing cash, so I am okay with it all.

I heard today that PCL picked up the second phase of the project, so now they are scrambling trying to get more men. There was talk of layoffs starting in June, but now they are hiring again. Go figure.