Residents of a small Alberta oil town say they鈥檒l have the economy on their minds when they vote in next Tuesday鈥檚 provincial election.
Perry May, who rents heavy-duty equipment in Drayton Valley, says that a downturn in the oil sector has left him 鈥渏ust hanging on.鈥�
Shari MacPherson, who runs a trucking company in the town southwest of Edmonton, says the economy is so bad she鈥檚 afraid she鈥檒l lose her company.
Tim Cameron, an oil industry consultant, says that he鈥檚 only had six or seven days of work since early November.
It鈥檚 not just the oil jobs that are drying up in the town of 7,000 people. At Ryan Fynn鈥檚 hotel, record-low occupancy has forced layoffs.
鈥淲e had 13 fulltime employees who were getting their 40 hours a week and now we are down to four or five,鈥� Fynn said.
They are all facing cutbacks as a result of lower oil prices and production cuts, exacerbated by a lack of pipelines to carry their products.
鈥淲e need our pipeline built,鈥� May said. 鈥淲e need access to markets.鈥�
United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney has blamed NDP Leader Rachel Notley for the delay in getting a new pipeline built.
Notley says she expects the Trans Mountain project -- blocked by a federal court over improper consultation with First Nations -- will be approved by the end of May. In the meantime, she鈥檚 ordered rail cars to ship oil.
A new pipeline can鈥檛 come soon enough for Drayton Valley residents like Reeve Bart Guyon. 鈥淧eople are just really wondering, what do we do next?鈥�
