“Justin Trudeau we have all learned how strong social media can be so if this gets to you, please take a moment to read it over. Since you will not acknowledge what the low oil prices have done to our own people, I will.”
So, begins one man’s letter that has captured the feelings of thousands of oilpatch workers and their families struggling to cope in a rapidly declining economy. Shared over 3000 times in 48 hours, Ken Cundliffe makes an impassioned and articulate plea to the rest of Canada, and in particular the Trudeau government, to please pay attention.
“You refuse to acknowledge the problem? Since the layoffs began over a year ago, unemployment insurance is running out for a lot of families and people are getting desperate. The theft is beginning to sky rocket and it is hard to blame some of these individuals because, like I said, they are desperate. Suicide rates are also rapidly rising.”
Suicide rates are in fact so alarming, that a provincial government review has been announced. A 30% increase in the first six months of 2015, with numbers undoubtedly higher as layoffs have spread. At that rate, over 600 Alberta residents will have taken their lives in 12 months.
“This week alone, I have heard daily about people I know getting laid off. Not all of these people are in the oilfield, but their industries are being affected too. A lot of these people have young families to support. It’s hard to say in words how scared and desperate people are becoming, yet there are very few stories in the news about it. I can’t stress enough that these are Canadians who are in real trouble. The housing market is flooded and it’s almost impossible to sell a home and move somewhere for a new start.”
In Lloydminster, Ken’s hometown, back in September 2015, houses were seeing a 10 to 15 per cent drop in value. This means a $350,000 house, lost between $40,000 to $50,000 if sold. In the first half of the year, food banks were also seeing double the number of families requiring assistance, and the situation has only worsened.
Victoria Buzz spoke with Ken, about what prompted him to write his letter:
“The media has said that they have reported on the problems in Alberta, but all I have seen are the most impersonal reports about the oil price being down which is affecting the economy. I’m sorry, but that’s not good enough. If there were some stories about the “real people” who are being affected, I think that would shed some light to the rest of Canada on what a low oil price really means.”
“The huge misconception is that everyone who works in Alberta is in the oilfield, has a jacked up truck and works on a rig. They think that all Albertans have wasted all their money too. That is true for some, but that is not the case for most.”
Comparing the media coverage regarding the struggling automotive industry in Ontario vs. oilpatch workers in Alberta, Ken writes in his letter:
“When the auto industry was in trouble, we heard about it daily. I’m sure a lot of Canadians who are not directly effected by the low oil prices are oblivious to how bad things are getting here. They may hear that oil is low and the economy is not doing well, but I don’t believe they realize the true hardships it is imposing on real families and individuals.”
And economists predict that worse is still to come. With expectations of as low as $20 a barrel for crude oil in 2016, more layoffs and pain seem inevitable. As Maclean’s describe in their January 13 article, the oil patch shed close to 40,000 jobs in one year and 2016 is expected to bring even more layoffs. All across the province, real estate, auto sales, restaurants and other business activity are feeling the effects. Unemployment has jumped 4.7 per cent in October 2014 to 7 per cent in December 2015. “Even man’s best friend has not been immune: Fort McMurray’s only animal shelter was inundated with surrendered animals before Christmas.”
Places like BC are not exempt from the struggles of the Alberta economy. The energy sector had long driven Canada’s trade surplus and absorbed large numbers of unemployed and underemployed people. During the boom times, places like Fort McMurray attracted workers from across the country, from British Columbia to Newfoundland. Today tens of thousands of unemployed riggers, welders, pipe fitters, and heavy-haul drivers are being told to head home. Finding limited work opportunities upon their return and EI payments soon running out.
And so writes Ken in his letter: “Things will turn around and Alberta will be a “have province” again but in the short term, there are a lot of Alberta (and Saskatchewan) families who could use some help. A lot of these families have never asked for anything in their lives. Please don’t let our own people turn to desperate measures because they have no other option. You wanted to be the leader of our country. Show some leadership skills and work with the West for once.”
Read his full letter here.
