President and CEO of Crusader Drilling Corp., Don Rae, said normally he would employ about 70 people to run three drilling rigs; with two rigs out of service, about 50 people are off work right now. But the economic impact of the flooding extends far beyond a couple of idle drilling rigs and some unemployed rig hands.
The president of the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors (CAODC), Mark Scholz, says the loss of drilling activity has a trickle-down effect on the economy. “For every active rig, it generates about 135 direct and indirect jobs. So every time a rig is impacted, it’s not just the rig crew that’s being affected; it’s a whole range of services, including hotels and restaurants … There’s a lot of people hurting as a result of this (flooding).’
Leave a Reply